NAIROBI NATIONAL PARK NEWS 21st Edition March 2021 Photo by Tanvir Ali Friends of Nairobi National Park [ March 2021] 21st Edition CONTENTS Chairman’s Report | March 2021 Articles & Section Pages Jonathan Pereira Board Chairman Chairman’s Report by Jonathan Pereira- 3 FoNNaP Lions in March by Trish Heather-Hayes- 4 & 5 Dear Members, Mpakasi & Kitili, a beautiful Brotherhood by Veer Sikand 12yr-6 The 25th FoNNaP AGM was held on the 27th of February 2021 at the Safari Walk conference room. There were over All about Thicknee Birds by Adarsh Nagda 11yrs - 7 30 members who attended and there were some very good deliberations during the AGM. I would personally like to acknowledge and thank the outgoing board for their tireless services to FoNNaP during a challenging year Gems of the Reedbeds by Stephen Spawls - 8 & 9 At that AGM, I was honored to be elected as Chairman of the Board. I am excited and look forward to being of service to our members. My fellow board members are from diverse professional fields and bring their expertise to the board, Photo of the Month by David Gottlieb - 10 & 11 which I am sure will result in positive contributions to the board and ultimately benefit members too. Cheetah Updates March 2021 by Olga Levari Ercolano- 12 The board has already constituted the following committees headed by board members: 1. Events and Fundraiser 2. Habitat and Wildlife Leopard Updates by Olga Levari Ercolano -13 3. Community Engagement 4. Marketing and Education Dignity Housing for Rangers - 14 & 15 5. Finance and Accounts We had requested for members participation in these committees and I must say, the response was very encouraging. Sightings at Nairobi National Park -March 2021-16 & 17 Like in 2020, we are faced with the “new normal” in terms of physical activities and this may restrict the number of such events we will have for the members. However we will resume them at the first opportunity once the restrictions are Wild Flowers of NNP by Trish Heather-Hayes -18 lifted. In the interim we will have a number of virtual events and look forward to your participation. Hyena Dam Crocodile by Olga Levari-Ercolano -19 In December this year, the Nairobi National Park will celebrate its 75th Birthday. We will keep members posted on the events that will be taking place to celebrate this milestone event. Should any members have suggestions for this Kids Column and Corporate Members Recognition -20 celebration, please contact the office. The cordial relationship with KWS that has been developed by previous boards will be maintained and enhanced. This FoNNaP/KWS relationship was acknowledged at the AGM by the Senior Warden of the NNP, Mr. Joseph Dadacha There is a good selection of merchandise for sale at the FoNNaP offices as well as new Park maps. Please visit the offices and purchase some items to support FoNNaP. Content, articles & photos sourced, edited and compiled by Olga Levari Ercolano. I look forward to your support during the year. Stay safe and healthy. Presentation in collaboration with Janet Kavutha Best wishes and regards Jonathan Pereira 2 3 LIONS IN MARCH 2021 by Trish Heather-Hayes Mating on and off for at least 6 months now with different An amazing video was taken on the 16th March, by M The KF4 sub adult females are now getting more difficult females!! Kitili and Mpakasi have a strange game going on. Abdul, at the Ololo excavations which have filled up with to distinguish at a glance from their mothers. All doing well They are almost every week in the company of the KF7 girls water. Namunyak, one of the KF7 females, had an impala except for the one who looks thin and emaciated and has or the MF mothers, Solo and Nala, and although they have buck which it seems she had drowned. The video starts done for some months now, although she feeds with the been seen to mate they have also been spending time just with the impala already dead in the water and Namunyak rest of the family. Hopefully something will be done and enjoying their company, so what’s happening as we don’t swimming around it then struggling to get it up the she will get the attention she obviously needs and deserves. see any of them looking seemingly pregnant? Maybe in a fairly steep bank. She manages but it was exhausting. No She is the young female who is actually the cub of Alamaya. month or two we may see some changes. doubt she doubly enjoyed her meal after the struggle. (nicknamed Tweeny Weeny as she was so small) but was Unfortunately the video was taken with a phone and abandoned by her and adopted by Alamaya’s sister. Amani, not a camera so there are no clear photos of the event. who had two cubs almost the same age and brought her up as her own. Kitili, left alone by the females. Credit T H Hayes. Namunyak - Credit T H Hayes The late Amani with Alamaya and cubs Credit unknown – apologies. Serena is still keeping well hidden. Only a glimpse of her airbnb.com/h/KAMPI-YA-KARIN in the distance in the Sosian valley with her 3 cubs was Sirikoi is often in the company of the KF older females, reported at the beginning of the month although the Morana, Leboia and Alamaya. He has been seen mating with rangers have seen her since and say the cubs are getting them in turn so we wait to see if there will be the patter of big!! They must be coming up for 6 months old now. little paws before long ?? Quntai and Leshan are looking good. They have grown into beautiful young males, well skilled at hunting. Occasionally they team up with a sister or two but mainly they are on their own and in so many different places each week. Isinya, Naserian and Naipanoi before walking off. Credit T H-Hayes. They were chased across the plains by a herd of buffalo Solo and Nala’s sub adults are beginning to do their own last week, as have so many of the groups lately. Sometimes thing without the mums now, obviously able to hunt well it looks quite serious and they have to get a move on, at enough on their own and being more adventurous around other times it looks like “oh bother, we’d better move!” the Athi basin. They seem to be keen on the hippo pools to Maybe it’s a game with the buffalo at times too. No 12 area, as well as the Sosian valley. Two young males and 3 females, fathered by Kitili. Sirikoi, the lady left to go hunting! Credit T H Hayes Quntai & Leshan Credit T H Hayes. MF Sub adult male at Athi basin Credit T H Hayes 4 5 MPAKASI AND KITILI, A BEAUTIFUL BROTHERHOOD ALL ABOUT THICKNEE BIRDS By Veer Sikand, 12yrs by Adarsh Nagda; 11 Years old During the Covid pandemic, we have been visiting the While Mpakasi slept, Kitili continued scent marking along Nairobi National Park regularly and have seen many of the road. That was a very eventful trip to the Nairobi the park’s male lions like Sirikoi, Quntai, Leshan, Kitili and National Park Mpakasi. We have also seen the different females. My favorite lions are Mpakasi and Kitili. The easiest way to recognize them is that Mpakasi has a GPS collar and a droop on his left lip. Kitili is blind on his left eye. Each of them has their own habits, for example, Mpakasi loves to stop what he is doing and look at planes flying above him. These lions are not brothers but have formed a powerful coalition and are never far apart. When one of the two males has a female the other one hangs around but keeping distance not getting too close. Their territory is from Athi Basin to the SGR Newly hatched thicknee chicks are dull grey in colour, but (Standard Gauge Railway) that cuts across the park. over time, they grow to be big and beautiful birds with The spotted thicknee has a black, brown and white plumage spotted feathers. that makes it a master of camouflage. They can live for an Mpakasi at plane watching- by Veer Sikand astounding 10-15 years. Their main diet consists of crickets, grasshoppers and sometimes, even their own eggs, after the chick has hatched of course! We had the privilege of seeing a newly hatched thicknee chick just on the side of a dirt road, near Nairobi Tented Camp. At first, we nearly missed it, but then it started moving, and we were all excited as it is pretty uncommon to see such a young chick! The mother sat protectively over the hatching chick and the other egg, while the father was on the lookout for hungry predators such as snakes. As we left the parents taking care of the newly hatched chick, Kitili- by Veer Sikand we hoped he would survive the critical stages and live to be an adult! Thanks for Reading! (All photos by Adarsh Nagda) Mpakasi – by Veer Sikand The eggs are about 5 centimetres long, and are dirty brown One morning near the number eight murram pits, we saw and ash grey in colour, which is another adaptation to keep Mpakasi and Kitili majestically walking on the road, scent scavengers away. Thicknee eyes are big and beautiful, with marking. We were so excited to see them, and I took lots of bright yellow and jet-black pupils. photos.