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The Lilac-breasted Roller is one of East Africa's quintessential birds -- and one even the nonbirders love to see! Photo by participant Eugenia Caldwell.

Our July 2016 East Africa Highlights tour took us on our well-tried route from Gibb's Farm, the Ngorongoro Crater, the Serengeti, and Tarangire in Tanzania to Nairobi, Lake Nakuru, Kakamega Forest, Baringo, and Mount Kenya in Kenya.

Beginning our first day in Nairobi National Park, we drove across the grasslands, seeing our first Common Ostrich, Saddle-billed Stork, Gray Crowned-Crane, Blacksmith Lapwing, Rufous-naped Lark, Stout Cisticola, and Superb Starling, while the bush country held Dusky Turtle-Dove, Speckled and Blue-naped mousebirds, Long-tailed Fiscal and gorgeous male Variable Sunbirds. However, it was around the small lakes where we found the most species, with just a few of our highlights being Sacred and Hadada ibises, African Spoonbill, African Fish-Eagle, Black Crake, and Malachite Kingfisher. The mammal spectacle included Burchell's Zebra, Warthog, Hippo, Common Giraffe, African Buffalo, Hartebeest, Impala, and two distant Black Rhinos.

We then flew to Tanzania and drove to Gibb's Farm, on the slopes of the Crater Highlands. A walk in the forest the following morning brought such varied species as a fabulously close Schalow's Turaco, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black-throated Wattle-eye, Tropical Boubou, White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher, Brown-headed Apalis, Gray-capped Warbler, Collared Sunbird, and Thick-billed Seed-eater.

Continuing on, we spent two nights at a lodge on the rim of Ngorongoro Crater -- with a spectacular day in the crater for photography and close encounters with many mammals. Again, just a few of the highlights included Spotted Hyaena, 18 Lions (including a mating pair), African Elephant, at least 2000 Burchell's Zebras, 6000 Blue Wildebeest, and more than 1000 Thomson's Gazelles. Birds included Hildebrandt's Francolin, Greater and Lesser flamingos, Hamerkop, Bateleur, Kori Bustard, Woodland Kingfisher, Lilac-breasted Roller, Black-crowned Tchagra, Red-capped Lark, Hildebrandt's Starling, Red-billed and Yellow-billed oxpeckers, Malachite Sunbird, and the endemic Rufous-tailed Weaver.

We then made our way west for a three night stay in the Serengeti, stopping at Oldupai (formerly Olduvai) Gorge along the way. On the Serengeti, we drove tracks across the plains, along wooded creeks, and by the rocky kopjes, seeing Gray-breasted Francolin (a Tanzanian endemic), the massive Marabou Stork, Secretary-bird, Lappet-faced Vulture, Martial Eagle, Black-breasted Snake-Eagle, Spotted Thick-knee, Chestnut-bellied and Yellow-throated sandgrouse, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Green Woodhoopoe, Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill, Red-fronted Barbet, Pygmy Falcon, Fischer's Lovebird, Magpie Shrike, Red-throated Tit, Silverbird, and Southern Grosbeak-Canary. Our numerous observations of mammals included fun groups of Banded and Eastern Dwarf mongoose, our first Black-backed Jackals, more hyaenas, a Leopard lounging in a tree, at least 35 more Lions, a Cheetah right next to our vehicle, and numerous herds of zebra, giraffe, buffalo, wildebeest, and Thomson's and Grant's gazelles.

The final part of the Tanzanian leg of our tour was to Tarangire National Park, south of Arusha. Here, we drove through rocky grasslands scattered with giant baobab trees and lovely palms -- a magical place where we all enjoyed a good selection of waterbirds (including a flock of more than 600 African Openbills), Brown Snake-Eagle, White-bellied Bustard, Long-toed Lapwing, African Jacana, Abyssinian Scimitarbill, Red-and-yellow Barbet, Yellow-collared Lovebird (another endemic), Red-bellied Parrot, African Penduline-Tit, Northern Pied-Babbler, Ashy Starling, Red-headed Weaver, and a new mammal -- Common Waterbuck.

After the return flight and a night in Nairobi, we then headed north, into the Rift Valley at Lake Nakuru. High water levels meant that only small numbers of flamingoes were present this year (fortunately no problem, since we'd all had great looks at both species in Tanzania). So we now enjoyed a good variety of other waterbirds, including cormorants, ducks, herons, and egrets, both Great White and Pink-backed pelicans, a gorgeous White-winged Tern in full breeding plumage, Hartlaub's Turaco drinking at the lodge birdbath, Meyer's Parrot, Chinspot Batis, White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher, and a Long-tailed Widowbird -- displaying in breeding plumage. Mammal highlights were White Rhino, Common Eland, and the rare Rothschild's Giraffe.

Heading further north, we then had a three-night stay in the famous Kakamega Forest. As we were in a habitat totally different from anything we had visited so far, almost all of the birds were new; Crowned Hawk-Eagle (a juvenile and an adult in the lodge garden), White-spotted Flufftail (one running along a stream for some of the group), Great Blue Turaco, African Emerald Cuckoo, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Black-and-white-Casqued Hornbill, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Yellow-billed Barbet, Golden-crowned Woodpecker, Brown-throated and Jameson's wattle-eyes, Pink-footed Puffback, Dusky-crested Flycatcher, eight species of greenbuls, Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis (great looks at this real skulker), Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, White-tailed Ant-Thrush, Red-headed Malimbe, and Red-headed Bluebill were among the highlights.

We then drove easterly, and once more descended into the Great Rift Valley. Our base was Bogoria, which enabled us to have a day of superb birding at Lake Baringo. Accompanied by our local guide Francis, we were soon tracking down his nocturnal 'stakeouts,' which included Three-banded Courser, African Scops-Owl, Northern White-faced Owl, Grayish Eagle-Owl, Verreaux's Eagle-Owl, and Slender-tailed Nightjar -- all in the daytime! Other highlights here were African Darter, Goliath Heron, Verreaux's Eagle, White-bellied Go-away-bird, Hemprich's and Jackson's hornbills, Giant Kingfisher, Lanner Falcon, Somali Tit, Brown-tailed Chat, Bristle-crowned Starling, Beautiful Sunbird, Northern Masked and Golden-backed weavers, and Green-winged Pytilia.

Finally, we completed our circuit by driving east and south with a one-night stay at Mount Kenya before we returned to Nairobi. The high-altitude forest at Mountain Lodge was exceptionally chilly, but we still slowly added more new species, with a Large-spotted Genet coming at night to a feeder, plenty of Bushbuck, and two tiny Suni. Additional birds included Scaly Francolin, Rameron and Delegorgue's pigeons, Crowned Hornbill, Gray Cuckooshrike, Mountain Yellow-Warbler, the endemic Hunter's Cisticola, and the striking Rueppell's Robin-Chat.

Thanks for joining me for this wonderful highlights tour.

-- Terry

KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

Reptiles we saw on the tour included;

Green Mamba; eye level looks at 1 in a tree in Ngorongoro Crater.

Black Forest Cobra; some of the group saw 1 on the road as we drove towards Ndutu.

Mwanza Rock Agama; we saw about a dozen of these beautiful lizards in the Serengeti area.

Green-headed Tree Agama; 1 in the Serengeti.

Red-headed Rock Agama; several in the Bogoria-Baringo area.

Striped Skink; seen several times in the Serengeti.

Totals for the tour: 414 bird taxa and 46 mammal taxa