NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK 9th MARCH 2019


Despite being a Saturday, there was no traffic on Magadi Road or
Langata Road and we arrived at the Main Gate a little after 6.30am.
The car-park was fairly full, but the queue for the Entry office came
out the door right across the car-park and formed a second tail.
Nevertheless with the two Customer Service Clerks working at the
counters we were out of there in twenty minutes.

There had been no recent rain, temperatures above average with a
strong wind causing some damage to trees locally. Today the weather
was exactly the same. A walk around the Main Car Park gave us a few
birds not encountered later such as Bronze and Northern
Double-collared Sunbird, but whilst a good variety it didn’t
contribute very much. There were over a dozen Willow Warblers with
only three seen inside the Park.

At 6.50am it was still quite dark and not much wanted to say anything,
but a few Nightingales broke the silence as did a Eurasian Reed
Warbler, and a few more Nightingales were at Ivory Burning Site but
little else. There was another on the Nagalomon Dam Causeway, but so
little of note on the dam. No Palearctic Waders, but brightened up
with a male Palearctic Little Bittern (see image). There was also a
Squacco Heron which is likely the bird that has been here for a few
months now. Four African Spoonbills were not showing any signs of
nesting activity, but one of the six Darters came back with a beakfull
jam-packed with leafy twigs. Just one Fish Eagle was perched near the
Mokoyeti Bridge and was the only one of its kind seen today. Also here
were the days only Spotted Flycatcher and a singing Zanzibar Greenbul.
Taking the back road to Hyena Dam the quiet continued but at the units
there was a surprise in finding a pair of Parrot-billed Sparrows,
seemingly the first for the north of the Park, (see Images and
discussion). A Grey-headed Kingfisher was perched on a rock in the
grassland, not what you would consider typical habits or habitat (see
Image). As usual we had the first of four Augur Buzzards along here.

At Hyena Dam it was nice to see the young Goliath Heron is still happy
where it is (see Images), there were single Great, Yellow-billed (see
Image and discussion) and Little Egrets as well as many Black-headed
Herons. It had been a good day for herons already! Also present were
single Yellow-billed and Marabou Storks and two African Spoonbills.
The waders included five Long-toed Plovers inclusive of the
white-winged bird, over a dozen Black-winged Stilts, a Common Snipe
(see Image and discussion), one Green, twenty Wood and three Common
Sandpipers, a Little Stint, and the days only Ruff.  The only
passerine of any interest was a female flava Yellow Wagtail. We drove
between the Mokoyeti and Hyena Dam run-off, but it looks like after
its fine farewell last week the Greater Spotted Eagle might have
headed back to his northern nesting area. We have long suspected he
was a he, but the display last week proved it. As a consequence not
one Aquila Eagle came our way today. At the Oxbow a couple of Sedge
Warblers were churring, and the first of just three Black-winged Kites
seen today appeared. Very considerable drop from over a dozen last
week.

Before arriving at the Kingfisher Swamp which was without water, we
had a flock of over twenty Parasitic Weavers which contained many
adult males in breeding plumage (see Image), later we found the first
two of a meagre three Whinchats seen today (thirteen last week), and
the first of seven Northern Wheatears, the only widowbird of the day
was a male White-winged in full breeding dress. Kingfisher Picnic Site
had a few people but no desired birds. On to Ololo along the Mbagathi
River gave us a few species, it still had its Nightingale, the
Secretarybird was tight on its nest, and there were incredible views
of a Brown Parisoma at eye-level and a couple of Speckle-fronted
Weavers in the acacias. At the quarry was out first of just two
Isabelline Wheatears today, and a very strange Turkestan Shrike, the
only migrant shrike of the day, (see Image and discussion).

Nothing was there to entertain us at the Pallid Honeyguide spot, who
still appears to be on holiday, but further along the Mbagathi was a
very large adult Martial Eagle. At Rhino Circuit we found Red-throated
Tit and the first of two Olivaceous Warblers today, and a solitary
Lesser Masked Weaver, then our only Pied Wheatear was along the
Pipeline.

Athi Dam was a bit more interesting with six Yellow-billed, a tumble
to just thirteen Whites and two-hundred Marabou Storks, but there was
a remarkable concentration of 28 adult African Spoonbills, (see
Image). Six Black-crowned Night-Herons roosted on the Causeway, and
were our tenth heron species for the day, there were also single Great
and Yellow-billed Egrets, a young Pink-backed Pelican dropped in, a
Ruppell’s Vulture came in to drink, the first two Grey Crowned Cranes
were present, a Spotted Thick-knee, and the Palearctic waders
consisted of six Black-winged Stilts, four Common Ringed Plover, a
Common Snipe, eight Greenshank, ten Wood, one Green and four Common
Sandpipers and eight Little Stints, there was  also  a dozen
Kittlitz’s Plovers. The best bird was a breeding plumaged Whiskered
Tern, just the fourth documented record for NNP (see Image).  Banded
Parisoma were in the Acacia mellifera but no migrant warblers.

Now heading homewards, there was a pair of White-bellied Bustards as
we were climbing out of Athi Basin, and a Kori Bustard trying to shade
itself on the plains (see Image), at Karen Primary School Dam a pair
of Little Grebes and another Common  Snipe, at Eland Hollow Dam was a
Secretarybird, a female type Western Marsh Harrier searching for frogs
(see images), a couple of Banded Martins and a few Quailfinch. There
was a male Yellow Wagtail that was pale grey headed but no
supercilium, slightly darker ear-coverts, (see Image), probably
Ashy-headed Wagtail cinereicapilla. Stopping off at Hyena Dam we found
our second pair of Crowned Cranes for the day, there was a Common
Buzzard on the edge of the forest, and finally tiny Langata Dam was
successfully attracting birds and held the male Saddle-billed Stork
(see Image), single Great and Yellow-billed Egrets, the family of five
Crowned Cranes that live in this area, single Common Snipe feeding
with a Common Bulbul drinking right next to it created a sight not
seen before, two Wood Sandpipers, several Eurasian Bee-eaters at last
and a female flava Yellow Wagtail.

We were out of Langata Gate at 5.15pm having had a very pleasant day,
though appalling for migrants with so many expected species just not
showing up thanks to Arabs eating them by the millions, now we are
really seeing the effect this bird slaughter is taking on our
migrants. Still not one migrant Falcon recorded in NNP since last
May!!!  In spite of this we recorded 181 species. Barn Swallows were
in very low numbers today. Mammals were widespread, seemingly unusual
numbers of Giraffe all over the Park, the major concentrations of
plains game was in the Athi Basin.

Best for now
Brian

KEY TO THE MONTAGE FOR TODAY

1	LITTLE BITTERN
This Adult Male on Nagalomon Dam was of the migrant nominate race.

2	PARROT-BILLED SPARROW
There was a pair at the units back of Hyena Dam. Last March I
photographed a bird I assumed Parrot-billed at the same place,
thinking this the first ever record for the north of the Park. When I
downloaded and looked at the image, I was amazed to find that it
wasn’t one but the Parks first ever Northern Grey-headed Sparrow the
image of which is no.3. Today’s birds were clearly Parrot-billed
Sparrows and are the first record for the north of the Park. At home
adjacent to the Park, in single pairs they are a common garden
resident, but they really avoid coming into NNP.

3	NORTHERN GREY-HEADED SPARROW
Not seen today, see no.2.

4	GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER
This was at the back of Hyena Dam, and not a species usually
associated with sitting in the open on a rock in grassland!

5	GOLIATH HERON
The immature is still at Hyena Dam, now starting the fourth week. It
is absurdly tame, not even blinking as you pass within three metres.
In fact as the right image shows, it is quite bored of us, and falls
asleep standing in the water!

6	PARASITIC WEAVER
I thought our wintering birds had gone a while ago, but this flock of
over twenty containing many adult males in breeding dress, was at the
junction of the north road and road to Kingfisher.

7	TURKESTAN SHRIKE
Alarmingly this was the only migrant shrike encountered today. It’s
unusual in that unlike most Turkestan it is showing an all grey crown
with no rufous. It’s an adult male with clear white speculum on the
primaries, the black mask including the lores, but the silvery-grey
shoulder area is unusual, as is the dark line down the back and the
insipid rufous tail. Whilst it shows other strange features,
grey-crowned birds are usually called type “karelini” of Turkestan.

8	WHISKERED TERN
This bird in full breeding dress at Athi Dam was only the fourth
documented record for NNP.

9	GREY CROWNED CRANE
As a contribution to the National Grey Crowned Crane survey currently
taking place, we did not have our first birds until reaching Athi Dam
where there was a pair. The second pair were at Hyena Dam in the late
afternoon, and the last were a family of five at Langata Dam, which
have been usually on the now bone dry vlei on the Kisembe River road,
and have now relocated.

10	COMMON SNIPE
This bird gave a “penny-dropped” moment as it glanced up whilst
feeding when a Yellow-billed Kite was circling overhead. Snipe feed
using a long straight bill with sensitive tip and plunging it into
soft mud repeatedly like a sewing machine. As they ram the bill into
the mud as deep as they can get, so that the base of the bill and
sometimes part of the forehead enters the mud or at least surface
water, they do not want to be continually blinded by mud getting in
the eyes. So as they have evolved with this specialist feeding, the
eyes have migrated to the back of the head. When I looked at this
photograph I could see that not only are the eyes so far back but
their direct frontal vision must be non-existent as the eyes are
behind the cheeks. Apart from related Woodcock I cannot think of any
other birds that have rear vision to this extent. But then as vision
is not required for food finding and is substituted by the sensitive
bill tip, the bird must still have to see predators, and it can
clearly see anything sneaking up from overhead with the rear-vision
mirrors it has been given. I have never thought of this before, but
what imagery is it seeing when flying it must be like running a film
backwards!

11	KORI BUSTARD
It was a horribly hot day, with a very strong but still warm wind.
This bird was trying to find maximum shade under an Acacia. The birds
have such low crowns, it makes you wonder how much room there is for a
deductive brain!

12	IMPALA WAITING FOR TRAIN
You can see what the attraction for them is here.

13	WESTERN MARSH HARRIER
This female-plumaged bird was looking for frogs on foot by searching
the swampy margins. Then would fly a short distance to another part of
Eland Hollow Dam.

14	YELLOW-BILLED EGRET
Having just had the Snipe revelation as to advantages of eye
positioning, it was almost immediately followed by this egret, but in
a totally different way. These birds have to have accuracy when using
their bill to stab at a prey item, so their eyes must see directly in
front of the bill but in a three dimensional image to judge distance
and ensure an accurate strike. So their eyes protrude from the side of
the head not far behind the base of the bill, but the eyes are not
flat against the head but facing forward as can be clearly seen in
this image.

15	SADDLE-BILLED STORK
This is the resident male (golden eye) who during the dry period
wanders all over NNP looking for shallow waters and marshy areas. Here
it has joined a number of other birds at Langata Dam.

16	AFRICAN SPOONBILL
This is a largest gathering I have ever seen in NNP; there are
twenty-eight adults here at Athi Dam; this surely indicates a marked
movement.