Mabira (1 Viewer)

[Steve Keen]

Hi all

Heading to Kenya for 3 weeks in Jan/Feb, a DIY fairly relaxed trip (having been there twice before this is more about just getting away to somewhere vaguely familiar and very birdy), and would also like to hop across to Uganda for Shoebill. All of which is straightforward enough, I more or less know what I'm up to.
However, to make the trip over the border even more worthwhile I thought I might take in Mabira for 2 or 3 days as it's not out of the way. But I'm struggling for much in the way of gen re trails to aim for, etc, beyond just heading to Griffin Falls, which doesn't seem to be in the best birding area.
For reasons of budget (and the fact that I'm not a fan of birding with guides) I'd really like to do this on my own.

Any tips and hints gratefully received.

Steve

 

[Steve Keen]

OK, so having now "been there, done that" I'll reply, in case it's of use to anyone else.

Access to Mabira is indeed very straightforward.
I stayed in Jinja town, which is about 20-30 minutes to the east, and had three days birding alone at Mabira.
Negotiated a taxi out to the forest for 50000 Ugandan shillings each day (about £11), but after he was late the first two mornings I opted on the third to go by matatu (minibus) and it didn't take a lot longer, and only cost 3000 shillings. Getting back into town was easy: any matatu with anything resembling a space would stop, no matter how fast it had been going.

There are two very obvious wide tracks leading into the forest from the main Jinja-Kampala road (I first saw these from my overnight bus into Kampala from Kenya); one is on eBird as "Mabira Dry Pond", heading north not that long after the road enters the forest. The other is a little further along, again on the north side of the road, not long before one reaches the police station. The second trail has a sign at the start saying in no uncertain terms that birdwatching wasn't permitted without a permit from the forest office, and violating it would result in a fine.
As a result, because I couldn't be bothered with the extra faff of locating the office or the potential risk of running into someone officious, I birded only from the Mabira Dry Pond track (I saw no dry pond, but three wet ones). Plenty of small tracks lead off the main one, mainly due to the locals extracting a fair amount of firewood and (especially) charcoal, the pits of which are frequently encountered (thankfully this is all done by hand, no chainsaws, so hopefully is more or less sustainable). This trail leads, after maybe 3-4 km, to a large settled clearing, and then carries on beyond. I only once got further than the start of the clearing, because birding was pretty good the whole time.
Not to the extent that you'd want to include it if you were heading out west (for a start the traffic in Kampala is among the worst I've seen anywhere in the world), but definitely worth my while given what I was doing. I got no hassle from anyone, and plenty of very enthusiastic greetings.

Ebird checklists are here:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S128397862

https://ebird.org/checklist/S128424577

https://ebird.org/checklist/S128425679

Red-tailed Monkeys were abundant, and I saw Uganda Mangabey on two dates. The butterflies are excellent.

Late afternoon birding around Jinja town was pleasant enough, with records including Grey Parrot, African Blue Flycatcher, Piapiac, Eastern Plantain-eater and Splendid Starling

Steve

 

[Dortmundbirder]

Thanks for the report of the situation at Mabira, I need to go back to Uganda as well as we did a non birding tour there, and while you see a lot of good birds when you go for the standard mammal tours, you miss out some good thing e.G. Shoebill. And a combination of Mabamba Swamp + Mabira looks very promising.
Some very nice birds on your list, which I havent seen on the tour.
I also felt that the people in Uganda are amongst the friendliest I have seen anywhere. No hassle at all no "strange" feeling anywhere we have been.

 

[Steve Keen]

Thanks for the report of the situation at Mabira, I need to go back to Uganda as well as we did a non birding tour there, and while you see a lot of good birds when you go for the standard mammal tours, you miss out some good thing e.G. Shoebill. And a combination of Mabamba Swamp + Mabira looks very promising.
Some very nice birds on your list, which I havent seen on the tour.
I also felt that the people in Uganda are amongst the friendliest I have seen anywhere. No hassle at all no "strange" feeling anywhere we have been.

I'm sure there are better ways to do Mabira, but this suited my budget and the relaxed style I intended for this trip, and I got a few lifers out of it despite having done Cameroon and Kenya previously.
I camped at Nkima Lodge for Mabamba (couldn't afford the lodge prices), and they organised for a boatman to meet me, but pretty sure it would be very easy to rock up at Mabamba jetty having overnighted in Entebbe (overall travel time by matatu, dugout, back of motorbike was barely an hour) and just pay the fees and go out in a boat.
Checklist (as yet without pics) here:

https://ebird.org/checklist/S128392151

Boat was 150k shillings for two hours (which I shared with a non-birding Dutch couple), plus a 25k conservation fee. Could've stayed out longer (had I been alone) for 50k per hr extra, but as I didn't "need" any of the extra species likely there was no need.

All the best
Steve