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Tanzania Highlights of the North 1St to 11Th November 2019 (11 Days)

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Tanzania Highlights of the North 1St to 11Th November 2019 (11 Days) Tanzania Highlights of the North 1st to 11th November 2019 (11 days) Trip Report Grey-breasted Spurfowl by Nigel Redman Tour leader: Nigel Redman Trip Report compiled by Nigel Redman Trip Report – RBL Tanzania – Highlights of the North 2019 2 Tour Summary Northern Tanzania is the classic safari destination. It is one of the few places where birds take second place to the mammals. And for good reason too. We timed this new Highlights tour to perfection, arriving in the Seronera region of the Serengeti at the height of the Great Migration. At our isolated tented camp, we were surrounded day and night by braying wildebeest and zebras, and at night heard roaring Lions and laughing hyaenas as we tried to sleep. Apart from all this action, there were many other highlights, with no fewer than 32 Lions, three Leopards, two Cheetahs, a magnificent Serval (voted mammal of the trip), large herds of African Elephants, a new-born Impala calf that could barely stand up, and a wide range of typical African megafauna. And then there were the birds! There were so many highlights of these too, but pride of place must go to the endemics and near-endemics, including Grey-breasted Spurfowl, Fischer’s and Yellow-collared Serval by Nigel Redman Lovebirds, Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill, Rufous-tailed and Taveta Weavers, Ashy Starling, Karamoja Apalis, Athi Short-toed Lark, Stripe-faced Greenbul, Broad-ringed White-eye, Kenrick’s Starling, and of course Beesley’s Lark. Top Birds Top Mammal Experiences 1st Grey Crowned Crane (14 points) 1st Serval (25 points) 2nd Schalow’s Turaco (11 points) 2nd Wildebeest migration (12 points) 3rd = Southern Ground Hornbill (8 points) 3rd = Lions on rock/feeding on Wildebeest 3rd = Secretarybird (8 points) (11 points) 3rd = Kori Bustard (8 points) 3rd = Leopard (11 points) 3rd = Long-crested Eagle (8 points) 5th Cheetah (10 points) Grey Crowned Cranes by Nigel Redman Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Tanzania Trip Report – RBL Tanzania – Highlights of the North 2019 3 Tour in Detail On arrival at Arusha, we gathered at our hotel for some casual birding in the garden before enjoying a welcome dinner in the evening. Garden birds included Amethyst, Scarlet-chested and Variable Sunbirds, Baglafecht, Village, Golden-backed and Chestnut Weavers, and Southern Citril, all at close range. On the first full day of the tour, we headed north along the recently resurfaced road towards the Kenyan border. There was much to see along the roadside, and we made a number of short stops and one longer stop in the Oldonyo Sambu area. We had great views of Yellow-collared Lovebirds close to the road, and many White-fronted Bee-eaters on the wires. Several Abyssinian Wheatears showed well, as did three species of boreal migrant wheatears. A female Pygmy Falcon also put on a great show, devouring a tasty snack. We arrived at the Lark Plains mid-morning and were immediately rewarded with fabulous views of an obliging Rosy-patched Bushshrike. But we were here to see larks and the next couple of hours were spent slowly traversing the bare, unassuming plains. Red-capped and Ashy Starling by Nigel Redman Athi Short-toed Larks showed well, as did a Foxy Lark and a couple of Short-tailed Larks. After a short time, we were soon watching our top target, a Beesley’s Lark, which seemed unconcerned by our presence as it methodically worked the plain, backwards and forwards, searching for food. This rare bird has a tiny range, confined to this small part of Tanzania, and it is thought to number fewer than 250 birds in the world. Other species in the area included numerous Capped Wheatears, a few Taita Fiscals, a pair of Eastern Chanting Goshawks, and great views of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse. Leaving the hot plains behind, we headed to some nearby acacia scrub and riverine acacia woodland (although the river was dry). Here the birds just kept coming. A pair of Fischer’s Starlings was an auspicious start, quickly followed by Southern Grosbeak-Canary, many Banded Parisomas, several immaculate White-headed Mousebirds, a pair of Spotted Eagle Owls, floppy-tailed Red-fronted Warblers, an obliging Bare-eyed Thrush, a Black-necked Weaver at its intricate nest, a stunning male Lilac-breasted Roller by Nigel Redman Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, and several White-bellied Canaries, to mention just a few of the species we found. Our first day had been a great success, with almost a hundred species without any waterbirds. Our second day could not have been more of a contrast. We spent the whole day in the exquisite Arusha National Park. This relatively small park has a wonderful diversity of habitats and altitudes, and provided Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Tanzania Trip Report – RBL Tanzania – Highlights of the North 2019 4 an almost endless supply of new birds throughout the day. We found a few new birds on the way to the park, including a Thick-billed Weaver building its nest close to the road. Our birding began in earnest at the park gates where we had prolonged and close views of Brown-breasted Barbet, Cape Robin Chat and Singing Cisticola. Soon after we came to an open area known as ‘Small Serengeti’. The lush grassland and wetland held many African Buffaloes and Plains Zebras, as well as a few Bushbuck. Birds here included Black and Saddle-billed Storks, a pair of Grey Crowned Cranes and a variety of herons. As we headed further into the park, we clocked up a host of new birds such as Trilling Cisticola, Black Cuckooshrike, Hartlaub’s Turaco, Spot-flanked Barbet, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher and Golden- winged Sunbird. In the lush montane forest at Fig Tree Arch, we spent some time enjoying Broad-ringed White-eyes, a very furtive Black-headed Apalis and an equally skulking White-starred Robin, very tame African Dusky Flycatchers, Eastern Grey Woodpecker, White-necked Raven and Olive Sunbird. Descending to the main circuit road, we circumnavigated the Momella Lakes, Long-crested Eagle by Nigel Redman enjoying the spectacle of several hundred flamingos, hundreds of Cape Teals and Southern Pochards, and a variety of waders including a vagrant Lesser Sand Plover. Other memorable birds included an incredibly obliging Brown-hooded Kingfisher, a very scruffy but very close Tawny Eagle and an Emerald-spotted Wood Dove on the road. By late afternoon, we had reached the museum where we added Kenrick’s Starling, Mountain and Stripe-cheeked Greenbuls, Rüppell’s Robin-Chat, Mountain Buzzard, White-eared Barbet, Silvery- cheeked Hornbill, Black-backed Puffback and Red-headed Weaver. Arusha NP had not disappointed. Leaving Arusha behind, we headed southwest to Tarangire NP. We birded the park gate area for an hour where we found many endemic Ashy Starlings and Yellow-collared Lovebirds, as well as Northern Red-billed Hornbills, Red-billed and White-headed Buffalo Weavers, and three species of woodpeckers including several magnificent Bearded Woodpeckers. A slow game drive Three-banded Courser by Nigel Redman into the park produced Magpie Shrike, Long-tailed Fiscal, Northern Pied Babbler, the endemic Rufous- tailed Weaver, Red-and-yellow Barbet, an obliging Grey Penduline Tit in full song, Common Ostrich, Bateleur, and many Lilac-breasted Rollers (always a favourite!). Perhaps best of all was a pair of roosting Verreaux’s Eagle Owls and two pairs of Three-banded Coursers, really close to the road. After lunch at the Safari Lodge, overlooking a magnificent vista of acacia savanna, we found an African Scops Owl at its day roost and three distant Southern Ground Hornbills. The afternoon game drive proved to be rather rewarding, with three species of sandgrouse at close range, many Red-necked and Yellow-necked Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Tanzania Trip Report – RBL Tanzania – Highlights of the North 2019 5 Spurfowl, Crested Francolin, a variety of migrant waders, Lappet-faced Vulture, Martial Eagle, Meyer’s and Red-bellied Parrots, and Blue-capped Cordon-bleu. But there was a lot more than just birds. The park was teeming with mammals, including many Plains Zebra, Common Wildebeest, Impala and Giraffe. Two Bohor Reedbuck were found close to the river, and several close herds of African Elephants were particularly noteworthy. We finished the day with two young male Lions, flat out beside the road. We left Tarangire fairly early the next morning in order to maximise our time at Lake Manyara. A short stop at some flooded roadside pools produced White-faced and Fulvous Whistling Ducks and several Knob- billed Ducks. At the southern end of Manyara, an area of active rice paddies proved productive with many Glossy Ibises, and great views of both Whiskered and White- winged Terns. Most of the latter were in non- Southern Ground Hornbill by Nigel Redman breeding plumage, but fortuitously (and unexpectedly), there was a single bird of each species in full breeding plumage. We reached the park mid-morning and drove slowly along the western side of the lake. We made a long stop at the hot springs where we enjoyed sifting through the many waders, with a spectacular and noisy backdrop of thousands of flamingos. Amongst the commoner migrant waders, we found six Chestnut-banded Plovers, several of which gave great close views. A group of extremely muddy Hippos at the lake edge also provided some amusement. Moving on, we observed a few Lions asleep in trees, and a few more African Elephants. Two groups of Southern Ground Hornbills gave great close-up views, so much better than the distant ones the day before. Eventually, we reached a large marsh where we enjoyed many wetland species including African Jacana, Long-toed Lapwing, Hottentot Teal, African Spoonbill, Squacco and Purple Herons, Black Crake, African Swamphen, a large flock of resting Collared Pratincoles, and a congregation of some 250 Yellow-billed Storks.
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