An email arrived from Gordon Tans last week. Gordon and his wife Margaret are working in Mwanza and wanted to pop over to Bukoba for the day. Could I take them birding? No worries.
So about 0830 on Friday morning we piled into the car and headed off on a Shoebill hunt along the Ngono River. First stop was the Kyanyabasa Ferry swamp with Little Grebe, Rufous-bellied Heron, Great and Intermediate Egrets, African Spoonbill, African Pygmy Goose, Western Marsh Harrier, Black Crake, Lesser Jacana, African Wattled and Long-toed Lapwings, Red-chested and Copper Sunbirds among the highlights. A mammal highlight was not the long-anticipated Hippo but a couple of Otters (either African Clawless or Spot-necked) that appeared briefly.
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| Black Crake |
Next we backtracked to the Kalebe bridge over the same wetland but further south. Here we practised our Swift and Swallow identification skills as several species swooped under the bridge. A large monitor lizard swam across the river as well. On the road back we found a Singing Cisticola carrying nesting material.
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| Western Yellow Wagtail |
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| Grey-hooded Gull |
Our third stop was the Fish Factory beach on Lake Victoria. After upsetting some chaps unloading fish (possibly illegally) who though our binoculars were cameras we wandered along the shore adding Grey-hooded Gull, Ringed Plover, Spur-winged Lapwing, Western Yellow Wagtail, Red-backed Shrike and Grey-backed Fiscal. As we were leaving the camera-shy chaps came up to us - but all they wanted was a look through our binoculars. They all were very polite, patient and appreciative. Hopefully next time I go they will remember me.
A great birding day!
Bukoba, 20 March 2011
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| Red-backed Shrike |
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| Grey-backed Fiscal |
Steve, it was a great day. But we may need to come again for the Shoebill and Minziro Forest. Thanks so much. Gordon and Margaret
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