Trip Reports

TANZANIA BIRDING TRIP REPORT
Tanzania 2003
By Mark Sutton

The team

Mark, Linda and Brent Sutton, John and Janette Martin, Pete Antrobus (AKA Tripod), Debbie Hough.

Introduction

Our initial plans were to spend the first half of the holiday in Kenya, with the second half in Northern Tanzania, but due to terrorist threats the UK Government were advising against travel to Kenya. As a result we could not get insurance cover for Kenya, this combined with our personal safety concerns meant we changed our plans to a purely Tanzanian trip at quite short notice. Fortunately the airline, Emirates, allowed us to change our flights, the down side being that we had to book new tickets through Emirates and wait for ten weeks to get a refund on the original Kenyan flights. Quite an expensive option, in the short term.

All the accommodation and transport, including the internal flights, were arranged through Anthony Raphael of Birding and Beyond Safaris, who I had used on my trip to Kenya two years previously. I would certainly recommend Anthony from Birding and Beyond Safaris to anybody considering a trip to E. Africa. Further details can be found on the website: www.tanzaniabirding.com or e-mail tours@tanzaniabirding.com

Transport

We used a 4x4 Safari Minibus, with driver, throughout our time in mainland Tanzania. A safari minibus, with its roof, which can be raised, is ideal for game viewing, birding and photography in the game parks. Our driver Arnold was very knowledgeable about the sites visited, with a good knowledge of the mammals, but not birds. He was extremely good company and looked after us very well. On Pemba Island the Manta Reef Lodge provided a vehicle and driver.

Health

No major health problems were encountered other than a 24-hour stomach upset which I had. We all took Anti-malarial precautions either in the form of Larium, Doxycycline or Malarone

Food

Food was of a good standard, with packed lunches being provided by the hotels / lodges on a number of occasions. In addition Arnold usually came equipped with a flask of hot water, tea & coffee.

Weather

Generally dry throughout except for heavy thunderstorm overnight in the Serengeti.

Books & Tapes

Trip reports: We obtained some information from trip reports found on the Internet, but with the exception of the Serengeti / Ngorongoro area could found very little information on the areas we visited.

Field Guides:Field Guide to the Birds of East Africa - Terry Stephenson & John Fanshawe, published by T& A D Poyser. The format of having the text and range map opposite the illustration is very useful. but some of the illustrations were not up to the standard you would expect from a modern field guide, as they did not capture the true appearance of the bird.

Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania - Zimmerman, Turner and Pearson published by Helm. A very good guide, I found the text far more informative than the Poyser guide, in addition the maps were more detailed. On the down side it only covered Northern Tanzania.

The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals (Poyser)- very good.

Other Guides:Where to watch birds in Africa - Nigel Wheatley, published by Helm - Invaluable.

Lonely Planet, Tanzania- As usual an essential companion to any trip.

Road Map to East Africa - purchased on previous trip to Kenya

Sound guides: African bird sounds volume 2, an 11 CD set, with target species transferred to tape. This useful CD does not cover E. Africa, so many of the most sought after species are not covered. A CD covering E. African is apparently due to be published in 2004.

Accommodation

11th & 31st Beachcomber Resort.Situated on the Indian Ocean, a couple of hours drive from the airport. A good standard of accommodation, with swimming pool makes it an ideal place to chill out at the beginning / end of a trip. Listed in the Lonely Planet guide, under the Northern Beaches section.

12th Manta Reef Lodge.Situated in a beautiful beachside location in the North of Pemba, only a short drive from the Ngezi Forest. The lodge provided transport to & from the airport, as well as a vehicle and driver during our stay. Listed in the LP guide under Kigomasha Peninsula.

13thA basic hotel in the town of Morogoro, the name of which was not noted.

14th Udzungwa Mountain View Hotel.A pleasant, but basic hotel situated about 500m south from the HQ of the Udzungwa Mountains NP. Listed in the LP guide under Udzungwa Mountains NP.

15th & 16th Mkumi Genesis Motel.A basic but adequate motel , situated in the outskirts of Mikumi town. Listed in ther LP guide under Mikumi.

17th & 18th Amani Conservation Centre Rest House.Situated in the East Uasmbara Mountains at the Amani Nature Reserve, basic but excellent accommodation, but probably only accessible with a 4WD. Listed in the LP guide under Amani NR.

19th & 20th Muller's Mountain Lodge.Situated in the West Uasmbara Mountains near the town of Lushoto. Superb accommodation & food - highly recommended. Listed in the LP guide under Lushoto.

21st Elephant MotelSituated 1km SE of the town of Same. A modern, but basic Motel, listed in the LP guide under South Pare Mountains.

22nd Maasai Safari Centre.This Lodge is located a little outside the regularly crowded large tourist Hotels in the middle of the busy Arusha town. It has an excellent garden and comes highly recommended, but regrettably it is not listed in the LP guide & I don't have any contact details.

23rd Tarangire Porini Camp (tented camp).Situated in dry bush, just outside the northern perimiter of the NP. The highlight here was the drinking pool, which attracted large numbers of birds which could be watched and photoghaphed from the comfort of the restaurant. Listed in the LP guide under Tarangire NP.

24th Tarangire Tented Safari Lodge.This luxury tented camp, compete with swimming pool is situated within the grounds of the Tarangire NP. Listed in the LP guide under Tarangire NP.

25th & 26th Serengeti Sopa Lodge.This up-market lodge, complete with pool, is situated in the centre of the Serengeti NP. Listed in the LP guide under Serengeti NP.

26th & 28th Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge.This up-market lodge, complete with pool, is situated on the eastern rim of the crater, close to one of the access roads to/ from the crater bottom. Listed in the LP guide under Ngorongoro Crater.

29th Migunga Forest Camp.The fairly basic, but adequate, tented camp is set on 35 acres of yellow acacia forest in a secluded part of Migungani Village and on the boundary to the Lake Manyara NP. The camp consists of nine self-contained tents with Bathrooms having running hot and cold water, showers, and flush toilets. There is a dining room and bar under thatch. Electricity is 12 volt supplied by solar power. Listed in the LP guide under Mto Wa Mbu. swala@swalasafaris.com

Sites visited

We relied heavily on the local knowledge of Arnold, our diver, at most sites; as a result exact locations for some of the sites are not know.

Pemba Island: All birding was done either from the grounds of the Manta Reef Lodge, or in and around the nearby Ngezi Forest. You should obtain a permit to bird the forest, from the office at the start of the track which runs through the middle of the forest, and which eventually leads to the Lodge. Not covered in Wheatley

Kilombero River and Flood Plains:The town of Ifakara lies on the edge of the floodplain. Bird the road, which leads south from the town, down to the ferry across the river. Covered in Wheatley.

Udzungwa Mountain Forest National park:The park HQ, where you have to arrange a guide, lies about 500 M north of the Udzungwa Mountain View Lodge. You can bird this area, but it is apparently better habitat on the waterfall trail, about 10 km further north, which is where we spent the morning. Covered in Wheatley.

Miombo woodlands, Mikumi:The dirt road running north from Mikumi to Ulaya cuts through some excellent miombo woodland. We birded this road a couple of kms north of the town & also a side road off to the west (Pipeline Road). An advantage with this area over the NP is that you can bird on foot. Not covered in Wheatley

Mikumi NP:The main road from Dar es Salam to Mikumi cuts through the NP, and quite good birding can be had along this road itself, although other traffic can be a problem. The park lies on the eastern edge of Mikumi, with the main entrance lying about 15km from the town. Tsetse flies were a nuisance in part of the park, although they do not apparently carry sleeping sickness. Covered in Wheatley.

Amani NR:This reserve is situated in the East Usambara Mountains and is a mosaic of small patches of woodland and cultivation. The majority of our birding was done within walking distance of the Rest House, either along local roads or on the trail to a viewpoint, which leads from the Rest House itself. A 4WD is required to reach the reserve. Mentioned in Wheatley

Sawmill Track, West Usambaras: I do not know the location of this site other than it was about 45 minutes drive from Muller's Mountain Lodge. We walked the track for about 1km as it ran through a narrow section of remnant woodland. Not covered in Wheatley

Track through Remnant Forest near Muller's Mountain Lodge:This track was about a 10-minute drive from the Lodge and ran through a small section of degraded woodland. Again we relied on Arnold's local knowledge. Not covered in Wheatley

Taveta Golden Weaver Site:This site is situated along the main road to the town of Same, where a reed fringed river, boarded by rice fields, transects the road. Not covered in Wheatley

South Pare Mountains:We birded the patched of dry scrub on the hillsides to the north east of the town of Same. Access was along a dirt track off the main road near the Elephant Motel. I suspect that any area of scrub in this area will produce similar birds, as we did not manage to see the target White-eye, only Abyssinian. We suspect it is located, higher up in the forested mountains. Not covered in Wheatley

Tarangire:We birded two areas 1) The Tarangire Porini Camp, which is situated on the Northern edge of the NP. You can bird on foot here as long as you are accompanied by a guide from the camp. 2) Tarangire NP, as with most NP's, most birding is from the vehicle. The only areas you can bird on foot are in the picnic sites and around the Lodge. Covered in Wheatley.

Olduvai Gorge: This site lies in the northern section of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and is only a short detour from the journey to the Serengeti. We only birded around the museum & the picnic site, which, as usual, attracted many birds.

Serengeti:The majority of the birding is from the vehicle, although the picnic sites at Seronera and at the Naabi Hill Gate exit for the park were very birdy. Covered in Wheatley.

Ngorongoro Crater:As above, the majority of the birding was carried out from the vehicle, except for at a couple of picnic sites. We did a full day in the crater & covered most of the area including the soda lake, and a couple of other lakes & marshes. We also birded around the grounds of the Hotel. Covered in Wheatley.

Lake Manyara:From the vehicle we birded the woodland around the edge of the lake, as well as an accessible section of the lakeshore. We also birded on foot, around the Migunga Forest Camp, on the edge of the reserve. Covered in Wheatley.

Itinerary

11th August

We arrived in Tanzania at dusk, 30 hours late due to a delayed departure in Manchester. This delay caused us to miss our connection in Dubai by half an hour. We then had to endure a 30-hour wait in Dubai, albeit in a very comfortable hotel, before the next available flight to Dar es Salaam. Arnold, who would be our driver for the duration of our holiday in mainland Tanzania, met us at the airport. We drove to the Beach Comber Resort where we arrived well after dark, but luckily the hotel obliged in making a late meal for us all, before we crashed out. It had been our intention to fly to Pemba Island today, but had missed the flight. Luckily Anthony had managed to postpone our flight by a day, which resulted in us only having one night on the island instead of two. This meant we had a rather rushed start to the holiday & missed out on a days chilling out on Pemba.

12th August

Managed to get 15 minutes birding from the beach at dawn, before the 6:30am breakfast and transfer to the Airport for the scheduled flight to Pemba. The flight departed at 8:35am and flew via Zanzibar, arriving on Pemba at 10:10. On arrival at Chake Chake Airport in Pemba, we were met by staff from the Manta Reef Lodge, who transferred us to the hotel, which took about two and a half hours. After Lunch and a couple of hours birding around the grounds, a member of the hotel staff drove us to the nearby Ngezi Forest, where we birded until late in the afternoon and then birded the forest edge until dusk. We returned to the Hotel for an evening meal after which we went back into the field in search of the Scops owl.

Highlights. Hotel grounds: Pemba White-eye, Pemba Sunbird & Madagascar Bee-eater.

Ngezi Forest area:Mangrove Kingfisher, Ethiopian Swallow & Pemba Scops-owl.

August 13th

The morning was spent birding the forest edge in search of the Green Pigeon, our last remaining Pemba endemic. After Lunch we caught an afternoon flight back to Dar Es Salaam, again via Zanzibar. We originally intended to try and drive as far as Mikumi , but as it was getting late we decided to stay over in Morogoro and continue to Mikumi in the morning.

Highlights. Ngezi Forest area: Pemba Green-pigeon & Dickinson's Kestrel.

14th August

We made an early start, passing through Mikumi NP, which gave us our first taste of Tanzanian National Parks, before stopping at the Mikumi Genesis Motel for breakfast. After breakfast we drove through the Udzungwa Mountains, stopping at Udzungwa Mountain View Lodge to unpack before carrying on to the Kilombero Flood Plains where three Tanzanian endemics occur, two of which are, as yet un-named cisticolas. We birded the floodplains and river until late afternoon before returning to the Udzungwa Mountain View Lodge after dark.

Highlights. Floodplain and River: White-crowned Plover, African Skimmer, Coppery-tailed Coucal, Kilombero Weaver, White-tailed Cisticola and Kilombero Cisticola.

Journey back to the Lodge, at dusk: Usambara Eagle-owl & Square-tailed Nightjar

15th August

We rose at dawn & drove a short distance to the HQ of the Udzungwa Mountain Forest National park, where we met up with one of the rangers. After coffee and much debate about whether to bird around the HQ or the waterfall trail, we finally opted for the waterfall trail which was about a 10 Km drive away. After a fairly quiet mornings birding we returned to the Lodge for lunch. We failed to see any of the local specialties, which in reality require a lot more time and effort.

After lunch we drove to Mikumi, where we checked into the Genesis Motel.

In the afternoon we birded the Miombo woodlands North West of Mikumi this is a good area for a number of southern specialties, with the advantage of being able to bird on foot, which is not possible in the adjoining reserve. It would appear that none of the Tanzanian parks are fenced in, which means that the animals are free to roam where they like. As a result Elephant & Buffalo can be encountered, so care must be taken.

Highlights. Udzungwa Mountains: Green headed Oriole, Red-capped Robin-chat & Yellowbill.

Mikumi: White breasted Cuckooshrike, Greencap Eremomela, Southern Blue-eared Glossy-starling & Pale Batis.

16th August

The morning was again spent birding the miombo woodland, before returning to the lodge mid morning. We spent the rest of the day in the Mikumi National Park, where we had lunch at the hotel near the entrance gate. We finally left the park after dark; which is apparently not allowed and resulted in Arnold being reprimanded by the guards on leaving the reserve. The night was spent at Mikumi Genesis Motel.

Highlights. Miombo woodland: Böhm's Spinetail, Racket-tailed Roller, White-headed Black-chat, Tiny Cisticola, Miombo Wren-warbler, Rufous-bellied Tit, African Penduline-tit and Orange-winged Pytilia.

Mikumi National Park: Red necked Spurfowl Black bellied Bustard, Croaking Cisticola Northern Pied-babbler.

17th August

After an early breakfast, we set out for one of the longest drives on our trip. On the approach to the Eastern Arc Mountains we made several stops in the cultivated areas for Zanzibar Bishop, but only managed to find, good numbers of Black-winged Bishops. We arrived at the Amani nature reserve rest House shortly after dark.

18th August

The whole day was spent birding the Amani area with a short and uneventful visit to an area of riverine woodland & tea plantations in the afternoon. In the morning we birded the main track above the accommodation and after breakfast the patches of woodland and cultivated areas around the village. The late afternoon & evening was spent on the trail leading from the center.

Highlights:Fischer's Turaco, Green Barbet, White-starred Robin, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Forest Batis, Usambara Hyliota, Yellow White-eye, Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbird, Banded Green Sunbird and Kenrick's Starling.

19th August

The morning was spent birding the trail leading from the center, to the viewpoint before returning for lunch, where I met up with John & Pete who had both managed to independently see Long-billed Tailorbird in a small gully besides the road, just above the center. A brief search of the area failed to provide the desired grip-back.

After lunch we set off for Muller's Mountain Lodge, an old German colonial house, in the West Usambara Mountains. The journey took the rest of the afternoon, except for a short stop in the West Usambara foothills, so we arrived at the lodge at dusk. We were just making ourselves comfortable in front of the log fire, when John came in with the news that a Nightjar was calling from a tree in the garden. We dashed out to enjoy excellent views of Usambara Nightjar, which was soon joined in the next tree by a medium sized Eagle-owl, which proved to be Usamabra Eagle-owl. A pretty good introduction to the West Usambaras!

Today was Linda's 40th birthday, so Muller's Mountain Lodge, which is renowned for its fine cuisine, was the ideal place to celebrate the occasion.

Highlights. Amani: Crowned Eagle, Orange Ground-thrush & Amani Sunbird.

W. Usambara foothills: Nyzana Swift, Cliff Chat & Hunters Sunbird.

Muller's Mountain Lodge: Usambara Nightjar & Usamabra Eagle-owl.

20th August

After an early breakfast we birded the sawmill track, about a half hour drive from the lodge, before returning for lunch. The early afternoon was spent birding around the lodge, before heading off to a nearby area of remnant forest. The night was again spent at the Lodge.

Highlights. Sawmill track: Tiny Greenbul, Fulleborns Black Boubou, Abyssinian Hill-babbler, African Tailorbird & Red-faced Crimsonwing.

Remnant Forest: Hartlaub's Turaco, Moustached Tinkerbird & Waller's Starling.

21st August

The morning was again spent at the nearby remnant forest before departing mid morning with a packed lunch. We stopped for a short lunch break in the foothills before descending back onto the plain and the journey to Same, where we would spend the night. Arnold knew of a reliable site for Taveta Golden Weaver on this section where a reed fringed river, boarded by rice fields, transects the road. Shortly after entering the fields a large raptor flew towards us obligingly hovered overhead, giving excellent views. We all concluded that it was a Short-toed Eagle, a potential First for Tanzania! After an hours searching, I managed to locate a male weaver, which promptly disappeared before the others arrived & could not be relocated. A few Kms further down the road we stropped to bird an area of thorn scrub & fields, were Linda managed to locate another male amongst a mixer weaver flock.

The night was spent at the Elephant Motel on the outskirts of Same.

Highlights. Remnant Forest: Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater & Cabanis's Greenbul.

Journey to Same: Short-toed Eagle, Pink-breasted Lark, White-browed Scrub-robin, Red-fronted Warbler, Pygmy Batis, Black-bellied Sunbird, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Rosy-patched Shrike, Fischer's Starling &Taveta Golden Weaver.

22nd August

After Breakfast, we birded an area of dry bush, in the foothills of the South Pare Mountains only a short journey from the Hotel. Our main target here was South Pare White-eye, a potential split from Broad-ringed White-eye. After about half an hour John managed to locate a party of White-eyes, which we are convinced were Abyssinian, although Anthony later insisted South Pare is the only White-eye in the area. The altitude (c1,00m) was lower & the habitat much drier than we expected South-pare White eye to occur in. We birded a couple of locations in the area until returning to the Motel for lunch.

After lunch we drove to Arusha & booked into Maasai Safari Tourist Lodge. The Lodge is located a little outside the center of town and away from the crowded tourist hotels and is set within a very pleasant garden. The afternoon was spent chilling out & birding in the hotel grounds, where we met up with Anthony, who brought with him John & Jeanette's long lost suitcase.

Highlights. South Pare: Brown Snake-eagle, D'Arnoud's and White-headed barbets, Northern Brownbul, Zanzibar Sombre Greenbul, Tiny Cisticola, Grey Wren-warbler Black-headed Batis, Sulphur-breasted and Grey-headed bush-shrikes, & Green-winged Pytilia.

Hotel: Brown-breasted Barbet, Tropical Boubou.

23rd August

Most of the night was spent dashing to the toilet, presumably from something I ate or drank, as a result I started the day feeling pretty rotten and not really up to walking over sun scorched plains looking for a Lark. Luckily no one else had contracted my stomach upset, so I relied on the rest of the guys putting in all the effort as I tagged on behind. After about an hour of walking over the plains, situated to the North of Arusha, a pair of Spike-heeled Larks were located. This isolated population, a potential split, is only found in this area of Tanzania. We continued a few kms further along the road until we reached a patch of acacias, which were birded for a further half an hour before returning to Arusha and dropping Anthony off at his office.

In the afternoon we drove to Tarangire Porini Camp, a tented camp, which is set in 200 acres of un spoilt wilderness on the border of the Tarangire National Park The dining area overlooks a small drinking trough, which was alive with birds coming into drink. The rest of the guys went birding, on foot, with a local guide, whilst I stayed behind to watch the drinking pool, as I was still feeling pretty rough.

Highlights. Roadside birds traveling to/from the plains: Lammergeier, Red-and-Yellow Barbet, White-fronted Bee-eater, Capped and Schalow's Wheatears.

Open Plains: Spike-heeled Lark, Eastern Chanting Goshawk and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Acacia: Fawn-coloured Lark and Banded Parisoma

Porini Camp: Chestnut and Swahili sparrows, Chestnut Weaver, Green-winged Pytilia, Blue-capped cordon-bleu, Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Grey-headed Silverbill, Red-bellied Parrot, Yellow-collared Lovebird, Bare-faced Go-away-bird & Dark Chanting Goshawk.

24th August

The early part of the morning was spent overlooking the drinking trough, which was again alive with activity. After a leisurely breakfast, we departed for Tarangire National park, a short drive a way. En route to Tarangire NP we stopped at a couple of roadside pools, which were teemed with Chestnut-backed sparrow-larks. Upon reaching the park we headed to a picnic site where you could leave the vehicle and ate our packed lunch. After a couple of hours, we made our way to the Luxury Tented Camp where we chilled out in the pool. The late afternoon & evening were spent on a game drive in the vicinity of the camp.

Highlights: Porini Camp: Jameson's Firefinch, Black-faced Waxbill, Straw-tailed Whydah, Gabar Goshawk, Pygmy Falcon & Von Der Decken's Hornbill

Tarangire NP: Secretary-bird, Martial Eagle, Coqui and Crested francolins, Yellow-necked and Red-necked spurfowls, White-bellied Bustard, Yellow-throated Sand grouse, Ashy starling, White-headed Buffalo-weaver, and a single Rufous-tailed Weaver at dusk.

25th August

After an early breakfast, we checked out of the Tarangire Safari Lodge and began the long drive to the Serengeti. We started the journey on good roads, which changed to a rutted dirt road as we climbed the rift valley escarpment just past lake Manyara. We drove around the mainly forested Ngorongoro crater, where we made a brief stop in a area rich in wild flowers & Sunbirds. We continued on the Olduvai Gorge where we stopped to eat our packed lunch. This area is worth visiting, not only for the museum dedicated to the finding of mans earliest remains, but also for the birds, which feed at your feet around the picnic tables.

After lunch we continued, entering the vast expanse of the Serengeti plains. As soon as we turned off the main track and started to head towards our hotel, we came across a female Lion suckling three small cubs, which gave very close views. Within minutes of leaving her we encountered a female cheetah and three well-grown cubs at a fresh kill, shortly followed by a large male Lion, which soon got scent of the kill and chased off the Cheetah family, scattering the cubs in all directions. A pretty impressive introduction to the Serengeti!

We arrived at the Serengeti Sopa Lodge at dusk, where the hot showers & luxurious rooms were most appreciated after a long drive.

Highlights: Dusky Turtle Dove, Malachite and Golden-winged sunbirds, White-bellied Canary, Greater Kestrel, Kori, White-bellied and Hartlaub's bustards, Two-banded Courser & Rufous-tailed Weaver.

26th August

After breakfast we heded out for a full day in the Serengeti. Arnold drove slowly through an area of Acacia woodland, which lies along the main track near the hotel. We stopping to check any bird flock's we encountered, before picking up a Grey-breasted Spurfowl, the last endemic of the trip near one of the river crossings. We continued onto a nearby lake before heading out onto the grassy plains and a picnic site near Seronera, where we ate our packed lunch. The picnic site was alive with birds feeding on scrap, including our only Usambiro Barbets of the trip. Drove back to the hotel to pick up the girls who had spent the morning chilling out & enjoying the delights of the hotel swimming pool. We left the hotel at 4pm and headed back towards the lake, where luckily for the girls a Leopard we had seen in the morning, was still in its tree. The drive back to the Hotel was delayed by a large herd of elephants, crossing the road, which were not very impressed by out presence. We drove past a spectacular fire on one of the hillsides, which had been caused by thunderstorms we had seen distantly earlier in the afternoon.

In the evening we were treated to an impressive thunderstorm around the hotel whilst eating dinner. Back at the room the views from the balcony, across a lightening lit Serengeti, will leave a lasting memory.

Highlights. Acacia Woodland & riverine scrub: Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Meyer's Parrot, Fischer's Lovebird, Sharpe's Pied-babbler, Buff-bellied Penduline-Tit, Red-throated Tit and Abyssinian Scimitar-bill & Yellow-throated Petronia.

Open plains: Black-winged Lapwing, Temminck's and Two-banded coursers.

Picnic Site: Usambiro Barbet, Grey-capped Social-weaver.

Scattered trees near the picnic site: Silverbird.

27th August

We packed & left the hotel, starting to retrace ours steps back to the Ngorongoro crater where we would spend the next two nights. The tracks across the plains proved hard going after the overnight rains & Arnold had to be quite selective about which tracks to use, as some were almost impassable. We stopped for lunch at Naabi Hill Gate exit for the park, where we were again treated to close views of the many birds which came down to scraps of food.

We arrived at the hotel Ngorongoro Sopa Lodge at 18.30, where we managed a last hours birding around the grounds before dark. After taking a shower, a Mountain Nightjar could be heard from the room, but it could not be located. When we met up with John for Dinner, he gripped me off with the news that he had seen the nightjar outside his room!

Highlights. Naabi Hill Gate : Buff-bellied Warbler, Banded Parisoma Hildebrand's Starling & Rufous-tailed Weaver.

Sopa Lodge: Verreaux's Eagle-owl & White-eyed Slaty-flycatcher.

28th August

First light found us exploring the grounds of the hotel, before taking an early breakfast & departing for a full day in the crater.

We covered a large part of the crater bottom, taking lunch at a lakeside picnic site, before ending up at the soda lake late afternoon from where we headed back to the hotel.

The memorable day finished back at the hotel, with a pair of Montane Nightjars performing under a spotlight near the swimming pool.

Highlights. Sopa Lodge: Grey-capped Warbler, Broad-ringed White-eye & Montane Nightjars

Crater: Rosy-throated Longclaw, Grey-rumped Swallow, African Marsh-Harrier, Lesser Flamingo, Banded Martin, Grey Crowned-Crane, Hildebrand's Francolin, Yellow Bishop & Chestnut-banded Plover.

29th August

The early morning was spent birding around the grounds of the hotel including the nearby staff quarters and football pitch, before heading off on the journey to Lake Manyara. On arrival at Lake Manyara we ate our packed lunch at the picnic site by the entrance gate, after which we entered the park, spending the rest of the day on a game drive with a visit to the lakeshore.

In the evening we drove the short distance to the Migunga Forest Camp, which is set in 35 acres of yellow acacia forest in a secluded part of Migungani Village. The camp consists of nine self-contained tents with Bathrooms having running hot and cold water, showers, and flush toilets. There is a dining room and bar under thatch. Electricity is 12 volt supplied by solar power.

Highlights. Sopa Lodge: Hunter's Cisticola, Cinnamon Bracken-warbler, Red-collared Widowbird & Tacazze Sunbird.

Lake Manyara: Giant Kingfisher, Black Cuchooshrike & White Helmetshrike.

30th August

We spent a couple of hours birding the acacia woodland and the nearby grassland before heading back to camp for an early lunch.

After lunch we drove to Arusha airport where, after saying our goodbyes to Arnold and Anthony, who had driven out to meet us, we departed on the 13.00 flight to Dar Es Salaam, via Zanzibar. We were collected from the airport by a taxi arranged by the Beachcomber Hotel. The hotel had been taken over by a wedding reception and the hotel wanted us to eat at a nearby hotel, but after much insistence we were fed on the balcony of the hotel overlooking the reception party and the Indian Ocean.

Highlights. Migunga Forest Camp: Klaas's Cuckoo &. African Golden Oriole.

31st August

Spent the morning birding the mangroves & beach around the hotel, as well as chilling out in the pool.

Transferred to the airport for the afternoon flight that left on time and arrived in Dubai late evening. Onward flight early the next morning arrived in Manchester early afternoon of 1 September.

Highlights. Beachcomber Hotel: Dimorphic Egret

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TANZANIA BIRDING TRIP REPORT
Tanzania February 12 - 26th 2005
By Keith Riding

Saturday, February 12th, 2005.
We had travelled from Uganda to Dar es Salaam and booked into a hotel the previous day, that Anthony had arranged for us. Anthony met us whilst we were eating breakfast. I had been out at dawn and returned to pick up Mog for breakfast at 0700 hrs. We quickly checked out and met Gaitan, our driver. We drove out of Dar, chatting earnestly. We didn’t really see much until we reached Mikumi National Park. Gaitan drove slowly though the park. We saw some interesting birds, but we weren’t allowed out of the bus. Yes, it was a small bus that we had all to ourselves. We stopped for lunch at the Mikumi Genesis Hotel. Anthony and Gaitan ate elsewhere. After lunch, we drove out of the park and at the town of Mikumi; we turned right up a dirt track into a Miombo forest, which was lovely. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed out of the bus here either as the army was around, but we saw some nice birds anyway. We carried on to Udzungwa National forest for about an hour, arriving at a very basic hotel, the Udzungwa Mountain View Hotel, in the middle of the forest, where we had a wonderful cooked supper of Impala, with soup for starters and crepes for dessert. There was even an air-conditioner in the room if we wanted it.

N.B.I entered the bird sightings into the software program “BirdBase” and the output is in this format. The ones in red are ‘lifers’ and the comments are in blue, just to make it easier to read.

Dar es Salaam; Sea Cliff Hotel at dawn.
Trip Date: 12-2-05
Species Seen: 7

Morogoro to Mikumi National Park;
Trip Date: 12-2-05
Species Seen: 28

Several were seen throughout the day.

About a dozen birds were seen throughout the day.

Several males and females were seen washing themselves in a pond.

Several males and females were seen washing in a pond.

Anthony recognized the song and we saw one fly up from the grass into a tree.

Anthony heard these

A couple were seen.

Near Udzungwa just after Mikumi; A Miombo Forest.
Trip Date: 12-2-05
Species Seen: 11

Several were seen foraging in a tall tree.

One was heard.

Two pairs were seen.

We saw the Brown-crowned Tchagra earlier.

En route to Udzungwa; from Mikumi.
Trip Date: 12-2-05
Species Seen: 5

Sunday, February 13, 2005.

Anthony and Gaitan were due to call for us at 0630 hrs for breakfast, so I got up a little earlier to see if there were any Owls in the garden. There were not, but I did hear one calling in the night. The four of us had a nice breakfast together and we left at 0700 hrs. We gave them a nice tip because they gave us a great supper and Mog took a picture of Teddy.
We drove for about two hours on a terrible road, (it should have taken one and a half hours), to Kilombero Marsh, a vast expanse of marsh alongside the Kilombero River. We got out of the bus about a quarter of a mile from the river and walked to it. Almost immediately, Anthony found the White-tailed Cisticola, a recently discovered bird (about 1999, I think) and then the Coucal and the special Kilombero Weaver. A little later he found the Kilombero Cisticola. At the river he found the Lapwing. On the way back I found a lifer for him, the Fulleborn’s Longclaw. We had a good morning! Back at the hotel, we had lunch together and then quickly packed and took off again.
On the road we got stopped by a policeman wanting a bribe, but Gaitan refused to pay and paid the full penalty of 60,000 shillings, which made the policeman write out a ticket with his number on it. Gaitan will contest the ticket later. We stopped in the Miombo forest again, and this time, I managed to get Anthony out of the bus and keep him out, although he wouldn’t walk, ostensibly because of the army being in the forest. ( This very excellent birding area has been occupied by the Tanzanian army,walking and use of Cameras by foreigners is prohibited ) We saw a few more species than if we had stayed in the bus, I believe.
It was a long drive in the wonderful hours between 1700 and 1900 when everything cools down and the light is great. When we arrived at the Morogoro Kola Hills Hotel, Anthony settled us in and then took off promising to call for us about 0900 hrs in the morning.

Udzungwa Mountain View Hotel & journey to Kilombero Marsh;
Trip Date: 13-2-05
Species Seen: 20

One was heard in the early hours. I described the call to Anthony and he told me.

Several were crying in the dawn light and one was seen.

A medium sized colony was in some Palm trees.

Several were seen again today.

Three or four small colonies were seen en route. Anthony said that he discovered them last year.

I spotted two of these birds whilst we were at the Southern Brown-throated Weaver site.

Kilombero Marshes; It was a vast area, but disturbed.

Trip Date: 13-2-05
Species Seen: 29

Several were sitting up high on clumps of grass and calling.

One was seen almost right away and later others were seen.

Small flocks of these birds swirled over the marsh.

A small colony was found and then others were seen later as we walked to the river.

The southern variety was seen.

Several flew over.

I saw this bird in Greece.

This was the most difficult to find today, but it had a characteristic call or song.

Three were perched on separate wires.

One was seen through the telescope on the far bank of the river.

One was sitting on a telephone pole.

A gray Kestrel with a white head was on a telephone pole.

One was seen flying.

I heard the two note song of this bird and searched for it, finding it high up on top of a bush. I pointed it out to Anthony. It was a lifer for him.

Kilombero to Miombo Forest at Mikumi;
Trip Date: 13-2-05
Species Seen: 4

Mikumi Miombo Forest; A second visit.
Trip Date: 13-2-05
Species Seen: 9

This was right next to the Chanting Goshawk.

Both male & female were seen.

Mikumi to Morogoro; The Morogoro Kola Hill Hotel.
Trip Date: 13-2-05
Species Seen: 15

A few were together.

A very good view was had of two birds.

One flew over the road.

One was seen.

Monday, February 14th, 2005.
I was up at 0640 hrs for a quick look around before breakfast at 0730 hrs. This was a buffet with local doctors attending a conference. At 0900 hrs. Gaitan and Anthony came for us and we set off right away to drive to Amani, hardly stopping on the way. We did stop off for lunch at a nice place by a road junction. We turned right to Amani and to the left pointed Arusha, so we’ll likely pass that way again. Once in the Amani Park, we arrived at 1600 hrs and walked the lower forest. We walked up the mountain a fine distance and saw a few birds. After a while we drove up the rest of the way and had a short walk before dark. After dark at 1930 hrs we had supper with Anthony & Gaitan.

Morogoro Kola Hill Hotel; A quick look-see before breakfast.
Trip Date: 14-2-05
Species Seen: 5

Three birds were calling.

There were many around the grounds.

On the road to Amani; We only stopped for pit stops.

Trip Date: 14-2-05
Species Seen: 6

This bird has more red on the front.

This has a very loud call for such a small bird.

Eastern Usambara lower mountain; We walked up hill.
Trip Date: 14-2-05
Species Seen: 13

We saw a young bird and heard the mother calling.

We saw two of these beautiful birds in the stream.

Two were also in the stream.

Anthony heard one.

Two were seen.

East Usambara high altitude; Around the chalet.
Trip Date: 14-2-05
Species Seen: 7

Two were high in a tree.

A brilliant bird!

This was in the same tree as the other Sunbirds

This was another brilliance in the same tree.

Tuesday, February 15, 2005.
Anthony & I birded from 0630 – 0815 hrs and we had a wonderful time, finding a really good spot where there were lots of birds. After breakfast, the three of us (Gaitan had a morning off) hiked up to the peak where there was a great lookout, over the forest and several tea plantations. Lunch was at 1300 hrs and we ate together. At 1530 hrs Gaitan drove us down the mountain and around the tea plantations which produced more birds. We arrived back about 1900 hrs. just at dark and then ate together at 1930 hrs. Anthony and Geitan told us some very nice stories about their travel experiences with different birders they have taken out.It was interesting how their kind of Job lets them exposed to people of different thinkings.

Amani National Park; E. Usambara Mountains before breakfast.
Trip Date: 15-2-05
Species Seen: 30

We heard this before we saw it.

Two flew overhead.

Two were singing and where they were was an excellent site for birds in general.

Several were seen throughout the morning.

We saw this well and it was calling a lot.

Anthony calls this "Forest Batis".

We saw this, whereas usually we hear it and never see it!

I spotted this, but Anthony confirmed it.

One was in the scope.

A small flock flew by.

An other flock was this species.

Two birds were perched in front of us for a while.

Amani National Park; E. Usambara Mtns. after breakfast.
Trip Date: 15-2-05
Species Seen: 13

This was probably the dullest bird with Fischer's name attached to it.

This was a first.

There were three in a mixed flock of birds around the Drongo.

One flew over.

Amani National Park; E. Usambara Mtns. Tea Plantation 3-7 pm
Trip Date: 15-2-05
Species Seen: 30

One was perched high up on a tree.

One was in the 'scope.

Mog spotted these two flying out of tea bushes.

Two flew over.

Three birds were by a wonderful, newly built nest.

Two birds were making a noise, but we couldn't see them.