Tanzania, 30 November to 21 December 2020 Thomas Pettersson This tour was organized by Tanzania Birding and Beyond Safaris and unfortunately, I was the only participant as my friend was prevented from going as was planned. The flights from Stockholm via Addis Ababa to Dar es Salaam and back with Ethiopian Airlines were uneventful. The only differences from my previous flights were that wearing face masks on the aircrafts was mandatory, and recommended at the airports, and that they checked my body temperature at both arrival and departure. I am not sure what the consequences would have been in case of fever. You must also complete a health declaration both for transfer and arrival. The outbound flight from Stockholm to Addis Ababa was about half empty and on the return perhaps only 25 % of the seats were occupied, which meant good nights sleep on three seats both ways. The flights between Addis Ababa and Dar es Salaam were fully booked both ways. The domestic flights with Coastal Aviation from Dar es Salaam via Zanzibar (Unguja) to Pemba and on to Tanga were also smooth, with the same regulations as above. The aircrafts were painfully small though, 12 seats. Not much space for legs and hand luggage. On the other hand, the distances are short. All in all, the tour was a big success. Accommodation was generally good, although basic at some places, but nothing to complain about. Food was excellent and plentiful, and I had no issues with the stomach. The drivers and the guides were excellent, in particular the outstanding Anthony, who guided most of the tour. The only obstacle was a District Commissioner in Gairo who demanded us to make an appointment with her before we could leave the district. What took us a half day chasing her, as she was travelling around to some villages. A waste of time, really, and for no sensible reason at all. Annoying! We focused very hard on my wish list, i.e. new birds for me. That meant that we did not make any detours or spent time searching for species already seen by me. Also, we did not search for mammals. That’s the main reason for why some otherwise common birds and some mammals, e.g. Lion, are missing in the species lists below. In total I recorded 528 bird species (non-native species excluded) in Tanzania and 158 of them were new to me (lifers). Also, six species at Bole International Airport in Addis Ababa. 1 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net Highlights were of course many, but here is some of them: • Altogether about 50 Harlequin Quails flushed at roadside in Mkomazi National Park. • After a long search Anthony eventually found my very first Three-banded Courser in Tarangire National Park. • A fantastic concert by two males and a female Usambara Eagle-Owls in Amani Nature Reserve. • Two pairs of Mangrove Kingfisher with courtship feeding in Ngezi Forest on Pemba Island. • Two pairs of Brown-breasted Barbets in Pugu Forest Reserve. • Livingstone's Flycatcher in Udzungwa National Park. • A nest building pair of Red-capped Forest Warbler in the West Usambara Mountains. • Two Dapple-throats in the Rubeho Mountains was a great surprise. • Both Tacazze Sunbird and Golden-winged Sunbird on the Crater Rim in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. 2 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net Itinerary Date Activities Accommodation Mo 30 Nov Coastal birding in northern suburbs of Mediterraneo Hotel, Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam. Tu 1 Dec Pugu Forest Reserve with January Mediterraneo Hotel, Dar es Salaam Ching'enya (guide). We 2 Dec Flight to Pemba via Unguja. North Pemba Paradise, Pemba North Pemba Island, including Ngezi Forest with Abdi Mzee (guide). Th 3 Dec North Pemba Island with Abdi Mzee. Pemba Paradise, Pemba North Fr 4 Dec Flight to Tanga, where met by Anthony Amani Rest House Raphael (guide) and Geitan Damas (driver). Drive to Amani Nature Reserve in the East Usambara Mountains. Sa 5 Dec East Usambara Mountains. Amani Rest House Su 6 Dec East Usambara Mountains. Amani Rest House Mo 7 Dec East Usambara Mountains and West Mullers Mountain Lodge, Lushoto Usambara Mountains. Tu 8 Dec West Usambara Mountains. Mullers Mountain Lodge, Lushoto We 9 Dec Drive to Same area and South Pare Elephant Motel, Same Mountains. Th 10 Dec Mkomazi National Park. Elephant Motel, Same Fr 11 Dec Same area and then drive to Arusha. Korona Villa, Arusha Sa 12 Dec Lariboro Plains and then drive to Karatu. Country Lodge, Karatu Su 13 Dec Crater Rim in Ngorongoro Conservation Country Lodge, Karatu Area. Mo 14 Dec Tarangire National Park. Tarangire Safari Lodge Tu 15 Dec Drive via Dodoma to Gairo. Pretoria Hotel, Gairo We 16 Dec Rubeho Mountains. Pretoria Hotel, Gairo Th 17 Dec Drive via Kilosa to Udzungwa National Udzungwa Twiga Hotel Park. Fr 18 Dec Udzungwa National Park and Kilombero Tan Swiss Cottages, Mikumi Flood Plain. Sa 19 Dec Mikumi area (miombo woodland north Tan Swiss Cottages, Mikumi of Mikumi town) and Baobab Valley. Su 20 Dec Mikumi National Park. Tex Palace Hotel, Morogoro Mo 21 Dec Drive to Dar es Salaam and departure In flight from there. 3 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net Tanzania Birds (IOC 11.1) 1. Common Ostrich Struthio camelus massaicus 7 Tarangire NP 14 Dec. 2. White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata 100 Mashangalikwa, Tanga 7 Dec, 25 Tarangire NP 15 Dec, 2 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 3. Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos 2 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 20 Tarangire NP 15 Dec, 1 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 4. Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca 25 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 5 Tarangire NP 15 Dec, 5 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 5. African Pygmy Goose Nettapus auritus 3 Ngezi Forest, Pemba North 3 Dec. 6. Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris reichenowi 50 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 100 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 15 Dec, 10 Baobab Valley, Morogoro 19 Dec, 10 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 4 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net 7. Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum 1 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec. 8. Coqui Francolin Peliperdix coqui hubbardi 3 Lariboro Plains, Arusha 12 Dec. 9. Crested Francolin Dendroperdix sephaena grantii 50 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 2 Lariboro Plains, Arusha 12 Dec, 10 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 15 Dec. 10. Scaly Spurfowl Pternistis squamatus schuetti 3 (pair with one chick) Ngorongoro CA 13 Dec. 11. Yellow-necked Spurfowl Pternistis leucoscepus infuscatus 100 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 50 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 10 Tarangire NP 15 Dec. 12. Red-necked Spurfowl Pternistis afer humboldtii 50 Tarangire NP 14 Dec. 5 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net 13. Harlequin Quail Coturnix d. delegorguei 50 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec. All flushed from roadside, most of them in pairs but also singles and small flocks (up to five). 14. Montane Nightjar Caprimulgus poliocephalus guttifer 1 in flight West Usambara Mts 8 Dec. 15. Scarce Swift Schoutedenapus m. myoptilus 25 East Usambara Mts 5 Dec, 25 East Usambara Mts 6 Dec, 100 West Usambara Mts 8 Dec. 16. Mottled Spinetail Telacanthura ussheri stictilaema 2 East Usambara Mts 6 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 14 Dec. 17. Böhm's Spinetail Neafrapus boehmi sheppardi 1 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 18. African Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus C. p. myochrous: 10 West Usambara Mts 7 Dec, 10 Mikumi 17 Dec, 4 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. C. p. laemostigma: 50 Mediterraneo Hotel, Dar es Salaam 30 Nov, 15 Pugu FR, Pwani 1 Dec, 25 Mediterraneo Hotel, Dar es Salaam 2 Dec, 2 Ngezi Forest, Pemba North 3 Dec, 10 East Usambara Mts 6 Dec. 19. Common Swift Apus apus subsp. 1 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 20. Little Swift Apus affinis A. a. aerobates: 5 West Usambara Mts 7 Dec, 50 South Pare Mts 9 Dec, 10 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 20 Lembeni, Kilimanjaro 11 Dec, 50 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 20 Tarangire NP 15 Dec, 10 Rubeho Mts 16 Dec, 20 Mikumi 17 Dec, 20 Udzungwa NP 18 Dec, 20 Baobab Valley, Morogoro 19 Dec, 20 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. A. a. affinis: 5 East Usambara Mts 5 Dec, 5 East Usambara Mts 6 Dec. 21. Horus Swift Apus h. horus 2 Ngorongoro CA 13 Dec. 22. White-rumped Swift Apus caffer 1 West Usambara Mts 7 Dec, 10 Udzungwa NP 18 Dec, 10 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 23. Bare-faced Go-away-bird Crinifer personatus leopoldi 2 Tarangire NP 14 Dec. 6 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net 24. White-bellied Go-away-bird Crinifer leucogaster 15 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 2 Lariboro Plains, Arusha 12 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 15 Dec. 25. Livingstone's Turaco Tauraco livingstonii reichenowi 2 Rubeho Mts 16 Dec, 2 Udzungwa NP 18 Dec. 26. Schalow's Turaco Tauraco schalowi chalcolophus 3 Ngorongoro CA 13 Dec. 27. Fischer's Turaco Tauraco f. fischeri 2 East Usambara Mts 5 Dec, 10 East Usambara Mts 6 Dec, 1 East Usambara Mts 7 Dec. 28. Hartlaub's Turaco Tauraco hartlaubi 1 West Usambara Mts 7 Dec, 1 West Usambara Mts 8 Dec. 29. Purple-crested Turaco Gallirex porphyreolophus chlorochlamys 4 Mikumi 19 Dec. 30. Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori struthiunculus 3 Lariboro Plains, Arusha 12 Dec. 31. White-bellied Bustard Eupodotis senegalensis canicollis 5 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 15 Dec. 32. Buff-crested Bustard Lophotis gindiana 2 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 1 Mikumi 19 Dec. 7 thomas.pettersson (at) bredband.net 33. Black-bellied Bustard Lissotis m. melanogaster 7 Mikumi NP 20 Dec. 34. White-browed Coucal Centropus s. superciliosus 5 Pugu FR, Pwani 1 Dec, 1 Kisauni, Unguja, Zanzibar 2 Dec, 50 Mkomazi NP 10 Dec, 4 Tarangire NP 14 Dec, 2 Tarangire NP 15 Dec, 5 Udzungwa NP 18 Dec, 1 Mikumi 19 Dec, 1 Mikumi NP 20 Dec.