Photo blog on the other wildlife of Kibale & Semuliki Forests (Aug 2010)

Grasshopper in Sebitoli area

Butterfly at Kihingami Wetland

Red Colobus

Black & White Colobus

Red-legged Sun Squirrel

Spider species

Charaxes butterfly

Bigodi Swamp, (Kibale Forest, Aug 2010)

11 Aug: Birding Bigodi (Wetland Sanctuary) Swamp with local guide Julius 15:25 - 18:30

Boardwalk in Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary

We started the walk down the main road to start of the actual trail and got pleasantly distracted by some White-throated Bee-eaters with an immature, a new addition to our trip list. There was also the obligatory Vieillot's Black Weaver colony and Speckled Mousebirds with young, Red-billed Firefinches, Yellow-backed Weavers (P. melanocephalus), Common Bulbul, Grey-headed Sparrows, Red-faced Cisticola and a couple of White-headed Saw-wings.

Onto the trail and along the forest we also encountered our 1st primates for the walk, Black & White Colobus and a little further on some Grey-cheeked Mangabey. The birds were oddly only showing themselves in singles this time and we got Green-headed and Olive-bellied Sunbirds, African Thrush, African Shrike Flycatcher (female), Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Little Greenbul, Purple-headed Starling and a flyover by an African Grey Parrot.

Great Blue Turaco

Into the more forested areas Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher turned up, Black-necked Weaver, African Blue Flycatcher and we heard Grey-crowned Crane (in the distance over the open areas), Papyrus Gonolek (an individual revealed itself later), Green-backed Camaroptera and Tambourine Dove. With open areas on our left and forest and swamp on the right we had a good array of species although flycatcher species were plentiful with Dusky Blue and Cassin's Grey Flycatchers alternating with the African Blue and Red-bellied Paradise Flycatchers. Great Blue Turaco and Black & White Casqued Hornbills were suddenly all over the shop but Buff-throated Apalis, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat and Brown-crowned Tchagra did get their moment on stage.

Wetland view from viewing platform

The area around the viewing platform wasn't overly active but we added Double-toothed Barbet, Pied Wagtail and Bronze Mannikins. From here we went onto the boardwalk that leads through the swampy areas, also where we eventually got a view of Papyrus Gonolek and an even better close view of Yellow-billed Barbet. White-spotted Flufftails were calling but eluded us - this is fast becoming my bogey bird.

On the far side as we made our way back to the sanctuary office, there was Woodland Kingfisher, more Great Blue Turaco, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater and Western Nicator. A pair of Crowned Hornbills was our last sighting although a Red-chested Cuckoo was still calling its heart out. I would love to come back to Bigodi again but do a long morning walk starting just before first light - there just has to be some awesome birds hiding in here.

Black & White Casqued Hornbills

Green-breasted Pitta found! Kanyanchu, Kibale Forest (Day 2)

11 Aug: Birding from Kanyanchu UWA office, Kibale Forest with UWA guide Gerald T. 06:00 - 11:00

Once again we started off our morning hearing the Wood Owl calling as we left Chimp's Nest, the lodge where we were staying. At Kanyanchu, we set off 6am with Gerald and our head torches to the area where we were hoping to hear (and see!) the Green-breasted Pitta. The waiting was a bit nerve racking as this was our last chance during this visit to find the bird - no pressure! The first forest calls we heard were the Black & White Colobus followed by the Great Blue Turaco and Red-chested Cuckoo.

Green-breasted Pitta

At 6:55 we heard the 1st "prrrrp" of the Green-breasted Pitta's display followed a couple of minutes by a second, although by the second display we were already moving and Gerald was homing in on the display area. It was the 3rd or 4th "prrrrp" when we saw the bird displaying on a branch, doing it's hop into the air and creating the "prrrrp" sound with its wings. This was followed by a second softer version and a few metres away there was another GB Pitta, also displaying in response!! This Gerald explained was most likely the female.

Green-breasted Pitta

There were a few more displays, gradually lower eventually, till the displays stopped and the 2 birds met up on the ground and started moving around foraging for food. Now the challenge was for me to try and get some photos - with some sneaking and staying still alternately, the birds became reasonably relaxed and I managed to get some photos. They seemed to have a knack of finding centipedes under the leaf litter and at times turned the heads like they're listening before a quick move and dart and lifting the head with a centipede in the bill.

My second species of Pitta but by no means a lesser experience. Being able to watch this pair move around and forage was just simply put - amazing! Eventually we left the pair on their own and we walked back to the main trail with huge smiles. Other birds were now heard calling as well and included Yellow-billed and Yellow-spotted Barbets, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Speckled and Yellow-throated Tinkerbirds, and Red-capped Robin-chat; also a great view of a pair of African Shrike Flycatchers. A troop of Baboons moved past and some Grey-cheeked Mangabeys were calling further away.

Butterfly hovering at Kanyanchu, Kibal Forest

Back at the UWA office, a quick coffee and tea and then moved on to some birding down the road. Pied Wagtail, Little Greenbul, Vieillot's Black and Black-necked Weavers, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds and an immature Green Crombec were the first batch of sightings from here. Further down onto the main forest road we found Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Afep Pigeon, Little Green and Collared Sunbird. A White-breasted Nigrita immature was begging food from a parent and was size-wise in stark contrast the large Yellowbill nearby. A pair of White-tailed Ant-thrushes seemed to be nesting.

Two Green Hylia made an appearance followed by Slender-billed Greenbul, Chestnut-fronted Wattle-eye, Speckled, Yellow-throated and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbirds, Purple-headed Starling and good views of Buff-throated Apalis and Cassin's Grey Flycatcher. Moving further along the road the bird traffic continued with White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Green-backed Camaroptera, Black & White Casqued Hornbill and a cracking view of Great Sparrowhawk. A few Red-tailed Monkeys were trying to entertain us nearby.

Epiphytes in Kibale Forest

The final birds were hardly "lesser" species as we ended with brilliant views of a pair of Brown-chested Alethes. I missed out on a Velvet-mantled Drongo but considering the above sightings, there was hardly reason to be complaining - I would just have to come back again.

Around lunchtime back at the lodge, I saw two White-thighed Hornbills flying over the canopy of the forest adjacent to the lodge property.

Both the Green-breasted Pittas

Search for Green-breasted Pitta, Kanyanchu, Kibale Forest (day 1)

10 Aug: Birding from Kanyanchu UWA office in Kibale Forest with UWA guide Gerald T 06:00 - 12:20

Red-capped Robin-chat

As we were leaving Chimp's Nest to go to Kanyanchu, a Wood Owl was calling but there wasn't time to look around for it, the hunt for the Green-breasted Pitta had to get underway. We set off at 6am from the UWA office with head torches into the forest to get to the location where we'll be hoping to hear the display of the Pitta and then find it from there. 20min into the walk a soft rain started coming down and when we reached the spot where we would wait, there was a good shower underway.

By 7:30 we still hadn't heard any Pitta displaying and started searching on the ground in the areas that Gerald knew as their territories. The rain eventually let up but the forest was still dripping from the rain and it was also strong dusk-type light inside the forest, not making it any easier to find this lovely yet cryptically plumaged bird. Other birds were waking up and the first calls were that of Red-chested Cuckoo, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Rufous Flycatcher Thrush and White-tailed Ant-thrush.

Luckily we also eventually started seeing some other birds as well whilst the Pitta eluded us; White-throated Greenbul, Crested Guineafowl, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Western Black-headed Oriole, Purple-headed Starling and an immature Narina Trogon were the first sightings.

We slowly worked our way back to the main trail where we encountered a Red-capped Robin-chat busy with its morning song. Perfectly posing, it was ideal (other than the light) for some good photos and I gradually crept closer getting better shots. One moment I paused, shocked/surprised/amazed - the bird had just mimicked my camera shutter! Big smiles all round at this amazing mimic and songster. Still no Pitta yet though - luckily we had booked an extra night at the lodge, so we'll try tomorrow again.

Narina Trogon immature

We reached the office at 10:40 where there was time for a quick coffee and tea. Whilst chatting and seeing what birds were around the UWA office area, 2 large Hornbills flew in rather quietly which seemed a bit odd considering we just randomly put them down to B&W Casqued. Having a closer look with the binoculars though revealed a pair of White-thighed Hornbills! What a bonus - totally an unexpected species here, for us anyway. Gerald then tells us that they haven't been noted there for quite a few years and that it was also his 1st sighting of them there in 7 years!

Little Green Sunbird at nest

Other birds were quite active and Little Green and Collared Sunbirds were nesting and Gerald found us a pair of Buff-spotted Woodpeckers. A Yellowbill also made a brief appearance. Wandering through the campsite and the office approach road, we also found Bronze Mannikin, Olive-bellied (nesting) and Green Sunbirds, Lizard Buzzard and rounded off very nicely with excellent views of a pair of Yellow-billed Barbets (the species I'd missed out on in Semuliki Forest).

Collared Sunbird with nesting material

As we were leaving the office, we found a pair of Little Green Sunbirds with a juvenile, Black-necked Weaver and White-winged Widow, the latter being as we left the main Kibale Forest along the road to the lodge.

Other species heard (some seen) included; Blue-spotted Wood Dove and Tambourine Dove (seen), Yellow-throated and Speckled Tinkerbirds (both only heard), Yellow-crested Woodpecker (heard), Black & White Casqued Hornbill (heard).

Kibale Forest (Sebitoli and Kanyanchu) (Aug 2010)

8 Aug: birding around Sebitoli campsite & approach road 17:40 - 19:00

9 Aug: Drive to Kanyanchu (mid-Kibale Forest); birding in forest along drive, UWA Kanyanchu office and Primate Lodge 07:45 - 12:15

Having waited out the afternoon rain at Sebitoli after returning from Semuliki, we decided to see what we could find around the campsite and along the approach road, the latter proving very productive the last couple of days. We didn't a huge quantity of species but what we found was certainly some quality species with good views.

It started off with the resident African Dusky Flycatcher and then a pair of Brown-eared Woodpeckers that we got good views of but the dark forest interior was not conducive to good photos. Both Northern Double-collared and Green-headed Sunbirds were out feeding as was a pair of Buff-throated Apalis. In the same party and/or nearby were also African Yellow White-eye, Slender-billed Greenbul, Dark-backed (Forest) Weaver, Shrike Flycatcher and a Rufous Flycatcher Thrush.

Further down the road we found Purple-headed Starling, Grey-throated Barbet, White-headed Saw-wings, Speckled Mousebird and Joyful Greenbul. Just before dinner, the Black-shouldered Nightjar started calling.

African Shrike Flycatcher

(9 Aug) This morning we set off for Kanyanchu which is located approximately in the middle of Kibale Forest and further south from Sebitoli. A large part of this drive goes through the forest and we were hoping to do a few spots of birding. Before we even got to that area, we added Grey-crowned Cranes to the list followed by a Scaly Francolin flushed near agricultural land. We also passed Baglafecht Weaver, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Yellow-throated Longclaw and a small Black-headed Heron breeding site (heronry) with 3 nests.

Our 1st stop along the forest road was a nesting colony in a large dead tree of Narrow-tailed Starlings and at least 6 nests that we could see but 20+ birds. At the river bridge we stopped and had short but cracking views of the stunning Shining Blue Kingfisher. Not much else was visible here other than Black & White Casqued Hornbills and Little Greenbuls. We heard Black-billed Turaco though between the Yellow-throated, Yellow-rumped & Speckled Tinkerbirds' calling. Mammals weren't left lagging as Red-tailed Monkeys and Grey-cheeked Mangabeys came to watch the crazy humans.

Just before Kanyanchu we found a colony of Vieillot's Black Weavers (turned out to be the most common weaver in the area over the next few days) as well as a nesting pair of Thick-billed (Grosbeak) Weavers. At Kanyanchu we organised things for our next day's birding and the hunt for the Green-breasted Pitta and then went to enjoy some welcome coffee at Primate Lodge. The manager kindly also invited us to do some birding around the lodge grounds which borders the forest. This proved to be my best photo opportunity of Western Nicator after great views of a pair of Olive-bellied Sunbirds. We bumped into Gerald with some clients, our guide for the next day, and finalised the early morning times i.e. starting before sunrise for the next day. Whilst talking to him we had cracking close views of Green Crombec and I also managed to get very good call recordings.

From here, we set off to the nearby Chimp's Nest Lodge, our accommodation for the next few days.

Western Nicator

Semuliki Forest, Uganda (Aug 2010)

Kirumira Trail
7 Aug; Drive Fort Portal to Sempaya UWA office, Semuliki NP 05:54 to 07:00
Guided walk in Semuliki Forest along Kirumira Trail. (Local guide - Alex and UWA guide Jessica) 08:10 - 12:40
Guided walk in Semuliki Forest to Male Hotsprings. (Local guide - Alex and UWA guide Jessica) 13:30 - 14:10

The drive from Fort Portal was largely uneventful and rather dusty but a Black-shouldered Nightjar did briefly grace us with its presence. Arriving at the Sempaya UWA office, the bird activity was in full swing with madly trying to focus binoculars everywhere at the same time. The party was off with Piping Hornbill, Purple-headed Starlings and a couple of Rufous Flycatcher-thrushes.

We set off for the Kirumira Trail which we reached at 8am and started our walk into the forest. There didn't seem to be heaps of activity but we were trying to be optimistic and hoped for some goodies to pop up. Red-tailed Bristlebills remained annoyingly invisible albeit the calls all over the shop, this later proved to be a similar modus operandi to that of the Yellow-billed Barbet (I think Jason got a view of it once though). Some obliging African Pied Hornbills were welcome and Western Nicator provided excellent views and the opportunity to record both its calls.

Meanwhile, the Red-tailed Monkeys and Grey-cheeked Mangabeys were out foraging and playing whilst I found an immature Jameson's Wattle-eye. Black & White Casqued Hornbills arrived and announced by their unmistakable calls. Almost dwarfing them, the Black-casqued Wattled Hornbills arrived with noisy wingbeats with the much smaller Piping Hornbill watching the whole hornbill circus.

Blue-headed Agama (photographed at UWA Sempaya office)

At this stage we stumbled across a feeding frenzy of at least 35 African Green Pigeons while an immature Palm-nut Vulture idled over and higher still some Palm Swifts were dashing about. It seemed that everything was calling and frustratingly refusing to show themselves whilst Jason was being attacked by some ants resulting in him doing some rather entertaining (well, to the rest of us anyway) dances. Western Bronze-naped Pigeon (which we managed to see later though), Ross' Turaco, Yellow-throated & Speckled Tinkerbirds and White-spotted Flufftail continued calling and we didn't get any closer to sightings.

We eventually turned around and started making our back down the trail to car and a few more good sightings rolled/flew in; African Harrier-hawk, Green Crombec, Grey-headed Nigrita, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Tambourine Dove and a surprise (I don't think anybody was really expecting them as we were hoping for Crested GF) sighting of Helmeted Guineafowl. A pair of Western Bronze-naped Pigeons eventually gave good views and I managed to hammer off a poor record photo of one. I came across an injured (seemed like the wing was injured) African Green Pigeon next to the trail and got some cracking photos of this lovely bird.

Back at the Sempaya UWA office for lunch, a Yellow-throated Tinkerbird obliged and presented itself for cracking views. From here we did the short walk to the female hotsprings, an incredible site (and sight) also adding Spur-winged Lapwings and Common Sandpiper to the list.

The afternoon we got back to Sebitoli at Kibale Forest and had some short, but productive stints of birding. (see next post)

Female Hotsprings

Kibale Forest (Sebitoli area), Uganda (Aug 2010)

Sebitoli Forest Camp

5 Aug; Drive Ruhengeri to Sebitoli Forest Camp, Kibali Forest Uganda

Self-guide walk: 17:15 - 19:00

We arrived at Sebitoli Forest Camp at around 17:15 after a full day driving from Ruhengeri (Rwanda). Sebitoli Forest Camp is run by Uganda Wildlife Authority (UWA) and has no electricity yet but comfortable twin rooms with en-suite bathrooms. The shower has cold water but I did notice a "donkey" outside so hot water would be available on request. Food is available at the campsite and includes a fair range of really tasty food. Having sorted out the room etc we walked down the approach road to the camp which goes through a section the forest and were welcomed (upon arrival already actually) by Common Bulbul and the calls of Great Blue Turaco and in the air the pleasant surprise of Rufous-chested Swallows. The birds were initially a bit quiet as we walked, probably due to the heat, but things soon started happening with Sooty Flycatcher, 4x Olive-bellied, Collared, Green-throated and Green-headed Sunbirds, Purple-headed Starling and Grey-headed Nigrita. Brown-capped Weavers had a nest and it appeared that the young had already fledged. Another surprise was the short but very good view of a Dusky Crested Flycatcher, one of this family that has eluded me for awhile. Other birds for the afternoon till dark (around 7pm) were White-chinned Prinia (2x adults with 2 young), Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Yellow White-eye, Speckled Mousebirds, African Dusky Flycatcher, Red-faced Cisticola, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Black & White Mannikin, White-headed Saw-wings and last but not least, an African Black Duck flying over.

White-chinned Prinia

6 Aug; Guided walk along road to river and back through forest: 07:30 - 13:15

Guided walk in forest: 16:00 - 19:00

Up early in the morning and waiting for the coffee, a Black-shouldered Nightjar was calling nearby followed by the Yellow-whiskered Greenbuls and Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird. Just after breakfast we set off with Richard our ranger/guide at 07:30 down the approach road to the camp. The birds were being spotted at a very quick pace starting with a pair of Petit's Cuckoo-shrike, Grey-throated Barbet, Olive-bellied Sunbirds, Green Pigeon and White-chinned Prinia. Grey-headed Nigrita, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Black-backed and Brown-capped Weavers and Western Citril. Whilst a Luhder's Bush-shrike was calling nearby we got stunning views of Bocage's Bush-shrike.

We decided to walk down to and along the road to the river to see if we could find Mountain Wagtail and Cassin's Blue Flycatcher. The walk along the road commenced with Brown-crowned Tchagra, Buff-throated Apalis, Collared Sunbird, Petit's Cuckoo-shrike and Chubb's Cisticola. We were still dealing with the massive surprise of an Alpine Swift (brilliant views) when a group of Red Colobus came into sight on the other side of the road. This was time for some mammal moments and photos (if possible) of this lovely primate. Back on the other side of the road, both of us got a lifer with Joyful Greenbul complying nicely with all the field guide notes and making ID fairly easy, especially with it's song. More notable species as we walked further down the road, in addition to the Olive Baboons, were Black & White Casqued Hornbills. Little & Slender-billed Greenbuls, Thick-billed Weaver, Levaillant's Cuckoo and some Hooded Vultures in the air as well as Narrow-tailed Starlings flying over.

Emerald Cuckoo

Down at the river it was all "quiet" although a couple of Great Blue Turacos and Emerald Cuckoo kept us happily occupied. Red-tailed Monkeys didn't want to show themselves but we clearly heard them on our return route before we left the road and took a more pleasant route back to camp through the forest. Going through the forest was rather quiet as it had become quite hot by this stage but we still got little extras like Toro Olive Greenbul, Black-necked Weaver, Western Black-headed Oriole (great views, recordings and photos) and Luhder's Bush-shrike. Otherwise on the animal front we encountered a variety of dung beetles doing their thing, Blue-headed Agama, Red-legged Sun Squirrel and some more Red Colobus.

The afternoon at camp proved extremely productive with Mottled Spinetail stealing the show and side appearances by Alpine Swift, White-rumped Swift, African Black Swift and Red-rumped Swallows. Ross' Turaco popped in for a few moments but some time was spent with a pair of Yellow-crested Woodpeckers. The afternoon walk started at 4pm and we kicked off on a high note once more with Masked Apalis, Luhder's Bush-shrike and a very obliging Blue-throated Roller (photo at left) while Afep Pigeon was calling in the distance. Levaillant's Cuckoo was seen again and Yellow-spotted Barbet, Yellowbill, Black-billed and Great Blue Turacos, Honeyguide Greenbul, White-breasted Nigrita, Buff-throated Apalis and Many-coloured Bush-shrikes - all in the same patch! The walk back eventually was complimented by an elephant grunt a little way off and some fairly fresh signs of it's movements. Close to camp an African Broadbill teased us with it's display deep inside the forest and a Red-capped Robin-chat hopped onto the path briefly.

Mubwindi Swamp, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda)

View of Mubwindi Swamp
Byron and I met up with a ranger at the Ruhija UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) office who happened to also be the guy who took some birders the day before to see the African Green Broadbill. This was going to be a "go go go" trek so we didn't hang around and set off. The trek starts with a short section along the main road before cutting into the forest from where a couple of ascents and descents test the old legs a bit. At one stage we came across some very fresh mountain gorilla faeces and tracks - the ranger radioed in to the UWA office to report that the gorillas had passed a few minutes. Just after this we reached a look-out point where we could Mubwindi Swamp below us in the distance - we still had to drop around 600m to get to the Swamp level.

Black & White Colobus monkey

With not much time to hang around for 'other' birdwatching unfortunately, we hammered on and commenced a very steep descent where the ranger also pointed out where an elephant had slipped its way down a few days before. 09:05am we reached the site where the broadbill had been seen the day before and we went into high alert mode for an appearance. While we were waiting, we took some time to see what other birds were around; Bar-tailed Trogon, African Paradise Flycatcher (2 adults at a nest), Tambourine Dove and Northern Puffback were there whilst Grauer's Warbler and Black-billed Turaco were calling.

African Green (Grauer's) Broadbill

09:30 on the dot, the ranger pointed excitedly as an African Green Broadbill arrived at the nest. What a stunning little bird! Another adult soon arrived as well and the 2 of them continued collecting lichen and working on their nest. As if this wasn't enough, 2 juveniles/immatures also arrived and were flitting about - it wasn't clear if this was a recent 'batch' from the same parents but didn't seem unlikely as the adults didn't chase them away.

We had to set off back again, so after 20minutes of watching these little jewels started on the return trail which is a different route to the descent route and not as steep. Half-hour into the walk and there seemed to be an opportunity to get Byron his bogey bird, the Black-billed Turaco - and didn't he get it. There were eventually 4 birds around us and all calling and providing great views including a couple of flight views which showed their amazing red underwings. Some White-headed Wood-hoopoes popped out just after this as well. A Black-fronted Duiker (photo below) was foraging on the trail ahead of us giving me a brief opportunity to get a photo.

Once we got back to the road, Byron got another of his wishes - great views of Black & White Colobus monkeys in addition to some Sykes (Blue) Monkeys in the immediate vicinity. This was a brilliant ending to a fantastic morning and overall, excellent trip.

Birding in Buhoma, (2) Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda)

African Dusky Flycatcher

The afternoon at the lodge was not wasted with stacks of species coming through and/or flitting about here and at the adjacent UWA (Uganda Wildlife Authority) offices. Olive-bellied and Northern Double-collared Sunbirds seemed frantic in their search for nectar whilst the Bronze Mannikins, Bronze Sunbirds, Vieillot's, Baglafecht and Black-billed Weavers were all working on their nests. Brown-capped Weaver was rather active but there were no obvious indications of nesting.

Luhder's and Bocage's Bush-shrikes were calling constantly in competition with the Black Cuckoo (later sightings confirmed it as the gabonensis race) and Speckled Tinkerbird. Around the UWA offices the Blue-spotted Wood Dove (photo on right), African Dusky (photo above) and White-tailed Blue Flycatchers were posing for photos. Red-capped Robin-chat made a brief appearance but refused to pose long enough for a 'good' photo. The lunchtime line-up was completed by Cape Wagtail, Cabani's and Cameroon Sombre Greenbuls, Black-necked Weaver, Yellow White-eye, Tambourine Dove and Thick-billed Seedeater.

The afternoon walk (all along the same trail as in the morning) kicked off with a proverbial heavy-weight in the form a very obliging Bar-tailed Trogon, (photo below) even allowing for photographs and more time for other birders to join in the great views. This was only beaten by yet another Bar-tailed Trogon 10 minutes later perching along the trail!

Our sightings of cuckoos weren't over, however brief, as an Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo flew over our heads (was this the one that flew over the cuckoo's nest??) after much and constant calling, as they do! It only got better with an Olive Sunbird appearing and a great view of a nesting Red-tailed Greenbul followed by Narrow-tailed and Waller's Starlings, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, Grey-throated Barbets and White-headed Wood-hoopoes - the latter 2 species in close proximity to each other. The Black-billed Turaco was calling from some trees but seemed adamant that it would remain hidden from Byron.

Bar-tailed Trogon

African Shrike Flycatcher was a welcome addition to our lists with an African Broadbill displaying, ending the walk on a very high note. Relaxing stroll uphill to the showers before dinner was interrupted by a cracking view of Ross' Turaco - never a dull bird at the best of times!

The next morning kicked off with pretty much the shed load of species mentioned before, around the lodge. We did add some of the more "common" species to the list like Grey-capped Warbler, Red-billed Firefinches with young and Black-crowned Waxbills. Early morning bonus was the Bocage's Bush-shrike that was out and about with a juvenile and only bettered (relatively speaking of course) by a fantastic view of an African Wood Owl at the Buhoma Homestead (thanks to the lodge staff for kindly allowing us to go and see & photograph it).

African Wood Owl

Entering the forest on our now 'known' trail, was like running into nature's own peak hour traffic with L'Hoest's Monkeys all over the place, another brilliant sighting of Black-fronted Duiker and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoo calling. We heard at least 3 African Broadbills displaying (sightings eluded us today) and then a Buff-throated Apalis provided an eyeful after which the huge, slightly ungainly but great Great Blue Turacos, 5 of them, made an entrance. Red-tailed Monkeys and Red-legged Sun Squirrels added to the mammal activities.

During this all, Dusky Tits and a pair of Petit's Cuckoo-shrikes showed well and a Black-throated Apalis added itself to the warblers list which was built on again with better views of Black-throated Rufous Warbler and Red-faced Woodland Warbler. Not to be outdone, Equatorial Akalat and Mountain Illadopsis showed up but a calling Scaly-breasted Illadopsis pointedly refused to make itself visible to us mere humans.

The award for the show of the day goes to the magnificent Purple-breasted Sunbirds feeding in the sun, highlighting their spectacular array of colours. Nobly trying to compete were the Green-throated, Collared and Olive-bellied Sunbirds with another pair of Petit's Cuckoo-shrikes watching from a distance. An Olive-green Camaroptera started calling and obligingly showed itself although not long enough at a time for photos. Black & White Colobus monkeys were calling deeper inside the forest.

After a Red-throated Alethe and a Yellow-backed Duiker made sure we had good views, we set ourselves down for a lunch snack.

Yellow-backed Duiker

Birding in Buhoma, (1) Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Uganda)

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest probably first became famous for it's population of Mountain Gorillas that can be visited. It has also become arguably one of the premier birding destinations in East Africa as well with a host of Albertine Rift Endemic and special species that can be seen here.

Mid-June 2010 I had the privilege of experiencing Bwindi for myself with a client, Byron (from the USA). Everyday was a birding bonanza and without even "trying" too hard. We spent 3 nights in the Buhoma area of the park and one night near Ruhija. For the purposes of the blog I'll just cover these 2 areas and what is known as "the Neck" which is en-route between Buhoma and Ruhija.

13 June found us entering the park at Ndege gate where the bird party commenced almost immediately. Having signed in, we walked a bit down the road where we came across a pair of Montane Oriole's busy nesting - an auspicious start to say the least! Driving on with short stops here and there, we added Grey and Black Cuckoo-shrikes and Sharpe's Starling. One stage we stopped for a francolin ahead of us in the road - a relaxed Handsome Francolin (photo on left) foraging along the roadside! Enjoying brilliant views of this elusive bird, I also managed to get a few shaky photos of it; suppose the excitement was a bit much for the old steady hand trick. This was rather rapidly followed by Black-billed Turaco, Kandt's Waxbill and a 50+ strong flock of Slender-billed Starlings.

The other inhabitants of Bwindi didn't remain hidden with a good view of Black-fronted Duiker and a slow moving Ruwenzori Three-horned Chameleon (Large photo link). The rest of the drive also produced Crowned as well as Black & White Casqued Hornbills.

Needless to say by the morning we were rearing to go and breakfast took 2nd place to birding in and around the Buhoma Community Camp & Lodge. As our local guide Alex arrived, the species were coming thick and fast and to the accompaniment of the Black Cuckoo call; we had 4 Brown-throated Wattle-eyes with an immature, Northern Double-collared, Collared, Bronze, Green-headed and Green-throated Sunbirds, Luhder's and Bocage's Bush-shrikes, African Thrush with a juvenile, and a lot of Little Greenbuls, to name but a few.

Walking on toward the start of the main trail through the forest at Buhoma, nothing slowed down and our heads were almost spinning as we tried to take it all in. Dusky Blue Flycatcher and Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher quietly watched us while a White-spotted Flufftail out of reach (and sight) teased us with its call. This first part of our walk was turning into a cuckoo and greenbul party with Emerald and Levaillant's Cuckoos providing cracking views and the Cameroon Sombre, Ansorge's, Yellow-whiskered and Honeyguide Greenbuls added their names to the list. Snowy-crowned Robin-chat gave a lovely rendition of its song while posing followed by a troop of L'Hoest's Monkeys (photo below) in the trees. It is only at this stage that we reached the start of the trail!

The next 2 hours produced even more specials in addition to more sightings of some of the above-mentioned species. Bar-tailed Trogon tantalised us with on-going calls, but sightings were had of Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Red-tailed Greenbul, Red-throated Alethe, Mountain Illadopsis, Yellow-spotted Barbet, Black-necked Weaver and only brief glimpses of the Crested Guineafowl on the forest 'floor' following the monkeys foraging overhead.

White-breasted Nigrita

We had excellent views of a little group of Red-headed Malimbe followed by sightings of Chestnut Wattle-eye, Grey and Buff-throated Apalis, White-breasted Nigrita, Grey-throated Barbet, Green-headed, Olive-bellied and Little Green Sunbirds. The calling Bronze-naped Pigeon and the Many-coloured Bush-shrike was to elude us for the whole trip as the Black-throated Rufous Warbler almost succeeded in doing but after awhile showed itself. Speckled Tinkerbird was also playing hard to get as opposed to elegantly, albeit distant, posed Black Bee-eater. Brown-capped Weaver put in a brief appearance before we hit the final stretch back to the camp for lunch.

More mammals for the morning included the Boehm's and Red-legged Sun Squirrels, Red-tailed Monkeys and even better views of the Black-fronted Duiker.

Red-tailed Monkey

Finfoot & Battle weary buffalo (Lake Mburo Part 4)

We also came across another buffalo who had clearly just returned from an un-televised WWF fight somewhere. Nothing was left of the right eye and the left eye was seriously swollen - what did the other guy(s) look like??!! He was well grumpy with his only eye opening painfully on the lake and probably wondering where all the land had disappeared to. Needless to say, Moses steered the boat out of reach of this old man.
Pleasantly chugging along, Moses pointed out (less excited than before) another Finfoot. OK, I can get excited about a 2nd Finfoot - no problem with that, so off went the rapid shutter fire again, hoping for at least one decent hit. Why can't these birds be curious and stop and look at us at least for a few seconds?? They just don't make them like they used to anymore!

Well, a few near misses with the rapid fire accounts for this shot;

Starting to make our way back towards the shore (geez, time's flying!) it was only about 5min later when Moses blandly stated "Oh, there's another one." Another what?!...buffalo, flying pig, jumping fish, storm...talk to me!! My head spinning like somebody at a Red Arrows aerobatic show trying to watch 5 planes all over the sky. Just another finfoot he says - my exclamation of 'HUH' this time is not due to shock but the near ridiculous occurrence of Finfoots here. Who said they're hard to see - they're a dime a dozen for Pete's sake! But still trying for a decent hit, rapid shutter fire is engaged which appears to be more accurate - lack of adrenaline maybe?

Getting to shore after spotting some distant Pink-backed Pelicans, we thank Moses with huge smiles for an entertaining and extremely productive boat trip. He later comes over to us again asking if I would please send photos of the White-backed Night Heron and mating Fish Eagles - these are important sightings you see. And of the African Finfoot Moses, I ask - nah, that's ok he mumbles. (I wonder how many Finfoots he sees every day?!)

Settling down for a soda in the lakeside local restaurant, we continue to watch the 30-40 Yellow Wagtails foraging in the grass and dozens of Barn and Lesser Striped Swallows feasting on the emerging lake flies/midges. Turning to look at the Village Weaver colony with the seemingly single intruding Lesser Masked Weaver, something swims out from the tree and along the campsite shore - ANOTHER finfoot - Nooooooooooo!?!? This must be a joke! They got zillions of radio controlled finfoots or what? and NO, I didn't take pictures of this bird as well.

The missus gave me the good news that she felt quite relaxed and there was no rush back to the lodge so a leisurely birding drive was in order. Must be something in air bringing me all this luck on a single morning! (I did ask for confirmation about this leisurely drive a few times before we left though).

Relaxation was clearly on the mind of others as well (we were only a accorded a very brief perfunctory look before dozing off again)
The rest of the drive back wasn't extremely busy bird-wise (something to do with it being 1pm?) but we came across our 1st baboons for the trip and more of the very common Bateleurs in the sky. I have absolutely no reason to believe that the Bateleurs in this park ever perch in trees, but in fact spend their life on the wing soaring at great heights. A Long-crested Eagle was following suit and enjoying the afternoon thermals.

A little junction where we turned off appeared to be the birds' junction as well with Red-rumped Swallows, Spot-flanked Barbet, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Black-necked Weaver and at least 10-15 Little Bee-eaters.

After about 6x Broad-billed Rollers, all seemingly in fresh plumage, and some Fork-tailed Drongos, we stopped later closer to the lodge for a photo of our room perched on a rocky outcrop.
We took a bit of a break at the room before my contemplated walk into the woodland and bush around the lodge later.

Part 5 soon