A nice hot, sunny day guiding my client Vijay and his son Ekraaj, who had a particular interest in raptors. We entered through Main Gate at 7am and headed straight towards Nagolomon Dam, where around ten Openbill Storks awaited us, dropping down onto the banks from their perch on a tall acacia. A quick stop at the vulture nest came first however, with a single White-backed Vulture enjoying the early morning sun.
The dam was active, with Great Cormorants, Reed Cormorants and African Darters constantly moving about, while Speke’s Weavers were already busy gathering nesting material. Across the water, an immature Augur Buzzard was being harassed persistently by a Black-winged Kite.
Feeling satisfied with Nagolomon, we made our way to Hyena Dam, where three crocodiles were feeding on a dead baby hippo. A female Amur Falcon shot over briefly, while shorebirds were actively feeding along the edges, including Common and Wood Sandpipers, Long-toed, Spur-winged and Blacksmith Lapwings. Two African Pipits were locked in what looked like a territorial dispute.
From Y-junction we carried on with excellent views of a Greater Spotted Eagle, the same immature bird still hanging around from a couple of weeks ago. Both Lesser Swamp and Highland Rush Warblers called from the marsh, while Stout and Winding Cisticolas seemed to be in full voice throughout the morning.
We moved on to Olomanyi Dam with a Tawny Eagle and Western Marsh Harriers circling overhead. At the dam, a juvenile Martial Eagle was being harassed by the same culprit – a Black-winged Kite, eventually dropping low over the water straight towards us, giving some incredible views. A Great Reed Warbler sang from the reeds.
From here, we picked up all four species of migrant shrikes along with a restless Spotted Flycatcher. A short stop near Mbagathi Gate produced a Long-crested Eagle flyover, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Northern Fiscal and some noisy Brown-crowned Tchagras. A highlight here was a stunning Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle soaring overhead. African Rails called loudly from KF Marsh, and with the heat building rapidly, we pushed on towards the SGR. Despite the rising temperatures, the cisticolas refused to quieten down, with Desert and Croaking Cisticolas continuing to sing as we entered drier country.
At Sosian Valley, both adult Martial Eagles were present near the nest, alongside breeding Yellow Bishops, Yellow-spotted Bush-sparrows and a Mountain Grey Woodpecker. A small, noisy group of White-headed Barbets moved through, whilst an inquisitive Holub’s Golden Weaver looked on.
The acacia woodland was quiet in the heat so we only managed to add Speckle-fronted and Lesser Masked Weavers. Overhead, dozens of White-backed Vultures and a single Marabou Stork circled on the thermals.
At Athi Dam, a Red-chested Cuckoo was calling. Three Water Thick-knees and two Spotted Thick-knees were well camouflaged along the banks and short grass. Large numbers of Western Cattle Egrets surrounded a family of White Rhinos enjoying a mud bath along the shore.
We then moved to Vulture Pools, which was surprisingly active despite the lack of vultures. It was good to see Red-capped and Short-tailed Larks again after some time, along with the resident Fischer’s Sparrow-Larks, Pectoral-patch Cisticolas and both migrant kestrel species hovering above. Quailfinches were also flying above the tall grass giving their distinctive calls, whilst many male Jackson’s Widowbirds in full breeding plumage put on a proper display for us.
The seasonal marsh along Old East Gate Road did not disappoint as usual, with a rarer sighting of two Purple Herons, White-faced Whistling Ducks, numerous Yellow-billed and Great Egrets & not to forget a single breeding male Yellow-crowned Bishop.
We wrapped up by heading back towards Main Gate, picking up Sombre Greenbul along the way, and finishing nicely with Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters and Northern Double-collared Sunbirds in the parking area.