BEST OF UGANDA BIRDING – 14 Days

Day one

Arrival at Entebbe, birding in Botanical Gardens depending on time of arrival. The beautiful gardens established in 1901 lie on the showers of Lake Victoria which offers superb introduction to Ugandan birds. The common species here include; Verreaux’s Eagle Owls, Orange-tufted and Red-chested Sunbirds, Orange Weaver, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed, Jackson’s Golden-backed, Black-headed and Vieillot’s Black Weavers, Long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco, Black-headed Heron, Hamerkop, African Open-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Duck, Grey-headed Gull, Giant and Pied Kingfishers, Swamp Flycatcher, Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested Sunbird, Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Die Derik Cuckoo, Woodland Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Splendid Starling, African Fish Eagle, Eastern Grey Plantain Eater, Hadada Ibis, Palmnut Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Shikra, Lizard Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, Grey Kestrel, Black Crake, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Angola Swallow, Winding Cisticola, Red-faced Cisticola, Grey-capped Warbler, Common Wattle-eye, Green-throated Sunbird, Scarlet-chested Sunbird etc.

Day Two

Mabamba then drive to Lake Mburo. Lake Mburo National Park has a bird list of over 315 species, you will come across some of the key species like the Red-faced Barbet, African Fin foot,  Crested Francolin, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away bird,  Blue-napped Mouse bird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Green wood Hoopoe, Common Scimitabill, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cistcola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Northern Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Marico Sunbird, Coqui Francolin, Black-bellied Bustard, African Wattled Plover, Flappet Lark, Rufous-chested Swallow, Yellow-throated Long claw, Southern Red Bishop, African Scops Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Fiery-necked, white-tailed and Pennant winged Nightjars, Lesser and Greater  Swamp Warblers, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Blue-headed Coucal,  African Darter, Yellow-throated Leaf love, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers, Red-headed Lovebird, Narina Trogon, African White-backed Vulture, Rupell’s Griffon, Lappet-faced Vulture, African Marsh Harrier, Shikra, Gabar and Dark Chanting Goshawks, Lizard and Auger Buzzards, African Fish Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Steppe, Martial Eagles, Long Crested Eagle etc. Then drive to Kampala.

Day Three

Lake Mburo National Park then drive to Bwindi – Ruhija sector, Lake Mburo National Park has a bird list of over 315 species, you will come across some of the key species like the Red-faced Barbet, African Fin foot,  Crested Francolin, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Bare-faced Go-away bird,  Blue-napped Mouse bird, Lilac-breasted Roller, Green wood Hoopoe, Common Scimitabill, African Grey Hornbill, Spot-flanked Barbet, Nubian Woodpecker, Trilling Cistcola, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Northern Black Tit, Chin-spot Batis, Greater Blue-eared Starling, Marico Sunbird, Coqui Francolin, Black-bellied Bustard, African Wattled Plover, Flappet Lark, Rufous-chested Swallow, Yellow-throated Long claw, Southern Red Bishop, African Scops Owl, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Fiery-necked, white-tailed and Pennant winged Nightjars, Lesser and Greater  Swamp Warblers, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Blue-headed Coucal,  African Darter, Yellow-throated Leaf love, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers, Red-headed Lovebird, Narina Trogon, African White-backed Vulture, Rupell’s Griffon, Lappet-faced Vulture, African Marsh Harrier, Shikra, Gabar and Dark Chanting Goshawks, Lizard and Auger Buzzards, African Fish Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Steppe, Martial Eagles, Long Crested Eagle etc. Then drive to Ruhija.

Day Four

Drive from Ruhija and proceed to Buhoma. Bwindi National Park gives you the finest Montane forest birding in Africa giving numerous possibilities of the twenty four (24) Albertine Rift Valley endemics such as; African Green Broadbill, Shelley’s Crimson wing, Yellow eyed Black Flycatcher, Blue-headed Sunbird, Purple Breasted Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Bronze-napped Pigeon, Bar-tailed Trogon, Black Bee-eater, Willcock’s Honey guide, Black faced Rufous Warbler, Red throated Alethe,  Archer’s Robin Chat, Kivu Ground Thrush, Montane Masked Apalis, Collared Apalis, Graver’s Warbler, Short-tailed Warbler, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Nightjars, Woodpeckers,  Forest Ground Thrush Chapin’s Flycatcher, Brown-capped Weaver, White-collared Oliveback, Red-fronted Antpecker,  Oriole-finch etc.

Day Five

Early morning birding in Buhoma then drive to Queen Elizabeth National Park.

Day Six, Seven and Eight

Queen Elizabeth National Park. With the bird list of 550 species, Queen Elizabeth National Park is one of the places which a birder can put on the list to visit. One of the key species in this park includes the  Shoebill Stork,  Martial Eagle, Black-rumped Buttonquail, African Skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Black Bee-eater, White-tailed Lark, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, African Fish Eagle, Eurasian Honey Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, Lesser Kestrel, Short-tailed Snake Eagle, Knob-billed Ducks, African Jacana, Black Crake, Malachite Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Common Squacco Heron, Saddle-billed Stork, Red-throated Pipet, Brown-snake Eagle, Bateluer Eagle, African Harrier-Hawk, Lappet-faced Vulture, Ruppell’s Vulture, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Speckled Tinkerbird, Grey woodpecker, Lesser Flamingos, Broad billed Warbler, African Moustached Warbler, Black Bishop etc.

Then proceed to Kibale National Park and Semiliki National Park.

Day Nine and Ten

Birding in Royal Mile and Busingiro. This is considered to be one of the country’s premier area for birding. The key species in this area include; Banded Snake Eagle, Crowned and African Pied Hornbills, Bat Hawk, Brown-backed Scrub Robin, Marsh Tchagra, Black Bishop, Brown Twinspot, Black-bellied Firefinch, Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted and African Dwarf Kingfishers, White-thighed and Black and white casqued Hornbills, Yellow spotted, Hairy-breasted and Yellow-bellied Barbets, Western Black-headed Oriole and Purple-headed Starlings, Cameroon Sombre, Slender-billed Honey guide White-throated, Red-tailed and spotted Greenbul, Buft-throated, Black-throated, Black-capped Apalises, Brown-crowned Eremomela, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Grey-headed and Green Sunbirds, Yellow-mantled Weaver and White-breasted Negrofinch, Yellow-crested Woodpecker, Rufous Thrush, Green Hylia, Grey Longbill, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Nahan’s Francolin, Scaly-breasted, Brown and Pale-breasted Illadopses, Red-tailed Bristle bill, Fire-crested Alethe, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Red-tailed Ant Thrush, Forest Robin and Jameson’s wattle-eye, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Yellow Longbill and Grey-throated Flycatcher, Black Sparrow hawk, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Crowned Eagle,  Black-collared Sunbird,, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Green-breasted Pitta, Ituri Batis etc.

Day Eleven and Twelve

Birding in Southern Murchison Falls National Park in Kaniyo Pabidi. Budongo Forest Reserve lies at the edge of Albertine Rift Valley to the South of Murchison Falls National Park and protects the largest Natural Forest area in East Africa. It boosts an impressive bird list of over 350 species and is the best site in Uganda for a number of sought after birds. The key species in this area are Nahan’s Francolin, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Cassin’s Spine tail, Ituri Batis, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Black-collared Lovebird, Sabine’s  Spine tail, Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted and African Dwarf Kingfishers, Piping Hornbill, Red-sided Broadbill, Green-breasted Pitta, Puvel’s Illadopsis, spotted Greenbul, Fire-crested Alethe, Black-eared Ground Thrush, Black-capped Apalis, Brown-crowned Eremomela, Grey and Yellow Longbills, Lemon-bellied Crombec, Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Brown Twinspot, Grey-headed Olive-back etc.

Day Thirteen

Transfer to Entebbe birding in Botanical Gardens in the afternoon. The beautiful gardens established in 1901 lie on the showers of Lake Victoria which offers superb introduction to Ugandan birds. The common species here include; Verreaux’s Eagle Owls, Orange-tufted and Red-chested Sunbirds, Orange Weaver, Slender-billed, Northern Brown-throated, Yellow-backed, Jackson’s Golden-backed, Black-headed and Vieillot’s Black Weavers, Long-tailed Cormorant, Common Squacco, Black-headed Heron, Hamerkop, African Open-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Duck, Grey-headed Gull, Giant and Pied Kingfishers, Swamp Flycatcher, Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested Sunbird, Great Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Die Derik Cuckoo, Woodland Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Splendid Starling, African Fish Eagle, Eastern Grey Plantain Eater, Hadada Ibis, Palmnut Vulture, Hooded Vulture, Shikra, Lizard Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, Grey Kestrel, Black Crake, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Angola Swallow, Winding Cisticola, Red-faced Cisticola, Grey-capped Warbler, Common Wattle-eye, Green-throated Sunbird, Scarlet-chested Sunbird etc. overnight in Entebbe.

Day Fourteen

If there is spare time before your flight, you can go for Biding in Mabira Forest.