Birding with Jasson

Jasson John searching the Ngono River swamp for Shoebill

On Sunday Jenny and I hooked up with Jasson John and his mate Apollo.  Jasson and Apollo grew up in Minziro Village north of Bukoba and both are keen birders.  While Apollo has stayed close to home, Jasson has recently embarked on a PhD at a university in Seoul, South Korea.  His study is on the ecology and threats to two of Tanzania's most endangered birds - the Shoebill and the Wattled Crane.

Lesser Jacana

Rufous-bellied Heron

Goliath Heron

We showed Jasson where we had recently found the Shoebill and we surveyed three sites on the Ngono River and nearby Lake Ikimba to the south and west of Bukoba.  Jasson gave posters to local fishermen at each site and asked for information on the presence of Shoebills.  It seems that there are 4-5 resident in the wetland system regularly.

Grey Heron

Yellow-billed Duck

Swamp Flycatcher

Although we didn't see Shoebills on this occasion we saw some 75 species for the day and I managed a few nice photos.

Ruppell's Starling

Red-faced Cisticola

David has just arrived and we will show him the sights and sounds of Bukoba and district for a few days.  Next week I hope to catch up with Jasson and do some more birding further afield.

Fishing boats on Lake Ikimba

Two girls herding cattle and sheep along the Ngono River.

Younger of the two girls - "Is he taking my photo?"

Cheers
Steve

Bukoba - 12th January 2011

A few birding highlights from recent days

Red-eyed Dove, Lake Victoria beach, Bukoba

Speckled Pigeon, Lake Victoria Beach, Bukoba

Happy New Year to all my readers.  I've been busy seeing birds so have a few highlights and pics to post today.

Jenny has been on holidays so we have ventured out to various parts of Kagera Region to see some birds, do surveys for the Tanzanian bird atlas project, see some new country and just enjoy the lovely, mild weather we've been having here lately.

Since coming home from Dar and Zanzibar we've visited the Ngona River bridge (1.472939°S, 31.675169°E), Ntoma Beach on Lake Victoria (1.461574°S,  31.802846°E), Minziro Forest (1.111690°S, 31.515850°E) and the Kyanyabasa Ferry (1.389950°S, 31.679210°E).  We haven't neglected the house area and have also seen some great birds from the back garden (wilderness).

Some of these I've managed to photograph - mostly just record shots but a couple have turned out quite well.  Let me know what you think…

Tawny-flanked Prinia carrying food to chicks in a nest in our garden

Red-billed Firefinch adult male with a couple of shiny new ones

Eastern Plantain-eater

Immature Common Fiscal

Gabar Goshawk (I think - waiting other opinions)

At the house in the last week or so I've added Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Purple-banded Sunbird, Sedge Warbler and Dideric Cuckoo with return visits from Lesser Honeyguide, Wahlberg's Eagle, Klaas's Cuckoo, Gabar Goshawk and Red-bellied Paradise-Flycatcher.

At the bridge the highlights were Lesser Moorhen and Wing-snapping Cisticola (both lifers), Grey-capped Warbler and White-winged Black-tit.

I last visited Ntoma Beach with the 30 young girls from the training college (see blog post for 22 September 2010).  With fewer distractions this time I managed to see a few nice birds: A lovely little Grey Kestrel (lifer) was the highlight but there were also Lesser Black-backed Gull, Tambourine Dove, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Red-tailed Shrike, Trilling Cisticola, a flock of about 30 Western Yellow Wagtails and a Plain-backed Pipit on the road in to the beach.

African Fish Eagle, Ngona River bridge

Grey Kestrel, Ntoma Beach, Lake Victoria

Sooty Chat, road to Ntoma Beach

Plain-backed Pipit, road to Ntoma Beach

Minziro Forest felt quieter than on our first visit but the number of species seen was the same.  Certainly there was less activity in the forest itself.  Best birds were Great Blue Turaco (about a dozen together along a forest stream), Mottled Spinetail (lifer), Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Cabanis's Greenbul (lifer), Northern Wheatear, Green Hylia (lifer), (Western) Olive Sunbird, Black-winged Red-bishop (on the road heading to the forest).  Also seen were Uganda Red-tailed Monkeys, an unidentified small monkey and a Sun Squirrel.

Great Blue Turaco, Minziro Forest

Today we took two friends, Val and Sheila, for a drive and a picnic around the Ngona River valley.  As you approach the river area to the north of the valley there is a large open swampy area where birds can be easily seen.  Today we had a bonanza there with Squacco, Rufous-bellied, Purple, Black-headed and Goliath Herons, Intermediate Egret, Lesser Jacana, Long-toed Lapwing and a Shoebill.  We attracted lots of attention from locals passing by our parked car and one chap (a fisherman) had my binoculars longer than I did and was keen to point out birds he knew in my field guide.  Unfortunately he didn't have much English or KiSwahili and I don't have any Kihaya.  I'm sure I could have learned much form him.  See Jenny's blog today for more…

Shoebill and Goliath Heron, Ngona River

Purple Heron, Ngona River

Lesser Jacana, Ngona River

Long-toed Lapwing, Ngona River

I suppose it is likely that the Shoebill is the same one we saw 8 km downstream back in late October (see blog post).

So 2010 has come to an end.  Our Tanzanian experience is half over and there are still so many birds out there.  I've now seen 326 species in the country, 224 in Kagera and 126 around the house.

Hope you like the photos!

Cheers
Steve

Bukoba - 2nd January 2011