Took me a while to convince Ethan but eventually we decided to go, just before going to Tarangire we met Jorg and Marliese Gabriel, long time friends that own and run Hatari lodge. They offered us to go and visit and so we did.
I had been there 8 years ago with my parents and sister and the place is as beautiful as I remembered.
On the road to the lodge we did some good birding... raptors and swift were feeding on something flying up in the sky... Mottled swifts and Alpine swifts were hiding amongst barn swallows and Eurasian swifts... a big peregrine falcon came flying just above the car.
Cinnamon breasted rock bunting were spotted along steep gullies, we saw a Grey wren warbler and even Pied Avocet in a small pond.
The day after we were off early morning and the birding was unreal, we drove as high as possible up the mountain, stopping often to scan into thick bush...
Sooo many nice things... Hartlaub's turaco again.. that is always a treat... but also White starred robin, Spot flanked barbet, Cinnamon beeater, White eared barbet, Eastern double collared sunbird, Dusky fycatcher, Silvery cheeked hornbill, Montane white eye with the broad eye rim ... and these are just some....
There was so much more.... Blackcap, Grey wagtail, Red throated tit, Mountain wagtail, Striped cheecked greenbul and the super fantastic Abyssinian crimsonwing.... AWESOME
Even the raptors were quite insane... looking up in the sky to our surprise, a Lammergeier was gliding just above the canopy holding something in its talons.... ... and few minutes later, again flying above the trees i spotted my first Ayre's hawk eagle HAPPYNESS
We did not have time to explore the lake properly but we still had fun with both the local flamingoes, Southern pochards and an African moustched warbler singing on top of a dead branch...
Arusha NP.. I will be back
Total count 311
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