Lake Nanja: Trip II

Scoping out some birds on the lake.

We had visited Lake Nanja once before but we were interested in visiting when the dry season was at its peak. We were curious on how high the water levels would be and if there was any difference in the bird life at the lake. One of our good birding friends from Arusha was very keen on the trip and we happened to be meeting some other friends in Arusha that weekend, so a Saturday trip to Lake Nanja worked out perfectly.

On the way to the lake I noticed how dry the landscape was. In that area I was told the rains begin in October so now the ground was dry and cracked or covered with harsh dry grasses.When we arrived we took a slightly different route down to the lake and parked the car along the shore. The landscape was extremely sparse with only a few isolated acacia trees. A few Masaai and their dozens of cattle and goats periodically passed us grazing or going to the lake for water. We walked down one side of the lake and then returned to the car to slowly drive around the other side.

It was overcast in the morning which is likely the only reason that we could stay out all day. The bird life was excellent and we even saw a few aardvark burrows! The entire time I really appreciated having the place to "ourselves" and the freedom to slowly spend the whole day walking and bird watching. The local Masaai herders were friendly and our friend had gone the week before so he greeted everyone like an old pal.

We finished up around 4pm, which meant we made it back to Moshi by the time it was dark. The trip is a little far for a day trip but any time we have to be in Arusha, you better believe we'll go visit Lake Nanja!

Checking out an aardvark burrow. 

More views. 

Very dry on the western side of the lake.