16days of Birding in Uganda

Day 1. arrival. Add Entebbe botanical gardens. This day, rest and shed off the jet lag. Evening birding in Entebbe botanical gardens or Uganda wildlife education center in Entebbe. Those two places are habitats of a large array of about 250 bird species. Among others, we shall try our luck for; Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Saddle-Billed Stork, Golden-Backed Weaver, Yellow-Backed Weaver, Orange Weaver, African Palm-Swift, Winding Cisticola, Splendid Glossy-Starling, Northern Brown-Throated Weaver, Slender-Billed Weaver, etc. mammals like black and white colobus, varvet monkey, squirrels

Day 2- bird mabamba morning and transfer to Lake Mburo national park in the afternoon, stopover at Kayabwe-Uganda equator for lunch break. Birding Mabamba swamp situated west Entebbe. This morning, we have an early breakfast, and go birding to Mabamba. One of a few remaining productive wetland in Uganda protected by the local communities. extensive papyrus swamps with labyrinth’s channels and lagoons, classified as an important bird area (IBA), it’s a home of multiple Shoebills-Uganda’s most famous avian resident and the only representative in its family, is the amongst most sought after birds in Africa! Its only traced by canoeing through the channels by the wooden boat. other likes of Mabamba include; Papyrus Gonolek, Blue-Breasted Bee-Eater, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, White-Winged Black Tern, Grey-Headed Gull, African Skimmers, Little Egret, Long-Toed Lapwing, Spur-Winged Lapwing, African Fish-Eagle, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Striated Heron, Blue-Headed Coucal, Malachite Kingfisher, Black Crake, Hamerkop, African Marsh-Harrier, Yellow-Billed Duck, Hadada Ibis, White-Browed Scrub-Robin, Swamp Flycatcher, and many more.

Day 3- morning game drive and afternoon boat cruise lake mburo national park. While in the park we shall look out for mammals like the Zebra, Eland, Topi, Impala, Cape Buffalo, Warthog, etc, today we target the boat ride along lake Mburo where we hardly miss the African Finfoot, White Backed and Black Crowned Night Heron, Giant Kingfisher. A night drive always produces good views of the Black Shouldered, northern Tanzania Fiery Necked Nightjar, nocturnal mammals and Bush Babies and many others.

Day 4- transfer birding to Bwindi impenetrable national park. Morning after breakfast we transfer birding to Bwindi, lunch break in Ntungamo. Bwindi is situated in southwestern Uganda, famous of its habitat of over 400 mountain gorilla’s “half of world’s population!” Including several habituated groups which can be tracked and home of about 350 species of birds including 23 Albertine rift endemics! And at least 14 species recorded nowhere else in Uganda! Opportunities abound to discover the local Bakiga and Batwa pygmy cultures through their performances, workshops and village walks. It lies at a relatively higher altitude and temperature here is cooler ranging from 10 to 18°C.

Day 5- birding Bwindi forest to mubwindi swamp- ruhija sector.This morning we bird to the No.1 African birding spot according to the African Bird Club. The elevation is higher than where we have done birding before, so there are exceptional bird species and most of high altitude. This is the birding spot where we find the African Green Broadbill and the sight to look out for the Grauer’s Rush Warbler, most Albertine Rift Endemics here include the Handsome Francolin, Blue Headed, Blue Throated, Purple Breasted and Blue Throated Brown Sunbird, Red Throated Alethe, Mountain Illadopsis, Collard and Mountain Masked Apalis, Yellow Eyed Black Flycatcher plus more.Other high altitude bird species here will be the Bar Tailed and NarinaTragon, White Tailed Crested Flycatcher, Abyssinian Hill Babbler, Stripe Breasted Tit and others. Mammals like L’hoest Monkey, red tailed monkey, black-fronted duiker etc

Day 6- transfer while birding to Buhoma sector of bwindi through the “NECK” a stopover at the NECK is rich to see; the African black duck, black bee-eater, white-eyed slaty flycatcher etc.

Day 7- gorilla trekking. After breakfast, we shall assemble at the park offices for briefing prior to this historic event. Gorilla tracking is a captivating pursuit; it involves walking in the wilderness in search of these great apes. The exhilaration attached to first setting an eye on a wild mountain gorilla is difficult to describe. They’re enormous animals, yet despite their fearsome appearance, gorillas are remarkably peaceable creatures. More impressive even than the gorilla’s size bearing is their unfathomable attitude to people, which differs greatly from that of any other wild animal that you’ve ever encountered! Anthropomorphic as it might sound; almost everybody who visits the gorilla experiences an almost mystical sense of recognition. Often one of the gentle giants will break off from the business on chomping on bamboos to study human visitor, soft brown eyes staring deeply into theirs as if seeking a connection-a spine-tingling wildlife experience without peer. Each encounter is different and has its own rewards, but you are likely to enjoy the close view of adults feeding, grooming and resting as the youngster’s frolic and swing from vines in a delightfully display. This once in a lifetime experience is not to miss!

Day 8- morning birding in the community and transfer birding to Queen Elizabeth national park (find the lions of Ishasha sheltering from the fierce rift valley sun on the boughs of ancient fig trees!).Early after breakfast we depart birding to queen Elizabeth national park through kanungu area where chances abound to trace for rarity of Rufous-Breasted Wryneck in this area, continue birding to the southern sector of queen Elizabeth where we can’t miss the likes of Whinchats, Greater Scimitarbill, Black Kit, Superb Sunbird, still on a way in ishasha area Little Button, Blue, Common, Harlequin Quailsskulk in short grasses along the way. A couple of mammals like Cape Buffalo, Lions, Elephants, Uganda Kobs, Waterbacks, African giant hog etc thrill in this area.

Day 9- birding in QENP, afternoon launch cruise at kazinga channel. Queen Elizabeth national park is the second largest after Murchison falls national park with 95 mammal species the highest for any Ugandan national park! and about 610 bird species a truly remarkable figure for a reserve that is relatively smaller by continental standards. The likes in this park include; Broad Tailed Warbler, Martial Eagle, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Amur Falcon, African Skimmer, Striated Heron, African Spoonbill, Water Thick-Knee, Three-banded Plover, Marsh, Green, Wood and Common Sandpiper, Gray-headed Gull, Plain Martin, Lesser Swamp-Warbler, White-Winged Warbler, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, OvamboSparrowhawk, etc. mammals include; Cape Buffalo, Lions, Elephants, Uganda Kobs, Waterbacks, African giant hog, Olive Baboon, Valvet Monkey, in the kyambura gorge we find the Chimps, Blue and Red Tailed Monkey etc.

Day 10- morning birding to kibale, afternoon chimpanzee tracking (seek out chimpanzees, your closest relatives in the shadowy depths of the kibale forest!). Add bigodi sanctually late in the evening.

Day 11- wake up early at 5:00am and prepare ourselves for the most sought bird the Green-breasted Pitta! Thereafter we continue normal birding getting out from the forest to our hotel for lunch break. Kibale is a home of 13 primates and about 375 bird species. Primates include; L’Hoest’s Monkey, Red Colobus Monkey, Bush Baby, Olive Baboon, Red-Tailed Monkey, Grey-Cheeked Mangabey, Black And White Colobus, Blue Monkey, Chimpanzee etc. and a long list of sought bird species like; Afep Pigeon, Red-Winged Francolin, Narina Trogon, Bar-Tailed Trogon, Black-Billed Turaco, Black Bee-Eater, White-Headed Wood-Hoopoe, Yellow-RumpedTinkerbird, African Pitta, Velvet Mantled Drongo, Petit’sCukoo Shrike, African Broad Bill, Wilcock’s Honeyguide, White-Spotted Flufftail, Western Nicator, White-Tailed Anti-Thrush etc.

Day 12 whole day birding in Semliki valley national park, Uganda’s most exciting birding destination! Semliki is of particular interest to birdwatchers: 435 bird species have been recorded, including a high proportion of forest birds and about 45 species seen nowhere else in Uganda including rarity of the smallest African piculet. For amateur birders, Semliki is not only certain to throw up a clutch of “lifers”- it also offers a faint but real possibility of a brand-new East African record like Congo Serpent-Eagle, Grey-Throated Rail, and Black-Throated Coucal. Only 53 mammal species occur and 11 species seen nowhere else in Uganda including Pygmy Antelope, Two Types of Flying Squirrels and Six Types of Bats. Other interesting birds here are; Orange-Checked Waxbill, White-Crowned Hornbill, Western Bronze-Napped Pigeon, Swamp Bulbul, Willcock’s Honeyguide, Crested Malimbe, Blue-Breasted Kingfisher, Yellow-Crested Woodpecker, Brown-Eared Woodpecker, Red-Billed Dwarf Hornbill, Yellow-Throated Nicator etc.

Day 13- transfer birding to Masindi town via Hoima. After breakfast, checkout and depart for Masindi. This being quite a long journey, it will take big percentage of our time this day traveling, but we shall be having several strategic stops to stretch our legs and have a look at birds. Lunch break in Hoima town.

Day 14- birding at the royal mile forests. Today we have a birding excursion to the above unique site within the Murchison Falls Conservation Area. We shall start early and head to the Royal Mile where many ceremonies of the Bunyoro kingdom took place before this was a conservation area. Enroute we shall have some birding stopovers (walk) to look out for bird species like the Singing Cisiticola, Cabanis’s Bunting, Dark Capped Yellow Warbler, Grey Headed Olive Back, Brown Twinspot, Black Bellied Fire Finch Birding here is excellent with an open interior and gives us unique bird species like the IturiBatis. Lemon Bellied Crombec, Firest Warbler, Dusky Longtailed Cuckoo, Dwarf, Blue Yellow Longbill, African Crowned-Eagle, Forest Flycatcher, Yellow-Browed Camaroptera, Grey-Backed Camaroptera, Yellow-Mantled Weaver, Red-Headed Bluebill, SabinesSpinetail, Casin’sSpinetail, Red-Tailed Anti-Thrush, Cameron Sombre, Slender Billed, Wilcock’s Honeyguides, Jameson’s Wattle-Eye, Blue-Throated Brown Sunbird, Little-Green Sunbird, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush and many more. We drive to Murchison falls National Park.

Day 15- birding northern bank of river Nile, boat cruise to bottom of the falls and birding to the top of the falls! (Busy day). We start early morning game drive northern bank of river Nile, we look out for both birds and game from the hotel to the Nile. Specialties to look at in Murchison are among others; the Red-Winged Grey Warbler, Red Chested Cuckoo, Banded Snake Eagle, Black Billed Wood-Dove, Short Toed Snake Eagle, Black Cheeked Waxbill, Spotted Morning Thrush, African Quail Finch, Vitteline Masked Weaver, Black Billed Barbet, Swallow Tailed, Northern Carmine, Little And The Seasonal Eurosian, Blue Cheeked And Olive Bee-Eater. White-Browed and Chestnut Crowned Sparrow-Weavers, White Headed Buffalo Weaver, Speckle Fronted Weaver, Rufous Sparrow, Superb Starling etc. mammals like Jackson’s heartbeats, Rothschild’s giraffe, elephant, warthogs etc. can’t be missed out! Have our lunch break at the Nile side as we wait for the boat to take you along the Nile birding up to the bottom of the falls.

Day 16- birding to Entebbe for your flight back home