MEGAFARI: : birding amongst the beests

5 – 15 April 2010 (11 days), Leader: Keith Barnes, Custom trip

A Long-crested Eagle takes flight. Stunning , stunning moment and my best photo of the trip

Photos by Keith Barnes. All photos taken on this trip. Introduction

This was the first leg of the Megafari – a true trip of a lifetime for most of the participants. Our Tanzania leg ended up being the most successful Northern Tanzania trip we had ever run, netting an incredible 426 bird in only 11 days. Not only did we see loads of , but we revelled in the myriad photographic opportunities that we were presented with, and also indulged in an incredible viewing marathon of epic proportions, seeing thousands upon thousands of migrating wildebeest, and soaking up both game and had multiple encounters with predators such as the secretive leopard, bold lion and slight cheetah. With the rains having fallen recently, the birding was beyond belief, with all the weavers and bishops as well as wydahs in full breeding swing. We started off by visiting some arid country near Arusha and then explored the giddy heights and montane forests of Arusha NP before setting off for the more typical Northern Tanzania destinations such as Tarangire, Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater and finally, the Serengeti NP. This tour is perfect for anyone with an interest in the outdoors, perfect for birders, perfect for non-birding spouses, and perfect for photographers. If you are looking for one trip to keep anyone and everyone happy, this is it!

Gnu at Ndutu - the great migration is here in April when the females calve and start moving north

Our next leg of the Megafari headed to for Shoebill and for both Great Apes (Chimpanzee and Gorilla) as well as the superb Albertine Rift forests at Nyungwe, with a net result of accumulating an incredible 675 bird species and 62 in just three-weeks of the Megafari. The Megafari was a boon for spectacular birds and we saw 51 species of bird of prey, 11 species of turaco, 11 species of kingfisher, 10 species of bee-eater, 12 species of hornbill, and 25 species of sunbird. We also saw the famous Big-5 mammals and had incredible encounters with Mountain Gorillas and Chimpanzees amongst 11 species of primates. For the extremely successful Uganda and Rwanda portion of the tour, click here.

Flamingos, the classic East birding moment. This is Lake Magadi within the Ngorongoro Crater.

4 April: ARRIVAL Arusha. 5 April: Arusha district – Arusha NP. 6 April: Arusha NP. 7 April: Arusha – Tarangire NP. 8 April: Tarangire NP. 9 April: Lake Manyara to Ngorongoro Crater. 10 April: Ngorongoro Crater NP. 11 April: Ngorongoro Crater – Oldupai – Ndutu (Serengeti ecosystem). 12 April: Ndutu Area. 13 April: Ndutu – Serengeti NP. 14 April: Serengeti NP 15 April: Serengeti NP - Depart Tanzania

5 April: Arusha district – Arusha NP.

As almost everyone had arrived very late last night, we did introductions around the breakfast table, wolfing down coffee and scoffing muffins, and we started to hear the dawn-chorus open up just as we were about to depart. In the half light we all scored our first East African birds, the Spotted Mourning Thrush and Variable Sunbird, while the call of Crested Francolins and Guineafowl left us no doubt as to which continent we were on. The inevitable and immediate appearance of a Superb Starling left the Afro-virgins breathless. And just before we departed a Scarlet-chested Sunbird alit on top of a tree in full morning light just to get the participants asking ―why are we leaving this place?‖ The Arusha district is a remarkable and varied