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We found the largest concentration of elegant Gray Crowned-Cranes in Ngorongoro Crater. (Photo by guide Terry Stevenson)

Our 2014 East Africa Highlights tour followed our well-tried route visiting many of the best areas of Kenya and Tanzania in just 21 days. In total contrast to our other departure just two months previously, Tanzania was now lush and green, Kenya dry, but with the Rift Valley lakes still at record highs.

So, just how did this work out for the birds and mammals? In two short words -- just great -- with a fraction shy of 500 bird species and more than 50 mammals. Birding highlights varied from ostrich, francolins, and bustards on the plains, to a wealth of waterbirds at the lakes, eagles, vultures, and bateleurs across the open skies, to turacos, barbets, wattle-eyes, and weavers performing for us in the forests, and a huge variety of bushshrikes, greenbuls, apalises, cisticolas, chats, and gorgeous starlings and sunbirds providing showy spectacles in almost every habitat imaginable.

Our mammal list was truly spectacular too, with the cats not only including Lion, Leopard, and Cheetah, but also the rarely seen Serval and Caracal. Nocturnal 'specials' included a huge black morph Bush-Pig and the strange Ratel (both in daylight). African Elephant, Black Rhino, and Spotted Hyaena were also enjoyed, while the hundreds of thousands of gazelles, wildebeest, and zebra provided an ever shifting backdrop to the numerous wonderful wildlife experiences we all enjoyed.

Beginning in Nairobi, the nearby open country of the national park give us our very first Ostrich, Secretary-bird, and Gray Crowned-Cranes, while in the acacia bush we added Little Bee-eater, Long-tailed Fiscal, Northern Pied-Babbler, and Superb Starling. We saw more than a dozen species of mammals during our first afternoon, but without doubt two male Black Rhino disputing a territorial boundary was the highlight of the day.

Heading to Tanzania we made stops along the way for Eastern Chanting-Goshawk and Lilac-breasted Roller, but 30 minutes in the bush near Kajiado was the most productive, as we added Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Chinspot Batis, the endemic Red-throated Tit, African Bare-eyed Thrush, Golden-breasted Bunting, and Southern Grosbeak-Canary. After a night at the most comfortable Gibb's Farm, we all enjoyed a total change of pace and habitat, with our morning walk in the forest behind the lodge providing Ayres's Hawk-Eagle, African Emerald Cuckoo, Narina's Trogon, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Moustached Tinkerbird, Black-fronted Bushshrike, African Paradise-Flycatcher, Brown-headed Apalis, Gray-capped Warbler, and Variable Sunbird.

A short drive to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater gave us one of the world's most spectacular views, and we all retired early with great expectations for the day to follow. Taking our 4X4 Landcruiser to the crater floor itself, we were not disappointed, with Abdim's Stork and Kori Bustards feeding on the grassy plains, our first Long-crested Eagle, Blacksmith, Crowned, and Black-winged lapwings, Greater Painted-snipe at the hippo-pool, Northern Anteater-Chat, Hildebrandt's Starling, both Red-billed and Yellow-billed oxpeckers, Rosy-throated Longclaw, and the endemic Rufous-tailed Weaver. Mammals included our first close-up Black-backed Jackal, the nocturnal Ratel, Lion, African Elephant, African Buffalo, Warthog, Hippo, and a variety of gazelles and antelopes.

From Ngorongoro we then continued west to Oldupai (formerly Olduvai) Gorge, where the Leakeys made many of their famous archaeological discoveries. We enjoyed a brief lecture here and then continued on to Seronera Lodge built on an ancient kopje in the middle of the vast Serengeti plains. Being based here for three nights gave us time to slowly drive the grassland tracks and through the more wooded areas, finding such varied birds as Helmeted Guineafowl, the endemic Gray-breasted Francolin, both Greater and Lesser flamingos (at a seasonal alkaline lake), Hamerkop, 26 species of raptors, super tame Black Crakes, Temminck's and Double-banded coursers, Yellow-throated Sandgrouse, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Tanzania Red-billed Hornbill, Southern Ground-hornbill, Fischer's Lovebird (another endemic), Croaking Cisticola, Black-lored Babbler, Pangani Longclaw, Gray-headed Social-Weaver, and Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. The mammals, were of course, incomparable, with great looks at Lion, Leopard, Cheetah (hunting a Grant's Gazelle), Serval and Caracal (both rare cats), Spotted Hyaena, at least a couple of hundred African Elephant, Topi, Hartebeest, Thomson's Gazelle, thousands of Zebra, and hundreds of thousands of Blue Wildebeest.

The final leg of the Tanzania portion of our tour was to Tarangire, a gorgeous area of dry-bushed grassland, marsh, a river, and wonderful huge baobab trees. It's also the best place to see the endemic Yellow-collared Lovebird and Ashy Starling (we saw many of both), plus Red-necked and Yellow-necked francolins, Saddle-billed Stork, Water Thick-knee, African Jacana, Black-faced Sandgrouse, African Cuckoo, Red-and-yellow Barbet, Red-bellied Parrot, Magpie Shrike, Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver, Yellow-crowned Bishop, and Eastern Paradise-Whydah. Mammals included another Leopard, and our closest encounters of the tour with African Elephant.

We then spent the final week of our tour in Kenya, starting in the Great Rift Valley at Lake Nakuru. As the lake was at record high levels, its alkalinity had changed and accordingly so had the birds. Flamingo numbers were less than usual, with just about 300 Greaters and 1500 Lessers, however the number of species of other waterbirds was exceptional, with great looks along the southern shore at a variety of ducks, storks, cormorants, both Great White and Pink-backed pelicans, herons, egrets, African Spoonbill, gulls and terns, and a good selection of both resident and migrant shorebirds. Highlights in the wooded grasslands were White-fronted Bee-eater, a stunning Northern Carmine Bee-eater (very unusual here), the rare Gray-crested Helmetshrike, and some close Rothchild's Giraffes.

We then left the Rift Valley behind, stopping briefly at Lake Victoria, before continuing on for a three-night stay at the Rondo Retreat in Kakamega Forest. As always the slower pace and good trails facilitated some excellent birding, with just a few of the species we added here including Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Great Blue Turaco, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Yellow-billed and Yellow-spotted barbets, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Luehder's Bushshrike, Western Black-headed Oriole, 11 species of greenbuls, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, Turner's Eremomela, the rare Chapin's Flycatcher, Stuhlmann's Starling, Forest Weaver, and Red-headed Bluebill.

We now headed back to the Rift Valley and a two-night stay in the Baringo-Bogoria area. Although relatively near to Nakuru, this area is at a lower altitude, with much drier conditions, and a very different avifauna including several localized 'specials' and, thanks to the help of our local guide, some great owls, nocturnal coursers, and nightjars. Baringo highlights included a magnificent pair of Verreaux's Eagle along the cliffs, Three-banded (Heuglin's) Courser, African Scops-Owl, Northern White-faced Owl, Grayish Eagle-Owl, Slender-tailed Nightjar, Blue-naped Mousebird, Jackson's Hornbill, Meyer's Parrot, Pygmy Batis, White Helmetshrike, Three-streaked Tchagra, Somali Tit, Mouse-coloured Penduline-Tit, Brown Babbler, Brown-tailed Chat, Magpie Starling, Hunter's Sunbird, Northern Masked and Golden-backed weavers, and Red-rumped Waxbill.

To complete the tour we began our drive back to Nairobi, but first spent a night on the slopes of Mt. Kenya at Mountain Lodge. Here, from the flat roof top overlooking a floodlit salt-lick and waterhole, we were surprised to see a Black Stork, while the flocks of Delegorgue's Pigeon (a local specialty) appeared right on cue. Scarce Swifts flew overhead, noisy Hartlaub's Turacos showed themselves in the canopy, Gray Apalis, Broad-ringed White-eye, and Eastern Double-collared Sunbirds moved through the middle-levels, while Tropical Boubous and endemic Hunter's Cisticolas preferred the lower undergrowth. Perhaps most interesting, though, was a confrontation between a group of elephants and hyaenas, the to-and-fro movements, the trumpeting of the elephants, mock runs and charges, while all the time the hyaenas made testing forward movements -- perhaps watching for a weak or injured baby? Strange behavior indeed, and just one reason why so many visitors return for second and third tours to Africa's best wildlife destination -- a stay in the African bush always provides the unexpected!

--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 seen on the tour included the following:

Nile Crocodile -- singles at Nairobi NP, in the Serengeti, and at Lake Baringo.

Leopard Tortoise -- two in the low country below Gibb's Farm.

Flap-necked Chameleon -- one near Ngorongoro.

Black Mamba -- sadly, a small one was being 'disposed of' by the Masai people at Oldupai Gorge.

Tropical House Gecko -- the common gecko around buildings.

Red-headed Rock Agama -- these gorgeous orange and blue lizards were seen at Oldupai Gorge, Tarangire, and Baringo.

Mwanza Flat-headed Agama -- these pink and purple agamas were fairly common in rocky parts of the Serengeti.

Totals for the tour: 498 bird taxa and 51 mammal taxa