TANZANIA -bigtime birding

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Northern Tanzania, with its breathtaking landscapes of ancient volcanoes, rift valley scarps, mirror-like lakes and endless plains, is one of the most dramatically beautiful and unspoiled places on Earth. Evocative names such as Ngorongoro, Serengeti, Olduvai and Manyara conjure up images of abundant wildlife, proud Maasai pastoralists, dedicated research scientists, and scenic grandeur. These interlinked conservation areas are home to the planet's greatest concentration of large mammals - including the awesome annual migration of more than a million wildebeest - and a bounty of birds.

Like a giant vulture, the aircraft emerged from the mist and soared alongside the wooded slopes of volcanic craters. It banked away from the restless cone of Oldoinyo Lengai and drifted high above the flamingo-pink Lake Natron. Columns of marching wildebeest and zebra broke into a canter as the silvery bird cast its shadow across the waving plains of luxuriant grassland. Real vultures glided effortlessly out of its path as the plane descended, and a family of giraffe ambled lazily off the airstrip as the stiff-winged machine came to earth. After 20-odd years of reading books and watching documentary films, I was finally about to experience the legendary Serengeti - the ultimate African wilderness.

As we stepped out of the small aircraft into a verdant pasture of tall grass, small herds of topi and gazelle bounded away and a Kori Bustard lumbered through the grass to heave itself into the Serengeti sky. A Bateleur etched an arc high above and a pair of Secretarybirds eyed us from their treetop nest. A short drive through acacia woodland to Klein's Camp on the eastern border of the Serengeti National Park produced several bird species unfamiliar to us. A family group of White-headed Buffalo-weavers startled us as they displayed their scarlet rumps in flight, and a pair of Nubian Woodpeckers joined a White-bellied Tit searching for insects above a mixed flock of extravagantly marked Superb and Hildebrandt's starlings. A pair of diminutive Pygmy Falcons sat shoulder-to-shoulder at the top of a thorn tree where clusters of the untidy buffalo-weaver nests - in which they raise their own young - hung like aged Christmas decorations. Klein's Camp is set on the slopes of a small scarp and has endless views in every direction.

The rising air currents on the rocky ridge make it an ideal flight path for large raptors, and proved to be a brilliant place to simply sit and watch as processions of Rüppell's, Hooded, Lappet-faced and African White-backed vultures floated by. Resident Verreaux's and Tawny eagles were never far from view, and parties of raucous Bare-faced Go-away-birds added the background sound effects. Interesting birds resident around the camp included the Spot-flanked Barbet, Red-rumped Swallow, Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu, Sooty Chat and the inquisitive Slate-coloured Boubou, one of which made a habit of foraging on our chalet doorstep. The Grumeti River, still a stream at this stage of its journey to Lake Victoria, runs below Klein's Camp, and in the riparian woodland along its banks we found fruit-eating species such as Schalow's Turaco, African Green Pigeon and White-headed Barbet. A pair of Grey Kestrels were perched alongside their nest hole in a tall Hyphaene palm, gliding out every so often to snatch up an unwary grasshopper.

At the edge of a sedge-filled marshland, groups of Black-lored Babblers and Grey-backed Fiscals - both in parties of six or seven - seemed keen to stick together as they moved from bush to bush. White-browed Coucals flapped clumsily across the track, and the large number of Striped Kingfishers stationed at favoured perches allowed us to see how much brighter and bluer the East African race is than its southern African counterpart. Yellow-billed Storks and Hamerkops were among the waterbirds gathered at a pool where a company of zebra - the vanguard of the vast aggregation heading north into Kenya's Masai Mara Game Reserve - had come to slake their thirst. This peaceful scene was shattered by the arrival of a Giant Kingfisher, barking out its alarm, to send a Rosy-breasted Longclaw bursting from cover.

But birdwatching was brought to an abrupt halt almost as soon as we drove west into the Serengeti National Park itself. Wave upon wave, column after column, the hordes of wildebeest and zebra travelled across the plains. To be part of this primeval migratory phenomenon was the stuff of African dreams, and it would have taken a fly-past by a flock of penguins to break the mesmerizing spell of this spectacle. But eventually the cavalcade became an accepted part of the landscape and our birding instincts resurfaced. Dust-covered Fischer's Sparrow Lark, Rufous Sparrow and even a Grassveld Pipit, were picked out among the hooves on the trampled pastures, and pairs and family groups of Black-faced Sandgrouse scuttled off the road verge as the herds clattered past.

But all in all, and despite (or perhaps, because of) the drama of the great migration, the Serengeti plains in the middle of the dry season proved not to be overly rich in birds. Ostriches, Kori Bustards and Secretarybirds were seen at irregular intervals, and Northern White-crowned Shrike and Lilac-breasted Rollers kept vigil on the outer branches of acacia trees.

A completely different situation awaited us at Grumeti River Tented Camp, on the western side of the Serengeti, which literally buzzed with avian activity. The camp is set on the fringe of a hippo-packed pan, is shaded by tall riverine trees, and exudes a real Out of Africa atmosphere, especially after dark when spotted hyaena, lions and leopards lend their voices to the nocturnal chorus of nightjars and owls.

With the surrounding countryside dry and parched, birds of all descriptions were attracted to the drinking water and the concentration of insect life in the vegetation around the camp. Shrieking squadrons of iridescent Fischer's Lovebirds were joined at their favoured drinking spots by flocks of Blue-headed Cordon-bleus, Chestnut Sparrows and Yellow-rumped Seed-eaters. Madagascar Bee-eaters dashed after dragonflies, Black Crakes scurried across the backs of hippos, Grey Woodpeckers hammered at dead branches, Spotted Morning Thrushes skipped across clearings, and a Black-headed Gono-lek peered out tentatively from a tangled creeper before showing off its crimson underparts. A noisy band of wild-eyed Rufous Chatterers - members of the babbler family - worked their way back and forth through the tangled undergrowth, sending insects into panic and, more often than not, into the mouth of one of the beaters.

Away from the river and pan, small flocks of Grey-capped Social Weavers hung their scruffy grass-ball nests from the spiky branches of whistling thorn trees, sometimes next door to colonies of the larger Rufous-tailed Weaver. Grey-breasted Spurfowl joined a bevy of Superb Starlings, Rüppell's Long-tailed Starling and White-headed Buffalo-weavers foraging on the ground, while an African Grey Flycatcher and Silverbird waited patiently on their perches for a tsetse fly to come within striking distance. Handsome among their kind, a pair of Von der Decken's Hornbill - he with a yellow-tipped red bill and she with a wholly black beak - ferried a steady supply of beetles and grasshoppers to their single offspring.

Our next destination was the fabled Ngorongoro Crater, south-east of the Serengeti, and an integral part of the vast ecosystem. Although much hyped in travel brochures, books and films, the first view of the Ngorongoro Crater from the forested rim is utterly breathtaking.

We approached the Crater Highlands by road from the Manyara Airstrip, which proved to be an excellent way of appreciating the landscape as the Land Rover wound its way up through villages and farmlands where Black Bishops, Abyssinian Black Wheatears and Baglafecht Weavers watched our progress. Afro-montane vegetation blankets the upper reaches of Ngorongoro - considered to have exceeded nearby Kilimanjaro in size before its eruption - and a host of interesting birds occur in the forest and meadow habitats.

The entrance gate into the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is a good place to do some forest birding, with massive Croton, Ficus and Nuxia trees draped in swathes of old man's beard lichen, epiphytic orchids and ferns. Just wandering down the road here produced Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Variable Sunbird, Tropical Boubou, Hunter's Cisticola and Brown-headed Apalis - and a pair of Crowned Eagles soaring alongside an Augur Buzzard. White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Mountain Greenbul, Cape Robin-chat, White-starred Robin and Bar-tailed Trogon were among others seen in these highland forests. The profusion of Leonotis flowers on the road verge along the crater rim made it an absolute paradise for sunbirds, with as many as five species jostling over the nectar-rich blooms. Most conspicuous was the large, long-tailed Golden-winged Sunbird, with the similarly-sized Malachite, Bronze and Tacazze sunbirds less abundant, and the much smaller Eastern Double-collared subservient but most numerous.

The completely rebuilt Ngorongoro Crater Lodge is nestled in a meadow among ancient trees on the Crater rim in the most serene setting imaginable. Augur Buzzards ride the breeze in front of the lodge and metallic sunbirds dazzle in the natural gardens. Down below, on the Crater floor, a pink haze on the lake promises an ornithological extravaganza.

Entry into the Crater floor is limited to day visits only, and all lodges and campsites are situated on the rim or beyond. There can be no place in all of Africa with such concentrated game-viewing: lions, elephants, buffaloes and spotted hyaenas are seen as a matter of course, and even black rhinoceros can be guaranteed during a morning or afternoon exploration. Gazelles, wildebeest, zebras, jackals, hippos, eland, waterbuck, baboons and warthogs are constant companions as you drive around the network of tracks; birds too are abundant, especially waterfowl.

Never before have I seen such a spectacle of Lesser Flamingos, with thousands clustered in the shallow soda lake, braying to each other and feeding in characteristic upside-down style, before suddenly rising in a pink cloud to illuminate the sky. Smaller numbers of Greater Flamingos were among the masses, and Chestnut-banded Plovers, Pied Avocets and Black-winged Stilts cast their perfect reflections in the glassy shallows.

Many of the bird species in the predominantly grassland habitat of the Crater floor are familiar to South Africans - Capped Wheatears, Rufous-naped Larks, Common Fiscals and Crowned Plovers. This situation changes between October and March, however, when a variety of Palearctic migrants - notably wheatears and shrikes - enliven the scene. Superb Starlings, Rufous-tailed Weavers and Black Kites congregate at the picnic sites, with the acrobatic raptor adept at snatching sandwiches from unwary picnickers. Vultures and eagles regularly visit the Crater floor, with Long-crested Eagle among those breeding in the Lerai fever tree forest.

Perhaps the most incredible thing about the Ngorongoro Conservation Area is the mix of distinct habitats within such short distances. On the western side of Ngorongoro - in the 'rain shadow' of the mountain - is a semi-arid zone dominated by Commiphora and Acacia scrub with the famous Olduvai Gorge as its focal point. A visit to the fossil-rich Olduvai is something of a pilgrimage and a very worthwhile stop for birders, as numerous arid-adapted birds occur here. A short exploration of the area surrounding the small museum is almost certain to allow good views of the striking Red-and-yellow Barbet, Purple Grenadier, Speckle-fronted Weaver and Slate-coloured Boubou, all of which gather around picnic sites.

Our final destination in northern Tanzania was Lake Manyara National Park, famous for its tree-climbing lions and the pioneering elephant research conducted by Iain Douglas-Hamilton in the 1960s and 1970s. Although only about a third of the 330 square kilometre park is above water, it is a fascinating area and overflowing with birds. Set at the base of the spectacular Rift Valley escarpment, the park conserves a tapestry of acacia woodland, floodplain grassland, palm groves and swamp forest, with the secluded Maji Moto Tented Camp situated in the extreme south. Flamingos, pelicans, storks, herons, geese, ducks and waders occupy the lake and its fringes, with a good network of tracks providing access to prime viewing sites.

The impressive swamp forest is fed by a number of springs at the foot of the escarpment and remains green and lush throughout the year. Various species of Ficus, Trichelia, Milicia and Antiaris abound, and provide a regular crop of fruit for troops of Silvery-cheeked Hornbills whose hoarse voices and noisy wing-beats echo through the canopy. Watching these large hornbills is most entertaining, as they chase, moan and chuckle at each other, flap clumsily through the foliage, and pick out ripe figs with the very tip of their huge, casqued bills. Another resident of the swamp forest is the Crested Guineafowl (the race here differing from southern African birds in having a crimson face), which forages among fallen leaves on the floor.

Manyara is home to seven species of vultures, and we saw six of these - including Egyptian and Palm-nut - feeding on the remains of a buffalo carcass on the floodplain. Although widespread in Tanzania, the Egyptian Vulture is nowhere common and it was a tremendous thrill to see a pair soaring together along the cliffs of the Rift Valley wall and, later, mating close to the lakeshore. Flocks of Grey Crowned Crane forage on the short grasslands of the floodplain, mingling easily with wildebeest, zebras and warthogs in the search for grasshoppers and crickets. An interesting bird of the same habitat is the Long-tailed Fiscal which lives and hunts in family groups - much like the Magpie (or Long-tailed) Shrike - and performs synchronized tail-wagging displays in defence of territories. Among the exciting birds that we encountered in the palm savanna and acacia woodlands of the park were the Yellow-collared Lovebird, D'Arnaud's Barbet, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird and Blue-naped Mousebird.

This compact park proved to be no 'poor cousin' to the more famous Serengeti or Ngorongoro.

This account mentions more than 100 bird species - which is about a third of the total which we saw in less than two weeks. More determined birders could add significantly to that total, particularly between the months of October and April when large numbers of migrants visit the area. Given the proximity of Serengeti, Ngorongoro and Lake Manyara, their magnificent scenery and abundant wildlife, this 'northern circuit' of Tanzania is undoubtedly the continent's finest wildlife region, and surely one of the very best for birdwatching. Explorations of forest and moorland habitats on nearby Mount Meru and Kilimanjaro would yield many other species, as would any time spent in the not-too-distant Usambara Mountains (with their many endemics), or Zanzibar. It is hardly likely that any readers would need to be persuaded to visit northern Tanzania, but perhaps the added attraction of a hundred or so 'lifers' might just tempt you.

SCIENTIFIC NAMES (AND ALTERNATE COMMON NAMES)
OF BIRDS MENTIONED
Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori
Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus
Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius
White-headed Buffalo-weaver Dinemellia dinemelli
Nubian Woodpecker Campethera nubica
White-bellied Tit Parus albiventris
Superb Starling Lamprotornis superbus
Hildebrandt's Starling Lamprotornis hildebrandti
Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus
Rüppell's Vulture Gyps rueppellii
Hooded Vulture Necrosytes monachus
Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus
African White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus
Verreaux's (Black) Eagle Aquila verreauxii
Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax
Bare-faced Go-away-bird Corythaixoides leucogaster
Spot-flanked Barbet Tricholaema lacrymosa
Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu Uraeginthus bengalus
Sooty Chat Myrmecocichla nigra
Slate-coloured Boubou Laniarius funebris
Schalow's Turaco (Lourie) Tauraco schalowi
African Green Pigeon Treron calva
White-headed Barbet Lybius leucocephalus
Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus
Black-lored Babbler Turdoides sharpei
Grey-backed Fiscal Lanius excubitoroides
White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus
Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti
Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis
Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima
Rosy-breasted (Pink-throated) Longclaw Macronyx ameliae
Fischer's Sparrow-lark Eremopterix leucopareia
Rufous Sparrow Passer rufocinctus
Grassveld (Richard's) Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus
Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus
Ostrich Struthio camelus
Northern White-crowned Shrike Eurocephalus rueppelli
Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata
Fischer's Lovebird Agapornis fischeri
Blue-headed Cordon-bleu Uraeginthus cyanocephalus
Chestnut Sparrow Passer eminibey
Yellow-rumped Seed-eater Serinus reichenowi
Madagascar (Olive) Bee-eater Merops superciliosus
Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostris
Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos goertae
Spotted Morning Thrush Cichladusa guttata
Black-headed Gonolek Laniarius erythrogaster
Rufous Chatterer Turdoides rubiginosus
Grey-capped Social Weaver Pseudonigrita arnaudi
Rufous-tailed Weaver Histurgops ruficaudus
Grey-breasted Spurfowl Francolinus rufopictus
Rüppell's Long-tailed Starling Lamprotornis purpuropterus
African Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus
Silverbird Empidornis semipartitus
Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni
Black Bishop Euplectes gierowii
Abyssinian Black (Schalow's) Wheatear Oenanthe lugubris
Baglafecht (Reichenow's) Weaver Ploceus baglafecht
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater Merops oreobates
Variable Sunbird Nectarinia venusta
Tropical Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus
Hunter's Cisticola Cisticola hunteri
Brown-headed Apalis Apalis alticola
Crowned Eagle Stephanoaetus coronatus
Augur Buzzard Buteo augur
White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher Melaenornis fischeri
Mountain Greenbul Andropadus nigriceps
Cape Robin-chat (Cape Robin) Cossypha caffra
White-starred Robin (Starred Robin) Pogonocichla stellata
Bar-tailed Trogon Apaloderma vittatum
Golden-winged Sunbird Nectarinia reichenowi
Malachite Sunbird Nectarinia famosa
Bronze Sunbird Nectarinia kilimensis
Tacazze Sunbird Nectarinia tacazze
Eastern Double-collared Sunbird Nectarinia mediocris
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus
Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus
Pied Avocet Recuvirostra avosetta
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata
Rufous-naped Lark Mirafra africana
Common Fiscal (Fiscal Shrike) Lanius collaris
Crowned Plover Vanellus coronatus
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis
Red-and-yellow Barbet Trachyphonus erythrocephalus
Purple Grenadier Uraeginthus ianthinogaster
Speckle-fronted Weaver Sporopipes frontalis
Silvery-cheeked Hornbill Bycanistes brevis
Crested Guineafowl Guttera pucherani
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis
Grey Crowned Crane Balearica regulorum
Long-tailed Fiscal Lanius cabanisi
Magpie (Long-tailed) Shrike Urolestes melanoleucus
Yellow-collared Lovebird Agapornis personatus
D'Arnaud's Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes orientalis
Blue-naped Mousebird Urocolius macrourus
Crab Plover Dromas ardeola
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus
White-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon lepturus

When to go?
Birding in northern Tanzania is good throughout the year but probably at its best between October and April when many migrants are present. Most of the region experiences two dry seasons - from June to October, and from January to February - but the Ngorongoro Crater is generally wet from late November through to mid-May.

The climate is warm to mild for most of the year, but the Crater highlands can be very cold, especially at night. Although visitors may be tempted to combine a birding trip with the wildebeest migration (July - August), it should be noted that there is always an abundance of large mammals somewhere in the vast Serengeti ecosystem.

Birding guides
By far the best and most comprehensive publication is the recent Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania by Zimmerman, Turner, Pearson, Willis and Pratt (Russel Friedman Books, 1996). It is, however, rather heavy, and Ber von Perlo's more compact Collins Illustrated Checklist: Birds of Eastern Africa (Harper-Collins, 1995) will rarely let you down.
Accommodation & getting around

Visiting the national parks of northern Tanzania can only be done in two ways: luxury or budget - there is no real in-between. A budget camping safari, with your own or a hired 4x4 (all come with a driver-guide) will not be a cheap affair, however, and it is worth evaluating costs closely.

TanzaniaReading
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Kilimanjaro
Serengeti-Mara
Meeting the Maasai
Northern Tanzania Endemic Overload
Largest Game Park in Africa: Selous

Tanzania Zanzibar Safari Inquiry