15 days birding expedition to uganda

A birding proposal for Roland in March 2013 

Arrival  in the evening and overnight at Skyway Hotel Entebbe

Day 1:  Early morning transfer to Mabamba for the shoebill and other birds like White-winged Wabler,Carruthers’ Cisticola, Papyrus Gonolek, Saddle-billed Stork, African pygmy Goose,Lesser Jacana,Common Squacco, Purple and Goliath Herons, Yellow billed Egre, White-faced Whistling Duck, Yellow-billed Duck,Hottentont Teal, African fish Eagle, Black Crake, African Jacana, Long-toed Plover, Grey-headed Gull, Gull-billed and White-Winged terns, Malakite and pied Kingfishers, Blue-Breasted Bee-eater, Cape Wagtail,Swamp Fly catcher, Winding Cisticola, Red-chested Sunbird, Fan tailed Windowbird, Senegal Plover, Madagascar, bee-Eater, Grey-rumped Swallow. Drive to stop at Equator for lunch and proceed to L Mburo N.P. Evening birding around the camp, dinner and overnight at Rwakobo Camp.

Day 2: Early morning boat in search of African Finfoot and other water birds. Our highlight will be Brown-chested Plover, Spot-Flanked, Red-faced and White Headed Barbets, Coqui’s and Red winged Francolin, Greater/Lesser Honey Guides, Marico/Scaret Chested/Variable/Copper Sunbirds, Greater Blue Eared Starling, White-Winged Warbler, Trilling cisticola, Carruthers’ Cisticola, Papyrus Gonolek, Sulpher Breasted Bush Shrike, Tabora cistcola, white winged tit, African pendurine tit, Nubian wood pecker, Black Billed Wood Dove Green backed pecker, Yellow-billed Oxpecker and Nothern Brown –throated weaver later at noon  drive to Ruhizha overnight at Terven cottages. It is located at the edge of the park(the northern sector of Bwindi Impenetrable N.P)

Day 3: Whole day birding mubwindi swamp.  You will go very early morning with packed lunch looking for specials like the green Broabill, Grauer’s Rush warbler,Evergreen Forest Warbler,  Dwarf Honey-guide,Grey Chested Illadopsis, Cabanis’s Greenbul, Mt.Greenbul,Sharps Barred Long Tailed Cuckoo, Starling, Oriole Finch,the incredible Purple-breasted Sunbird,Slender-billed, Wallers, Narrow-tailed and Stuhlmann’s Satarlings,Dusky, Red-faced, Abyssynian and Shelleys Crimsonwings, Strange weaver  and many other specials., dinner and overnight as above.

Day 4:  Drive to buhoma birding via the ‘neck’ .  The distance is short but with many birding stops.  You will go with packed lunch from the hotel. We will search for species like Tambourine Dove, Black bee-Eater, Mountain Wagtail, Toro Olive-Greenbul, White-starred-Robin, Strange Weaver, Dusky Twin Spot, Grauer’s Warbler, Black bee-eter, Red Throted Wryneck among others.We will be birding through farmland, forest edge and forest Habitats. We shall do a short village walk around Buhoma area after arrival for Magpie Mannikin in the evening . Dinner and overnight at Buhoma Community Camp or Bwindi view.

Day 5:  Whole day birding starts at the gate of the camp. You will go with packed lunch to avoid walking back, for species like Red-throated Alethe, Archer’s Robin chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, Montane Masked Apalis, Short-tailed Wabler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, Western Bronze-naped Pegion,Dusky and Olive Long-tailed Cuckoos,Fraser’s Eagle owl, Montane( Rwenzori)Nightjar, Bar-tailed Trogon,Black bee-eater,Willcock’s honeyguide, Fine-banded and Elliot’s Woodpeckers, Grey-chested and Mountain Illadopses, White bellied Robin-Chat, Oberlander’s Ground Thrush, Black-faced Rofous Warbler, Chapin’s Flycatcher, Many-coloured Bush-Shrike,Brown-capped Weaver, Red-fronted Antpecker ,Ansorge’s.Carmeron Somber, Redtailed,Yellow Whiskered Little Greenbuls,Green throted,Grey Headed ,Green Headed, Bluethroted Brown, Bronze Green, Little Green Olive(western) Sunbirds and Oriole-Finch . Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 6:  Early morning walk to the UWA offices which are close to the camp to be briefed by the park guides before proceeding for Gorilla trekking.  Morning Gorilla trekking afternoon birding, Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 7: Early morning drive to Semliki via Queen Elizabeth N.P, kasese town down to the foot hills of Mount Rwenzori  to Fort Portal town and proceed to Bundibugyo. This day is a long drive which will take close to 9 hours with a few stops. Some places, you will drive on rough roads others are good turmac. Dinner and overnight at vanilla lodge.

Day 8: Whole day birding Semliki (kirumia trail) with packed lunch. Look for species like Spot-Breasted Ibis, Hartlaub’s duck,Chestnut-flanked Goshawk, Long-tailed Hawk,  Nkurengu Rail, Western Bronze-naped  Pegion, Black-collared Lovebird, Yellow-throated Cuckoo,Red-Chested Owlet,Bates’ Nightjar, Chocolate-backed/ White-bellied and African Dwarf Kingfishers, White-crested/ Blackbilled Dwarf/Red-Billed Dwarf Hornbills, Piping and Black-wattled Hornbills, Red-rumped Tinkerbird, Spotted/Lyre-tailed and Zenker’s Honeyguides ,African Piculet, Gabon Wood pecker ,Red-sided Broadbill, White-throated blue Swallow, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Xavier’s, Swamp, Simple and Eastern Bearded Greenbuls, Yellow-throated Nicator,Capuchin Babbler, Nothern bearded Scrub Robin,Forest and Grey ground Thrushes,Lemon-bellied Crombec, Brown-crowned Eremomela. Blue-headed Crested Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Red-billed Helmet-Shrike,Fiery-breasted Bush-shrike, Black-winged Oriole, Chestnut-winged Starling, Orange-tufted Sunbird, Maxwell’s Black Weaver, Blue-billed, Crested and Red-bellied Malimbes,Plae-Fronted and Chestnut-breasted Negrofinches, Grant’s blue bill and many more. Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 9: Whole day the new trail for the missed species, transfer to Kibale N.P in the evening.  The distance is 2 to 3 hrs drive from Semliki N.P to Kibale N.P. Dinner and overnight at Chimp Guest House. It is located at the entrance of the park.

Day 10: Birding in Kibale N.P is a delightful experience. We shall look for species such as Afep Pegion, Green-breasted Pitta, Joyful Greenbul, Grey-winged Robin, Grey-throated Flycatcher, Dark Backed Weaver,White Browed Crombec,Olive long Tailed Cuckoo,Yellow Mantled Weaver Emard Cuckoo. Masked and black-throated Apalises, Chestnut winged Starling, Orange-tufted and tiny sunbirds, White-collared Olive-back and many more . Lunch at the hotel, in the afternoon Chimp trekking. Dinner and overnight as above.

Day 11: This is another day of long drive to Masindi. There are many stops for a bird or two. Dinner and overnight at Court view.

Day 12: Early morning drive to bird kanio pabidi. Evening transfer to Murchison and overnight at River lodge.

Day 13: Wholeday birding Murchison

After Breakfast, We will head for a game drive around the park where a number game will be viewed like giraffes, Elephants, buffaloes, Impalas and many more. You will head to Albertine Nile for the Albertine endemics . Our key species in Murchison will be Shoebill, Secretary bird,  Red-necked Falcon, Heuglin’s Francolin, Denham’s Bustard, Senegal Thick-Knee, Egyptian-plover, Rock Pranticole, Black-headed Plover,African Skimmer, Bruce’s Green Pegion, Vinaceous dove, White-crested Turaco, Pel’s Fishing Owl, Long-tailed,Pennant-winged and Standard winged Nightjars, Red-throated, Swallow-tailed and Carmine Bee-eaters, Abyssinian Roller, Black Scimitarbill, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-billed Barbet, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Spotted Morning Thrush, White-fronted Black Chat, Silverbird , Singing bird,Foxy and Black-backed Cisticolas, Red-winged Grey Warbler, Green-backed Eremomela, Yellow-billed and Emin’s Shrikes, White-breasted Cuckoo-shrike, Lesser Blue-eared and Bronze-tailed Starlings, Beautiful Sunbird,Chestnut-crowned Sparrow weaver, Northern Red Bishop, Grey-headed Olive-back, Red-winged Pytilia, Brown Twinspot, Bar-bellied Firefinches, Black-rumped Waxbill, Paradise Whydah,White-rumped Seedeater and brown-rumped and Cabanis’s Buntings. Later return to the lodge

Dinner and Overnight as above.

Day 14: Early morning drive to Budongo forest for birding(royale mile) Look

out for species like Cassins’s Hawk Eagle, Nahan’s Francolin, Black-collared Lovebird, Cassin’s and Sabine’s Spine tails, Chocolate-backed, blue breasted and African Dwarf Kingfishers, Piping Hornbill, Red-sided Broadbill, Green-breasted pitta, Spotted Greenbul, Fire-crested Alethe,,Black-capped Apalis, Brown-crowned Eremomela, Grey and yellow Longbills, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Ituri Batis, Jameson’s Wattle-eye,Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Brown Twinspot and Grey-headed Olive-back later in the afternoon transfer to Entebbe. It is about 5 to 6 hrs drive, so you will do a half day birding. Dinner and overnight at a hotel in Entebbe.

Day 15: Early morning return flight back home.