Mt Elgon National Park

Last week I had the privilege of hiking for two days in Mt Elgon National Park, climbing from about 2050 meters above sea level to about 2,675 meters and back down to where we started. We spent the night at (partly in) Tatum (tah-TOOM) Cave at the 2,675-meter level. Of necessity our pace was faster than ideal for birding, but I did see some good ones along the way, viz.:

* Brown woodland warbler (Phylloscopus umbrovirens) -- a first for me

* Grey cuckoo-shrike (Coracina caesia)

* Hartlaub's turaco (Tauraco hartlaubi) -- first time to meet these in Uganda; have seen them several times in Kenya

* Olive pigeon (Columba arquatrix)

* White-tailed crested flycatcher (Elminia albonotata)

* African blue flycatcher (Elminia longicauda)

* Mountain buzzard (Buteo oreophilus)

* Ayres' hawk eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii)

* White-starred robin (Pogonocichla stellata) -- first time to see this in Uganda; a familiar species from Malawi years

* Olive thrush (Turdus olivaceus) -- first time to see this in Uganda; common in Kenya highlands

* Black-throated apalis (Apalis jacksoni)

We also saw a few blue monkeys and heard baboons and black-and-white colobus monkeys as we walked through the montane forest.