Ngorongoro Conservation Area

Following a great night’s sleep we were up at first light and watching the family of Schalow’s Wheatears that Chris and Kevin had found late last evening. After breakfast and an accompanying Ruppell’s Robin-Chat we drove to the bottom of the highland forest of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and spent the next 4 hours birding in excellent habitat. 

Brown-headed Apalis

In the car park we had Brown-headed Apalis and Grey-olive Greenbul, and just around the corner a pair of singing White-browed Robin-Chats competed with our first Grey-Capped Warbler that came in so close to us it was hard to focus the camera. 

Grey-capped Warbler

The path wound slowly and easily up into the hills and we picked off Lemon Dove, Black-throated Wattle-eye, a gang of Mburo White-eyes, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Purple-throated Cuckooshrike, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Mountain Greenbul, Thick-billed Seedeater and Brown Woodland Warbler. I was amazed when a pair of African Hill Babblers came straight into the tape and showed well, and even more stunned with eye-level views of Grey-headed Negrita that posed beautifully and very close for us. 

Grey-headed Negrita

We continued upwards and found Bar-throated Apalis, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, flyover Steppe Buzzard and Martial Eagle, Eastern Honeybird and a roosting European Nightjar that our driver, Martin found. What a great morning.

Eastern Honeybird

European Nightjar

What a view into the Ngorongoro Crater

From here we drove up to the entrance gate and after getting the requisite permits headed to the crater rim. What a view greeted us and we stood in awe at the amazing sight of the Ngorongoro crater below us. Dave scoped a Black Rhino and we saw a male Pallid Harrier and our first Eastern Double-collared Sunbird. The number of animals below us was staggering and we couldn’t wait to get down there tomorrow. So we drove up the road to our picnic lunch and were just in time to get a heavy downpour, so we ate our picnic lunch in the vehicle and then fortunately the rain stopped. We saw Hunter’s Cisticola, White-necked Raven, Eurasian Hobby, several Mottled Swifts, Hildebrandt’s Francolin and Golden-winged Sunbird.

Hildebrandt's Francolin

Eastern Double-collared Sunbird

Mottled Swift

White-necked Raven

Abyssinian (Mountain) Thrush

Moving on we scored big time with a pair Oriole Finches loosely associating in a large flock that included Mburu White-eye, Mountain Thrush, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Eurasian Blackcap, Streaky Seedeaters and even a pair of Schalow’s Turacos showed behind us. 

Mountain Yellow Warbler

Oriole Finch

Another male Oriole Finch was seen extremely close as it fed in some bushes, but our search for Jackson’s Widowbird drew a blank as we drove across the moorland only seeing Capped Wheatear, Grassland Pipit, Whinchat, Augur Buzzard and Northern Wheatear.

Lake Manyara

Well, what a great way to start the day with a cracking Peter’s Twinspot found as we entered Lake Manyara National Park. Unfortunately not everyone saw it and the numerous Green-winged Pytilias were scant consolation. 

African Pygmy Kingfisher

Driving into the park we had African Openbill, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Spotted Mourning-Thrush and some other commoner birds. Moving inside a pair of Green Wood-Hoopoes flew through, a Mountain Wagtail fed alongside a small stream and a Narina Trogon posed beautifully on a bare branch. 

Narina Trogon

Amongst some tall Acacias a Red-fronted Tinkerbird was seen, along with a pair of Common Scimitarbills. Our main quarry of Purple-crested Turaco had been proving elusive until we found a pair amongst some tall Fig trees. A few Crowned Hornbills then appeared, followed by Red Duiker, a Lioness dozing in a tree, Eastern Bearded Scrub-Robin singing on a bare branch and both Yellow-green and Grey-Olive Bulbuls appeared.

At our lunch spot we walked out onto the boardwalk into the lake and found 20+ Chestnut-banded Plovers with some very close birds. Also here were Three-banded Plover, Curlew Sandpiper, Lesser Sandplover, Pied Avocet and lots of Little Stints. With clear blue skies this was the hottest, driest day of the tour so far and we were certainly feeling the heat. 

Chestnut-banded Plover

Three-banded Plover

So had lunch in the shade before continuing on but the next few hours were pretty quiet, apart from nesting Holub’s Golden Weavers, Bateleur, and a group of scarce Crested Guineafowl. Result!

Crested Guineafowl

Our last stop of the day was at the famous Hippo Pools, complete with several Hippos. But there were so many waterbirds here and we spent an enthralling hour or so scanning through everything. I guess pride of place went to the fishing Black Heron doing his ‘night time, day time” routine. Although scoping Rufous-bellied Herons was also pretty cool. 

Black Heron

Blacksmith's Plover

Lesser Swamp Warbler

And we also saw Lesser Swamp Warbler, Hottentot, Cape and Red-billed Teals, African Spoonbills, Marabou and Yellow-billed Storks, numerous Long-toed Stints, Yellow Wagtail, Glossy Ibis, lots of common waders, African Jacanas, African Purple Gallinule, lots of Black Crakes, and more common species on top. A great way to end the day.

Tarangire National Park

What a day and I barely know where to begin! We spent the entire day in Tarangire NP and it was hell. I mean there were far too many birds and animals, most of them too close to photograph with my 300mm lense. Just Hell…! Of course I’m joking. We began by birding the track from our lodge to the entrance gate seeing Purple Roller and Cardinal Woodpecker, before a bunch of birds came in to the owlet tape – Abyssinian White-eye (now split as Southern Scrub White-eye apparently), Vitelline and Lesser Masked Weavers and other previously seen species. Moving in to the park things began slowly until we picked up a pair of Abyssinian Scimitarbills in some large Acacias, followed by Red-and-yellow Barbet, Banded Parisoma, a perched Bateleur, Bare-faced Go-away-Bird, Black-faced Sandgrouse, Steppe Eagle, several perched White-backed Vultures, our first Silverbird, some European Bee-eaters, Yellow-collared Lovebird and numerous Ashy Starlings. 

Bare-faced Go-away-bird

Lilac-breasted Roller

Von der Decken's Hornbill

All this was along the same stretch of track before we drove higher where our first Common Ostriches were seen, plus Orange-bellied Parrots, Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Northern Pied Babbler, Mottled Spinetail, Von Der Decken’s Hornbill, a flock of Eastern Paradise-Whydahs, and Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling. Once we descended towards the plains we had an incredible vista below of us of typical African savannah with African Elephants (and we’d already had some incredibly close encounters), Plains Zebra, African Buffalo and Blue Wildebeest. But 4 Temminck’s Coursers were also very nice and a confiding pair of Southern Ground-Hornbills also. At a bridge over the Tarangire River we spent an enjoyable half an hour watching beautiful Grey-headed Kingfishers, Black Crake, Water Thick-Knee and others. 

Water Thick-knee

Moving on, and amazingly we came across another jeep watching a sleeping Leopard in an Acacia some distance away, but a very nice sighting so early in the trip.

We got to the picnic site overlooking Silale Swamp just in time to connect with a heavy rainshower. James found a Chameleon and we enjoyed close flybys from numerous Collared Pratincoles. After we’d eaten we followed the dry swamp, trying to find some water and along the way found an adult and a large grown juvenile Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl. 

Verreaux's Eagle Owl

At some narrow water margins we had 3 Saddle-billed Storks, Black Stork, Spur-winged Goose, Bearded Woodpecker, had a brief view of an African Wild Cat, African Rock Python, African Marsh Harrier and a Black-bellied Bustard. 

Saddle-billed Stork

Across the swamp were herds of Wildebeest, Elephants, Bohor Reedbuck etc. But by now we were very late, like 4.30pm and had to be out of the park by 6pm so retraced our steps. It was  a madcap race to get out of the park but we had to stop for seconds of the Leopard in a closer tree. Wow! It just stared balefully at us as we clicked away. 

Leopard......

Coqui Francolin

And a little further on a pair of Coqui Francolins were also much appreciated. What a day!

Lariboro Plains - Tarangire Simba Lodge

Left early and drove to Lariboro Plains, some 70 minutes from the lodge, passing through yet more rain. Upon arrival at the vast plains the weather was kind to us and it was quite warm and clear and our first scan revealed Kori Bustard, Capped Wheatear, Grassland Pipit, Lesser Black-winged Lapwing, Kenya Rufous Sparrow, and a few Horus Swifts amongst a huge congregation of Common Swifts. After meeting up with our Maasai guides we drove out into the plains, but not before nailing a Southern Grosbeak Canary singing from on top of an Acacia and watching a singing Foxy Lark. We parked up and scoped an Eastern Chanting Goshawk and noted some White-rumped Swifts passing over. Amazingly, we picked up our main target species, Beesley’s Lark very quickly thanks to James and then spent the next 2 hours getting better and better views of this rare species, whilst searching for our other target birds. 

Beesley's Lark

A Short-tailed Lark was next, followed by Red-capped Lark but it took a while before we found Athi Short-toed Lark. It was a great experience to be able to watch these birds through the scopes. Other species seen included a cracking male Pallid Harrier, Secretarybird, Gabar Goshawk, a flock of European Bee-eaters and a Steppe Eagle. Once everyone was assembled back at the vehicles a scarce Fischer’s Starling appeared and then a Gorgeous (split from Beautiful) Sunbird was seen. 

Fischer's Starling

We then spent the next 4 hours driving to our next base at Tarangire, but made a comfort stop along the way. Of course I played the owlet call and an amazing number of species appeared: a real Pearl-spotted Owlet, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Tiny Cisticola, White-browed Scrub-Robin, Slate-coloured Boubou, Fork-tailed Drongo, White-bellied and Yellow-fronted Canary, Green-winged Pytilia, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Red-faced Crombec, and finally a Little Sparrowhawk was drawn to the commotion. Wow!

Pearl-spotted Owlet

As we left the tarmac and followed the dirt track to the lodge we aw our first Ashy Starlings, a Black-chested snake-Eagle and some other commoner birds, but we were on a mission for a two o’clock lunch. Well, we reached the lodge which was pretty secluded and found lunch was naturally late as the staff didn’t seem to be expecting us, so we made the best of things and scanned from the verandah that overlooked a drinking pool and typical ‘bush country’. 

D'Arnaud's Barbet

From here we saw a D’Arnaud’s Barbet visiting a nest hole beside the swimming pool, a few endemic Yellow-collared Lovebirds, White-billed Buffalo-Weaver, flocks of Wattled Starlings and a  Brown Snake-eagle. 

White-bellied Bustard

After lunch and some Blue-capped Cordon-bleu’s we took a short walk into the bush. Another Pearl-spotted Owlet appeared, along with Northern Red-billed and African Grey Hornbills, Speckle-fronted Weaver, Spotting Mourning-Thrush, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, near-endemic Rufous-tailed Weavers, Long-tailed Fiscal, and we ended with a pair of inquisitive White-bellied Bustards.