Biodiversity of Mahale Mountains National Park, Tanzania | Report ...

Biodiversity of Mahale Mountains National Park
Eagle, Aquila wahlbergi, moving through Mahale. During mid-October there were thousands
of Common Buzzards, Buteo buteo moving through on their way south. In late October and
early November, these were replaced with European Hobby, Falco subbuteo. All of these
raptors were using the wave lift generated by the Mahale ridge to gain altitude and save
energy on passage.
Table 5
Top ten most frequently samples and most abundant species from three sites in the Mahale
Mountains National Park, western Tanzania.
Most frequently encountered species Most abundant species
Site Species
% of
points
Site Species
No. per
hour
Kabezi Common Bulbul 61.3 Kabezi Common Bulbul 12.8
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird 50.9 Eurasian Bee Eater 11.3
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul 40.6 Tropical Boubou 8.3
Tropical Boubou 36.8 Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird 7.7
Trilling Cisticola 36.8 Yellow-whiskered Greenbul 7.4
Grey-backed Camaroptera 21.7 Trilling Cisticola 5.3
African Thrush 21.7 African Rock Martin 4.8
Emerald Cuckoo 21.7 Grey-backed Camaroptera 4.4
Black-headed Oriole 20.8 White-crested Helmet Shrike 4.3
Paradise Flycatcher 19.8 Paradise Flycatcher 4.1
Kasoge Little Greenbul 57.1 Kasoge Eurasian Bee Eater 41.01
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird 47.3 Little Greenbul 11.87
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul 37.4 Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird 8.31
Olive Sunbird 31.9 Yellow-whiskered Greenbul 7.52
Western Nicator 29.7 Leaflove 6.59
Eurasian Bee Eater 27.5 Olive Sunbird 5.41
Red-capped Robin Chat 24.2 Western Nicator 4.75
Common Bulbul 17.6 Red-capped Robin Chat 3.56
Slender-billed Greenbul 16.5 Slender-billed Greenbul 3.43
Paradise Flycatcher 16.5 Common Bulbul 2.64
Mfitwa Orange Ground Thrush 51.7 Mfitwa Common Bulbul 9.9
Yellow-whiskered Greenbul 37.9 Yellow-streaked Greenbul 8.7
African Hill Babbler 37.9 Orange Ground Thrush 8.3
Common Bulbul 34.5 Yellow-whiskered Greenbul 7.4
Montane Oriole 31.0 Yellow White-eye 6.6
Regal Sunbird 27.6 Luhder's Bush Shrike 5.8
Starred Robin 27.6 African Hill Babbler 5.4
Yellow White-eye 20.7 Regal Sunbird 5.0
Luhder's Bush Shrike 20.7 Kungwe Apalis 5.0
Kungwe Apalis 20.7 Montane Oriole 4.6
There were also large numbers of passerine migrants as well. On 22 October during an
ascent of Muhesabantu, literally of European Orioles, Oriolus oriolus, Blackcap, Sylvia
atricapilla, Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin, Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochillus, Barn
Swallow, Hirindo rustica, and House Martin, Delichion urbica, were observed. The warblers
and orioles were feeding on fruit to gain energy to continue with their southward movements.
Some of the migrants – Garden and Willow warblers and Blackcap – stayed on and wintered
in Mahale.
By far the most bizarre record of the survey was that of an African Snipe, Galinago
nigripennis that flew into the Mfitwa campsite one night. This bird was apparently migrating
over the mountain in low cloud and must have been attracted to the light from a kerosene
Wildlife Conservation Society 14