Our final region visited during our recent Rockjumper tour to Tanzania was Ngorongoro Conservation Area. In fact, we visited Ngorongoro twice during the tour, once on November 10th, en route to the Serengeti, and again, post Serengeti, on November 13th - 14th, plus a little more birding on the way out on the final day on our tour, November 15th. Ngorongoro Conservation Area is very special, because it uniquely includes two very distinct ecosystems: the crater rim, covered with lush forests hosting a mouthwatering array of highland species, and the crater floor, with grasslands, wetlands and dry lowland forest. Birding along the crater rim was fantastic, though thick early morning fog made it trickier for some hours. Already by the Lodoare Gate area we started seeing great birds, including the east African endemic Gray-capped Warbler, African Emerald Cuckoo, Spectacled Weaver and more. Gray-capped Warbler African Emerald Cuckoo - female Spectacled Weaver Driving up the ridge, we stopped to check a nice gully and had amazing views of a pair of Schalow's Turacos, though my photos aren't great, from a mile away. Check Kathy's photos in the eBird checklist here. I missed the photo opp when they landed so close.  We birded a few more spots along the crater rim, with a focus on the few places where we could walk. Nyati Campsite was fun, with Bronze Sunbird performing, Cape Robin-Chat, Hunter's Cisticolas, African Citril, African Stonechat, Red-cowled Widowbird, and many more. Bronze Sunbird Cape Robin-Chat African Stonechat Red-cowled Widowbird Hunter's Cistocola I was intrigues by the local form of White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher, nyikensis. So different-looking from the widespread form in Kenya, fischeri, that is darker and has a very broad pale eye area. Surely their taxonomy needs to be better studied. White-eyed Slaty-Flycatchers: ssp. nyikensis from my recent @RockjumperTours tour in Ngorngoro, Tanzania; ssp. fischeri from Naivasha, Kenya, July 2022. How can this be one species? pic.twitter.com/Fcdotn6cKl— Yoav Perlman (@yoavperlman) November 18, 2024 The most surprising birding location was Ang'ata Camp. The staff there were very friendly and allowed us to roam the camp grounds. We were stunned by the quality birds there. Brown-backed Woodpeckers, territorial African Hobbies (!), Brown-headed Apalis, adorable Yellow-bellied Waxbills - great stuff. African Hobby! Brown-backed Woodpecker Brown-headed Apalis Yellow-bellied Waxwing - cutest bird of the trip Driving along the crater rim, we had many brief views of one of the most stunning birds in East Africa - Golden-winged Sunbird. It took us a while until we found a cooperative male - he's incredible isn't he? Around the crater viewpoint it was possible to walk by the toilet block, where Gray-capped Warbler showed well again. Nearby were Gray-headed Nigritas (no photos sadly), Abyssinian Thrush and several beautiful Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters. Really excellent birding. Gray-capped Warbler Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater And here's the cinnamon chest of the Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater Abyssinian Thrush Down the bottom of the crater it was a totally different story. Wonderful story, in totally different flavours and colours. We descended into the crater from the eastern slope, with the sun in our backs. It was a beautiful descent, from the lush forest into the rich grasslands. Immediately we started seeing lots of mammals and birds. Among the mammals we had one Black Rhinoceros - distant but good views of this rare giant. We also had more Lions, and another exciting and close encounter with African Wolf. African Wolf The wetland and Lake Magadi held huge numbers of birds. Many flamingoes, ducks, gulls and shorebirds kept us very busy for a few hours. African Rail Blue-billed Duck photobombed by Lesser Flamingo Lesser Flamingos Layers of Ngorongoro: Lesser Flamingos, Great White Pelicans, Black-winged Stilt (right), Barn Swallow (left), Thomson's Gazelle, Zebras and a safari vehicle The surrounding grasslands and woodland had some great birds. We got our fill of Gray Crowned-Cranes - they are such stunning and elegant birds, especially from up close. They were numerous inside the crater.  The picnic site in Lerai Forest held Speke's Weavers and showy Rufous-tailed Weavers. Rufous-tailed Weaver Speke's Weaver On our very final morning of the tour (november 15th) we travelled back from Karatu to Arusha. I hijacked my group on my eBird checklist streak challenge, and we stopped for a short birding session along the access road to A Nomad's Lodge. It was nice there and we enjoyed open woodland birds. African Goshawk was nice. Black Goshawk Black Cuckooshrike Slate-coloured Boubou White-browed Robin-Chat And that wrapped up our Tanzania tour. 433 bird species which is pretty good I reckon, 36 mammals, nonstop top-class birding and wildlife, stunning scenery, spotless logistics organised by our ground agent. Special thanks to Peter, our local guide and driver, who did an excellent job. Check the detailed trip report on Rockjumper website here, and the eBird trip report here, complete with photos of 292 species taken by Kathy and me.

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