Birding in Tanzania - first impressions

Blue-spotted Wood Dove

As I've previously mentioned our house is high (150 m) above Lake Victoria and the business centre of Bukoba.  While the house itself has no garden to speak of we are surrounded on three sides by lush gardens with bananas, plantains, avocados, papaya, mango and assorted vegetable crops.  The front of the house looks over a large grassy paddock used for drying clothes and grazing a small cattle herd.  This combination attracts lots of birds and I've been keeping a daily log for the Tanzanian Atlas of birds seen within 500 m of the house.

Interestingly we have quite a few small eucalyptus groves nearby and there are Silky Oaks (Grevillea robusta) from Queensland and radiata pines scattered around.  Lots of trees I can't put names to of course.

Bronze Mannikin

KATIBU MKUU MALIASILI NA UTALII ATEMBELEA HIFADHI YA TAIFA MKOMAZI

Katibu Mkuu Maliasili na Utalii Bi. Maimuna Tarishi alianza 
ziara yake Same kwa kufika ofisini kwa Mkuu wa Wilaya ya 
Same Mwalimu Herman Kapufi kujitambulisha.

Katibu Mkuu Maliasili na Utalii Bi. Maimuna Tarishi na ujumbe 
wake wakipitia baadhi ya kurasa katika kitabu hicho.

Mkuu wa Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Mkomazi Donat Mnyagatwa
(aliyenyoosha mkono) akimuonyesha Katibu Mkuu 
Bi. Maimuna Tarishi (suti nyeusi) eneo lenye mgogoro wa 
mpaka katika Hifadhi ya Mkomazi. Wengine pichani kutoka
 kulia ni Mkurugenzi wa Malikale Donatius Kamambaa; 
Kaimu Mkurugenzi wa Mipango wa TANAPA 
Dk. Ezekiel Dembe na Mkurugenzi wa 
Utumishi Wizara ya Maliasili na Utalii Said Msambachi.

Mkuu wa Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Mkomazi Donat Mnyagatwa 
akitoa Taarifa ya Hifadhi ya Mkomazi kwa Katibu Mkuu 
Maliasili na Utalii pamoja na ujumbe wake.

Watumishi wa Hifadhi ya Taifa Mkomazi wakiwa makini
 kumsikiliza Katibu Mkuu Maliasili na Utalii Bi. Maimuna 
Tarishi alipowatembelea.

Katibu Mkuu Maliasili na Utalii Bi. Maimuna Tarishi 
(wa pili kulia) akizungumza na watumishi wa
 Hifadhi ya Mkomazi. Wengine pichani kutoka kulia ni 
Mkurugenzi wa Malikale Donatius Kamamba, 
Mkuu wa Hifadhi ya Mkomazi Donat Mnyagatwa na
 Mkurugenzi wa Utumishi wa Wizara ya Maliasili na 
Utalii Said Msambachi.

Katibu Mkuu Maliasili na Utalii Bi. Maimuna Tarishi katika 
picha ya pamoja na watumishi wa Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Mkomazi.

Katibu Mkuu Maliasili na Utalii Bi. Maimuna Tarishi akiangalia 
mbwa mwitu waliohifadhiwa katika uzio maalum kwa ajili ya
 kuwalinda Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Mkomazi.
Picha zote na Pascal Shelutete.

CAMPING:White-breasted Nuthatch

White-breasted Nuthatch

Mallard Duck

Male mallards, or drakes, are more distinctively colored than females, who are mottled brown with a flourish of iridescent purple on their wing feathers.

African Bird Pictures

Red-shouldered Hawk American Robin House Finch Eastern Bluebird Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Red-bellied Woodpecker Turkey Vulture Eastern Bluebird Turkey Vulture Northern Cardinal Red-shouldered Hawk Northern Mockingbird Ruby-throated Hummingbird Eastern Phoebe Northern Cardinal Turkey Vulture Willow Flycatcher Red-bellied Woodpecker Canada Goose Young Ruby-Throated Hummingbird Mallard Duck Posing for his picture Baby Hummingbird Learning To Fly White-breasted Nuthatch Tufted Titmouse Ruby-throated Hummingbird How Do I Look? Northern Cardinal Young Brown Thrasher Young Grackle Young Rufous-sided Towhee Downy Woodpecker House Finch Rufous-sided Towhee Rufous-sided Towhee foraging On a Lawn Squirrel Black-capped Chickadee Ruby-throated Hummingbird White-breasted Nuthatch) Red-headed Woodpecker Red-headed Woodpeckers Ruby-throated Hummingbird Juvenile Brown Thrasher Northern Mockingbird Brown Thrasher