15 Day Uganda Birding and Nature Tour December 8 to December 22, 2018 Tour Leaders: Crammy Wanyama Ruth Miller and Alan Davis of Birdwatching Trips Trip Report and Photos by Crammy Wanyama Handsome Francolin – A skittish Albertine rift endemic seen at Ruhija This two weeks Uganda birding and nature tour comprised of a group of eight. We did a few wildlife drives and enjoyed minimal forest birding during the fun-filled trip with lots of great bird sightings and keen observations of all the mammals that we encountered. Mid-December is just at the end of the rains, so we had good weather generally all the way. We covered some of the country’s most luxurious parks. Lake Mburo National park which harbours a few species of the Zambezian biome was a great introduction to countryside birding for the group. Ruhija section of Bwindi Impenetrable National park which is home to the continent’s highly sought-after endemics of the Albertine rift pleased us with its mountain gorillas and a basketful of birds. Mabamba wetland for the most bizarre looking bird the Shoebill, Kibale forest and the Royal Mile where were also covered for mid- elevation to lowland tropical rainforest species. Queen Elizabeth and Murchison Falls National parks gave so much to admire of what one should expect in grassland and wooded habitats. We were able to end the trip with a record of 509 bird species, out of which 484 were seen by the group and
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15 Day Uganda Birding and Nature Tour · 2019-07-30 · 15 Day Uganda Birding and Nature Tour December 8 to December 22, 2018 Tour Leaders: Crammy Wanyama Ruth Miller and Alan Davis
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15 Day Uganda Birding and Nature Tour December 8 to December 22, 2018 Tour Leaders: Crammy Wanyama Ruth Miller and Alan Davis of Birdwatching Trips
Trip Report and Photos by Crammy Wanyama
Handsome Francolin – A skittish Albertine rift endemic seen at Ruhija
This two weeks Uganda birding and nature tour comprised of a group of
eight. We did a few wildlife drives and enjoyed minimal forest birding during the fun-filled trip with lots of great bird sightings and keen observations of all the mammals that we encountered. Mid-December is just at the end of
the rains, so we had good weather generally all the way. We covered some of the country’s most luxurious parks. Lake Mburo National park which harbours a few species of the Zambezian biome was a great introduction
to countryside birding for the group. Ruhija section of Bwindi Impenetrable National park which is home to the continent’s highly sought-after endemics of the Albertine rift pleased us with its mountain gorillas and a
basketful of birds. Mabamba wetland for the most bizarre looking bird the Shoebill, Kibale forest and the Royal Mile where were also covered for mid-elevation to lowland tropical rainforest species. Queen Elizabeth and
Murchison Falls National parks gave so much to admire of what one should expect in grassland and wooded habitats. We were able to end the trip with a record of 509 bird species, out of which 484 were seen by the group and
25 heard or seen by guide only. A whole 41 mammal list a sweet 11 reptile list.
Day 1 – December 8, 2018: Birding Entebbe Botanical Gardens
It was two years since I had last met Alan and Ruth of Birdwatching Trips! Excellent, sharp birders that I looked forward to meeting again. Having arrived the previous night, we decided to do a late afternoon birding walk
at Entebbe Botanical gardens. By hearing the name gardens, one expects very usual birds, but this is one kind of mind-blowing place of all times! Hardly had we done more than ten steps from our high clearance bus, than
we started picking all sorts of good birds in flight! Imagine a single sky view showing Wahlberg’s Eagle, a couple of Hooded Vultures, Palm-nut Vulture, Marabou Stork, Pink-backed Pelican, and African Palm
Swift! Immediately we turned to find a calling Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird that was surrounded by African Pygmy Kingfisher, Northern Black Flycatcher, Common Bulbul, Shikra, very attractive Great Blue
Turaco, Red-billed Firefinch, Eastern Plantain Eater among other and a very lovely Striped Ground Squirrel.
Weyn’s Weaver seen at the Entebbe Botanical Gardens
Taking a few more steps towards the Lake Victoria, our attention turned to a Grey Parrot that was roosting high in the canopy, a pair of Ross’
Turaco, White-throated and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Scope views of Long-tailed and White-breasted Cormorants, Black-headed Heron, a pair of Egyptians Goose high In the tree. Down to the lake, we enjoyed
great views of a Winding Cisticola, Black Winged Stilt, three Sandpipers that included Common, Wood and the Green that we were
very pleased to see. We nicely observed a Red-chested Sunbird in good light and dealt with a couple of weavers; the weavers are yellow-coloured birds with a few features telling them apart. This late afternoon, we did well
in getting the Orange, and Golden-backed Weavers who were our targets, Black-headed, Slender-billed, Veilloit’s, Village, Weyn’s and Northern Brown-throated Weavers which are regular sightings. While
observing a lovely family of Spotted-necked Otter that showed up after great views of a Vervet Monkey, we got good looks at African Jacana, Swamp Flycatcher, Striated Heron, Pied and Woodland Kingfishers,
African Hobby, Grey Kestrel, Barn and Bank Swallows and many more. We retired to our hotel for a delightful dinner that had to come after a long bird checklist that included three mammals and one reptile in a single
short afternoon. Day 2 – December 9, 2018: Birding to Mabamba for the Shoebill and
Lake Mburo National Park We got an early start for Mabamba to find the most iconic bird of the trip;
the Shoebill. Usually, every birder places a request for this bizarre-looking bird, and this group was not deferent! So, we started our drive stopping for a few birds that posed quite well for good viewings like African Green-
pigeon and nice-looking Angola Swallows. When we got to Mabamba marsh, the clouds seemed pregnant; we were here to find the Shoebill no matter what.
Very fine Shoebill views at Mabamba Swamp
We tried out a few beautiful spots from which we added Lesser Jacana, Yellow-billed Duck, Grey-hooded Gull, Fan-tailed Widowbird,
Intermediated and Great Egrets and the Squacco Heron to our list. Following communication from our fishermen colleagues, we went for the Shoebill that flew into their presence. We enjoyed great views of a single
male while he tried to hunt, we got great looks into his eyes as he walked towards and observed his marvellous wings when he chose to fly off. Unexplainable excitement is what you see on every participant's face after
such a moment. Birding off the Lake Victoria waters, we got looks at Black Crake, Eurasian Moorhen, the stunning Papyrus Gonolek and Greater Swamp Warbler.
The tour continued to Mpanga Forest where we enjoyed our picnic lunch in the company of several Sunbirds; Sooty Chat and Black-winged Kite
were added to our list during the drive to Mpanga. At Mpanga itself, we saw Olive-bellied, Collared, Green-throated, Olive, Green and Little Green Sunbirds, Yellow-throated and Little Greenbuls, a very well
perched Grey-headed Nigrita, a nice flock of Weyn’s Weavers on breeding Plumage and several others.
We encountered Palm-nut Vultures a few times
After lunch we continued to Mbarara for our stay, adding Little Swift, Lilac-breasted Roller which Is probably one Africa’s most photographed birds, Blue-headed Coucal, Black-breasted Snake-Eagle and a very
impressive Banded Snake-Eagle swallowing an Olive Sand Snake. We added this snake on our reptile list because we found it struggling for its life.
Day 3 – December 10, 2018: Birding Lake Mburo National Park After an early breakfast, we drove towards the park and got treated to a
delightful day filled with woodland and scrub habitat birds. This short drive could last forever because of the plentiful birds in this part of the country! A few stops that we did showed us birds that included Black-breasted
Snake-eagle, the skittish Grey-capped Warbler, Buff-bellied and Willow Warblers, Trilling and Singing Cisticola, Black-headed Gonolek, the beautiful Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike, Brown-
crowned Tchagra, Wattled, Senegal and Crowned Lapwings, Greater Blue-eared and Huge flocks of the nomadic Wattled Starlings. A few game birds like Crested and Red-necked Francolin also added to our
ever-growing list. Among the targets, we needed Red-faced and Crested Barbets; we scored well with both and bonus Spot-flanked, nice looks at Southern
Black and Pale Flycatcher, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove and a very lovely looking Gabar Goshawk among other birds.
We enjoyed a warm birding lunch at a hotel inside the park after which we walked around its gardens and added Red-headed Weaver, Yellow-
breasted Apalis, Tropical Boubou and many more to our list. The mammal list today was terrific with some big and small game; we got
African Buffalo, Plains Zebra, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, the handsome looking Impala, Warthog, and Dwarf Mongoose.
Day 4 – December 11, 2018: Boat Ride on Lake Mburo and Transfer to Ruhija of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park.
Great introduction to mammals like this African Buffalo at Lake Mburo NP
With all our bags packed, we went for a boat ride to find the African Finfoot.
Lake Mburo which is approximately 10km/sq and entirely within the park, is by far the best place for the African Finfoot in the world, the resident population here loves the overhanging vegetation by the lake’s banks.
Before taking the boat, we were able to see a very showy Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, a pair of Double-toothed Barbets, White-headed Saw-wing, Spectacled Weaver and a couple well-perched and fishing African
Fish-Eagles.
African Finfoot at Lake Mburo National Park
We took the boat ride and got welcomed by a few Hippopotami; these large animals are impressive to watch in water! Imagine an animal that weighs
up to 2000 kilograms but with the nostrils, nearly the size of olives and ears the size of a small cat yet that is all you can see over water surface! Along with this same stretch, we enjoyed our several sightings of the
secretive African Finfoot, a couple of African Fish-eagles, and the privilege of having wonderful views of a male Giant Kingfisher
Day 5 – December 12, 2018: Mountain Gorilla Tracking A Good morning with all minds focused on one of the fascinating experiences on earth. Mountain Gorilla tracking is the kind that people refer
to as a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A moment with a family of these very peaceful large primates is always overwhelming to the observers, tears of joy are never held back by the emotional. So we headed to the
information centre for a briefing before taking on the forest. Our team got assigned a ranger who was accompanied by his two gourds and a porter for every member of the team and headed to the forest. By the end of the
reasonably tough hike, a whole lot of twelve members of the Mukiza gorilla family were familiar to the team. After tracking, we went back to our hotel for a little break and a moment to digest the Mountain gorilla viewing
moments.
Easy hike and Mountain Gorilla observations at Ruhijja
After the break, we went for birding along the community trail. This very birdie trail gave a wonderful walk; it is here that we got our first Albertine
Rift endemics. The stunning Regal Sunbird came first, followed by Black-faced Apalis, Red-faced Woodland Warbler and the skittish Grauer’s Warbler came creeping through the vines. We observed several range-
restricted species that included; the attractively-looking Lagden’s Bush-shrike that is fond of the forest interior, Black-tailed Oriole, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, Yellow-streaked, Eastern Mountain, Slender-
billed and Yellow-whiskered Greenbuls, Grey Cuckoo-shrike, Streaky and Thick-billed Seed-eaters. White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, a gorgeous White-starred Robin calling loudly and displaying the white
spot in the neck, and a male Tulberg’s Woodpecker were also among the many we saw. We headed back to our fancy lodge for a lovely dinner and brilliant moonlit views of the Virunga volcanoes.
Day 6 – December 13, 2018: Birding in the forest. Today, was entirely forest birding. The morning session started well
although later showers came in and somehow inconvenienced our birding moments. The beauty about Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is that no matter the weather, at the end of the day, the biggest percentage of birds you will
have are of very fine quality. So, through the morning and afternoon sessions of the day, our short walks and drives for active spots got us views of three new raptors; Mountain Buzzard, Crowned Eagle which is the
African equivalent of the Harpy Eagle and a Peregrine Falcon. We saw
very well Waller’s and Stuhlmann's Starlings, Western Tinkerbird, Albertine Boubou, Doherty’s Bushshrike, and had excellent
observations of more endemics like Rwenzori Apalis, Handsome Francolin, Strange Weaver, Red-throated Alethe among others. We were also able to add a few mammals like the Black-fronted Duiker to
our list. This park being high on primates, we saw the Blue Monkey and L’Hoest’s Monkey, Mantled Guereza and Olive Baboon.
Day 7 – December 14, 2018: Birding to Queen Elizabeth National Park After three days in the montane rainforest but still desiring one or more,
we had to drive down to the savannah and woodland sections of Queen Elizabeth National Park. This is a significant change in almost all aspects! An elevation drop of over 1300 metres, habitat change from forest through
acacia woodlands to Savannah.
Black Bee-eater views on the way to Queen Elizabeth National Park
Doing our last moments in the forests, we did a few stops and got Cassin’s Flycatcher on the rocks that stood in a beautiful fast stream which is its
microhabitat. Mountain Wagtail, Golden-breasted Bunting, incredible views of the Black Bee-eater, Olive, Green and Blue-throated Brown Sunbird as they enjoyed the flowering Symphonia flowers. We also got
good looks at the skittish Black-faced Rufous Warbler, Grey Apalis and good flyby view of Black Goshawk and one African Emerald Cuckoo. We enjoyed our packed lunch at Queen Elizabeth National Park Ishasha
sector entrance in the presence of a seriously threatening storm, and after continued with the drive to Mweya, scanning trees for the famous Tree-climbing lions. We were lucky to have spectacular views of a young male
up In the trees which along with Kob and African Bush Elephant were new mammals for the trip. Among the several good birds we added, were
Fawn-breasted and Common Waxbill, Thick-billed Weaver, Moustached Grass-Warbler, Stout Cisticola, Osprey, to mention but a few. With a fat list on a basically drive day, we checked into our fancy hotel
and looked forward to its popular delicious cuisines. Day 8 - December 15, 2018: Birding Queen Elizabeth National Park
and a Boat Ride on the Kazinga Channel in the afternoon. This morning we had an early coffee and drove to the Kasenyi wildlife viewing tracks which are dominated by short grasslands.
Fascinating flocks of African Skimmers at Queen Elizabeth NP
We planned on having our breakfast amidst the company of some fascinating wildlife, and yes, we did. Breakfast came later in the
surrounding of Kob herds in the lekking ground after seeing a few good birds. We targeted Larks and pipits for the morning sessions; we were quite observant, so we managed to get all the four Larks, Rufous-naped,
Flapped, White-tailed and Red-capped, we saw African, Plain-backed and Jackson’s Pipits. Efforts spent scanning the grasslands, found Small Button-quail, Temnick’s Courser, Kittlitz and a single Caspian Plover,
we saw Collared Pratincole and Western Marsh Harrier among the many seen before the lunch break.
Several raptors including African Fish-Eagle at Queen Elizabeth NP
After a hot lunch at the lodge, we went for an afternoon boat ride along the Kazinga Channel. This channel is a 40 Km stretch connecting Lake George to Edward, only a small section of fewer than 3 kilometres is done during
this ride, you can hardly do more than that considering the wildlife congregations along this beautiful stretch. We spent time by big flocks of African Skimmers, Gull-billed and White-winged Terns, and picked
several waders at the same spots; they included Ruff, Common Greenshank, Three-banded and Common Ringed plover, Curlew Sandpiper, a few Little Stints, Rudy Turnstone, Black-tailed Godwit,
and a very lovely Red-throated Bee-eater. The final bit of the ride that got us into Lake Edward had bigger birds like White-breasted Cormorant, African Spoonbill, Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed Stork,
Pink-backed and Great White Pelicans, Lesser Black-backed and Grey-hooded Gulls, and the Knob-billed Duck among others.
Day 9 – December 16, 2018: Birding to Fort Portal for Chimpanzee and Bigodi Wetland This morning we transferred to Fort Portal via Kasese in search for the
huge-billed White-necked Raven and a pair of Red-faced Cisticolas. After lunch, we went for a three hours healthy birding walk at Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary. Bigodi is a community-based conservation initiative,
probably one of the most successful in the country. We teamed up with a site guide from the community and started the walk to find a few more
birds that came along with a new primate; Uganda Red Colobus. Some great looking birds showed up very well before we got rained out. A pair of
the forest-dwelling Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-spotted and Hairy-breasted Barbet, Little Greenbul, Purple-headed Starling, Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher, a very lovely secretive White-spotted
Flufftail, White-chinned Prinia, Superb Sunbird, the gabonensis race of the Black Cuckoo and a flyover Ayer’s Hawk-Eagle were among a few beautiful birds we got this late afternoon.
Blue-throated Roller, a forest dweller seen at Bigodi
Day 10 – December 17, 2018: Chimpanzee tracking and Birding The mission today was to find our closest cousins, the Chimpanzee. Therefore, we joined the other members heading out for the Chimpanzee
tracking activity for the general briefing after which the team entered the forest. The hike was a very nice one and nature-filled, and on meeting the Chimpanzee, the experience overwhelmed the group. The chimps were
very relaxed, very amazing views and moments that will linger. After this favourite activity, we did a few birding stops along the main forest road and around the guest house where we enjoyed a warm lunch. These
walks gave us the brightly coloured Narina Trogon, Speckled Tinkerbird, Black Bee-eater, Alpine, African, Horus, Scarce Swifts, Cassin’s Honeyguide, a distantly flying Cassin’s Hawk-eagle and
Sooty Flycatcher all in the forest bit. Also, around the gardens, we were pleased to add Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Yellow-bellied and Black-crowned Waxbill, White-tailed Blue-flycatcher as it flashed
prey from branches and leaves using its fun-tail, Magpie Mannikin,
European Honey-Buzzard, and A Rock Martin to our continuously growing list.
Day 11 – December 18, 2018: Birding To Masindi Technically, this was a driving day. Masindi, where we base in preparation
for birding the Royal Mile, is quite a distance from Fort Portal. Typically, we pick a few birding spots to give the mind off the driving moments. The first two of these are just in Fort Portal town and at Sebitori along the road to
Kampala. At these magical spots, we got good looks at a grass top-perched Little Rush Warbler, the rare and accidental Northern Masked Weaver, Eurasian Reed Warbler and a behavioural practice of a Blue-headed
Coucal picking Weaver chicks from the nest and a Black Bishop. The Forest section overwhelmed us although the traffic was relatively frequently flowing. We got satisfying looks at Masked Apalis, Yellow-mantled
Weaver, both male and female Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike whose sexual dimorphism is alarming, we saw Brown-eared Woodpecker, male and female Pink-footed Puffback, a well sunlit Blue Malkoha, Buff-
throated Apalis, Toro Olive Greenbul and Red-headed Bluebill among others all very well. Another stop close to Hoima town, gave away a very cooperative Brown-
backed Scrub Robin, African Firefinch, a pair of Tropical Boubou which some members had not seen at Lake Mburo National Park, Whistling Cisticola, Village Indigobird, and an unexpected flock of Arrow-
marked Babblers. As we approached Masindi, we stopped following a Grey-headed Oliveback call picked up while driving and added this very special finch to our list.
Day 12 – December 19, 2018: Birding the Royal Mile. This morning we did a short drive to one of Uganda’s top birding spots. The
Royal Mile is famous for a few Guinea-Congo biome restricted-range species. On good days, driving through cultivation, and sugarcane plantations add some good birds to the records. It was the case for today,
and quick stops were for better views of Bronze-tailed Starlings. Stops for these blue starlings in this area are very relevant since up to six species occur here. To continue with sightings, we saw a very good-looking male
White-thighed Hornbill, Cabanis’ Bunting, and Brown-crowned Tchagra.
Chocolate-backed Kingfisher at the Royal Mile- furthest eastern extension
Uganda Woodland Warbler, a tough canopy dweller of the Royal Mile
Birding on the Royal Mile was quite comfortable, although birds did not
seem very active for the first minutes of the walk. Patiently birding on, we saw, Cassin’s Spinetail, a photographable Uganda Woodland Warbler,
both Green and Lemon-bellied Crombecs, Rufous Flycatcher Thrush, Western Black-headed Oriole, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Chestnut-
capped Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Plain, Gray and Spotted Greenbuls and over the canopy flying African Pied Hornbills. We were very excited about a silent and nicely perched Chocolate-backed
Kingfisher and a pair of lovely Tit-Hylia perched way up in the Canopy. More good birds and two new mammals that were the tiny Alexander Bush Squirrel and Red-legged Sun-squirrel were also seen and recorded. We
later returned to our accommodation Masindi Hotel which is also the oldest hotel in the county to enjoy some very lovely curries and Tika masala
Day 13 – December 20, 2018: Birding to Murchison Falls National Park. Today we transferred to Murchison Falls National park, down into the great
East African Rift Valley to enjoy a variety of wildlife and unique birds of the Sahel region, Sudanian and Congo Savannas along with the Palaearctic migrants that frequent this beautiful park during this time of the year. We
planned to do birding along the way with the emphasis on covering the Bitiaba escarpment.
Streaky Seed-eater at Ruhija of Bwindi Impenetrable NP
This is usually a good stretch for rocky habitat associated birds; unfortunately, the road constructions that had started with this area
rendered our mission impossible. However, at the base of the escarpment where we stopped to look for the Cut-throat, turned into a more productive stretch. In a few minutes after, we saw Spotted Mourning-Thrush,
Rattling Cisticola, a couple of moulting Beautiful Sunbirds, a pair of very lovely Namaqua Doves, a Martial Eagle soring along the
escarpment, Black-billed Dove, Vitelline Masked Weaver, a very lovely Silverbird and a White-tailed Seed-eater in only a few minutes.
We managed to cross with the 2 O’clock ferry and checked in to our excellent accommodation facility. The team was pleased to have a leisurely afternoon in preparation for an action-packed next day.
Day 14 – December 21, 2018: Birding Murchison Falls National Park This being our last day for game and birding drives, we started early with
a plan of getting done quite later than the earlier days.
Attention catching views of a Giraffe at Murchison Falls NP After a quick breakfast, we headed to the game drive tracks and started
collecting a bunch of new birds. We saw from small to big savannah birds, and residents to migrants! We had good looks at the well plumaged Speckle-fronted Weaver, a Dark Chanting-Goshawk successfully
hunting a snake, the stunning Northern Carmine and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters, Wood-chat and Isabelline Shrikes, Isabelline Wheatear, Pallied and Montague’s Harriers, Black-rumped Waxbill, Black-
headed Lapwing, Spotted Thick-Knee, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, a Red-necked Falcon at a regular patch and also enjoyed better looks of some birds seen earlier like the beautiful Grey-crowned Cranes among
others. This Park is very rich for mammals, so without hustle we were able to add we Rothschild Giraffe, Lelwel’s Hartebeest, Oribi and Patas Monkey to our list.
When done with usual game drive time, we took a break for a warm lunch meal at our lodge after which we took a boat ride upstream of the mighty
river Nile to the bottom of the world’s most powerful waterfall. This very relaxing boat ride regularly presents extraordinary wildlife from reptiles, birds to mammals and this was the case today. With birds, we were
delighted to see Senegal Thick-knee, Allen’s Gallinule, African Swamphen, Spur-winged Goose, and Rock Pratincole on the rocks at the bottom of the falls. To end our game drives in style, we ended the day
with an evening game drive during which we got five species of Nightjars; Swamp, Slender-tailed, Standard-winged, Long-tailed and Square-tailed and also Bunyoro Rabbit for a new mammal from the night.
Beautiful African Swamphen views on the boat ride to the bottom of the Murchison falls
Day 15 – December 22, 2018: Today we transferred to Entebbe for departure via the top of the mighty Murchison falls to fulfil Bird Uganda Safaris tradition of not leaving this park without visiting this incomparable
highlight. Besides, who does not want to see the drama at the top of the world’s most powerful waterfall on the world’s longest river?
BIRD LIST Checklist Order, common and scientific names are those by J.F. Clements,
Birds of the World Version 2018 with all current updates. Extracted from Avibase – The world bird database.