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Western Tanzania and Rwanda Feb 2024The team return to the western Serengeti, the Mara Wetlands and the borderlands of TZ and Rwanda including Rubondo Island. |
 Rubondo embarcation dock where we leave the car. |
 Boarding point. |
 Landing on the island. |
 My TANAPA cabin on Rubondo |
 My lonely bed. |
 Inside of cabin. |
 Grey Kestrel. |
 Bushbuck Calf. |
 Dragonfly |
 Rubondo airstrip |
 Water Thickknee. |
 Stormy waters for our trip. |
 First ellie of the trip. |
 We seek shelter ashore. |
 Viellot's Black Weaver. |
 Three for the price of one. |
 A very wet Bushbuck. |
 Black and White Casqued Hornbill (f) |
 Nile Monitor |
 Black-crowned Night Heron |
 Water Dikkops. |
 We rescue some fish from poachers. |
 They will do nicely for dinner. |
 The camp hippo looks on. |
 Bushpigs come to camp. |
 Quite relaxed if we keep quiet. |
 Emmy and Mocker. |
 A photo of a photo. |
 Mocker Swallowtail. Papilio dardanus |
 Emerald Cuckoo. |
 Soldier Commodore |
 Stick Insect |
 African Monarch. |
 Soldier Commodore Precis Terea |
 A Kill.Skink wins a meal. |
 Camp Hippo comes ashore. |
 Quick yawn as a threat. |
 Out she comes.. |
 Keeps the lawns trim. |
 Bushbuck (m) |
 Goliath Heron. |
 Hippo trimming the airstrip. |
 Giraffe. |
 Tilapia for dinner. |
 Male Sitatunga. |
 Back on mainland we visit Chato NP |
 Not much to see. We did get glimpse of monkey. See the last photo. |
 My room at Chato Beach Resort. |
 Southern Red Bishop. said not to occur. |
 Common Kestrel |
 We arrive for the Ferry at Busisi to Kigongo. |
 All aboard. |
 The ferry will soon be replaced by this new bridge. |
 Arriving in Kigongo 40 mins later. |
 Ramp already lowered. |
 My room at Sandmark Lodge. |
 We spend two nights here. |
 Nice grounds. |
 With birds including Grey-hooded Kingfisher. |
 Fishing boat sails by. |
 Grey-capped Social Weaver. |
 Steel-blue Whydah. |
 We see Serengeti ellies on an afternoon drive in a reserve. |
 Coqui Francolin. |
 Slender-billed Weaver. |
 Usumbiro Barbet. |
 Speckle-fronted Weaver. |
 Everybody's favourite. LBR. |
 Giraffe in West Serengeti. |
 Tent in Ikoma Camp. |
 My room attendant has a flair for decoration. |
 View from tower at Rubono Camp. Ikoma. |
 Coke'e Hartebeeste. Rubondo |
 Two-banded Courser. |
 Grey-headed Silverbill. Ikoma. |
 Mice. Ikoma camp. |
 European BeeEater. Ikoma. |
 White Storks at sunset. |
 WhiteStork next morning. |
 Header of Giraffe. |
 Fischer's Lovebird. |
 Dwarf Mongoose. My favourites. |
 Serengeti Lion. |
 Ikoma Elephant. |
 My room at Butiama. |
 Mwitongo Lodge, Butiama. |
 Mwitongo grounds. We have located here to visit Mara Wetlands. |
 Mwitongo Lodge. |
 The pool. Mwintongo. |
 We board our boat at Musomo to visit the Mara Wetlands. |
 We ask directions. |
 We enter the Mara Estuary. |
 Blue-cheeked BeeEater. |
 Another one. |
 The bridge and reed beds that were the incentive for this trip. |
 Four men and two dogs in a boat. |
 Butiama Forest courtesy of Pres. Nyerere. |
 Memorial to crew of Mig 21 shot down by 'friendly fire' during war with Uganda. |
 We visit the Memorial to late President Nyerere who was born and died here. |
 Burial of late President Julius Nyerere (mwalimu) |
 I quite enjoyed this unplanned visit. |
 Back at Nyabaka it is looking a bit stormy. |
 Grounds of Speke Bay Lodge. |
 Red-breasted Sunbird. |
 Swamp Flycatcher and lunch. |
 Dwarf Mongoose. |
 Semi-collared Flycatcher. (Not recorded here) |
 Yellow-winged Bat. Speke Bay Lodge. |
 Close up. |
 Red-billed Firefinch. |
 Pay Bar bill before swimming. |
 Spacious grounds at Speke Bay Lodge. |
 Curious Verreaux's Owlet. Speke. |
 Usambiro duet. Speke Bay Lodge |
 Passing fishing boat. |
 Grey-capped Warbler. Speke Bay. |
 Grey-headed Woodpecker. |
 Mezzanine bed in my room. |
 Red-chested Sunbird. |
 Dwarf Mongoose at Speke Bay Lodge. |
 Eurasian Nightjar. |
 Epauletted Fruit Bat. |
 Believed to be Little Epauletted Fruit Bat. Epomorhorus labiatus. |
 Back around the Lake. |
 To Chato Beach resort for one night. |
 Sunrise over Lake Victoria. |
 Having re-entered Rwanda we are in Akagera National Park. |
 I stayed here in 2010. It is better. |
 View from my room. |
 Eurasian Nightjar. We saw this one for all five days. |
 Crested Barbet. |
 Pied or Magpie Mannikin. Juv. |
 Pearl-spotted Owlet |
 African Fish Eagle. |
 Green-backed Heron. striated? |
 Rufous-breasted Heron. |
 The same but worth another shot. |
 Friendly Ellie. |
 He really was keen to check us out. |
 as you can see . |
 Good day sir. |
 Hello Fred |
 Had to do this one through the windscreen. |
 Malachite Kingfisher. |
 White Rhino have been introduced. |
 An example of stupidity. |
 White-faced Whistling Ducks. |
 Red-billed Teal |
 Moustached Warbler |
 Plum-coloured Starling. |
 Blue Pansy. |
 Sooty Chat. |
 Golden-breasted Bunting. |
 Yet another Victoria sunrise |
 Mixed butterflies feeding. |
 Citrus Swallowtail. |
 White-barred Charaxes. |
 Sharp eyes spot a distant leopard. |
 Even though the Zebra don't. |
 Just out of range. |
 That Nightjar again. |
 European BeeEater. |
 We move to Ruzizi Tented Camp. |
 Inside my tent. |
 All fresh and clean. |
 View from my chair. |
 Yellow Wagtail. |
 Black Crake. |
 Bar area at Ruzizi. |
 Elephant blockade. |
 Somethng is bothering them |
 Oh! Another idiot. |
 Red-billed Firefinch. |
 Farewell from Ruhiza staff. |
 The Colobus monkey seen in Chato. This will bring me back. See "Catch me a Colubus". |
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