23 September 2019: Birding Tanzania

My flight left Johannesburg at 0315 in the morning to Kigali in Rwanda where I boarded another flight to Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Per Holmen, a Norwegian expat staying in Arusha, and Martin Joho, a local bird guide, met me at the airport. Per had worked out an intensive one-month itinerary for Tanzania and Kenya in order to tick the most species in the limited time available.

Superb Starling, Arusha

The first new bird was ticked on the way to Per’s home on the Kilimanjaro Golf Estate – a House Crow foraging in one of the villages. My accommodation for the next few days was a luxurious flat at Per’s home, where I ticked the Superb Starling, Chestnut Weaver, Vitelline Masked Weaver, White-bellied Go-away-bird and Yellow-spotted Petronia while having a beer on the veranda. A late afternoon trip to the clubhouse added Yellow-collared Lovebird, Purple Grenadier, Buff-bellied Warbler, African Grey Flycatcher, Greater Painted Snipe and a few more beers. An exquisite sunset, with Mount Meru in the background, provided the perfect closure to a magnificent first day in Tanzania.

Greater Painted Snipe, Arusha

Yellow-collared Lovebird, Arusha