The Kilombero
floodplain is located a couple of kilometers south of Ifakara. For the birder
it is must as it holds three endemics: Kilombero Weaver, Kilombero Cisticola
and White-tailed Cisticola, of which the latter two still await formal
description despite the fact that they have been discovered more than 20 years
ago. The town of
Ifakara can be reached from Mikumi by bus (4 hours) and offers basic
accommodation. The floodplains can be reached by bajaj or taxi. Here you can
hire a pirogue or a motorized boat. We opted for the former and paid 40.000 TSH
for two hours, which is probably a fair deal. Our boatman, Anthony, knew some of the birds, but more
importantly the river.
The two
hours proved enough time to find all tree endemics. Many Kilombero Weavers
(unfortunately all out of plumage) were observed along with the similar
Southern Brown-throated Weaver. Care is needed to separate both species when
out of plumage, but the lighter under-tail coverts give the Kilombero Weavers
away. During the boat ride ze also enjoyed good views of a single Kilombero
Cisticola and a single White-tailed Cisticola.
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| White-tailed Cisticola (Cisticola pipiens) |
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| Kilombero Weaver (Ploceus burnieri) |
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| Kilombero Weaver (Ploceus burnieri) |
The
floodplains offered many other good species including the following: African
Openbill, African Wattled Lapwing, White-crowned Lapwing, Collared Pratincole,
Marsh Owl, Giant Kingfisher, White-fronted Bee-eater, Tropical Boubou and Zebra
Waxbill.
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| African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) |
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| Senegal Thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis) |
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| African Wattled Lapwing (Vanellus senegallus) |
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| Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) |
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| Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola) |
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| Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima) |
It is also
possible to see Nile Crocodiles and Hippo´s on the river, but we only saw a
dead crocodile and a load of Nile Monitors. After our pirogue ride we walked
back to the town and Anna managed to see another White-tailed Cisticola. During
our walk, we noted the immense destruction that the locals are causing to these
marshlands as we counted nine simultaneous fires from a single spot. Therefore
I advise birders to go here quickly, as the future does not look bright for
these three country-endemics. Besides,
more visitors to this remote site might increase awareness…
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| This is a common sight in the floodplain... (picture taken by Anna van der Kaaden) |
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