Blue Eyed Birder: Uganda for Bird's Wildlife & Nature

We were all down for breakfast at 0630 before sun up with White-browed Robin-chats warming up and the African Wood Owl still hooting, before packing up and setting off around Lake Victoria to our boat ride out into the Mabamba Swamp in dugout canoes in search of the much anticipated Shoebill.

The journey through Entebbe and its suburbs added many additional species including Splendid Starlings, Lizard Buzzards, Woodland, Striped and Pied Kingfishers, Madagascar Bee-eaters (formally Olive), Piapiacs and Black & White Casqued Hornbills. Road side hoardings in town had Hadada Ibis, Open Billed and Marabou Storks and completely out of place looking Grey Crowned Cranes with their punky bonnet perched on top. I did not expect to see such species in this very urban landscape.

We moved between red dust tracks through strung out villages where adults and children toiled in the clay to feed the brick ovens smoking across the landscape and we only pulled over when a flock of Great Blue Turacos appeared alongside. Nine were seen but only one sat up on the wires to pose while he preened. Quite a beast!

Great Blue Turaco

Great Blue Turaco - Angie Merrick

Down at the end of the dusty road we parked up amongst the local fisherman and traders and while Paul sorted out our aquatic transport into the Mabamba Swamp we check out the Acacias around us. The closest had a party of delightful Red-headed Lovebirds dangling around along with Black-headed, Veillott’s and Village Weavers, Speckled Mousebirds and Northern Grey Headed Sparrows. An Eastern Black Headed Oriole flew over into some bigger trees where a Yellow Fronted Tinkerbird ‘dinked’ merrily. African Pied Wagtails scurried around us and Red-chested Sunbirds and Bronze Mannikins were seen before departing

Red-chested Sunbird - Angie Merrick

Red-headed Lovebirds

Village Weaver colony

The crew boarded two dug out canoes under the watchful eye of a Hamerkop that was looking for scraps. After declining to purchase a brace of rather splendid Lungfish (tick!) we set out through the Papyrus. Winding Cisticolas sang around us and we regularly saw this large species up on top. Two tiny Lesser Jacanas were a species we only had a chance of seeing. They really do look like very young African Jacanas – many of which were trotting around.

Hamerkop

African Jacana

The engines were off by now and we were punting our way through the lilies and rushes and Spur-winged Goose and Yellow Billed Ducks flew over along with Grey-headed Gulls and a good variety of most of the regular Herons with Yellow-billed and Little Egrets, Squacco and Purple, Grey and Black-headed Herons.

Purple Heron

Grey-headed Gull

Spur-winged Goose with spurs!

Yellow-billed Egret

It did not take them too long to find our prize but as we silently approached where three other canoes were stopped the mighty Shoebill took flight on huge broad wings and lumbered out of view but there was no need to panic and ten minutes of stealth punting later we were moored up alongside this most remarkably prehistoric looking beast with its oversized bill, pale yellowy eyes (with Woodpigeon pupil bleed if you know what I mean?).

Shoebill

Approaching the Shoebill - Roman Werpachowski

It was unphased by our presence and had a preen and even a half hearted lunch for something snack worthy at its feet. After ten minutes or so we decided to leave it be and crept back out to the main channel pleased to have seen such an iconic bird so early in the trip.

The swamp was home to a wealth of other species with purple backed Malachite and plunge diving Pied Kingfishers, Northern Brown-throated Weavers, a couple of Blue Breasted Bee-eaters and a variety of hirundines – including Angola, Barn, Grey Rumped, Lesser Striped and Red-rumped along with White-rumped Swifts.

Blue Breasted Bee-eater

Blue Breasted Bee-eater - Angie Merrick

Malachite Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher - Angie Merrick

African Wattled and odd looking Long-toed Lapwings appeared and dropped back down into hidden clearings and we heard African Water Rails and saw a couple of Black Crakes with their luminous yellow bills and red legs. Closer views of Winding Cisticola were had as well our only Common Waxbills of the trip and a Swamp Flycatcher but the Lesser Swamp Warblers chattered away but could not be seen.

Short-tailed African Marsh Harriers did that classic Harrier quartering thing and cut a familiar but different shape to our familiar Western birds.

African Marsh Harrier

It was over too soon and the dusty road once more beckoned. The rest of the day was spent wending our way towards Rwakobo Rock Lodge with several stops along the way. The variety of ‘from the truck’ birds was ridiculous with Striped and Woodland Kingfishers, three Glossy Starlings, Grey Kestrel, punky Long-crested Eagles, Harrier-Hawk, African Fish Eagle, Meyer’s Parrots, Lilac Breasted and Broad Billed Rollers, Grey Backed Fiscals and Fork Tailed Drongos to name but a few.

Lilac Breasted Roller - Angie Merrick

Lilac Breasted Roller

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Grey Backed Fiscal

Long-crested Eagle

Lunch just a smidgen over the Equator gave us the chance to strike a touristic pose of two while not being distracted by the Laughing Doves and Little Swifts.

A brief stop on the roadside marsh gave us awesome views of the even brighter Papyrus Gonolek while another marsh area held Rufous Bellied Herons, stately Grey Crowned Cranes, Open Billed Storks and Sacred Ibis. There were birds wherever we looked and a glance below us added a pair of showy Black Crakes too and a Moorhen too.

Papyrus Gonolek

African Fish Eagle

Grey Crowned Crane

Rufous Bellied Heron

African Open Billed Storks

African Open Billed Stork

Black Crakes - they are superb

Fork-tailed Drongo

Suddenly our first Burchell’s Zebras were encountered along with the local amazing Ankole Cattle (you know I like a native bovine!) and a final pull over before reaching camp was quite overwhelming with Crowned Lapwings to add to the other species already seen, African Rails with young, Little Bittern and another Rufous-bellied Heron, Rufous Chested Swallow and White-headed Saw-wings with Scarce Swifts above us too. A Nubian Woodpecker posed briefly and was our introduction to the confusing world of East African greeny, stripy, speckly, spotty ‘peckers.

Burchell’s Zebra

Ankole Cattle

Ruppell's Glossy Starling

Rufous Bellied Heron

Nubian Woodpecker

African Water Rail - Angie Merrick

Ringed-necked Doves sang – the sound of every African savannah film and two Yellow-billed Ducks showed well for us before the final climb up to the Rock where Little Bee-eaters and Dwarf Mongooses greeted us to be followed by Square Tailed and Narrow Tailed Nightjars roosting in the ground of the amazing lodge.

Yellow-billed Ducks

A ludicrously vivid Violet Backed Starling posed for us in the falling light and a shiny Klaas’s Cuckoo appeared alongside us and Paul was especially pleased that we found a striding Striped Pipit while going to dinner.

Klaas’s Cuckoo - Angie Merrick

Striped Pipit

Ring-necked Doves

Dwarf Mongooses

Violet Backed Starling

Square-tailed Nightjar before the rain pushed it from roost - not us!

Little Bee-eaters

Olive Baboons lounged on the rock slopes with Warthogs and Egyptian Mongooses for company and bouncing ball Emerald Spotted Wood Doves joined the other pigeons and African Grey Hornbills duetting before the sky opened and a thunderstorm struck.