27 Sep 2019: Nyumba ya Mungu and Same

Nyumba ya Mungu means “House of God” and is a hydroelectric dam in the Kilimanjaro area of Tanzania. We birded a nearby dirt road that Per and Martin found very productive in the past. Selwyn, Per’s fiancée, had now joined our team and took responsibility for the food preparation at the various campsites. This was a very positive outcome, as Per and myself only prepared food if needed for survival.

White-headed Mousebird, Nyumba ya Mungu

While walking up and down a desolate stretch of road we soon connected with a host of sought-after birds such as White-headed Mousebird, Tsavo Purple-banded Sunbird, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird and Pringle’s Puffback. A quick beer to quench our thirst surely helped to find six more specials: Somali Bunting, Hunter’s Sunbird, Pink-breasted Lark, Parrot-billed Sparrow, Scaly Chatterer and an out of range Dodson’s Bulbul. It still remains hard to believe that a one kilometre stretch of unassuming road delivered ten new species for my Big Year list – it just goes to show what a Tusker at the right time can accomplish!

White-bellied Go-away-bird, Nyumba ya Mungu

The afternoon’s destination was a hilly slope outside the town of Same and adjacent to the Mkomazi National Park. While traversing deep corrosion gullies and keeping an eye open for elephants we again found a multitude of special birds: Reichenow's Seedeater, Black-bellied Sunbird, Mouse-coloured Penduline Tit, Eastern Black-headed Batis, Pygmy Batis and Red-faced Crombec. We did, however, dip on Fisher’s Starling – one of our main targets for the day.

Black-necked Weaver, Nyumba ya Mungu

Our destination, the Elephant Hotel in Same, was fully booked and we had to travel to the next town to find accommodation. Here we stayed in an overpriced hotel with atrocious food, iffy plumbing and sub-standard service. Per ordered a rare steak and received overcooked strips of fried meat and a very aggressive stomach bug that laid him low for two days. Africa is a tough country – and you need a tough stomach and a sense of humour to survive.