February 28-March 1: Ndutu

We left the Serengeti for the Ndutu area at the end of February, finally catching up to the Wildebeest migration. There is more rain in the area, and the herds are moving back to take advantage. We watched huge lines of the beasts moving, mostly single file, across the plains. The estimate of 1 million animals did not seem inflated. The total in the entire area is thought to be over twice that.

One of the highlights of the area for us was several Cheetahs. One was on a kill, a young Wildebeest. Cheetahs are unable to defend their kill against scavengers, so they gorge on as much as they can, then abandon it. This cheetah moved into the the grass nearby and took a snooze.

We found a dead Zebra, whose corpse had not yet been discovered by vultures, but did have a Yellow-billed Oxpecker devouring insects and ticks on the skin. Despite the red on the tip of the bill, this is not a Red-billed Oxpecker, which has an all red bill.

At the Ndutu Lodge, we were treated to a view of several Genets that patrol the rafters and thatch, eliminating rodent pests. They are very tame and used to being photographed. 

Have to run now. More later

Several Days on the Serengeti: Catting Around

We spent three days at Seronera Wildlife Lodge on the edge of the Serengeti. The days were similar: breakfast, head out onto the plains, drive around, eat a box lunch, back for dinner and bed.

We had many great bird sightings, but the main draw was the huge herds of Wildebeest. Normally, the area would have received enough rains for the animals to begin migrating north. This year, the rains are late, and many have stayed put. At least we don't have to contend with mud, which we have been told in the normal state of affairs.

Some photos:

This male Kori Bustard is displaying to a female who couldn't care less. The white at the rear is actually the underside of the tail. You can just make out the tail feathers behind the bird's neck. With this set up, the bird strutted across the plains, to no avail.

This is Linda's New Favorite Bird.

This Pygmy Falcon is the smallest falcon in the world, even smaller than the Bat Falcon in Central and South America. Like that bird, it frequently sits still at the top of a tree allowing easy photos. That was the case with this bird, which completely ignored us.

At the opposite end of the size scale, this Goliath Heron is the largest heron on earth. We don't have anything lying around to give scale, but it is much bigger than our Great Blue Heron in the US.

We set out with the explicit goal of seeing as many cats as we could. This leopard had found himself a nice place for a nap in the crook of a tree near a Kopje, pronounced Copy, a large stone outcropping in the middle of the plains. We saw another leopard, a mother, who carried her small cub to a safer den after we (and many others) spotted her. We had only about a second to watch her before she disappeared, but Kevin managed to get a photo with his professional grade camera. We had to be satisfied with this photo.

Apparently, these two lions had left the rest of the pride for a bit of quality time. The female is wearing a radio collar that is hard to see in this picture. The male had a hitch in his getalong, so he is not exactly young. Apparently, though, he is still the dominant male in the area. There are lots of lions on the plains.

These two Dwarf Mongooses provided X-rated entertainment during out lunch break.

This spectacular lizard, a Mwanza Flat-headed Rock Agama, was also at the lunch spot.

This Woodland Kingfisher, identified by the two tone bill, was a new bird for us, and a very handsome one at that.

I'll try to catch up some more if time permits.

Quick note from Ngorongoro

We are about to leave the most luxurious lodge so far, one with pretty good access to the internet.

Here's why you haven't heard from me:

We start birding early and go all day, generally arriving at the lodge about 6:00 in the evening. We have a little time to freshen up before doing the list at 7:00. That takes an hour, which is much longer than usual. (Lots to go thru, and VERY thorough.) Then, dinner at 8:00. By the time that is done, I am exhausted, ready for bed.

We have had a nice trip thus far, with 335 bird species, 78 of them lifers and 95 new for Africa. (Linda has a couple more, which for some reason is typical for Africa.)

Yesterday, we each tallied our 900th African bird species before breakfast. Linda's was a Tree Pipit, a classic Little Brown Job that we had seen in India, but not Africa. Mine was a stunning new sunbird, Tacazza Sunbird. This is the opposite of our usual pattern.

We also saw two new mammals yesterday: Slender Mongoose and Tree Hyrax.

Got to go. Birding is starting.

Photo album from Tanzania

I have uploaded an album of some photos from our trip to Tanzania. More to come.

See https://plus.google.com/photos/+JimHargrove/albums/6122040165069738881

February 26, 2015: Speke's Bay to Serengeti National Park

After another morning birding around the lodge at Speke's Bay, we headed into Serengeti National Park, where we drove the "western corridor" to a lodge deep inside the park. We saw lots of great mammals and birds along the way, barely making it to the lodge by the deadling of 6:00 pm. (We were actually a few minutes late, but we weren't the last group to arrive.)

A large group wearing "Texas Exes" name badges were there. None of them sported binoculars or big cameras.

Here are a small sampling of the photos:

This Three-banded Courser is a specialty of the lodge at Speke's Bay. We missed it the first day, but one of the waiters in the dining room knew where to look and took us there.

This White-bellied Bustard was a lifer. This is a male, told from the female by the nice blue color on the neck. The male strutted out from the shade of a tree where we first saw him. The female stayed in the shade. Not sure what the message is there.

A Black-backed Jackal, one of a pair that seemed curious about us. This canid has several names. We have seen the species before on earlier trips to Africa, but still think they are stylish.

February 25, 2015, Speke's Bay

We flew to Mwanza, the second largest city in Tanzania, then drove to Speke's Bay, part of Lake Victoria. Great spot. Here are some photos from that day.

This Swamp Flycatcher was a lifer for both of us. It was common around the lodge. We're not sure what the stuff is on his face, maybe pollen, or seeds, or parasites.

This beautiful Silverbird was also common around the lodge. We had seen it before, but were glad to have another chance.

This Spotted Morning Thrush was also common. One was right around our cabin.

February 24, 2015: Arusha National Park

Some pictures from Arusha National Park. Don't have time to write much. Catching up after several days without internet access.

This Olive Baboon seems to be saying, "Hey! You looking at me?"

Kirk's Dikdik: Notice the semi-prehensile nose and the tuft of fur on his forehead that looks like a horn, but isn't.

We are standing in the middle of Fig Tree Arch, the furtherest we were allowed to drive in the park. Supposedly, this is a natural formation.

We had even closer looks at Gray Crowned Cranes today than yesterday. This extreme close-up shows the fantastic pattern around the head.