Serengeti Christmas - Day 7 Mkomazi NP

Baglafecht weaver in Karatu

After a good evening meal and just as good a sleep, I woke up a lot earlier than Dru and spent the early morning birding while he slept.  The birding wasn’t bad but it was really the people that were more entertaining.  

Tropical boubou

An overland bus had arrived in the night and about 30 swedish people all needed to get showered, dressed and ready for their safari at 7am.  It was pretty entertaining to watch them rush up and down, but the downside was no hot water for a shower in the morning – what a pity ;)

Vitteline masked weaver at nest

Normally we overnight at Pangani river camp on the way back to Dar, just to break the journey, but this time we thought we’d spend the evening at Mkomazi National Park.  Since the price had dropped for expats, it meant that it wasn’t too much higher than the $5 camping fee that we pay at Pangani, but we had a chance to catch the wild dogs, like we’d seen during our previous stay at Mkomazi.

Pin-tailed whydah displaying for the female

We didn’t catch the wild dogs this time although we did see their tracks, but we picked up a few new bird sightings, including the Common rock-thrush and d’Arnaud’s barbet, so it was a pleasant stay there overnight before we set off for the trip back to Dar.

Kili in the Serengeti

Another fabulous trip to the Serengeti, with plenty to see and photograph – can’t wait to be back in August!

<< Day 6

Birds sighted in Mkomazi

* First time sighting

Kori bustard
Capped wheatear
Crowned lapwing
Common ostrich
Marabou stork
Lilac-breasted roller
Black-shouldered kite
Grey heron
Red-knobbed coot *
Cape teal
Red-billed hornbill
European roller
Blue-cheeked bee-eater
Long-tailed fiscal
Northern white-crowned shrike
Helmeted guineafowl
Scarlet-chested sunbird
Vitteline masked weaver *
White-bellied go-away bird
Emerald-spotted wood dove
African orange-bellied parrot
Little bee-eater
African grey hornbill
Secretary bird
Red-cheeked cordon bleu
Red-billed buffalo-weaver
Yellow-necked spurfowl
Von den Decken’s hornbill
Lilac-breasted roller
African hoopoe
White-headed buffalo-weaver
Common rock thrush *
Superb starling
White-winged widowbird
Hilderbrandt’s starling
Black-shouldered kite
Red-billed qualea
Crested francolin
Fisher’s starling
White-browed coucal
Namaqua dove
Common bulbul
Pin-tailed whydah
D’Arnaud’s barbet
Augur buzzard
Eastern paradise-whydah