Mpanga Forest visit - a few recent bird photos and a new monkey

We had a Sunday afternoon in Mpanga Forest recently.  

We drove through a thunderstorm to get there and there was still nearby - rumbling as we set off on the trail.  It gradually moved away however and we had a good 3 hour walk.  I don’t think we saw a bird for the first hour (but plenty of butterflies) then the activity slowly picked up and we eventually recorded 21 species.  The lowlight was African Emerald Cuckoos calling in several locations.  I’ve heard these in Minziro Forest and Arusha National Park in Tanzania and now Mpanga Forest but I still haven’t seen one.  The highlight was a pair of Fire-crested Alethe - a small robin-type bird that skulks in the dense undergrowth.  Another highlight was meeting Herbert Byahurunga.  Herbert is a birding legend here with his own tour company (Bird Uganda Safaris - www.birduganda.com).  He is tireless in promoting Uganda to international birders and has been most active in developing the skills of women bird guides.  He has visited the USA and Europe but was recently rejected for a visa for Australia.

Fire-crested Alethe

Some of my recent bird photos are on my Flickr account at:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/bukoba_steve/sets/72157678334097963/with/33531166106/

All taken at the two School for Life campuses.

Finally - at SFL Mbazi Riverside yesterday I managed to see one of the monkeys that live in the tiny remnant swamp forest patch the school owns.  They are Grey-cheeked Mangabeys - normally a primary forest species.  Apparently they are in Mpanga but we haven’t seen them there.  Our school population is marooned on a tiny island!  How can we ensure their continued survival?

Those red eyes are amazing!

Wood Warbler and a Kipling Lodge getaway

On Friday I photographed a small Warbler in trees below Katuuso school.  I thought it was a Willow Warbler but the photos later showed it to be a Wood Warbler - a European migrant to East Africa but not at all common.  I think there were three or four present.  A nice bonus lifer - especially since they will be leaving soon to head back to Europe.

Wood Warbler

Wood Warbler

We stayed at Kipling Lodge back in early January and decided to have another night there last weekend.  It is a 3 hour drive if you don’t get lost (as we did for a while).  We had from late morning on Saturday to early afternoon on Sunday.  It was good to see them busy as it is a new lodge and they are trying to grow the business.  As before, the food was excellent, the Nile was flowing fast, Jenny enjoyed the pool and I saw plenty of birds. 

The bird highlight was my first Great Reed Warbler.  These are migrants from their breeding range in Europe and are one of several very similar species.  Good views/photos are essential for identifying these and they rarely come out of dense cover to give you a good look.  Fortunately the two birds present were calling through the day and I was able to compare calls with recordings I had of the various species - only Great Reed Warbler was a match.  My photo attempts were of little use for identification purposes.

I did manage some nice photos of several species and the total bird list for the lodge is now 96.  I will give Alex and Sandra - the owners - some of my photos to use in their promotional material.

Eastern Plantain-eater

Woodland Kingfisher

African Pied Wagtail

Spot-flanked Barbet

Long-crested Eagle

Bronze Mannikin

Thick-billed Weaver

Great Reed Warbler

Pin-tailed Whydah