A field collection of birds encountered across East Africa—portraits, behaviour and moments observed in their varied habitats.
The first collection
“In order to see birds, it is necessary to become a part of the silence.” ― Robert Lynd
East Africa, comprising of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi is home to approximately 1388 bird species, some unique, edging towards bizarre and endemic to the region. Since this region is home for me now – I am starting a series of posts to keep a good record.
There are 27 pictures below. You may find, leaves and foliage covering the bird in some pictures. Well, I like to keep and present, as I find them in their natural habitat, without much editing. Hope you enjoy that too. (To see a larger picture , click on the images below. Best viewed in a PC / Tablet).
Southern Red Bishop on the invasive Lantana. QENP, Uganda.Red-billed Firefinch. QENP, Uganda.A male Black Headed Weaver (aka Village Weaver), Itanda Falls, Jinja, Uganda. Male builds the nest, females inspect and accepts. If rejected, the males discards the nest and starts all over again. White-Throated Bee-Eater. QENP, Uganda. These birds build their nests in the soil like the Pied Kingfisher .Pied Kingfisher. Kazinga Channel, QENP, Uganda.Hadada Ibis. Noisy and not shy, live amongst human habitat. Entebbe, Uganda.Yellow Billed Duck. Mbamba Swamps, Lake Victoria, UgandaA Common Squacco Heron. Mbamba Swamps, Lake Victoria, UgandaGrey / Golden-Crowned Crane – The National Bird of Uganda. QENP, Uganda.A pair of Common Ostrich. Ngoro Ngoro Crater, TanzaniaKori Bustard. The heaviest bird of Africa which can fly – adult males weigh upto 18 to 20 Kgs. Tarangire, TanzaniaPapyrus Gonolek. Habitat restricted to restricted to papyrus swamps. Mabamba Swamps, Near Entebbe, Uganda.Black Headed Gonolek. The other species of Gonolek can be found in bush, woodland, thickets, culltivated areas.Both species are quite shy and hardly give an opportunity for a clear picture. QENP, Uganda.Yellow Throated Sandgrouse. Ngoro Ngoro Crater, Tanzania Angola Swallow. QENP, Uganda.Red -Throated Spurfowl. Generally found perched on a mound, specially in the morning. QENP, Uganda.Pin-Tailed Whydah. A Male in Breeding Plumage. Exquisite aerial dance to attract females (dull brown, no tail). Kazinga Channel, QENP, Uganda.Verreaux’s Eagle Owl. Kihihi Area, QENP, Uganda. Feel absolutely lucky to have found this wise one. Please note that Owls are sometimes found in broad daylight.African Goshawk. Masai Mara, Kenya.Bateleur : A Very Unique Eagle with a Short Tail and Fabulous Flight Patterns. Kihihi Area, QENP, Uganda.Short-Toed Snake Eagle. Kihihi Area, QENP, Uganda.Long Crested Eagle. QENP, Uganda.Palm Nut Vulture. Quite Similar to African Fish Eagle (below) Kihihi Area, QENP, Uganda.African Fish Eagle : A Magnificent Raptor to observe either on a perch …… or in flight ! Mbamba Swamps, Lake Victoria, UgandaAfrican Jacana : Their long feet give them special abilities ! Mbamba Swamps, Lake Victoria, UgandaLeaf Walkers : Jacans on Water Lily Leaves . Mbamba Swamps, Lake Victoria, Uganda
Let me leave you with an excerpt from a poem by Debbie, which goes well with the compilation above.
“Ah and then there are the birds, breeds you have never heard. Colors that take your breath away, as they sit in the trees and watch you all day.
Yes, you are amazed once more by our Lord, an undiscovered forest holding secrets galore. I won’t say a word or tell a soul, this is our secret of pure beauty to behold. ”
– Debbie wagoner
Happy Birding !!
Further encounters in Uganda
“Tame Birds Sing of Freedom, Wild Birds Fly” – John Lennon
While East Africa in particular is known for wildlife safaris, especially for those looking for the ‘Big Five’, Uganda can easily claim itself to be a heaven for the birders. Uganda boasts of about 1350 species of birds including some endemic and unique birds, not / difficult to be found elsewhere.
Even though the heading mentions ‘East Africa’, this post mainly contains birds of Uganda, which I have been able to spot and record in last few months despite the partial restrictions on movement due to Covid-19. Most shots may not appear to be of Natgeo quality, remember, I am just a modest twitcher trying to share some experiences and memories.
Brown-Throated Wattle-Eye, Male. The female has the brown throat patch. What a songster – one of the most melodious songs I have heard around in Uganda so far. Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Western Uganda. March 2021.Lizard Buzzard : A small, gray buzzard, vertical black stripe on the throat is distinctive. Observed in singles or pairs in savanna / forest canopies. Often perches in the open, watching for insects, lizards, snakes, and other small vertebrates. Clicked in Botanical Garden, Entebbe, March 2021Lappet-Faced and Ruppell’s Griffon Vultures sharing a mound and some quiet time in the downpour. Lappet-Faced are larger and normally boss around the carcasses and would not tolerate the Griffon’s closeness. What I see here is some maturity and respect for diversity – in sharing a more comfortable perch. Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda. March 2021. Blue-capped Coucal. Mabamba, Entebbe, Dec 2020.Malachite Kingfisher. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, May 2021.Pied Kingfisher – Female. The male has two black throat bands which are completely joined. The female has one with a gap, as seen above. By the way, in birding, anything Black and White is prefixed with ‘Pied’. These lovely fish hunters are strong. Flying far away from the shore and diving multiple times in one sortie, before returning to catch a breath. Not all dives are successful. This one is sitting on a Papyrus stem. Clicked in Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, March 2021. Orange Weaver, Male. Not so common as the Village / Black Headed weavers. Clicked at Ngamba Island (aka Chimpanzee Island), Lake Victoria, near Entebbe, May 2021. Black Headed / Village Weaver, Male. Female is duller in colours. Relentless nest builders, these males weave the leave strips or grass blades into beautiful nests. It is a competition, as the nests are inspected by the females who accepts it as home and the builder as a mate only if she is impressed. If the nest is rejected, the male starts all over again to build a new one. I have also seen the males stealing building materials (cushioning leaves etc) from each others nests. All seems to be fair in love, war and nature.Black Headed Weavers, in their community bath. Both males and females are seen here. Females, like the bird on extreme right is dull in colors and without the black mask. Ngamba Island, Uganda.Vieillot’s Black Weaver. Male. Unusual dark weaver, males show variation in colouration going westwards in Africa, however, females maintain same colour. See the female below. Shot in Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021.Vieillot’s Black Weaver. Female. Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021.Baglafecht Weaver, Female. Lake Buniyoni, South Western Uganda. March 2021Black Necked Weaver, Female. Male has a black neck. they build a hanging nest (like all weavers) with a funnel (not all weavers’ nests have that). Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021. Gray Parrot. Large gray parrot with a white face and red tail. Possess an impressive vocal repertoire including whistles, bell-like notes, and screeches. Single and groups flying about and perching in high canopy. Clicked in Botanical Garden, Entebbe. March 2021.Pin Tailed Whydah, a Male in breeding plumage. Female and Non Breeding males do not have the tail, look alike and have dull brown colours. Looks can be deceptive. This pretty little thing is another practitioner of parasitic breeding, other commonly known are cuckoos. No specific target species, it lays eggs in the nests of a wide variety of Waxbills. White-Browed Robin-Chat. Pairs prefer forest thickets in well developed woodland, where they forage on the ground and sing from mid-canopy. Commonly seen in the house gardens (not shy of humans). A lovely songster – sings variations of song which at times get louder and louder in a characteristic crescendo, often incorporating varied jumbled notes and imitations of other species. Clicked in Bush Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Western Uganda. March 2021.Black Drake. A very shy and runaway bride of the swamps – just won’t let you get a shot, leave aside go near. Anyway, someday, I hope to observe it better. Kazinga Channel, QENP, Uganda.Lesser Flamingoes. Clicked at Lake Munyanyange, a crater lake in QENP, Uganda, March 2021Kittlitz’s Plover. Small plover with a brown back and pale underparts. Distinctive head pattern, with one black stripe behind the eye and another across the forehead. Found on mudflats, on saltpans, and in open fields, sometimes far from water. Displays a typical plover behaviour, running and plucking food from the ground. Shot at QENP, Uganda.Wood Sandpiper : Medium-sized brownish wader with a white belly, varied pale spotting and spangling on the back. Standing on a Water Lily leaf here at Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, Uganda. Jan 2021.Water Thick Knee. A plover-like bird with large, yellow eyes. Crepuscular and nocturnal, always stays closer to the permanent water bodies. An Intermediate (yellow beak) and a Little Egret. The former is slightly bigger, just about 5 – 7 cm. Beak is distinctive. Was lucky to get them in same frame. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe, Jan 2021.Long Toed Lapwing : Boldly marked with a white face and throat framed by a black nape and breast band. Wetlands and floating vegetation, where it can be found. Both are resting one leg. Lutembe, Near Entebbe, Uganda. Jan 2021.Marabu Stork : A large, grisly looking stork, who is not shy of moving about amongst the humans in towns – practically, wherever it can find something to feed on. A scavenger, also soars high to locate food / carcasses / waste dumps. Seen it in the busiest streets of towns as well as scuffling with vultures over carrion in Masai Mara. Clicked in Lutembe, Entebbe. Dec 2020.Blue-Breasted Bee-Eater. Beautiful bee-eater with a green back, yellow throat, and buffy underparts. Similar to Little Bee-eater but separated by slightly larger size and by the pale patch along the top and back of the yellow throat. Clicked at Lutembe, Entebbe. Dec 2021.Angola SwallowA pair of Black and White Casqued Hornbills. No prizes for guessing the larger male on the left and female on the right. It a treat to watch these amorous birds who spend some quality time together. Lovely in flight, you can also hear their wing beats over head as they move about from tree to tree. Crowned Hornbill. The female and the chicks are inside (one beak is visible). Wonder, how did the female get inside. Well, the hollow’s entrance is much wider than visible now. It is mastery of these hornbills, that once, the female enters the nest, the male brings in mud to patch up the entrance and leave just enough space for the feeding to continue. Look again – isn’t their skill amazing. Unethical to click birds at nest, just chanced upon this – took one burst of shots and left them without any further disturbance / stress of my presence. Location – Secret.Great Blue Turaco. All birds are beautiful, some are just beyond comparison. Turacos are such species. Shot at Botanical Garden, Entebbe, June 2021 African Jacana. Locals also call it Jesus Bird – as it appears to walk on the water, while feeding / standing on the water-lily leaves. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe. May 2021.Olive Bellied Sunbird, Female. Botanical Garden, Entebbe. June 2021.Ruppell’s Starling. QENP, Dec 2020.Long Tailed Cormorant. Mabamba Swamps, May 2021.Large Cormorant. Mabamba Swamps, May 2021.Fan-Tailed Widowbird. Male. Mabamba Swamps, Entebbe. May 2021.Yellow-Billed Duck. Mabamba Swamps, May 2021.White Faced Whistling Duck. Distinct duck with black-and-white head, rufous breast, and barred flanks. As all whistling-ducks, long neck and legs give it a gooselike appearance. Found in freshwater marshes, lakes, and rice fields. Usually in flocks. Feeds at night. Lutembe
Dear Emmanuel – you are very generous in your praise. Am glad that you liked the pictures. Just trying to retain and share some lovely memories from your home.
Mukisa Emmanuel
Okay,these are the best shots I’ve ever seen,I’m so amazed.
Dear Arshley, Happy to hear from you and receive your comments. Amends made – thank you for excellent spotting. Hope you will re-visit !!
Cheers.
Arshley Brian
Thanks for the write up,it’s really nice but some thing small to change about the firefinch,the bird is a a male Red-billed Firefinch( Lagonosticta senegala) and it’s not endemic,Uganda only has one true endemic bird and that’s the Fox’s Weaver secondly the Weaver you posted on the nest is a male Village Weaver(Ploceus cucullatus)
Other wise thanks for the good photos and the write up.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.