By Norbert Cordeiro
Bird-watching is coming into its own in Tanzania. Long a leading
leisure activity in developed nations, birding is becoming a
favorite among this country's visitors, who are increasingly
interested in ecotourism and finding that Tanzania, justly famous
for the abundance and variety of its wildlife, is also a magnet for
the birder, with nonpareil bird sanctuaries along the coast, in the
swampy south, and through the mountains of
the Eastern Arc.
These days you can find ever-growing numbers of professional or
amateur birders wandering through the lush forests in Amani
Nature Reserve, trying to catch fleeting glimpses of rare birds.
This article provides details on where to find some of the prize
birds and on habitats and locations that are prime bird-watching
sites in the Sigi area of the Amani Nature Reserve. 13 species of
birds occurring in the East Usambaras are on the world's list of
threatened species. Most of these species inhabit other Eastern Arc
ranges, too, but the easier access to most areas in the East
Usambara Mountains makes them ideal for bird-watching.
Reaching the nature reserve involves navigating your way up from
Muheza, on the main Tanga highway. The route brings the visitor
through different vegetation types and therefore gives opportunities
to find different birds. Sigi, where the Visitor's Center and
lodging are located, is nestled at about 400 meters inside primary
forest that is bordered by the Amani Botanical Gardens. Here you
will not only find comfortable rooms and delicious food for
reasonable prices, but you will get a good introduction to the flora
and fauna, history of land use, and local cultures at the center.
You can arrange for local guides to explore the lowlands or you can
establish yourself higher up in Amani, where comparable room and
board is available. [For further details, see Guest
Services.]
Sigi has several trails that meander through the submontane
forests, dry lowland forests, or cultivated fields. This is perhaps
the best location to venture from for lowland elements, following
the Kisiwani trail which goes through farms and lowland forest.
Specialties in this drier forest are numerous, but the two
forest-canopy species, the elegant Amani sunbird Anthreptes
pallidigaster and the restless Usambara hyliota Hyliota
usambarensis are not uncommon here. Searching mixed foraging
flocks in the forest is essential to locate many of the birds, from
the gorgeous black and yellow dark-backed weaver Ploceus bicolor
and velvet black square-tailed drongo Dicrurus Adsimilis to
the delicate long-tailed African paradise flycatcher Terpsiphone
viridis.
Many species of birds forage with the drongo and weaver,
including yellow-streaked Phyllastrephus flavostriatus, tiny P.
debilis, striped-cheek Andropadus milanjensis, Fischer's P.
fischeri, and little greenbuls A. virens, Narina's trogon
Apaloderma narina, black-headed apalis Apalis
melanocephala, blue-mantled crested flycatcher Trochocercus
cyanomelas, forest batis Batis mixta, red-capped robin
chat Cossypha natalensis, yellow white-eye Zosterops
senegalensis, olive Nectarina olivacea, Uluguru
violet-backed Anthreptes neglectus, collared A. collaris,
and the occasional banded A. rubritorques sunbirds.
Such mixed feeding frenzies intrigue other curious birds, and
therefore, in the understorey, parties of pale-breasted illadopsis Illadopsis
rufipennis, one to two red-tailed ant thrushes Neocossuphus
rufus and eastern nicator Nicator gularis may be found
skulking close by.
Making your way through denser forest may disturb a few
interesting birds of the forest floor. The red-headed bluebill Spermophaga
ruficapilla is a brightly colored seed and fruit eater of the
forest floor, strangely carrying the local Kishambaa name of Koma
nkaa, which is suggestive of its feeding on land crabs, though
all evidence points to the contrary. What is most curious is that
its nearest relatives are in western Kenya and central and western
Africa, a distribution that is shared with several plant species and
the flying lizard, among other animal groups.
Another white-bellied bird that relishes seeds, the dainty
tambourine dove Turtur tympanistria, is easily flushed and,
because it perches only a short distance away, getting a good view
of it is an easy task. Crackling groups of crested guinea fowl Guttera
pucherani are not uncommon in the lower forest and when
quartered quietly are most interesting to observe as they dig with
feet and peaks into the leaf litter, flirt with one another or dust
themselves in dry areas.
If lucky, the possibility of seeing little yellow flycatchers Erythrocercus
holochlorus and plain-backed sunbirds A. reichenowi is
very rewarding as both species are found only in along the East
African coast. Both join foraging parties of other birds, and their
distinctive vocalizations and features ensure that they are noticed.
In more open areas with adequate canopy cover, noisy flocks of
chestnut-fronted Prionops scopifrons and sometimes Retz's
helmet shrikes P. retzi [found in adjacent woodlands as well]
often tumble through showing off their brightly colored facial
wattles. Black-bellied starlings Lamprotornis corruscus also
sing from the canopy. Near rivers and streams with tall trees with
tall trees, the black-and-white flycatcher Bias musicus makes
its presence known through a melodious song. While the male fits its
namesake, the female looks like a pudgy African paradise flycatcher.
Along the Sigi River banks, careful search might produce the
half-collared Alcedo semitorquata and giant kingfishers Megaceryle
maxima. Among the rocks surrounded by water, mountain wagtails Motacilla
clara flit their tails up and down like mechanical toys.
Black-throated wattle-eyes Platysteira peltata may also hide
in the undergrowth along rivers, making short, delicate flights in
search of prey.
Noisy birds, sounding to some like croaking Colobus monkeys, are
the ever splendid Fischer's turaco Tauraco fischeri. Its
intense red, white, green and black facial markings are stunning
reminders of nature's remarkable ways with colors. Turacos climb
with great ease along branches and glide as effortlessly through the
forest canopy, being found almost all over the reserve. Other loud
dwellers are crowned Tockus alboterminatus and trumpeter
hornbills Bycanister bucinator, which feast on fruits and
invertebrates and are therefore quite conspicuous. Screeching calls
may indicate white-eared barbets Stactolaema leucotis nearby,
another fruit eater that also grabs insects on the wing. Their
smaller relative is the eastern green tinkerbird Pogoniulus
simplex, which is more easily heard than seen unless mistletoes
whose seeds they disperse are in fruit.
From Sigi, better birding can be achieved along the trail up to
the peak of Mlinga, where birds of the submontane forests can add
more variety to your day. This trail, while steep and therefore
cumbersome, provides excellent viewpoints for canopy birding or
general sightseeing. Alternative and more suitable areas for finding
a large variety of birds from higher altitudes are in habitats on
the Amani plateau.
The seven-plus km drive from Sigi along a winding road provides
some good viewpoints all the way to Amani. At Amani, arrangements
should be made to get to the many locales for good birding, these
largely being the Monga forest and tea estate area [note the flat
and long Turaco bird trail here]; Kwamkoro, Derema, and Ngua trails
and drive routes, and, of course, Mbomole Hill trail, which begins
at the Amani Nature Reserve headquarters.
The Eastern Arc - The forests of the East
Usambara Mountains form a part of a chain known as the Eastern Arc,
which stretches down the coast of East Africa from southern Kenya to
southern Tanzania. Other large Eastern Arc forests in Tanzania are
in the Pare, West Usambara, Uluguru, and Udzungwa mountains. These
forests are hosts to intriguing flora and fauna, including rare and
endemic species.
The Eastern Arc mountains have many unusual birds
found nowhere else in the world. Knowledge of the birds in these
mountains is in large part attributed to Reginald and Winifred
Moreau, who lived in Amani from 1926 to 1948 and have profoundly
affected many avian enthusiasts in Africa and much of the world.
Presently, Neil and Liz Baker, based in the
foothills of Kilimanjaro, have taken a leading role in compiling an
atlas on the birds of Tanzania. The number of species recorded thus
far is just over 1,000, and the East Usambaras alone have over 350
species, a number that continues to grow.
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