There are several reasons to arrive early for a trip:
- · You may have travel interruptions, and you have a chance to recover.
- · You have an extra day to get over jet lag.
- · You have an extra day for birding.
Today, we took advantage of the opportunity to get used to
African birds again. It has been several years since we were here last. After a
quick pass along the pond and down to the dam past the trout farm, we set off
to explore the area outside the neatly manicured lawns and lush gardens of the
lodge.
As soon as we exited the back gate, we came upon a troop of
Blue (Sykes) Monkeys. Here is a picture of the alpha male, who watched us
closely, unsure whether we represented a threat.
After a bit, he concluded that
we were OK, and we settled down to watch as they fed on berries in the trees.
One small monkey began calling, a thin, high pitched note.
As we watched, an adult female came running down the road
right toward us. Then, she scampered up the tree and hugged her offspring, who
quieted down immediately. So, now we know how to say “Mama!” in Blue Monkey.
We walked quite a way down the road, thru small farmsteads.
Church music and a loud sermon in a language we don’t know, punctuated the
silence. We saw a few birds that weren’t to be found around the lodge, none of
the lifers. Eventually, we turned back and sat on the veranda waiting for
something interesting to come our way.
What came by was a troop of Guereza Colobus monkeys, an
amazing species, black and white with an incredible fluffy white tail. Here is
a photo of a mother and child.
Jenny and Terry Cloudman arrived a short time later. They
also came thru Doha, but unlike our flight, theirs arrived too late to catch
the plane to Dar es Salaam. So they enjoyed the lounge at the airport for
several hours before catching an early flight. We had exchanged some text
messages, so we knew about when to expect them. Fortunately, the monkey troop
was still around.
After lunch, we napped until four in the afternoon. Then
Linda and I with Jenny but not Terry set off for some more birding. Along the
path to the trout farm, we had two new species, one difficult to identify and
one ridiculously easy.
The Gray-olive Greenbul is about as colorful as the name implies. Luckily, we were able to watch a pair of them foraging in the leaf
litter for a long time, so we were able to see the pinkish bill and legs, which
together with the mucklededun color of the rest of the plumage, was enough to
clinch the ID. While we watched them, Linda spotted a Peter’s Twinspot foraging
in the same area. This spectacular bird was easy to identify, but virtually
impossible to photograph as it skulked around the undergrowth. Thanks to the
internet, I
found a good photo online.
Bit by bit, our group is assembling. Jan Kelly and Susan
Fortunow came late last night. The rest are expected this evening.
We spent the afternoon lazily wandering around looking for
more birds and trying in vain to get a good look at the Red-chested Cuckoo that
calls often from a large tree near the veranda. We have counted it based on
several fly-bys and some sightings of everything except the red chest, but it a
frustrating bird.
After dinner, we all retired to bed. About 10:30 pm, my
phone rang. This was totally unexpected. I had signed up for an international
plan that lasted only a month, and planned to use it mainly for text messages.
I scrambled out of bed and saw that the call was from Bay Alarm. I managed to
answer in time. Our pet sitter had accidentally set off the alarm and didn’t
know the code word. (Stupid of me!) We cleared that up and I sent the code word
to her for the future.
Somehow, I managed to fall asleep again.
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