East Africa Day 13

Uganda 31 July 2015

I have not been able to upload photographs to my blog without wifi or decent band width but will add my photographs to my blog post as soon as I can.

We are having the most brilliant time in Uganda with everything being great. Our trip was organised by our local ground agents Avian Watch Uganda.  Everything is going really well with Robert, our fantastic guide (who knows all the sites and calls and can whistle birds in) and Paul, our driver and fixer, for who nothing was too much.

This morning was a slightly later start, up at 6.00 am for a 6.30 am breakfast and leaving Masindi at 7.00 am.  We stopped in a couple of places just outside of town, just next to the roadside where we could stand on a bank to get a view.  Here we saw a good collection of birds including Black Cuckoo-shrike, Brownspot Twinspot, Grey-headed Oliveback and Ross’s Turaco.

After a few hours we stopped for a loo stop.  All the guys headed down a track whilst Mum and I stayed in the vehicle.  Apparantly, Dad was in full flow when a Black-backed Woodpecker flew in above his head.  He shouted to Digby who saw it well and then Dad returned to get us.  By the time we had got out of the vehicle, and run down the lane, the woodpecker had gone.  I felt disappointed as we had been trying for this species everywhere for the last 4 days.  We did get some excellent views of a Double-toothed Barbet, which sweetened the blow.

We then stopped at Seitori Forest, which is part of Kibale Forest.  This was a great site and amongst the birds we saw here were Masked Apalis, White-chinned Prinia, Lagden’s Bushshrike and Dusky Blue Flycatcher.

We drove through the town of Fort Portal later in the day.  This was  town ste up by the British and was pretty, winning the cleanest town in Uganda award last year.  We then stopped just outside town to go birding, which was pretty quiet but better at a second site that we stopped at, where we saw Western Citril and Africa Blue Flycatcher.

We finally arrived at at Chimpanzee Guest House in the late afternoon, which was very picturesque set amongst a tea plantation.  It was set within Kibale Forest National Park.  We were here to see Green-breasted Pitta only one of two pittas in Africa and the only place it is ever seen.

Trip list – My trip list up to the end of day 13 is 419 with 183 lifers.

About the Writer

 

Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly

Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig 

Mya-Rose Craig is a 12 year old young birder, conservationist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She is looking forward to going Mountain Gorilla Trekking in East Africa and watching Penguins in Antarctica in December 2015, which will be her 7th continent. She has recently been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter