2014 - Can I see 1000 species? (1 Viewer)

[JWN Andrewes]

Looks doable. Just. But even if the final total falls a little short... been a hell of a year!

Good luck Jon!

James

 

[Farnboro John]

Still Short-eared Owl up your sleeve!

John

 

[Jon Turner]

The remainder of the day was spent driving to the Skyblue Motel (several birds seen en route) and I discover just how good both Valéry and Thibaut are with these African birds. Then after lunch a drive into Lake Mburo National Park with a boat trip on the lake for several goodies. The animals were good here too: Impala, Wart Hog, Bushbuck, Waterbuck, Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Cape Buffalo, Zebra.

669) Double-toothed Barbet
670) Woodland Kingfisher
671) Speckled Pigeon
672) Grey-headed Sparrow
673) Marabou Stork
674) Yellow-billed Kite
675) Black-headed Heron
676) Open-billed Stork
677) Grey Kestrel
678) Hooded Vulture
679) Ruppell's Starling
680) Sacred Ibis
681) Striped Kingfisher
682) Great Blue Turaco
683) Long-crested Eagle
684) Village Weaver
685) African Pied Wagtail
686) Crowned Hornbill
687) Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
688) Lilac-breasted Roller
689) African Marsh Harrier
690) Lizard Buzzard
691) Angola Swallow
692) Eastern Grey Plantain Eater
693) Grey-backed Fiscal
694) Hammerkop
695) Fork-tailed Drongo
696) Speckled Mousebird
697) Laughing Dove
698) Tawny-flanked Prinia
699) Diederic Cuckoo
700) Woolly-necked Stork
701) Wahlberg's Eagle
702) White-headed Saw-wing
703) Pin-tailed Whyda
704) Grey-crowned Crane
705) Saddle-billed Stork
706) Shikra
707) Lesser-striped Swallow
708) Bronze Mannikin
709) Common Waxbill
710) Red-necked Francolin
711) African Wattled Lapwing
712) Three-banded Plover
713) Yellow-billed Duck
714) Red-breasted Swallow
715) Rufous-bellied Heron
716) Blue-naped Mousebird
717) African Jacana
718) Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike
719) Malachite Kingfisher
720) White-winged Black Tit
721) Lesser Masked Weaver
722) Little Bee-eater
723) Black-bellied Bustard
724) Emerald-spotted Wood Dove
725) Bateleur
726) Sooty Chat
727) Ring-necked Dove
728) Helmeted Guineafowl
729) African Fish Eagle
730) Pied Kingfisher
731) White-rumped Swift
732) Finfoot
733) Swamp Flycatcher
734) White-backed Night Heron
735) Carruther's Cisticola
736) Black Crake
737) Water Thick-knee
738) Striated Heron
739) Holub's Golden Weaver
740) Blue-spotted Wood Dove
741) Cardinal Woodpecker
742) Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu
743) Singing Cisticola
744) Buff-bellied Warbler
745) Yellow-throated Longclaw
746) Grey-backed Cameroptera
747) Nubian Woodpecker
748) Bearded Woodpecker
749) Golden-backed Weaver
750) Spot-flanked Barbet
751) Crested Francolin
752) Bare-faced Go-away Bird
753) Black-headed Gonolek
754) Common Scimitarbill
755) Brown Snake Eagle
756) Black-lored Babbler
757) Plain-backed Pipit
758) White-browed Robin Chat
759) White-browed Coucal
760) Square-tailed Nightjar
761) Northern Brown-throated Weaver
762) Long-tailed Cormorant

Lifers in bold, over 70 today alone! Those that I have seen before were either in the Gambia or in Kenya/Tanganyika/Uganda 52 years ago!

 

[Jon Turner]

Following our night at the Skyblue Motel, we were back to the Lake Mburo Park, to do the same track again, including same tracks we didn't do yesterday, and ending up once again at the lakeside for lunch. Then back through the park to the main road and a long drive out to the mountains and Bwindi National Park where we spent the night at Ruhija. Part of the road was being 'made up' prior to tarmac etc, so very rough, and we had a rear right puncture, which attracted a few boys to watch us change the wheel. This also necessitated two more stops to try and get the punctured tyre changed, which was eventually done by putting an inner tube into it! So we arrived in the dark at Ruhija, missing one of the target birds...

However, we added these:
By the Hotel car park:
763) Arrow-marked Babbler
By the road on the way to the Park:
764) Fan-tailed Widowbird
And in the Park:
765) Winding Cisticola
766) Abdim's Stork
767) Marico's Sunbird
768) Mosque Swallow
769) Yellow-fronted Canary
770) Brimstone Canary
771) Trilling Cisticola
772) Slate-coloured Boubou
773) Golden-breasted Bunting - Puts all of our Buntings right in the shade!
774) Green-winged Ptylia
775) African Moustached Grass Warbler
776) Croaking Cisticola
777) Black-faced Waxbill
778) African Mourning Dove
779) Red-faced Crombec
780) Little Weaver
781) Fawn-breasted Waxbill
782) Siffling Cisticola
783) Yellow-billed Stork
784) Pygmy Kingfisher
785) White-browed Scrub Robin
786) Red-headed Weaver
787) Spectacled Weaver
788) Senegal Lapwing
789) African Grey Hornbill
790) Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
791) Black Cuckoo-shrike
792) Yellow-breasted Apalis
793) White-backed Vulture
794) Western Black-headed Batis
795) Yellow-billed Oxpecker
796) Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling
797) Crested Barbet - Valéry thinks this a northern range extension for this species.
798) Martial Eagle
799) Lappet-faced Vulture - makes up for missing the last one in Israel back in the early nineties!!
800) Brown (Meyer's) Parrot - tricky to see, thanks Thibaut!
801) White-headed Vulture
802) Green-capped Eremomela
By the lake, while enjoying lunch!:
803) Grey-capped Warbler
back through the Park:
804) Red-headed Lovebird
805) Green Wood-hoopoe
806) Painted Snipe
Along the road:
807) Black-chested Snake-eagle
At the top of a huge tree in one of the large towns with no spare tyres! :
808) White Pelican
809) Pink-backed Pelican
Further along the road:
810) Augur Buzzard
811) Northern Fiscal
812) White-necked Raven
813) Black Sparrowhawk - Stunning!
814) Western Citril Finch
And in the forest a few kilometres from the lodge:
815) African Wood Owl

Surprising how many new birds were seen in the morning drive in the park compared to the late afternoon/evening of the previous day.

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

773) Golden-breasted Bunting - Puts all of our Buntings right in the shade!

Here it is

 

[Maroon Jay]

Some great birds there Jon that I would love to see. Which Pygmy Kingfisher? I saw a Pygmy Kingfisher in Guatemala. Probably not the same species.

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta)...

 

[Jon Turner]

African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta)...

Yup, just like that one! I now have Tib's photos too, so I'll try posting some of them. He said this will be ok.:t:

 

[Maroon Jay]

Beautiful. Thanks. I have to go to Africa and add that one to my collection of Kingfishers.

 

[Larry Sweetland]

wow, go Jon go!! superb photo finish:t:

 

[Jon Turner]

Beautiful. Thanks. I have to go to Africa and add that one to my collection of Kingfishers.

There were others too - watch this space!! :eek!:

 

[Jon Turner]

So in sequence, we were now up at 7000 feet plus in the Bwindi forest. We stayed at a community-run project for tourists to see Grillers!! The rooms were basic but comfortable and the food was fine and plenteous. The staff were all very friendly. Our main object over the next day or two was to see as many of the Albertine Rift endemics as we could. Valéry reckoned anywhere between 12 and 20, hopefully nearer the latter figure!
Our first walk was from the lodge to a track off the main road (itself a dirt road) which could be driveable but only a few people on foot while we were there:

816) White-tailed Blue Flycatcher
817) Northern Double-collared Sunbird
818) Baglafecht Weaver
819) Chestnut-throated Apalis
820) Black Saw-wing
821) Olive Pigeon
822) Chin-spot Batis
823) Yellow-whiskered Greenbul
824) Collared Apalis - Endemic
825) Northern Puffback
826) Regal Sunbird - Endemic
827) Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
828) Mountain Oriole
829) African Paradise Flycatcher
830) Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
831) Lüdher's Bush Shrike - Took us ages to get this to show!
832) Mountain Thrush
833) Blue-headed Sunbird - Endemic
834) Mountain Masked Apalis - Endemic
835) Chubb's Cisticola - very noisy!!!
836) African Dusky Flycatcher
837) Equatorial Akalat
838) Plain Greenbul
839) Blue Malkoha = stunner!
840) Streaky Seedeater
841) White-chinned Prinia
842) Mountain Illadopsis
843) Black-throated Apalis
844) Horus Swift
845) Stripe-breasted Tit - Endemic
846) Banded Prinia
847) Thick-billed Seedeater
848) Yellow-bellied Waxbill
849) White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher
850) Grey-chinned Sunbird
851) Red-faced Woodland Warbler - Endemic, glad to say I actually found this one!!
And around the lodge gardens after lunch:
852) Least Honeyguide
853) Bronze Sunbird
854) Black-crowned Waxbill
855) Rock Martin
856) Dwarf Honeyguide - Endemic
857) Strange Weaver - Endemic, are there any other birds in the world called 'Strange'?
858) Brown-capped Weaver
Then along the road/track back towards the entrance:
859) African (jungle) Hill-babbler
860) Grey Cuckoo Shrike
861) Olive-breasted Mountain Greenbul
862) White-browed Crombec
863) Mountain Yellow Warbler
864) White-starred Robin
865) Handsome Francolin - Endemic, and the bird Valéry had hoped to see yesterday evening...
866) Rwenzori Turaco - Endemic. We stopped and hopped out to look over the forest and looking down I saw this bright Blue and Red bird fly away, Valéry came over and another flew after the first! Stunning, but sadly Thibaut missed them - and he needed it!
867) Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill

So 10 of the endemics, I think Valéry said this was the best he'd done in one day!

 

[Valéry Schollaert]

Mind the spelling of White-starred Robin... ;-)

Ten endemics is the best record I did at Ruhija itself (but I did more on Mubwindi walk).

 

[Larry Sweetland]

are there any other birds in the world called 'Strange'?
!

can only think of Strange-tailed Tyrant

 

[Jon Turner]

It's now 7th December and an even earlier start - 05.00 for an 05.30 drive to the ranger station where we have arranged to meet Amos - our guide for the day, and a Park guard (Robert) to escort us (complete with AK47 - gulp!) This is to scare away any stray Elephants or Gorillas we may encounter....
We are headed for the Bwindi Swamp - way down through the forest, and it's wet underfoot. As usual seeing birds in a rainforest is frustrating. (but ultimately rewarding!)

868) Mackinnon's Fiscal (Shrike)
869) Slender-billed Starling
870) Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher - Endemic
871) Archer's Robin-chat - Endemic - How long did it take us to get this one out in the open!!!
872) Klaas's Cuckoo
873) Dusky Tit
874) White-bellied Crested Flycatcher
875) Red-chested Cuckoo
876) Yellow-billed Barbet
877) Bar-tailed Trogon
878) Yellow-streaked Greenbul
879) Sharpe's Starling
880) Grauer's Swamp Warbler - Endemic, and the reason for the long walk to the swamp!
881) Dusky Crimsonwing - Endemic
882) Crowned Eagle - a full grown juvenile on the nest!
883) Rwenzori Batis - Endemic, and yet again we took for ever to track this down!
884) Mountain Buzzard - 5 together in a thermal
886) Slender-billed Greenbul
887) Black-billed Turaco - another difficult to view species, but worth the wait!
888) White-headed Wood-hoopoe
889) Narina Trogon - Don'tya love Trogons?!
890) Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo
Amos was accomplished and very helpful. Sadly the ranger wasn't needed for wild animals - we saw lots of evidence of Elephants and even heard one - but distant. So we left Rihija and drove the dirt road down to Buhoma. On the way:
891) Cassin's Flycatcher - by a bridge over a river, in pouring rain
892) Cape Wagtail
893) Snowy-crowned Robin Chat
894) African Blue Flycatcher
895) Tropical Boubou
And on arrival we headed for the bar/balcony overlooking a lovely bit of open space with trees you could actually see into!
896) White-throated Bee-eater
897) Bocage's Bush Shrike
898) Pink-footed Puffback
899) Little Green Sunbird
900) Black-and-white Shrike Flycatcher Only 100 to go!!!
901) African Shrike Flycatcher
902) Black-necked Weaver
903) Little Greenbul
904) Tiny Sunbird
A great way to finish the day - sit down birding with beer! What's more, because Valéry uses this lodge regularly we were offered the new luxury rooms that were only opened two weeks previously! Mine had two double beds and a bath with a view out over Bwindi Impenetrable Forest! They wanted Valéry to be able to pass the word on about how they are developing their business - it's another community-run project. Oh and we saw another five Endemics this morning so 15 in all. Happy with that!

 

[Tib78]

I now have Tib's photos too, so I'll try posting some of them. He said this will be ok.:t:

Very much ok indeed :t:

857) Strange Weaver - Endemic, are there any other birds in the world called 'Strange'?

You also found that one Jon. Along with many other goodies during the trip!

 

[Jon Turner]

Mind the spelling of White-starred Robin... ;-)

Ten endemics is the best record I did at Ruhija itself (but I did more on Mubwindi walk).

OOPS! :-O Thinking of Costa Rica again!

 

[Jon Turner]

The next morning we started with a walk up the hill behind our lodges. Tib spent about an hour trying to persuade a Black Cuckoo to come out of cover - it kept calling but never appeared! Apparently they have both tried calling this species in other parts of Africa, and it usually responds almost immediately... Not here in Uganda apparently! The walk did produce several more though:

905) Brown-crowned Tchagra
906) African Green Pigeon
907) Brown-backed Scrub Robin
908) Ayer's Hawk-Eagle Tib pleased with this (as of course was I!)
Needless to say after breakfast we walked down the hill to lodge entry and the first bird we saw was:
909) Black Cuckoo
910) Black-and-white Mannikin
911) Green Hylia - like a huge Willow Warbler - of which we also saw a few during the trip.
912) Blue-throated Brown Sunbird
913) Green-throated Sunbird
914) Buff-throated Apalis
915) Grey Apalis
916) Elliot's Woodpecker - now Tib got really excited about this - which I also found I think!
917) Red-tailed Bristlebill - a beauty
918) Little Grey Greenbul
919) Petit's Cuckoo-shrike
920) Tambourine Dove the other bird that didn't show during our early morning walk
921) Cassin's Hawk-Eagle Tib actually RAN up the hill to get better views of this (and some pics!)
Now we started to head north towards Kasese, where Valéry lives, and a drive through Queen Elizabeth Natinal Park, staggeringly beautiful scenery and the Savannah (with Acacias) I remember when I lived in Kenya 52 years ago!
922) African Black-headed Oriole
923) White-headed Barbet
924) Black Coucal
925) Black-crowned Tchagra
926) Thick-billed Weaver
927) White-winged Widowbird
928) Stout Cisticola
929) Flappet Lark
930) Southern Red Bishop
931) Rufous-naped Lark
932) Red-billed Quelea
933) Palm-nut Vulture
934) White-faced Whistling Duck
935) Sabine's Spinetail - Great to see!
We also saw our first Lions and Elephants of the trip!

 

[njlarsen]

can only think of Strange-tailed Tyrant

That is the second and final hit when looking in Opus

Niels

 

[Jon Turner]

Animals: what you want to see in Africa!