NORTHERN TANZANIA: WILDLIFE SAFARI IN THE SERENGETI, NGORONGORO CRATER, & BEYOND A Special Departure for the Cincinnati Zoo with Thane Maynard, Michael O’Brien, and Louise Zemaitis FEBRUARY 20–MARCH 8, 2020 ONE-DAY NGARE SERO PRE-TRIP FEBRUARY 19–21, 2020 African Elephant and African Baobab tree, Tarangire National Park © Michael O’Brien LIST COMPILED BY: MICHAEL O’BRIEN VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM Northern Tanzania, February 20–March 8, 2020 One-day Ngare Sero Pre-Trip, February 19-21, 2020 By Michael O’Brien This special departure, arranged exclusively for supporters and members of the Cincinnati Zoo, was an exciting visit to one of the most enchanting places on earth. Each day, our senses were overloaded with amazing wildlife sightings, endless horizons, and spectacular skies. Anchored by superb accommodations and food, expert local drivers, a cheerful group of travelers, and inspirational poems read by Thane each morning, this was truly the trip of a lifetime! Our adventure began with a “Pre-trip” day of explorations on the grounds of Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge. The tranquil setting and lush forest and gardens surrounding this very comfortable lodge made for a perfect introduction to some of Tanzania’s forest wildlife. Both Blue Monkey and the spectacular Guereza (Colobus) were highlights, as were a brightly colored Common Reed Frog and a very cryptic Kilimanjaro Two-horned Chameleon. Birding was excellent here. A quick spin around the garden yielded a nice assortment of sunbirds, the ubiquitous Common Bulbul and African Pied-Wagtail, and the occasional raucous calls from flyover Hadada Ibis and even a pair of Gray Crowned-Cranes! Down by the pond, a pair of regal African Fish-Eagles watched over as we enjoyed views of African Black Duck, Little Grebe, Black Crake, Giant Kingfisher, and Taveta Golden-Weaver. Further exploration yielded more prizes, such as African Green-Pigeon, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, African Pygmy-Kingfisher, Green-backed Honeyguide, Rüppell’s Robin-Chat, Retz’s Helmetshrike, African Paradise- Flycatcher, Kenrick’s Starling, and Peter’s Twinspot—what a start! Birding at Ngare Sero Mountain Lodge © Michael O’Brien Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Northern Tanzania: Cincinnati Zoo, 2020 The next phase of our trip began with a short (but somewhat delayed) flight from Kilimanjaro Airport to Mwanza, where we were met by our expert drivers, Geitan and Moses. From there, we moved on to a late lunch on the shores of Lake Victoria. Our dining experience was enlivened by the presence of Eastern Plantain-eater, Long-tailed Cormorant, Pied Kingfisher, and Red-chested Sunbird. Our arrival at Speke Bay Lodge, also on the shores of Lake Victoria, was later than planned, but the abundance of birds there was immediately obvious—hundreds of swallows and egrets flying by offshore, while scores of weavers and other birds prepared to go to roost. The following morning, we did a proper exploration of this birdy area and found a long list of species we would not encounter later in the tour, including African Openbill, Purple Heron, African Harrier-Hawk, Black-headed Gonolek, African Reed-Warbler, African Thrush, Swamp Flycatcher, and Slender-billed and Northern Brown-throated weavers. We were particularly excited to see several elusive birds, including a pair of skulking Three-banded Coursers, and roosting Square-tailed and Pennant-winged nightjars (the latter very unusual this time of year, when they are supposed to be breeding farther south). Pennant-winged Nightjar, Speke Bay Lodge © Michael O’Brien By early afternoon we had left the shores of Lake Victoria behind us and begun our first game drive through the western portion of Serengeti National Park, beginning at the Ndabaka Gate at 1:30 pm. Because it was a long trek to reach our lodge by sunset, we made only brief stops but soaked in an incredible amount of wildlife. Among the many bird highlights were Common Ostrich, White-bellied Bustard, Wattled Lapwing, Bateleur, Long-crested Eagle, Pearl-spotted Owlet, and the very local Karamoja Apalis. But the real show was a diversity of mammals that make East Africa so famous. It didn’t take long for us to come across our first Olive Baboons and Vervet Monkeys, as well as Warthogs, Impalas, and Kirk’s Dik-diks. And before we knew it, also Giraffes, Wildebeest, African Buffalo, large groups of Zebras, and several groups of African Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 3 Northern Tanzania: Cincinnati Zoo, 2020 Elephants—welcome to the Serengeti! At one special stop on the Grumeti River, we enjoyed several frolicking Hippos and a couple of basking Nile Crocodiles. Just before sunset, we arrived at Kubu Kubu Tented Camp, our home for the next three nights. This was a wonderful lodge in every respect, with a spectacular view over the Serengeti plains, including from those amazing outdoor showers! But perhaps most remarkable about this place is that we could hear Lions and Spotted Hyenas calling in the distance outside our rooms each night—just amazing! Serval, Serengeti National Park © Michael O’Brien Our explorations of the central Serengeti featured game drives each morning and afternoon, focusing in the Seronera area. Cats were a central focus of our field efforts, and due to a wetter than average summer, tall grass made finding cats more challenging. Despite this challenge, we did very well with some amazing views of multiple Lions (at least twelve individuals), two Leopards on siesta, and prolonged views of a very close Serval! Of course, other mammals were numerous, with regular sightings of Elephants, Zebras, Hippos, and Impalas, plus three species of mongoose, and some less common antelopes including Tsessebe and Hartebeest. Along the way, birds were everywhere! Commonplace sightings of species like Tawny Eagle, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Little Bee-eater, Lilac-breasted Roller, Fischer’s Lovebird, Magpie Shrike, Superb Starling, and White-headed Buffalo-Weaver never got old. And we always stopped to savor the likes of Black-bellied Bustard, Double-banded Courser, Secretarybird, White-headed Vulture, Martial Eagle, Pallid Harrier, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill, Rufous-crowned Roller, and Greater Honeyguide. We even stopped for a cisticola or two! Around the lodge, in addition to spectacular vistas, there was always plenty to look at, such as Gray Kestrel, Wire-tailed Swallow, Rufous-tailed Rock-Thrush, and Golden-breasted Bunting. And in the dining room, we frequently looked up to see roosting Yellow-winged Bats! Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 4 Northern Tanzania: Cincinnati Zoo, 2020 After exiting the Serengeti at the Naabi Hill Gate, we entered shorter grass habitats of the Naabi- Ndutu Triangle Plains and were met with vast herds of Zebra and Wildebeest, along with good numbers of Grant’s and Thompson’s gazelles, several groups of Eland, Spotted Hyena, Black- backed Jackal, and African Golden Wolf—what a staggering sight! These great mammals overshadowed an equally impressive blizzard of butterflies, mainly Dark Blue Pansys, which swarmed over the road where they stopped to gather minerals. The plains were full of birds as well, including hundreds of Abdim’s Storks, large numbers of vultures, multiple eagles, three species of harriers, numerous Lesser Kestrels, a single Greater Kestrel, numerous Common Ostrich, Spotted Thick-Knee, a roosting Barn Owl, and several Capped Wheatears. Upon arrival at the very birdy Ndutu Safari Lodge, we were met by nesting Fischer’s Lovebirds, some very tame White-rumped Shrikes, and thriving colonies of Lesser Masked and Village weavers. And during our evening checklist session, we were greeted by the lodge’s resident Common Genet exploring the rafters above us! Common Zebras on the Naabi-Ndutu Triangle Plains © Michael O’Brien Our time in the Ndutu area was focused mainly on experiencing Wildebeest migration. Two mornings in a row, our expert drivers navigated us to within spectacular concentrations of Wildebeest and Zebras, with nothing but vast plains and thousands of animals visible from horizon to horizon. This breathtaking scene was the safari highlight for many of us. But what was really special was on our second morning, having the privilege to witness a Wildebeest mother giving birth! We all cheered on the newborn as it took its first steps just thirteen minutes after being born. Not far from the Wildebeest herds, another highlight was having close views of three young Cheetahs having a midday rest! Of course, there were many birds to be seen in these short grass plains, including Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Kori Bustard, large numbers of vultures, numerous raptors, and swarms of Wattled Starlings, which follow the Wildebeest herds. Nearby, we also explored Lake Ndutu and Lake Masek, both of which were higher than usual but Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 5 Northern Tanzania: Cincinnati Zoo, 2020 still held numerous waterbirds. Some highlights included Cape Teal, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Avocet, Kittlitz’s and Chestnut-banded plovers, Sacred Ibis, numerous migrant shorebirds, thousands of White-winged Terns and Cattle Egrets flying off to roost, plus a Straw-tailed Whydah in spectacular display. Newborn Common Wildebeest meeting its first friend, Makao Plains, Ndutu © Michael O’Brien After leaving Ndutu, our next stop was Olduvai Gorge, a beautiful spot, and certainly the most significant paleoanthropological site in the world, where remains of the earliest fossil humans have been found. We were treated to an excellent lecture about the history of the gorge and the research that went on there, and also enjoyed the very fine museum. Birding was excellent at the gorge. Sky watching produced several species of swifts, including Nyanza and Horus, plus Steppe Eagle, Lanner Falcon, and White-necked Raven. In the bushes, we also found Chinspot Batis, Yellow-breasted Apalis, and Red-backed Scrub-Robin.