Lake Manyara - fantastic place! On safari from dawn until dusk, seeing just under one hundred species of bird starting with Giant Kingfisher on the short drive to the entrance. Whilst walking around here, several Vervet Monkeys got into our car and pinched our breakfast of bread and bananas! No breakfast for us! The day consisted of just driving around, seeing what we could see. Birding highlights (for me) included Purple-crested Turaco, Fischer's Lovebird, Crowned Hornbill, Collared Palm-thrush, Northern Pied-Babbler, White-bellied Tit, Blue-capped Cordonbleu, and Peters's Twinspot, and Cardinal Quelea. And finally, on our drive out we finished with views of Verreaux's Eagle-Owl by the park entrance.
Other new birds, mammals, and interesting things below, as well as photos from a great day...
Grey Heron
Great Egret
Little Egret
Squacco Heron
Rufous-bellied Heron
Cattle Egret
Yellow-billed Stork
Woolly-necked Stork
Hadada Ibis
White-backed Vulture
Bateleur
Red-necked Francolin
Helmeted Guineafowl
Grey Crowned-Crane – a tick for me, but unfortunately distant and in heat-haze.
Double-banded Courser – Tom’s 1000 bird!
Collared Pratincole
Spur-winged Plover
Kittlitz's Plover
Marsh Sandpiper
Little Stint
Ruff
Water Thick-knee
White-winged Tern
Laughing Dove
Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove
Pearl-spotted Owlet
African Palm-Swift
Little Swift
Blue-naped Mousebird
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Striped Kingfisher
Von der Decken's Hornbill
African Grey Hornbill
Red-and-yellow Barbet
Bearded Woodpecker
Barn Swallow
Long-billed Pipit
Rüppell’s Robin-Chat
Chinspot Batis
Spotted Morning-Thrush
Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird
African Golden Oriole
White-rumped Shrike
Wattled Starling
Greater Blue-eared Glossy-Starling
Violet-backed Starling
Lesser Masked-Weaver
Vitelline Masked-Weaver
Red-headed Weaver
Green-winged Pytilia
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu
Yellow-spotted Petronia
African Elephant
Hippopotamus
Eland
Thompson's Gazelle
Bridled Gnu
Tortoise sp.
Edit (31/10/2011): This photo identified as a Black Bishop. The only one seen on the trip…
Edit (10/11/2011): This is an African Helmeted Turtle…
