Day 1, Tuesday, April 22, 2025: Airport – Local Forests.
I had friends, a couple from Portugal, visiting. Unfortunately, they were only photographers without binoculars and even though they claimbed they were professional photographers they had even more out dated gear than me. At any rate, we started with some easy pickings and stopped for the Taveta Weaver close to my home. After that we went to Kalinga Forest also close to my home. That forest have a very slow gradient, but the wife were already there having problem with walking. I thought that this were going to be an interesting trip. I found early out that they were not interested in any of the special birds of the trip, but taking photographs of easy birds and they preferred birding from the car.
We returned from Kalinga forest and had dinner.
Pictures from Day 1
Taveta Weaver, Ploceus castanaiceps, Endemic to N Kenya and S Tanzania
Thick-billed Weaver, Amblyospiza albifrons
Narina Trogon, Apaloderma narina
Day 2, Wednesday, April 23, 2025: Nyumba ya Mungu Dam – Same – South Pare Mountains.
I very quickly realised that my friends were not interested in the special birds of Tanzania but just to get pictures of birds. We saw the South Pare White-eye, but it did not count since they did not get a picture. Later I found out that they preferred to bird in the car or not far away from the car. This will be a different report since I did not even keep a list of the birds we registered.
Some pictures from Day 2:
African Skimmer, Rynchops flavilostris
Whiskered Tern, Chlidonias hybrida
White-winged Tern, Chlidonias leucopterus
Scaly Chatterer, Argya aylmeri, Endemic to NE Africa
Golden-breasted Starling, Lamprotornis regius, Endemic to NE Africa
Day 3, Thursday, April 24: Same – Magamba Forest, West Usambara
We birded first at our normal spot at Same, then returned for breakfast and headed to Magamba Forest, West Usambara were we did an afternoon walk.
Some pictures from Day 3:
Grey-headed Bushshrike, Malaconotous blanchoti
Slate-colored Boubou, Laniarius funebris, Endemic to NE Africa
Ring-necked Dove, Streptopelia capicola
Red-and-Yellow Barbet, Trachyphonus erythrocephalus, Endemic to E Africa
Northern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Pogoniulus uropygialis, Endemic to NE Africa
Long-tailed Widowbird, Euplectes progne
Day 4, Friday, April 25, 2025: Magamba Forest
I left my guide to take care of my friends and birded a little on my own. The path around the dam were out of the question for my friends since the lady was not to keen on walking.
One picture from Day 4
Usambara Thrush, Turdus roehli, Endemic to Pare and Usambara Mountains in Tanzania
Day 5, Saturday, April 26, 2025: Magamba Forest West Usambara to Amani Forest, East Usambara
We birded Magamba in the morning and then drove to Amani Forest and did afternoon birding in Amani.
One picture from Day 5:
Green-backed Honeybird, Prodotiscuz zambesiae
Day 6, Sunday, April 27, 2025: Amani Forest to Zigi Forest
We birded our normal route north of Amani HQ and drove down to Zigy in the late afternoon. It turned out that my friends did not like Amani that much (too much walking), so they decided to skip one day and head for Same with some easier photographic opportunities the day after.
Some pictures from Day 6:
Kreschmer’s Longbill, Macrosphenua kretschmeri, Endemic to EC Africa
Red-tailed Ant Thrush, Neocossyphus rufus
Day 7, Monday, April 28, 2025: Zigi Forest – Same
We birded Zigy in the morning and the afternoon in Same.
Some pictures from Day 7
Black-headed Apalis, Apalis melanocephala, Endemic to East Africa
Fischer’s Starling, Lamprotornis fischeri, Endemic to NE Africa
Red-bellied Parrot, Poicephalus rufiventris, Endemic to E Africa
Red-and-yellow Barbet, Trachyphonus erythrocephalus, Endemic to E Africa
African Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides typus
Grey Wren-Warbler, Calamonastes simplex, Endemic to NE Africa
Day 8, Tuesday, April 29, 2025: Same to Usa River via our spot near Nyumba ya Mungu Dam.
We birded Same in the morning and then stopped at our spot near Nyumba ya Mungu Dam. It were too hot for my friends so we drove back to Usa River.
Some pictures from Day 8:
D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Trachyphonus darnaudii, Endemic to E Africa
Black/necked Weaver, Ploceus nigricollis, Endemic to EC Africa
Brubru, Nilaus afer
Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, Anthreptes orientalis, Endemic to NE Africa
Eastern Black-headed Batis, Batis minor, Endemic to NE Africa
Hunter’s Sunbird, Chalcomitra hunteri, Endemic to NE Africa
Tsavo Sunbird, Female, Cinnyris tsavoensis, Endemic to Tanzania and Kenya
Tsavo Sunbird, Cinnyris tsavoensis, Endemic to Tanzania and Kenya
Lesser Striped Swallow, Cecropis abyssinica
Grey Wren-Warbler, Calamonastes simplex, Endemic to NE Africa
Red-fronted Prinia, Prinia rufifrons, Endemic to NE Africa
Somali Bunting, Emberiza poliopleura, Endemic to NE Africa
Day 9, Wednesday April 30, 2025: Meru Forest and Kiligolf.
The lady decided to stay home in the morning. The husband and I went up Meru Forest. We returned for lunch and headed towards Kiligolf. We saw some birds on the way and they took some pictures from the car. We stopped and started walking, but after a few hundred meters, the husband said we saw more birds from the car. I pointed out that I had lived on Kiligolf for 6 1/2 years, but they wanted to go back in the car.
One picture from Day 9:
Yellow-fronted Canary, Chritagra mozambica
Day 10, Thursday, May 1, 2025: Masai Steppes
My friends liked this because they could take pictures from the car. They got quite some nice pictures.
Some pictures from Day 10:
Vitelline Masked Weaver, Ploceus vitellinus
Green-winged Pytilia, Pytilia melba
Black-capped Social Weaver, Pseudonigrita cabanisi, Endemic to NE Africa
Namaqua Dove, Female, Oena capensis
Namaqua Dove, Oena capensis
Cut-throat Finch, Female, Amadina fasciata
Cut-throat Finch, Amadina fasciata
Crimson-rumped Waxbill, Estrilda rhodopyga, Endemic toNE Africa
Syeel-blue Whydah, Vidua hypocherina, Endemic to NE Africa
Long-tailed Paradise Whydah, Vidua paradisaea
Pin-tailed Whydah, Vidua macroura
Straw-tailed Whydah, Vidua fischeri, Endemic to NE Africa
Malachite Kingfisher, Corythornis cristatus
Day 11, Friday, May 2, 2025: Tarangire National Park.
This was my friends kind of birding. The husband emptied a 128GB memory card with a Nikon D500, 20mexapixels, so more than 5.000 pictures in one day :-). After Tarangire, we normally do the Endoro trail in Karatu, but due to the lady’s walking problems we had to skip that.
Some pictures from day 11:
Speckled Pigeon, Columbo guinea
Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Turtur chalcospilos
Red-necked Spurfowl, Pternistis afer
Zitting Cisticola, Cisticola juncidis
White-bellied Bustard, Eupodites senegalensis
Fawn-colored Lark, Calendulauda africanoides
Three-banded Plover, Charadrius tricollaris
Rufous-tailedWeaver, Histurgups ruficauda, Endemic to Tanzania and Masai Mara in Kenya
Little Bee-eater, Merops pusillus
Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus africanus
Red-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus erythrorynchus
Ashy Starling, Lamprotornis bicolor, Endemic to Tanzania and Masai mara, Kenya
Eastern Grey Woodpecker, Dendropicos spodocephalus
Double-banded Courser, Rhinoptilus africanus
Bronze-winged Courser, Rhinoptilus chalcopetus
Three-banded Plover, Rhinoptilus cinctus
Eurasian Hoopoe, Upupa epops
Black-faced Sandgrouse, Female, Pterocles decoratus, Endemic to E Africa
Black-faced Sandgrouse, Pterocles decoratus, Endemic to E Africa
Silverbird, Empidornis semipartitus
Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Tockus erythrorhynchus
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Immature, Bubalornis niger
Red-billed Buffalo Weaver, Bubalornis niger
Yellow-necked Spurfowl, Pternistis leucoscepus, Endemic to NE Africa
Brown Snake Eagle, Circaetus cinereus
Southern Ground Hornbill, Bucorvus leadbeateri
Day 12, Saturday May 3, 2025: Lark Plains – Lengijave
This was also their kind of birding. Although they did not want to walk out on the Lark Plains to find the Beesley’s Lark and when we came to the dry Acacia Forest, the lady decided to stay by the car. In Lengijave, they did not want to climb up the hill. On the way back they wondered about renting a golf cart to bird Kiligolf the day after!
Some pictures from Day 12:
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Pterocles exustus
Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Telephorus cruentus, Endemic to NE Africa
Ashy Cisticola, Cisticola cinereolus, Endemic to NE Africa
Pygmy Falcon, Polihierax semitorquatus
White-headed Mousebird, Colius leucocephalus, Endemic to E Africa
White-bellied Bustard, Female, Eupodotis senegalensis
White-bellied Bustard, Eupodotis senegalensis
Short-tailed Lark, Spizocorys fremantlii, Endemic to NE Africa
Singing Cisticola, Cisticola cantans
White-fronted Bee-eater, Merops Bullockoides
Streaky Seedeater, Chritagra striolata
Yellow-crowned Canary, Serinus flavivertex
Speke’s Weaver, Ploceus spekei, Endemic to NE Africa
Red-and-yellow Barbet, Trachyphonus erythrocephalus, Endemic to E Africa
Day 14, Sunday, May 4, 2025: Usa River to Tengeru
I am not sure what happened, but my friends decided to break of the trip with still a few days to go. I took them to a nearby hotel that they had booked. Friendly people, but absolutely not birders. Even more outdated cameras and lenses than me claiming to be professional photographers. After two trips with photographers without bonoculars , my next trip were quite a relief: A couple of serious birders from South Africa without a camera :-). Stay tuned for the next more exiting trip report.