Uganda for Bird's Wildlife & Nature - Day 7 : 26th July 2024

Pre-dawn saw the woods below reverberate with a wall of bird song – some of which I could now recognise as Wattle-eyes, Sunbirds, Apalis and Bulbuls while the African Wood Owls duetted across the valley.

We settled up and hit the dirt road out of the forest.  It would take some time as we first passed through the inhabited, cultivated sections of the landscape where a host of good birds were seen but let’s concentrate on the four short stops we made on the way down through the Bwindi Neck.

The first was random for a singing Brown-throated Wattle-eye (which shut up immediately) but we did get our first Little Greenbuls and Olive-green Camaroptera while a African Paradise Flycatcher swooped out above us.

The second was by a bridge over a rushing stream and Paul hoped Cassin’s Flycatcher would be on the rocks – filling the New World Black Phoebe role.  Sure enough this dapper little blue grey flycatcher was in place and busily picking off insects from above the water. Two more Flycatcher species quickly followed with Grey Throated (formally another Tit-Flycatcher) and Slaty Blue while Black-faced Rufous Warblers sung but remained hidden.  The same clump held showy Yellow Rumped Tinkerbirds and a fruiting tree held lots of Dark-headed Bulbuls along with Speckled Tinkerbirds, Plain and Little Greenbuls and a male African Shrike-Flycatcher.

Cassin’s Flycatcher

Cassin’s Flycatcher

Cassin’s Flycatcher

Slaty Blue Flycatcher - Angie Merrick

Slaty Blue Flycatcher

Yellow Rumped Tinkerbird

High up above on the dead twiggy bits were a variety of birds with a dozen of Grey-headed Barbets, Purple Headed Starlings, Bulbuls and both Chestnut-winged (dark eyes) and Narrow-tailed Starlings (pale eyes) with a couple of Cinnamon Bee-eaters lower down.  Mountain Wagtails sung of the river but I could not find them. 

On again to a bend in the road with a small swamp.  New sounds were immediately to be heard through the chattering Little Bulbuls with plaintive Scaly Breasted Illadopsis and Western Black-headed Orioles and Grey Apalis singing up slope.  The latter did appear along with several other new species with Little Green and Tiny Sunbirds although I did not even remember that the latter existed when I announced ‘what is that tiny sunbird?’. Asorge’s Greenbul became another of their tribe as did Wilcox’s Honeyguide and the smart Yellow Spotted Barbet which is also affectionally known as Snoring Barbet.

A towering dead tree was being used by Starlings, Grey-headed Barbets and Black Saw-wings and there above them in the canopy were two dark Bee-eater shapes.  I grabbed the scope and Black Bee-eater joined the tally and we watched these two black and blue beauties snuggle up together before making occasional sorties.

Black Bee-eaters - superb in the scope

We moved lower still till singing White-chinned Prinia ‘forced’ a stop.  They were at the roadside at the lip of vegetated bowl (no, not salad) and there were birds all over the place.  A glowing crimson and black Red-headed Bluebill popped up just before we got out of the truck and was thankfully re-found along with both White Breasted and Grey Headed Nigritas.  A new family for me and the latter was particularly smart.  Black-faced Rufous Warblers at last showed! A Green Crombec dangled from some vines and a flowering shrub down in the centre held shining Bronzy and Olive Bellied Sunbirds while a singing Bocage’s Bush-shrike snuck across the clearing.  Some wonderful butterflies were coming down to find moisture in a sheltered culvert.   I can only imagine what else was in that magically little spot but we had to move on.

So many eyes - Angie Merrick

The roadside between here and the Queen Elizabeth NP took us back in more humany areas but there were still many roadside birds.  Northern and Grey Backed Fiscals lined the way as well as African Stonechats, Grey-headed and House Sparrows, both Mousebirds, a selection of Weavers with our first Red-billed Queleas, various Swallows and Swifts and unsurprisingly some more new species with Black-throated Seedeater and two pairs of Cape Wagtails running around the road in front of us. Augur Buzzards were the most frequent raptor seen.

Northern Fiscal

Northern Fiscal

Augur Buzzards

Red-billed Quelea - Angie Merrick

We reached a roundabout where the tarmac went left for the DR Congo and right, back into Uganda and another dirt track straight on into the buffer lands bordering the Queen Elizabeth NP. We drove until we reached one of the gates passing our first bull African Elephant lurking in the bushes on the way but despite checking the fig trees we did not see any Lions up them.

It is not a rock - but it was my first African Elephant

Lunch at the gate was a hot affair with White-winged Black Tits and White-headed Barbets in the Fig above us while a myriad of Butterflies danced around the flowers at our feet. Mammals quickly followed with bristling tusky Warthogs, heavy weight Waterbuck, Uganda Kob and slopy Topi (the back end is lower than the front).

White-headed Barbet - Angie Merrick

It was a long road through varying habitats and frequent stops (although we couldn’t really get out) allowed us a wealth of species. Helmeted Guineafowl and Red-necked Spurfowl crossed in front and Spur Winged and Long-toed Lapwings were on a wetland where Cape Buffalo lounged in the mud and dozens of Black Crakes ran amongst the African Jacanas and assorted Egrets and Herons.

Helmeted Guineafowl - Angie Merrick

There were big soarers aplenty with Marabous, Black-winged Kites, Harrier-Hawks, Bataleurs, Long-crested Eagles, African Fish Eagles and our first Ruppell’s Vulture as well as White-backeds.  A red billed Crowned Hornbill posed long enough for a pic while Olive Baboons were scattered across the road including some tiny babies.  Green Wood-Hoopoes were seen investigating trunks and a couple of smaller but similarly shaped Common Scimitarbills were also noted along with five Kingfisher species.

Palm Nut Vulture - Angie Merrick

White-backed Vultures 

Crowned Hornbill 

Fill those pouches

Olive Baboons

Madagascar and Little Bee-eaters dashed from bushes and we got good views of Nubian and our first and only African Grey Woodpeckers as they shimmied up and down a lone tree with the Wood-hoopoes. A Marsh Tchagra popped up and posed and a Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike obliged looking like a weird Red-winged Blackbird while a Crested Barbet came to investigate us. 

Marsh Tchagra - Angie Merrick

Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike - Angie Merrick

Crested Barbet - Angie Merrick

Crested Barbet - Angie Merrick

African Grey Woodpecker - Angie Merrick

A party of African Plain Martins moved over and we picked up a good selection of other hirundines with Red-chested and Lesser Striped and a single Mosque Swallow that was so big that I thought it was a small falcon!

Purple Breasted, Marico and Olive-bellied Sunbirds were attending flowers and Northern Black Flycatchers, Sooty Chats and gangs of Black-lored Babblers were dotted along the roadsides.  There were more Red-billed Queleas, Fan-tailed Widowbirds and orange Southern Red Bishops along with Pin-tailed Wydahs, Plain Backed Pipits and Yellow-throated Longclaws and amongst the Cordon-bleus and Red-billed Firefinches we found a couple of African Firefinches (they have black bills) and a couple of groups of Fawn Breasted Waxbills and two Green Winged Pytillia.  A Chattering Yellowbill (should still be Blue Malkhoa imho) flew across the road and was briefly seen clambering around

Sooty Chat - Angie Merrick

Marico Sunbird - Angie Merrick

Broad-billed Roller - Angie Merrick

Southern Red Bishop - Angie Merrick

Moustached Grass-Warbler (a large species with a well-marked head) was heard and then seen perched up along with Tawny-flanked Prinias and three species of new Cisticola with chestnut capped Croaking, plain Siffling (yes, I had to look up the word – a verb that means to make a sibilant sound, such as a whistle or hiss) and chunky billed Stout.

Croaking Cisticola - Angie Merrick

Siffling Cisticola - Angie Merrick

Stout Cisticola - Angie Merrick

We arrived at Buffalo Lodge just before dusk and were warmly welcomed.  My lodge was big enough for the whole party and overlooked a clearing in the scrub where Buffalo, Waterbuck and Warthogs grazed.  Piapiacs and Yellow-billed Oxpeckers were in attendance and Hamerkop headed off to roost.

I went and sat by the pool before dinner (avoiding the need for a security escort at 7pm) and watched the sun go down with Swamp Flycatchers and African Pied Wagtails picking insects from its surface.  African Mourning Doves and Robin-chats were warming up as the light waned.

The Elephants come to drink here sometimes...

We were all escorted back to our rooms after dinner and at about 5.30 the next morning I was awoken by Lions roaring somewhere close by…