TANZANIA 2010: A Serengeti Surprise

A guard stopped me as I was walking to breakfast, saying “Bwana, bundi, bundi.” “Mzuri sana,” I replied. Brilliant! In of all places, a Spotted Eagle Owl (above) was nesting in the bathroom window sill of one of the lodges!

As we headed south towards the southern Serengeti, we searched in vain for Grey-crested Helmet-Shrikes but did manage to find a rare Karamoja Apalis in a section of Whistling-thorn Acacia. A Croaking Cisticola was singing (croaking?) in the same area, and Grey-breasted Spurfowl (above), a Tanzanian endemic, crossed the road going between thickets. As we neared Seronera, Grey Hornbills became more numerous; one or two White-headed Saw-wings were seen; Coqui Francolins were heard; a Grey Kestrel was busy eating a meal and an immature Martial Eagle was an imposing sight atop a bare tree.

Our lunchtime stop at the Visitors Center brought more interesting sightings.  While we were viewing Grey-headed Silverbills, a nearby juvenile Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk was begging. Around our picnic tables, a plethora of birds were looking for scraps including many Grey-capped Social-Weavers, a few Speke’s Weavers, Slate-coloured Boubou, a Green-winged Pytilia (above) and a Cardinal Woodpecker along with several Bush Rats!

As the day progressed, I felt rather poorly – something in my belly was not right. Over lunch and the ensuing hour, my condition deteriorated rather rapidly. Being in the middle of the Serengeti with little immediate help available, Ben called the Flying Doctors. With everyone’s help, I was well looked after by the group, they even packed my bags, and before I knew it, an AMREF (African Medical and Research Foundation) plane, aka The Flying Doctors (above), was ready to airlift me to Nairobi – what amazing service! Supposedly, it turned out to be food poisoning, but as everyone else was fine, who knows what it really was!

Two days later I was back with the group but I missed some really exciting things, things like being smack dab in the center of the Great Wildebeest Migration (above); a congregation of 10,000 White Storks staging at Lake Masek in preparation for their journey to Southern Europe; and the chilling thrill of being escorted by vehicle from the mess tent after dinner, to the sleeping tents barely 20 yards away, because a male Lion is roaring and prowling around the tents!!