Uganda birds

Kenya roadside

2012-01-24T09:16:00.000-08:00

I've had the pleasure of driving and walking around in western Kenya (highlands) for the past several days, and then driving southeast across the equator to Nairobi. Although I did no purposeful birding, I kept my eyes open and caught glimpses of a number of Africa's outstanding avian citizens, of which here is a selection (I've included a few sightings from my time in Uganda last week, also):

Black-headed oriole
Sacred ibis
Hadada (many - learned the Nandi [also] onomatopoeic name for them, "chebokwakwa")
Cape rook
Scarlet-chested sunbird
Blue-eared glossy starlings (probably greater, didn't have a field guide handy to check)
Superb starlings
Augur buzzard (regular and melanistic phase)
Silverbird
Pallid harrier, male and female (females could have been Montagu's, nearly impossible to distinguish in the field)
Bat hawk (seldom sighted, always notable in my experience)
Possible pygmy falcon (too brief a glimpse to be sure...would be a new one for me!)
Lilac-breasted roller
Lanner falcon (actually seen in Mbale, Uganda on the way to Kenya, a pair)
Grey crowned crane
Olive (rameron) pigeon (and several other species of dove/pigeon, including laughing, ring-necked, speckled, along with calls of blue-spotted wood dove & red-eyed dove)
Red-cheeked cordon-bleu
Rufous sparrow
Crowned plover
Grey-backed and common fiscal shrikes (Nandi name for grey-backed fiscal is "Kipkegei")
Red-rumped swallow
Little swift
Scimitarbill
Yellow-throated longclaw
Black-headed heron
Eurasian bee-eater
Hooded vulture
Black-shouldered kite
Saddlebill stork (this also in Uganda, in Lake Victoria as the road leaves Entebbe)
African goshawk (melanistic male chasing Ruepell's long-tailed starling & brown parrot - in Mbale town)
Helmeted guineafowl
Red-billed oxpecker
Shikra
Marabou
Fork-tailed drongo
Black-and-white-casqued hornbill
Grey-headed kingfisher
Woodland kingfisher
Pink-backed pelican

Yellow-crowned night heron

2011-05-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

Friday, last week, I think it was, I spotted a yellow-crowned night heron in the dead branches of a large tree leaning over and into the southwest edge of Rainbow lake. There were several green herons in the vicinity too.

Season still turning

2011-05-10T04:29:00.000-07:00

It was a great pleasure recently to have a yellow-breasted chat in our neighborhood - a first-time sighting for me. In the past few days the common nighthawks have been making their return known with their repetitive "peet-ing" from overhead in the evenings and early mornings. Western kingbirds are back in force too -- they show up a few weeks later than the scissortails, for some reason.

Seasonal comings & goings

2011-04-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

I saw a male northern harrier on power lines just south of Lubbock yesterday. He'll be leaving for cooler climes soon. Although I've seen these and other harriers often enough, 99% of the time they're airborne, quartering over some swamp or savannah or field. It was almost a shock to see this one perched!

Our scissortails are back in numbers, in Abilene and across west Texas. Purple martins, barn swallows and cliff swallows are much in evidence again, as are the chimney swifts.

We had clay-colored and Lincoln's sparrows in our front yard among a mixed group of birds foraging under the bird feeder -- both of these were new to me, so a real pleasure to have a prolonged look at them. These fellows are also probably on their way northward.

There was a Bewick's wren inside our garage a few days back -- I've often been impressed with how bold and even intrusive these diminutive birds are when pursuing their insect and arachnid prey.

Recently in Abilene

2011-03-18T21:58:00.000-07:00

We had a ladder-backed woodpecker in our neighbor's front yard a few days ago. That same afternoon a sharp-shinned hawk wheeled overhead - first I've seen around here for several months. Turkey vultures are back in the vicinity also on a daily basis. And I passed a red-tailed hawk on S. 1st St. this afternoon (nothing unusual in that).

What was unusual, in my experience, was a wild turkey that we startled just a couple of blocks from our house. It flew up into a mesquite tree - obviously a large bird, but it wasn't until it landed that I realized what it was. They are not infrequent outside town, but I've not come across one in this residential area before.

Had close views of a Carolina wren in a nearby alley as it searched for breakfast on the ground and low on the mesquite and hackberry tree trunks.

Lots of warblers calling these days, but I haven't had binoculars handy often enough to identify one in a while.

I've been seeing shovelers, canvasbacks, ring-necked ducks, mallards, cinnamon teal, and many American coots on local ponds and reservoirs.

San Antonio streets

2011-02-26T17:27:00.000-08:00

In San Antonio, Texas this weekend for the international TCubed convention for math and science educators. Walking the streets and sitting on the river walk we've caught brief glimpses of a peregrine, some diminutive greenish warblers (probably kinglets) and a yell0w-crowned night heron.

Back in Mbale for July

2010-07-04T03:29:00.000-07:00

Back in Mbale for most of July, and one of the best parts of returning to this familiar environs is the familiar avifauna. As I compose this, besides the thunder rolling and the pitter-patter of rain on many leaves, I can hear the robin-chats (white-browed, Cossypha heuglini) singing away in defiance of the wetness, reminding me why they're in the top tier of musicians on this continent.

I haven't yet made any lists of species seen, and may not on this short visit get the chance for much intentional birding (I will try!), but it's pleasant to be able to mention a few of those that have delighted my eyes in these few days since arriving.

*Long-crested eagle -- hunting from a perch on the perimeter fence at Entebbe airport
*Lizard buzzard -- on a power line close to our house in Mbale
*Red-eyed dove -- ubiquitous
*Pied crow -- the same, only more so
*Scarlet-chested sunbird -- male singing atop a tree
*Northern puffback, Klaas' cuckoo, and white-browed coucal -- voices only so far, but they'll come out to be seen at some point
*Yellow-throated greenbul in their usual noisy gregariousness
*Woodland kingfisher
*Pygmy kingfisher -- perched in our yard, a perfect little jewel
*Piapiac
*Ruppell's long-tailed starling
*Harrier hawk (gymnogene) -- gliding effortlessly among the remaining giant African mahogany trees in our neighborhood
*African hobby -- brief glimpse of one wheeling over the ARA in Kampala
*Black-headed heron
*Yellow-billed stork
*White-breasted cormorant
*Pink-backed pelican

Eastern kingbird

2010-05-20T12:25:00.000-07:00

Not too many notable sightings lately, although I've seen the yelllow-billed cuckoo and common flicker again in the last few days.

I did come across a fairly uncommon bird in these parts, being the southwestern margin of its summer range, an eastern kingbird. Western kingbirds are abundant throughout the summer in Abilene, but I think I've seen the larger, darker eastern species only once before in this area, years ago. I was driving through Cal Young park around lunch time and noticed a large, darker-than-usual flycatcher perched near Cedar Creek. Suspecting something out of the ordinary, I stopped for a closer look and confirmed it as an eastern kingbird. Very nice.

Osprey

2010-05-15T13:56:00.001-07:00

I neglected to report this earlier, but back in April I saw an osprey over our neighborhood in Abilene -- the only one I can remember ever seeing here.

Potpourri of recent sightings

2010-05-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

Today in Abilene -- yellow-billed cuckoo, one in our back yard and another one across town; green heron in Kirby Park; purple martin in Cal Young Park; common flicker in Abilene cemetery

Couple of days ago at Clapp Park in Lubbock -- one avocet, a pair of wilson's warblers, several Mississippi kites

Last week in Malibu, California -- brown pelican, yellow-billed magpie, California towhee, hooded oriole, Anna's hummingbird, black phoebe (all new to me except the brown pelican and possibly the oriole, which I may have seen in SW Texas years ago)

On Rainbow Lake

2010-03-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

We've just moved into a house that backs up to a small reservoir of probably three acres surface area. It's called Rainbow Lake, and one can see a few species of ducks and other water-loving birds on or around it at just about any time. This morning I've observed an American coot (Fulica americana), a male and female northern shoveler (Anas clypeata), some of the usual mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), a pied-billed grebe (Podilymbus podiceps) and a group of ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris; these diving ducks always seem to prefer the middle part of the lake).

Uganda's national bird

2010-03-14T21:06:00.001-07:00

IMG_0037
Originally uploaded by ian.shelburne

This is a grey crowned crane, the national bird of Uganda. Cranes in general are spectacular birds, but the crowned cranes (both grey and black) are stunning even in this excellent league. This one lives in the Abilene Zoo, and was enjoying the early-spring sunshine last Saturday after an unusually cold and moist winter.

Sharp-shins spotted soaring

2009-08-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

In the midst of a morning run in magnificent 48-degree-F. sunshine today, I had a couple of sharp-shinned hawks (Accipiter striatus) come a-soaring overhead, apparently enjoying the clear, warming weather after the clouds and some bluster of yesterday. It was easy to see the size differential between the larger female and her mate.

I also flushed a small flock of rufous-sided towhees (Pipilo erythrophthalmus) in an alley -- the first of these I've seen this season.

Blogging this reminded me of several other notes that I've been intending to post in recent weeks but have been forgetting. So here are a couple of those:

Seeing the sharp-shinned hawks this morning made me think of the Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) that I saw briefly a week or so back as I was walking toward the ACU campus -- a fine predator if there ever was one. A day before or after that, on the same city block, I had an excellent look at a golden-fronted woodpecker on a mesquite trunk (Melanerpes aurifrons), a particularly attractive member of its family.

We've had good numbers of red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) in the neighborhood, and have been seeing kestrels (Falco sparverius) for the past few weeks, too.

On an overnight visit to Robert Lee in Coke County, Texas where my great-grandparents lived, we came across these birds that I thought worthy of note:

Curve-billed thrasher (Toxostoma curvirostre)

Brown towhee (Pipilo fuscus)

Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)

Inca dove (Columbina inca)

Several days ago there was a pair of Bewick's wrens (Thryomanes bewickii) clambering about amongst a pile of miscellaneous items on the small covered porch behind our house. Evidently they were terrorizing whatever arthropods had been taking refuge in the nooks and crannies -- a worthy service, as far as I'm concerned!

Seen on a mesquite

2009-07-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

As we're getting settled in Abilene, Texas, I'm getting accustomed (again) to the slimmer set of avifauna that prevails in these parts as compared with southeastern Uganda. There have been some changes in bird populations here since the last time I spent much time in Abilene. White-winged doves were not present, at least per my observation, in Abilene in the late 1980s. Now they are the most numerous dove species here. Eurasian collared doves have also become common residents over the past several years. The mourning doves and Inca doves that are long-time indigenous species are still around, but they seem to be fewer than before.

A few minutes ago I was treated to the sight of a golden-fronted woodpecker (Melanerpes aurifrons) working the gnarled trunk of a mesquite tree in our neighbors' front yard. This was the first one I've seen in this neighborhood since moving here a few weeks ago, so definitely not an everyday sighting.

I caught sight of a Swainson's hawk (Buteo swainsoni) briefly overhead as I was standing in front of the house yesterday -- another one that we don't see on a daily basis inside the city limits.

Day-walking

2009-07-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Driving across Abilene yesterday afternoon, passing through a park in the central part of the city, we came upon a yellow-crowned night heron out for a day-time stroll. It had been uncharacteristically rainy for this time of year, so I suppose the normally nocturnal bird was taking advantage of the cooler, overcast weather to squeeze in more eating hours than it usually gets.

Additions

2009-06-20T10:05:00.000-07:00

OK, here are a couple of species that I overlooked or need to add to the list, having come across them in the last few days.

* Rose-ringed parakeet (in Houston; presumably this introduced species is expanding its range in urban areas)
* House sparrow
* House finch
* Red-headed woodpecker

I've heard some individual meadowlarks calling, so it's been possible to peg those, at least, as the Eastern variety.

I met with a large thrasher yesterday but need to do further investigation to determine which of the family it was.

Change of hemisphere

2009-06-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

Since May 26 we have been in Texas, so the available avifauna is quite distinct from what we are used to in Mbale. Our travels around the state since arriving in Houston have not left much time for focused birding, but I have appreciated the "in-passing" encounters with several of the species that one can expect to see in these parts at this time of year. Here are a few that have crossed my path recently.

* Northern mockingbird
* Laughing gull (Gulf Coast at Galveston)
* Blue jay
* Northern cardinal
* Swainson's hawk
* Red-tailed hawk
* Barn swallow
* Cliff swallow
* Great-tailed grackle
* Common grackle
* Eurasian collared dove (ringed turtle-dove)
* Inca dove (in Abilene)
* Mourning dove
* White-winged dove
* Chimney swift
* American crow
* Yellow-billed cuckoo
* Cattle egret
* Mississippi kite
* Song sparrow
* American robin
* European starling
* Eastern bluebird
* Red-winged blackbird
* Green heron
* Black-crowned night-heron
* Yellow-crowned night-heron
* Killdeer
* Black vulture
* Turkey vulture
* Purple martin
* Loggerhead shrike
* Western tanager
* Meadowlark (unsure whether Eastern or Western; I need to get more field experience distinguishing these two)
* Scissor-tailed flycatcher
* Common nighthawk

I haven't been writing these down as I see them, so I'm sure I'm forgetting some. I'll add others as they come to mind.

Konge Hill

2009-05-07T22:16:00.000-07:00

While enjoying the excellent hospitality of friends and coworkers Mark and Jamie Long atop Konge Hill on the southeastern edge of Kampala city, we had the pleasure of seeing some noteworthy birds.

High in a beautiful parasol tree (Polyscias fulva) in their front yard (looking out on to Lake Victoria) a pair of African hobbies (Falco cuvieri) are nesting. They are artists of the air, maestros even among their aerobatic falconid kin. We watched one bringing prey to the other, sometimes exchanging it talons to talons in the air.

There were also a couple of African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) that came through several times, snacking on the little reddish fruit adorning the branchlets of a Benjamin fig tree (Ficus benjamina).

Another striking species that we do not see in Mbale but were greatly pleased to observe throughout the afternoon that we spent at the Longs' house is the double-toothed barbet (Lybius bidentatus) -- a remarkable bird with its scarlet, black and white plumage and heavy-duty double-toothed bill. These were harvesting the figs as enthusiastically as the parrots.

Back home in Mbale, yesterday was the first time in many months that I've heard the call of the greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator -- how's that for understandable Latin!) . I actually caught a glimpse of what was definitely a honeyguide a bit later in the day, but could not be sure of the species. It may have been a female or juvenile greater honeyguide, if I were to hazard a guess.

Minullus at meat

2009-02-19T06:35:00.000-08:00

I noticed, around 4 this afternoon, a persistent high-pitched whickering call coming from the upper branches of one of our musizi trees. It was the sort of call one would expect from a small accipiter, and since it was different from any sound I've ever heard from a shikra (little banded goshawk - Accipiter badius) I figured there was a chance it could be an African little sparrowhawk (Accipiter minullus). I've been enjoying a number of sightings of adults of this species for the past several months in our area, but had not heard their voice. Son Jonathan eventually located the bird, which appeared to be eating something held in the talons of one foot. I dashed inside the house for binoculars, with the aid of which I was able to confirm its identity -- minullus indeed -- in juvenile plumage. It was feasting on some kind of small bird, and seemed immensely pleased with itself, pausing between every couple of beak-fulls of its meal to sound its boast around the neighborhood. We had a splendid view of it for quite some time.

P.S. This is probably evidence that the adults that I've been seeing have bred successfully in the area.

Morning owls

2009-02-19T04:03:00.000-08:00

As I was out and about this morning just before sun-up (it takes a bit longer to see the disc itself here in Mbale town, cheek-by-jowl as we are against the western side of Wanale mountain), I heard both white-faced scops owl and giant (Verreaux's) eagle owl calling. No visual on either, but it's pleasing to hear them and know they're around.

The gigantic African mahogany trees are in full bloom these days, and their buttery fragrance pervades the neighborhood, especially in the evenings and early mornings.

Morning hunt

2009-02-09T00:19:00.000-08:00

I was out and about this morning, perhaps a bit later than prime time for birding, and did not encounter as much variety in bird species as usual. There was a red-chested cuckoo making quite a racket, the first I've heard in many months in Mbale. These fellows are heard far more often than seen, calling as they do typically from high in a well-foliaged tree. But I did get a glimpse of this one as he flew from one giant African mahogany to another.

What I would not have wanted to miss was seeing an African hobby on the hunt. As I was on what has in the past been the municipal golf course, a hobby started into the air and made a few wide, leisurely reconnaissance circles. As a point roughly overhead and maybe 50 or 60 meters up, it stooped abruptly away to the south. Propelled by gravity and powerful wing strokes, the falcon accelerated to optimal pursuit velocity in less than four seconds. A sudden upturn and flare of spread wings signaled the end of the mission, still 20 or 30 meters above ground -- it was too distant for details, but the hobby had snatched what must have been a palm swift in flight. Leveling out, the successful hunter continued on her way toward a suitable treetop to settle down and eat.

The experience put me in mind of Gerard Manley Hopkins' poem "The Windhover" in which he writes of his own morning encounter with a falcon (most likely a kestrel). It's one of my all-time favorites, and Hopkins himself once wrote to a friend that it was the best thing he had ever written. (I took the text below from http://www.bartleby.com/122/12.html)

Gerard Manley Hopkins (1844–89). Poems. 1918.

The Windhover

To Christ our Lord

I CAUGHT this morning morning’s minion, king-
dom of daylight’s dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding
Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding
High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing
In his ecstasy! then off, off forth on swing,
As a skate’s heel sweeps smooth on a bow-bend: the hurl and gliding
Rebuffed the big wind. My heart in hiding
Stirred for a bird,—the achieve of; the mastery of the thing!

Brute beauty and valour and act, oh, air, pride, plume, here
Buckle! AND the fire that breaks from thee then, a billion
Times told lovelier, more dangerous, O my chevalier!

No wonder of it: shéer plód makes plough down sillion
Shine, and blue-bleak embers, ah my dear,
Fall, gall themselves, and gash gold-vermillion.

Black-shouldered kites

2009-01-19T09:35:00.000-08:00

On my morning run today I noticed a black-shouldered kite carrying nest-building material to the top of a cypress tree, at least 25 meters up. This is at the west edge of what has been in the past the municipal golf course, near the southern edge of town. I've seldom or never seen these birds inside the built-up area of Mbale town, but they are regular in the more open country on the outskirts and farther afield. The derelict golf course still has enough open grassy/scrubby sections to make excellent hunting grounds for the rodents and insects that provide most of the kites' diet.

Rwanda & Bunyonyi

2009-01-15T00:53:00.000-08:00

We took a family trip to Rwanda and Lake Bunyonyi (SW Uganda) the first week and a half or so of January -- our first time into Rwanda, where we visited friends in Kigali, and a return to often-enjoyed Bushara Island in Lake Bunyonyi. Of course, there were a lot of nifty birds along the way, especially at Bunyonyi, where many species are especially fearless and confiding, presumably because of not being hunted or threatened by people with any regularity.

Some of the "roadside" birds that we saw en route, and that we don't usually encounter in Mbale:

* Lilac-breasted roller, fork-tailed drongo (both of these in and around Masaka town)
* Augur buzzard (several in the mountainous Kabale area)
* Several sizable eagles, probably either resident tawny or migratory steppe eagles (difficult to distinguish in the field unless one observes at close range for a reasonable duration; also in the vicinity of Kabale)

Especially enjoyable sightings on and near Bushara Island:

* Blue-headed coucal
* Red-chested cuckoo
* Klaas' cuckoo
* Tropical boubou
* Paradise flycatcher
* Chubb's cisticola
* Streaky seed-eater
* Thick-billed seed-eater
* Grey crowned crane
* Black-lored babbler
* Cape wagtail
* Large (Holub's) golden weaver
* Chin-spot batis
* Common (brown-throated) wattle-eye
* Cinnamon-chested bee-eater
* Malachite kingfisher
* Mackinnon's fiscal
* European hobby
* Black goshawk
* Pair of harrier hawks on nest
* Cardinal woodpecker
* Pin-tailed whydah

Shades of David & Goliath

2008-12-29T05:24:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, toward the end of a morning run that had been fairly sparse in the bird-sighting department, I noticed a flurry of wings in the branches of an albizia tree overhead. A sizable bird, obviously a raptor of some sort, was scarcely avoiding being overtaken by a much smaller pursuer. Both found perches in the tree, having arrived, it seemed, at a temporary stalemate. Once they got settled, I was able to peg the larger of the two as an African goshawk (Accipiter tachiro) and its antagonist as an African little sparrowhawk (Accipiter minullus). The dimensional disparity was striking -- I'd never seen individuals of the two species in the same tree -- one crow-sized and the other barely larger than your average thrush. Both of these accipiters are agressive hunters, but I'm not sure what precipitated the harassment of the goshawk by its diminutive cousin. Perhaps the little sparrowhawks have a nest in the neighborhood?

Back home

2008-12-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

Back to a degree or so above the equator -- home to Mbale -- where, this time of year, it's generally hot and dry. No exception right now!

Yesterday I encountered a large falcon cruising low across our side of town. Had just a brief look at it, but the impression of some streaking beneath and its impressive dimensions suggest that it may have been an immature female lanner. Otherwise, it's been fun to be back to seeing palm-nut vultures on an almost daily basis, along with our local lizard buzzards and the renewed population of African black kites back from wherever they wander between about September and November/December. The neighborhood sunbirds in their usual splendid variety seem to be celebrating the typical dry-season blossoming of many local tree species.

On the other side of the Pond

2008-11-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

On a brief visit to Houston, Texas, so there's a stunning change in the variety of bird life on offer. I probably won't do any very intentional birding while here, but of course always enjoy the birds I see along the way.

I've done pretty well in the dove department so far:

* White-winged dove
* Eurasian collared dove
* Mourning dove
* Inca dove
* and, of course, the ubiquitous rock dove (feral pigeon)

I've also enjoyed an excellent view this morning of a loggerhead shrike and have seen some blue jays. While running in nearby Freeway Manor Park earlier today, I caught sight of a medium-sized falcon in swift and direct flight overhead. From its size, manner of flight, and apparent streaking on the underparts, I conclude that it was most likely a merlin (always a pleasure, and never often enough).

At the Hairy Lemon

2008-11-18T11:04:00.000-08:00

In addition to being the name of a pub in Ireland, The Hairy Lemon is an extraordinary island getaway in the Nile River about 30 km north of the Owen Falls dam near Jinja. We enjoyed most of four days there and spotted several notable bird species along with the delights of the water, sun, trees, and flowers that adorn the place.

* African finfoot
* Water thick-knee
* Open-bill
* Little egret
* Cattle egret
* Black-headed heron
* Striated heron
* Hadada
* Giant kingfisher
* Woodland kingfisher
* Pied kingfisher
* Palm-nut vulture
* African black kite
* African fish eagle (adult & immature)
* Long-crested eagle
* Shikra (little banded goshawk)
* White-throated bee-eater
* Great (white-breasted) cormorant
* Long-tailed cormorant
* African darter
* Sand martin
* White-winged black tern
* Gull-billed tern
* Rock pratincole
* Splendid glossy starling
* Broad-billed roller
* Common bulbul
* Magpie (pied) mannikin
* Bronze mannikin
* Red-billed firefinch
* Orange weaver
* Black-headed weaver

I caught a glimpse of what I suspect was a shining-blue kingfisher, but was not able to see it well enough to be certain.

Touch of paradise

2008-11-11T02:23:00.000-08:00

Terpsiphone viridis, the African paradise flycatcher, is my hands-down favorite flycatcher, and not just in Africa but anywhere else I've been. I don't know how any other species can hope to compete with the adornment of a male in his breeding dress, especially when one considers the intra-species variation between rufous and white forms. Check out the image here.

I see these wonderful birds only infrequently in Mbale, though they are common enough in most of their wide range. So it was a special treat a couple of mornings ago to have a pair of them -- the male with his tail streamers almost all the way grown out -- fly across the road in front of me and into a jambolan tree.

Entebbe again

2008-10-25T11:37:00.000-07:00

Thursday afternoon, along with my friend and Entebbe resident Stephen, I enjoyed a couple of hours birding along the lakeshore near Bulega Village. Among the excellent birds we encountered, let me mention a few here:

* Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus) -- surely one of the most attractive of waders
* African jacana (Actophilornis africanus) -- common, but another visually stunning species
* Long-toed lapwing (Vanellus crassirostris) -- these were out in force
* Gull-billed tern (Sterna nilotica)
* Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo)
* African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) -- fine view of one in juvenile plumage
* African pied hornbill (Tockus fasciatus)
* White-throated bee-eater (Merops albicollis)
* Yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava)
* Black-and-white shrike-flycatcher (Bias musicus)
* Grey-backed fiscal (Lanius excubitoroides)
* Black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster)
* Splendid starling (Lamprotornis splendidus)
* Vieillot's black weaver (Ploceus nigerrimus)
* Black-crowned waxbill (Estrilda nonnula)
* Black-and-white mannikin (Lonchura bicolor)
* Pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura)
* And sunbirds: Olive-bellied (Cinnyris chloropygia), Green-throated (Chalcomitra rubescens), Scarlet-chested (Chalcomitra senegalensis), and Collared (Hedydipna collaris)

A few other sightings of interest in the past several days:

* Common kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) -- in the vicinity of multi-storey building in central Kampala city
* Long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) -- over our house
* African little sparrowhawk (Accipiter minullus) -- a pair crossing between trees just outside our compound
* Double-toothed barbet (Lybius bidentatus) -- in Kampala city
* Ross's turaco (Musophaga rossae) -- in our neighborhood

More BOPs

2008-10-21T02:55:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago we had a considerably higher volume of avian migrants passing over than is usual (yesterday, by comparison, the flow was down to nearly zero, as far as I could tell). There were a lot of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster), some barn swallows (Hirundo rustica), and European swifts (Apus apus), among others.

But the feature attraction, for me, was the varied collection of birds of prey that came through. There had been some thunderstorms in the area, and there were also flights of breeding termites ascending, so conditions were especially conducive for any migrants in the neighborhood to steer a course through our neck of the woods.

* A number of common (steppe) buzzards (Buteo buteo)
* Several shikras (little banded goshawk -- Accipiter badius) -- not migrants, but out chasing the winged termites
* Several falcons, including a few European hobbies (F. subbuteo) and some possible lesser kestrels (F. naumanni)
* Two light-colored harriers that looked more like male Montagu's harriers (Circus pygargus) than anything else; they were certainly either Montagu's or pallid harriers (Circus macrourus)

We also had plenty of African black kites (Milvus migrans) around, as well as lizard buzzards (Kaupifalco monogrammicus) and a hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) or two.

B.O.P.s

2008-10-15T01:06:00.001-07:00

When we were growing up in Malawi and embarking on what has turned into decades of birding all over the planet, my brother and I started using our own shorthand term for birds of prey: "Bops." I've had a couple of interesting sightings in this spectacular avian category in the past couple of days.

A few days back a large falcon passed by, too quickly for positive ID, but odds are that it was a lanner (F. biarmicus).

Yesterday we had a couple of migrating common (steppe) buzzards (Buteo buteo) overhead.

And this morning while we were at breakfast, the distinctive display call of the male African goshawk came in through the window from obviously close quarters. We dashed over to have a look, and sure enough, there he was, perched in bright sunlight only 20 meters or so from us on a branch of one of our musizi trees (Maesops emini). I grabbed binoculars and had an excellent look at him before he departed his post under pressure from some pied crows (Corvus albus) that were harrassing him.

Morning bishops and sunbirds

2008-10-06T00:02:00.000-07:00

A short morning walk in the immediate vicinity of our house yielded some superb encounters with the local avifauna, especially in the sunbirds and bishops departments.

Sunbirds I came across included olive-bellied (Nectarinia chloropygia), scarlet-chested (Nectarinia senegalensis), bronze (Nectarinia kilimensis), marico (Nectarinia mariquensis) and little purple-banded (Nectarinia bifasciata). Had particularly fine views of male bronze and marico sunbirds working their way up Leonotis stems as they breakfasted on nectar from the tubular orange flowers. Marico and little purple-banded can be difficult to distinguish from each other, and I have seldom if ever before seen both species on one outing.

Our principal bishop species here in town is the black bishop (Euplectes gierowii), and during breeding season it's not unusual to come across a male decked out in regal red, yellow and black, displaying in an area with long grass and shrubs. This morning I was surprised to see at least four and possibly six different males in full nuptial splendor, all in a fairly small area. I also noticed at female or two and some juveniles, evidence of some reproductive success this season.

Other highlights:

* Wire-tailed swallow (Hirundo smithii) collecting mud from a puddle margin for nest-building
* African green pigeon (Treron calva), a pair in a musasa (Sapium ellipticum) tree, one of them on a nest
* In the canary category, both African citril (Serinus citrinelloides) and yellow-fronted canary (Serinus mozambicus)
* Shrikes: brown-crowned tchagra (Tchagra australis) -- am used to encountering them outside of town, but this was the first instance for me in our neighborhood) -- and northern puffback (Dryoscopus gambensis)
* Red-faced cisticola (Cisticola erythrops)
* African blue flycatcher (Elminia longicauda)
* The African black kites (Milvus migrans) are back in force after their seasonal absence, and I also saw some of the first bronze-tailed starlings (Lamprotornis chalcurus) back in this area from their annual intra-Africa migration. If the bronze-tails return to roosting in the Markhamia and adjoining trees on the north side of our house as they did last year, our evenings and early mornings are about to become noticeably noisier!

Wetland outings

2008-09-15T06:41:00.000-07:00

The past couple of Monday mornings some of us have visited a wetland area just 30 minutes' drive west from Mbale, on the southern border of Budaka district. There is a good bit of papyrus, other reed/grass species, some rice cultivation, and patches of open water with a couple of varieties of lily pads and other types of vegetation that thrive on the surface of the water. Here are some of the birds that we observed on these outings:

* Storks: Openbill, Yellow-billed

* Herons: Purple, Cattle egret, Great white egret, Yellow-billed egret, Hamerkop, Rufous-bellied, Squacco, Little bittern, Grey, Black-headed

* Hadada ibis
* Grey crowned crane

* Black-shouldered kite

* Waders: Black crake, Long-toed lapwings (plovers), Greenshank, African jacana

* Ducks, geese: Spurwing, White-faced whistling duck

* Kingfishers: African pied, Woodland, Malachite

* Swallows: Barn, Wire-tailed

* Doves: African mourning, Blue-spotted wood, Red-eyed

* Blue-headed coucal

* Warblers: Winding cisticola, Greater swamp warbler

* Swamp flycatcher

* Shrikes: Papyrus gonolek (many great views of these fellows, who are not found away from papyrus), Marsh tchagra

* Sunbirds: Red-chested, Copper

* Bronze-tailed starling
* Weavers: Northern brown-throated, Vieillot's black, Slender-billed, Yellow-backed, Black-headed

* Waxbills, etc.: Zebra waxbill (one of the most gorgeous in the family! -- watched them nest-building in the papyrus), Red-cheeked cordon-bleu, Common waxbill, Bronze mannikin

* Fan-tailed widow

In other news, European and Blue-cheeked bee-eaters are regular overhead these days in their southward migration. And we're beginning to have a few African black kites in the neighborhood again, and the small group of Bronze-tailed starlings that we saw while birding in the swamp today are the first I've seen in the area in a while.

Saddle-bill storks, Entebbe

2008-09-06T03:16:00.000-07:00

I photographed this pair of saddle-bill storks in the shallows of Lake Victoria at Entebbe last week. They moved slowly away from us as we approached, but were not overly alarmed until someone's pet retriever decided to give chase. At this the enormous birds reluctantly started quick-marching through the water and finally took to flight with the dog in hot pursuit.

Overheard

2008-09-05T21:49:00.000-07:00

Around dawn a few days back I heard a African wood owl (Strix woodfordii) call, the first I've heard in many months. Two days ago I heard but did not see my first European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) of the season coming through on their southward passage from Europe. Yesterday we had grey crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum) calling in the distance (and it's been a couple of months since I have seen or heard these in Mbale). This morning I heard them again and was thrilled to see three of them fly almost directly over our house.

In other news...I came across the spectacular Levaillant's cuckoo (Oxylophus levaillantii) while walking in another part of our neighborhood the other day. We continue to hear, and occasionally see, western black-headed orioles. Still only the occasional African black kite (Milvus migrans) and no bronze-tailed starlings (Lamprotornis chalcurus) for a while; these are two of our intra-Africa or regional migrants and I'm still trying to work out exactly what are the normal limits of their seasonal presence with us.

Jonathan and I did a little birding last Monday morning in a narrow band of mixed-acacia woodland at the edge of a wetland just west of Mbale town. We had the pleasure of seeing, among others, African spoonbill (Platalea alba), white-faced whistling duck (Dendrocygna viduata) quite a number of red-headed lovebirds (Agapornis pullarius), white-throated and little bee-eaters (Merops albicollis and pusillus), marsh tchagra (Tchagra minuta), fan-tailed widowbird (Euplectes axillaris), and pin-tailed whydah (Vidua macroura).

Mburo, Mbarara, Entebbe highlights

2008-09-01T04:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago Nathanael and I made our way west from Mbale to Lake Mburo National Park, and then on to Mbarara town and back to Mbale with an overnight stop in Entebbe. Mburo is less welll-known (and less frequented) than the "major" wildlife sanctuaries in Uganda -- Queen Elizabeth, Murchison, and Kidepo -- but it has a number of distinctions, such as being the only protected area in Uganda that contains one or more lakes in their entirety.

We enjoyed excellent views of most of the park's main animal species, including zebra, impala, buffalo, oribi, defassa waterbuck, bushbuck, eland, topi, warthog, hippo, crocodile, and three species of mongoose.

Of course the birds were a treat, and herewith some highlights:

* Common squacco heron (Ardeola ralloides)

* Rufous-bellied heron (Ardeola rufiventris)

* Black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nyticorax)

* White-backed night-heron (Gorsachius leuconotos) -- These are secretive and seldom seen, even where they are resident, and my first sighting of them (a pair, alongside a couple of black-crowned night-herons).
* Saddle-billed stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) -- a pair in the shallows of Lake Victoria at Entebbe; eventually they were put to flight by someone's retriever that had great fun splashing after them for a hundred meters or so
* Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) -- Entebbe

* African finfoot (Podica senegalensis) -- In some ways this uncommon bird with bright red beak and feet is the most noteworthy member on our trip list, and especially so for me since I'd not seen them before. They require an aquatic habitat with overhanging vegetation, which makes them hard to see even where they do occur. I had hoped to see even one, and we were blessed to see several on two different days there.

* Long-toed lapwing (Vanellus crassirostris)

* African wattled lapwing (Vanellus senegallus)

* Yellow-billed stork (Mycteria ibis)

* Wooly-necked stork (Ciconia episcopus)

* Glossy ibis (Plegadis falcinellis) -- Entebbe

* Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus)

* Spur-winged goose (Plectropterus gambensis)

* African fish eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

* African white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus), Ruepell's Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppellii), Lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotus) -- We came across a mixed multitude of these scavengers, along with a tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) and a marabou (Leptoptilos crumeniferus), giving ravenous attention to a zebra carcass.

* Brown snake eagle (Circaetus cinereus) -- Saw three of these, one of them on a nest

* African marsh harrier (Circus ranivorus)

* Gabar goshawk (Micronisus gabar) -- an adult and immature at Entebbe

* African harrier hawk (Polyboroides typus) -- Mbarara

* Wahlberg's eagle (Aquila wahlbergi)

* Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus)

* Long-crested eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)

* Black-shouldered kite (Elanus caeruleus)

* Grey Kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus) -- Entebbe

* Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris)

* Crested francolin (Francolinus sephaena)

* Red-necked spurfowl (Francolinus afer)

* Black crake (Amaurornis flavirostris)

* African jacana (Actophilornis africanus)

* Grey crowned crane (Balearica regulorum)

* Black-bellied bustard (Eupodotis melanogaster)

* Water thick-knee (Burhinus vermiculatus)

* Emerald-spotted wood-dove (Turtur chalcospilos)

* Red-headed lovebird (Agapornis pullarius)

* Ross's turaco (Musophaga rossae)

* Bare-faced go-away-bird (Corythaixoides personata)

* White-rumped swift (Apus caffer)

* Blue-naped mousebird (Urocolius macrourus)

* Giant kingfisher (Megaceryle maxima)

* Malachite kingfisher (Alcedo cristata), African pygmy kingfisher (Ispidina picta) -- Unusually, saw both of these species on the same bit of lakeshore. Malachite is always tied closely to water, but the pygmy has no necessary connection to it.

* Little bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

* Madagascar bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) -- Entebbe

* Lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudata)

* Green wood-hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus)

* African grey hornbill (Tockus nasutus)

* Crowned hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus)

* Spot-flanked barbet (Tricholaema lachrymosa)

* Red-faced barbet (Lybius rubrifacies) -- A bird of very limited distribution (one of the "East African endemics"), this attractive barbet is perhaps even more sought-after by birders than the finfoot. We had a splendid view of one bird, another first for me.

* Double-toothed barbet (Lybius bidentatus) -- Mbarara, Entebbe

* Mosque swallow (Hirundo senegalensis)

* Yellow-throated longclaw (Macronyx croceus)

* Sooty chat (Myrmecocichla nigra)

* Trilling cisticola (Cisticola woosnami)

* Grey-capped warbler (Eminia lepida)

* Yellow-breasted apalis (Apalis flavida)

* Chin-spot batis (Batis molitor)

* Brown-throated wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea)

* African paradise-flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)

* Black-lored babbler (Turdoides sharpei)

* White-winged tit (Parus leucomelas)

* Grey-backed fiscal (Lanius excubitoroides)

* Fork-tailed drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis)

* Yellow-billed oxpecker (Buphagus africanus)

* Holub's golden weaver (Ploceus xanthops)

* Yellow-backed weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus) -- Entebbe

* African golden-breasted bunting (Emberiza flaviventris)

Greycap spotted

2008-08-18T04:39:00.000-07:00

The grey-capped warbler (Eminia lepida) is widespread and fairly common through much of its range, but is so secretive in most places that its unusually loud and varied call notes are the only clue to its presence. When one does actually see one in a brief appearance on the edge of its usual bushy habitat (as I did yesterday), its striking grey, black and burnt-orange head-and-throat pattern is worth stopping to stare at. (I just discovered a very short video recording of one of these guys singing, here -- colors are not great, so it's hard to tell that his throat is not just dark; you can also hear a pair of black-headed gonoleks giving a signature combo-call in the background a couple of times.)

I noticed a lone black kite (Milvus migrans) overhead this morning. They've been absent for a while but I expect they'll be back in force soon.

We've continued to have green-headed sunbirds (Nectarinia verticalis) resident in the yard. These have usually been infrequent around here, so this has been pleasant.

Swallows et al.

2008-08-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

There was a lone white-headed saw-wing swallow winging over our neighborhood this morning -- not an every-day, or even every-month, sight. I think I also caught a glimpse of a couple of lesser striped swallows in the Namakwekwe area of town today. A few days ago I came across a small flock of what were probably barn (European) swallows, although I saw them so briefly in passing that there's the possibility they were Angolas. It's about the time of year that the first of the Palearctic migrants should be making their appearance, so I'm going to consider these my first encounter with what will become in the next couple of months quite a wave of species coming to here or through here as they flee the cooling temperatures of the temperate zones.

Western black-headed orioles are calling frequently in the area these days, and occasionally one comes into view with its spectacular yellow and black plumage.

We continue to have green-headed sunbirds in our compound, and a pair of scarlet-chested sunbirds has an active nest in our young ficus (Benjamina) tree outside the front door. I've also been seeing what is most likely a little purple-banded sunbird just a city block or two from our house; could be a marico, but the beak seems too short.

A trip planned to western parts of Uganda next week should bring opportunities to see several bird species that I don't normally meet here on the eastern side of the country. Hope I'll have some interesting sightings to report after I get back!

Njeru

2008-07-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Several days back we enjoyed a couple of days at the Kingfisher Safaris Resort near Njeru town on the edge of Lake Victoria next to where the White Nile originates from the lake. There wasn't time for much intentional birding, but I enjoyed as always the mix of bird life that is typical of the area. Some of my favorites from this visit:

* Red-chested sunbird (the most common species there and unfailingly gorgeous)
* Paradise flycatcher
* Red-bellied paradise flycatcher (one of the few times I've ever seen these two closely related species virtually alongside each other)
* Northern black flycatcher
* African blue flycatcher
* Wahlberg's eagle
* Long-crested eagle (one being chased by three eastern grey plantain-eaters)
* African fish eagle
* African goshawk
* Palm-nut vulture
* Double-toothed barbet
* Black-crowned waxbill

Today (back in Mbale) I heard a male Klaas' cuckoo calling for the first time in a while. Also yesterday we had a western black-headed oriole in one of the musizi trees outside the house. African blue flycatchers have been frequenting the place too.

Turn-coats

2008-05-24T04:04:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year in this part of the world -- the male widows, whydahs and their kin are changing their drab non-breeding plumage for striking fancy-dress of contrasting blacks, yellows, reds, oranges, plus in some cases super-long tail feathers. This morning I saw my first full-breeding-dress male black bishop of this season in the neighborhood. Stunning!

It was also a good morning for falcons. There were a pair of red-necked falcons in the Borassus palm in which I observed them several times a while back. Pleasant to find them still (or back) in residence there. And, twice, I had an African hobby (probably a male, based on smallish size) scythe across in front of me. It'd be hard to get faster and more elegant than these guys.

Flying circus

2008-04-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I interrupted a morning run to spend several minutes enjoying a flying circus centered around an emergence of winged termites. A striking variety of birds were hawking the ascending "white ants" -- even strict vegetarians like red-eyed doves. These termites are truly a universal food. The clowns in this circus were represented by several hamerkops and black-and-white-casqued hornbills, both species among the most comedic of birds both in appearance as well as psychology. But my favorites were the acrobatic/aerobatic artistes, the parts ably played by a pair of lanner falcons and at least two European hobbies. All these were so fixated on catching breakfast that they paid me little heed and passed or perched variously quite close to where I was standing on the roadside.

They were amazing, a real treat to behold.

Among the prominent

2008-04-20T06:28:00.000-07:00

Last week I had several road trips out from Mbale in different directions. As always, I scanned roadsides for any interesting birds and noticed some that can justly be called "prominent." On the edge of a wetland west of Soroti there were a pair of Abyssinian ground hornbills (Bucorvus abyssinicus). It had been a while since I saw any of these mainly black, turkey-sized birds that spend most of their time stalking around on the ground in bushed grasslands. Then yesterday, coming back from Kaderuna in Pallisa district, we passed a pair of grey crowned cranes (Balearica regulorum), Uganda's spectacular national bird, just outside Mbale town. It also seems like forever since I have seen any of these near Mbale. One comes across them more often around Eldoret in Kenya, and also in western parts of Uganda.

Mackinnon's or lesser grey?

2008-04-11T06:43:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I caught sight of a shrike of a sort that I'd not seen in Mbale before. It was obviously either a type of fiscal or closely related to these fellows. Having seen Mackinnon's fiscal in Kakamega forest (Kenya), I assumed this was one of those. Checking my field guide, however, revealed that it may more likely have been a lesser grey shrike. I did not have binoculars handy, so was not able to observe the features that would distinguish one from the other. Since Mackinnon's is a resident where it occurs and the lesser grey a migrant, and since I've not come across these in Mbale before, and since it is the height of the season for palearctic migrants to be passing through...my guess is that this was probably a lesser grey. Which would be nice to be able to confirm, as I've never seen that species before at all. Maybe I'll come across another one before the end of migration.

Owls, etc.

2008-03-30T11:47:00.000-07:00

Last week we got a pretty good look at a barn owl perched in a flamboyant (Poinciana) tree, across the road from the house where the children go to school. It was being mobbed (a bit half-heartedly) by some bulbuls and some other small birds, and putting up with it all right. When Nathanael spotted it and asked me what it was, we called several of the other kids and teachers to come have a look in the few minutes before school was to begin. The growing knot of observers under its roost eventually proved to much for comfort and it flew across into a nook under the eaves of a neighbor's house.

The other morning I was out jogging a bit earlier than usual (too dark to see potholes on the road, so maybe a bit ill-advised) and I heard a white-faced owl (some books list it as white-faced scops owl) calling across the way. These seem to be regular here in Mbale, at least during some parts of the year, but we don't get to see them all that often since we're seldom out at night and they tend not to move from their secluded roosts during the day.

As far as I've been able to tell from a dozen years in Mbale, our normally resident owls are Verreaux's/giant eagle owls (often noisy even in day time) that inhabit the mature African mahogany trees in this neighborhood; the pint-sized white-faced owls (an adolescent specimen of which we once kept for a while during its recuperation from a close encounter with a car); and barn owls. Other than these, we once in a while hear or much less often catch a glimpse of the medium-sized African wood owl (their duets are one of the especially interesting signature sounds of the night across much of Africa).

In other news, there was a paradise flycatcher in our yard the other day -- first time for me to see/hear one right here, even though they have turned up elsewhere in Mbale once in a great while.

The European bee-eaters are overhead several times a day now, heading for cooler climes. I also saw a flight of 100+ Abdim's storks flying NW early this morning, probably also on migration. And the other day I had a glimpse of a large falcon, either lanner or peregrine over the neighborhood road on which I was driving. Wish I'd had binocs handy and time to stop and gaze and nail down its ID.

First bee-eaters heading north

2008-03-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, 21 March, I heard and saw my first flock of European bee-eaters since the southward migration season last year, flying overhead on their way back to more northerly climes. In a part of the world where we do not have the four clearly demarcated seasons of the temperate zones, these and other Palearctic migrants are a pleasant reminder that fall and spring are happening elsewhere.

Entebbe birds

2008-03-21T02:32:00.000-07:00

Herewith a list of species that I encountered while in the vicinity of Entebbe town earlier this week (a "v" after a species name indicates hearing the bird's call but not actually seeing it).

This morning we've had a couple of western black-headed orioles around the yard, besides a convocation of black-and-white-casqued hornbills attracted to our fruiting musizi trees. There has been a flock of Ross' turacos in the neighborhood the past couple of weeks. And I heard a greater honeyguide calling a few hours ago, the first for some time.

1. African thrush
2. Marabou
3. Splendid glossy starling
4. Common bulbul
5. Red-chested cuckoo (v)
6. African fish eagle (v)
7. Palm-nut vulture
8. Crowned hornbill
9. Emerald cuckoo (male)
10. Hadada
11. Broad-billed roller
12. Grey-headed sparrow
13. Red-eyed dove
14. Black kite
15. Wahlberg's eagle
16. Pygmy kingfisher
17. Collared sunbird
18. Red-billed firefinch
19. White-rumped swift
20. Scarlet-chested sunbird
21. Yellow white-eye
22. Black-and-white shrike flycatcher
23. Grey woodpecker
24. Ross' turaco
25. Eastern grey plantain eater
26. Klaas' cuckoo (v)
27. Black-headed gonolek
28. Brown-headed tchagra
29. Red-cheeked cordon-bleu
30. Bronze mannikin
31. Black-and-white mannikin
32. Grey kestrel
33. Olive-bellied sunbird
34. Red-chested sunbird
35. Common (grey-backed) camaroptera
36. African mustache warbler
37. Vieillot's black weaver (female)
38. Black-headed weaver
39. Black-billed weaver
40. Speckled mousebird
41. Hooded vulture
42. Double-toothed barbet
43. Blue-spotted wood dove
44. Tambourine dove
45. Snowy-headed robin-chat (v -- mimicry)
46. White-browed robin-chat (v)
47. Yellow-rumped tinkerbird
48. Angola swallow
49. Tawny-flanked prinia
50. Northern black flycatcher
51. Northern puffback
52. Lizard buzzard
53. Black-and-white-casqued hornbill
54. Grey-cap warbler (v)
55. African green pigeon
56. Striped kingfisher (v)
57. Hamerkop
58. White-headed saw-wing
59. Ruepell's long-tailed starling
60. Great blue turaco
61. Harrier hawk
62. Little swift
63. Yellow-throated longclaw
64. Winding cisticola
65. Woodland kingfisher
66. Egyptian goose
67. African / European cuckoo (no binoculars handy, but the pair of cuckoos was one or the other of these)
68. Abdim's stork
69. Pink-backed pelican
70. Piapiac
71. Brown-throated (common) wattle-eye (v)
72. Grey-backed fiscal
73. African pied crow
74. Zitting cisticola
75. Cattle egret
76. Black-headed heron
77. Pied kingfisher
78. Northern brown-throated weaver
79. Little egret
80. Paradise flycatcher (v)
81. Yellow wagtail
82. Helmeted guineafowl
83. Mosque swallow
84. Osprey
85. Openbill
86. Barn swallow
87. Plain-backed pipit
88. African jacana
89. Two or three sandpiper spp.
90. African wattled plover
91. Long-toed lapwing
92. African yellow-billed duck
93. Long-tailed cormorant
94. Lesser striped swallow
95. Yellow-throated greenbul

Mt Elgon National Park

2008-02-25T10:39:00.000-08:00

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.

Recently noted

2008-02-12T11:12:00.000-08:00

Several species of interest that I've spotted here and there in the past week or two:

Red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera) -- checked the borassus palm where we have been seeing one of these for the past several weeks and found it perched there again

Abyssinian roller (Coracias abyssinica) -- saw a few of these in passing while traveling in the vicinity of Soroti town

Namaqua dove (Oena capensis) -- had one fly by over wet grassland near Awoja on our way to Soroti

Giant (Verreaux's) eagle owl (Bubo lacteus) -- saw one carrying prey early the other morning, and have been hearing them more often lately than we did for a while

Black-and-white-casqued hornbill (Bycanistes subcylindricus) -- heard one of these large fellows while out running early a couple of mornings ago

African little sparrowhawk (Accipiter minullus) -- another one (second in a month) flying over

Tropical boubou (Laniarius aethiopicus) -- haven't actually seen one recently, but have been hearing them often calling (often duetting) from inside thickets in our neighborhood

Harlequin quail (Coturnix delegorguei) -- came across a female dead on the road, probably struck by a car while migrating in the night

African hoopoe

2008-01-30T02:04:00.000-08:00

What a treat this morning, as I was taking the kids to school, to see an African hoopoe (Upupa africana) winging away over an undeveloped lot across from the school house! I remember seeing these handsome fellows only twice before in my twelve years in Mbale, although they are more regular elsewhere in the region (e.g., just across the mountain from us in the western Kenya highlands). Interestingly, all three sightings have been at spots within 500 meters of each other, even though separated by a couple of years, time-wise.

Red-headed lovebird

2008-01-26T05:58:00.000-08:00

Jonathan and I went birding early on a recent Monday in an area of moist grassland interlaced with Acacia stands (mostly falcon's claw acacia trees) and bordering a wetland, just outside Mbale town. Saw quite a few interesting species of birds, including broad-billed rollers (Eurystomus glaucurus) and green sandpipers (Tringa ochropus). But we were most pleased (and surprised) to have a close encounter with a couple of red-headed lovebirds (Agapornis pullaria). I've occasionally seen flocks of Lilian's lovebird (Agapornis lilianae), particularly in Liwonde National Park, Malawi. But this was the first time I've come across a member of this family in East Africa. These were quite confiding, and one of the pair we saw allowed us to approach fairly closely and view him at our leisure.

The red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera) that I mentioned in an earlier post has continued to hang out in the borassus palm in which I've seen it three or four times now. This strengthens my belief that a pair may be nesting there.

I have not seen the white-necked ravens (Corvus albicollis), that had been in our vicinity, for over a week now.

Nifty Mbale raptors & a few birds from around Entebbe

2008-01-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

The past two or three weeks have been better than average for raptor sightings around Mbale. I also ran across some interesting bird species on a recent trip to Entebbe.

European marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus) - one female, just outside Mbale town, over a patch of wetland

Red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera) - on two occasions I've seen a single bird on a borassus palm on the south edge of Mbale town; I speculate that there may be a pair breeding there, as I have observed a breeding pair of these attractive falcons in another borassus about three years running in the late 90s, also in Mbale town

African little sparrowhawk (Accipiter minullus) - had one over our house engaged in what appeared to be a display flight; I have only rarely seen these particularly secretive little hawks out in the open

Palm-nut vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) - these are resident in Mbale town, but I also had excellent views of more than one near Entebbe; the interesting thing there was that I stumbled on a "feeding station," the regular perch used by one individual for its morning meal of palm nuts (Raffia sp., I believe)

Wahlberg's eagle (Aquila wahlbergi) - I've come to expect these in the Entebbe area, and have watched them there often enough to begin to recognize the particular soaring posture that distinguishes them from other smaller-than-average eagle species

Red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) - probably the commonest of the larger cuckoos, but always a striking bird; I had especially fine views of one while in the Entebbe area

Red-shouldered cuckoo-shrike (Campephaga phoenicea) - another from my Entebbe trip, this may be the first time (at least first in many years) that I've seen a male of this species; am more accustomed to the standard black cuckoo shrike (Campephaga flava), but this red-shouldered fellow was a truly impressive sight to behold

African penduline tit (Anthoscopus caroli) - two or three in an Entebbe garden; these diminutive avians appear thoroughly nondescript but do sport a distinctive short, sharp beak

Red-billed oxpecker (Buphagus erythrorhynchus) - have been seeing these in Mbale the past couple of weeks or so, sometimes singly, sometimes in groups of two or three

African spoonbill (Platalea alba) - in a wetland area just west of Mbale town; although I don't see these all that often, I suspect that they are around most of the time in small numbers, tending to roost in mixed groups of herons, egrets, storks and other aquatic birds

Wanale thermals

2008-01-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

An opportunity several days ago to hike Wanale mountain, the lovely backdrop to Mbale town, afforded some nifty sightings of birds taking advantage of the thermals rising at the cliffs' edge.

My favorite was an immature Ayre's hawk eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii) engaging in an impressive series of aerial maneouvres with three adult harrier hawks (Polyboroides typus).

There were also a dozen or so common (rock) kestrels (Falco tinnunculus) in evidence around the rock faces.

An interesting encounter was with a pair of white-necked ravens (Corvus albicollis) -- a common species in Malawi, but one that I have never come across in Uganda before. They were cruising along the edge of the mountain on the same thermal currents already mentioned. Since that day, I have seen this same pair (presumably) down in Mbale town scavenging refuse near a local hotel. I'll keep an eye out for them to figure out whether they're just passing through for a few days or weeks or intend to take up longer-term residence.

Speaking of ravens, one morning last week when I had observed the white-necked ravens near the hotel, I later visited Sipi Falls on Mt. Elgon and saw the fan-tailed ravens (Corvus rhipidurus) that are regular there. This was the first time that I can remember ever seeing two species of ravens in Africa in the same day.

One other raptor of special interest from the Wanale hike was a mountain buzzard (Buteo oreophilus) in flight, of which I had excellent views for ten minutes or more as we waited for others in the group to begin our descent.

Mt Elgon National Park

2007-12-24T04:19:00.000-08:00

I have to say I'm a little sheepish about having lived in Mbale, in the shadow of Mount Elgon for almost 12 years, but not having set foot inside Mt Elgon national park until last Saturday (still haven't made it to any of the peaks, or into the caldera, the largest in the world, BTW). Nathanael, Jonathan, their friend Abraham and I loaded ourselves and our binoculars, water, and bug repellent into the pickup and left the house shortly after 7:30 Saturday morning.

It took us a couple of hours to get up the first two terraces of Mt Elgon and to the park gate, partly because we made a couple of stops along the way. One of them, about 20 km from Mbale town, was a rare and memorable occasion. I pulled over to take a closer look at a medium-sized bird of prey sharing the top of a muvuli tree with a hamerkop (Scopus umbretta). To our great delight the raptor turned out to be a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). It stayed put and gave us excellent views from right under the tree from which it was taking in the morning.

Once inside the park, we hooked up with a young guide and did a 5-km circuit that took us through mostly secondary forest. There were, however, quite a number of enormous remnant giant trees from the days before the primary forest was encroached and before the park was gazetted with its current boundaries (formerly quite a number of local villagers living near the forest boundaries had cut down many of the larger trees and done some cultivation inside the park perimeter). On our way we stopped by a lovely little waterfall and a cave with a considerable bat population (the latter especially fascinating to the boys).

Our time was somewhat limited, so we hiked at about double the ideal birding pace. This limited the number of bird species that we were able to observe/identify, but still we came across several notables, including some new ones for me (I'll mark these with a double asterisk).

** montane oriole (Oriolus percivali)

** both banded / brown-throated and black-throated wattle-eyes (Platysteira cyanea and P. peltata)

** black-throated apalis (Apalis jacksoni)

** Luehder's bush-shrike (Laniarius luehderi)

** male white-phase paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis)

** African hill-babbler (Illadopsis abyssinica)

** white-tailed crested flycatcher (Elminia albonotata) -- this is an old friend with which I first became familiar in one of my favorite spots on the planet, Zomba mountain in Malawi; I'd not seen it before in Uganda

** black-faced rufous warbler (Bathmocercus rufus) -- heard these secretive birds but did not get a glimpse of them; they are familiar from many times birding in rainforest near Kakamega, Kenya

Decked out in black

2007-12-20T23:54:00.001-08:00

Leaving for a shopping foray into town yesterday, I came across a group of eight or ten birds foraging on the ground beside our driveway--three different species but all with predominantly black plumage: piapiac (Ptilostomus afer), bronze-tailed starling (Lamprotornis chalcurus), and Rueppell's long-tailed starling (Lamprotornis purpuropterus).

This morning, out with some of the boys for a tour of our neighborhood -- hazy and already getting hot at 9 a.m.! -- we had a fine look at a pair of grey woodpeckers (Dendropicos goertae), a male purple-banded sunbird (Nectarinia bifasciata), and an African goshawk (Accipiter tachiro).

Three sunbirds & a boubou

2007-12-20T09:20:00.000-08:00

While out and about early this morning, I had excellent views of three gorgeous sunbird species, as well as a tropical boubou (Laniarius ferrugineus -- a type of bush shrike). The latter I've only rarely seen or heard in Mbale, and this morning it was fun to see one clearly and watch it giving some of its signature calls. The sunbirds were as follows:

* scarlet-chested sunbird (Nectarinia senegalensis), common but unfailingly splendid

* green-throated sunbird (Nectarinia rubescens), less common and always noteworthy

* bronze sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis); used to see these more often, but they seem less frequent these days

Lately here and there

2007-12-18T23:14:00.000-08:00

I haven't done well with blogging birds encountered on several recent trips, so will just report a smattering of the more interesting ones I've come across here and there in the past few weeks.

At a wetland stop just west of Kayunga:

* Pair of yellow-billed ducks (Anas undulata)
* Long-toed plover (Vanellus crassirostris)
* Large numbers of blue-cheeked bee-eaters (Merops persicus) and sand martins (Riparia riparia)

En route through Soroti, Dokolo and Lira districts (mostly fairly dry bush country):

* Several spectacular Abyssinian rollers (Coracias abyssinica); here's a link to a photo of a pair of them: http://www.birdforum.net/gallery/data/529/1237856-IMG_1865_abyssinian_roller_sahelscharrelaar01.jpg
* Vinaceous doves (Streptopelia vinacea)

Here in Mbale:

* Heard a red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) calling, first for several months
* Bronze-tailed starlings (Lamprotornis chalcurus) are here in force again; they are especially noisy in the late afternoons as they get themselves situated in roosting positions for the night
* Have had several pygmy kingfishers (Ispidina picta) in the neighborhood lately

A few km south of town, not far from Manafwa River:

* Male Namaqua dove (Oena capensis)

Sunbird nest

2007-12-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Monday morning I came across a typical sunbird nest (usually a pouch suspended from a branch with the opening near the top) in a kei apple thorn hedge. This nest is a bit smaller than average, and the reason appears to be that its builders/users are smaller-than-average members of their family: little purple-banded sunbirds (Nectarinia bifasciata). I had not noticed this diminutive species in our area until recently, so it's pleasant to see that they are not only present, but breeding here.

Here's a link to a photo of a male little purple-banded sunbird: http://www.nomtsas.com/birding/fotos/purple_banded_sunbird%20(1).jpg

oriole identification

2007-12-01T01:25:00.001-08:00

I've written previously about the black-headed orioles in our neighborhood, and the difficulty of knowing whether they are "ordinary" black-headed orioles (Oriolus larvatus) or the western black-headed oriole (Oriolus brachyrhynchus). The two differ only slightly in plumage, and have overlapping ranges. Based on a fairly good look at one in an albezia tree outside our gate this morning, and additional reflection on vocal differences, I'm inclined to believe that what I've been seeing and hearing in Mbale town are the western sort. We'll see if future encounters with these dapper birds bears out that conclusion or pushes my thinking in the other direction!

Across the tracks

2007-11-26T14:35:00.000-08:00

I spent an hour and a half or so this morning on a reconnoiter of an area just west of Mbale town, not far past where the railway crosses the Kampala-bound road. It's mixed grassland, swamp, scrub and thornbush (several Acacia tree species, with some Euphorbia, Ficus and many others I don't recognize). The variety of habitats in a fairly small area makes for a pleasantly diverse birding experience too. My brief walk-around there this morning made it clear that it's a place that needs a lot more visits. Some birds of interest from today's excursion:

Nightingale (Luscinia megarhynchos) -- I didn't get a long enough look at it to be 100% certain of this ID, but the combination of brief observation and extended listening to its unusual call makes me think this is correct. Nightingales migrate through most of East Africa Oct-Dec on southward passage and back northward again in Mar-Apr.

Marsh tchagra (Tchagra minuta) -- also heard brown-crowned tchagra (Tchagra australis) and black-crowned tchagra (Tchagra senegala); my first experience of seeing/hearing all three species in one setting; also in the shrike department, the common but always stunning black-headed gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster)

Green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) -- a group of about eight of these in a man-made pool near the swamp; another migrant

Helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris) -- came across 10 or 15 of these; they allowed me to approach to within 20 meters or so before they flushed and relocated just beyond the next "scrub island"

African mourning dove (Streptopelia decipiens) -- never see these inside town, but the mixed habitat near the wetlands outside suits them well; also saw laughing dove (Streptopelia senegalensis), red-eyed dove (Streptopelia semitorquata), blue-spotted wood dove (Turtur afer); and heard tambourine dove (Turtur tympanistria)

Yellow-breasted apalis (Apalis flavida)

A large coucal (very wet and back-lit, so difficult to ascertain plumage details, but by habitat and size probably blue-headed [Centropus monachus])

Several raptors, none unusual but always interesting: black-shouldered kite (Elanus caeruleus); black kite (Milvus migrans); harrier hawk (Polyboroides typus), African goshawk (Accipiter tachiro); lizard buzzard (Kaupifalco monogrammicus); hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)

A kettle of at least 300 Abdim's storks (Ciconia abdimii)

Yellow-throated longclaw (Macronyx croceus)

White-headed saw-wing (Psalidoprocne albiceps)

Brimstone serin (Serinus sulphuratus)

Green-headed Sunbird

2007-11-25T23:14:00.001-08:00

Had a male green-headed sunbird (Cyanomitra verticalis) outside the window just before sunrise a couple of days ago. We see these fellows occasionally in Mbale, but I think this is the first time I've observed one in the immediate vicinity of our house.

Notables from Sironko district, 19 November, 2007

2007-11-21T07:10:00.000-08:00

Couple of the boys took a drive with me early Monday morning east across Sironko district, where the dry savannah meets the lowest terrace of the northern slopes of Mount Elgon. It’s a completely different habitat than Mbale town, with another set of birds to enjoy. Here are a few that we spotted, most of them kinds that we seldom or never see in our home area.

Silverbird (Empidornis semipartitus)

Spotted flycatcher (Muscicapa striata; a first for me)

Green wood hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus; a family party, as usual)

Heard both Ross’s and white-crested turacos (Musophaga rossae and Tauraco leucolophus) but did not see them

Fox kestrel (Falco alopex; with rich chestnut plumage one of the more stunningly turned out of a family that tends anyway to be more ornate than most other birds of prey)

Dusky turtle dove (Streptopelia lugens; first I’ve seen in Uganda)

Black-chested snake eagle (Circaetus pectoralis)

Common buzzard (Buteo buteo; several on migration, attracted to a bush fire)

Pair of long-crested eagles (Lophaetus occipitalis)

Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus; immature)

African grey hornbill (Tockus nasutus)

Little bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

Superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus)

Cinnamon-breasted rock bunting (Emberiza tahapisi)

morning walk

2007-11-05T01:03:00.001-08:00

I took a short stroll this morning and came across several nifty birds along the way.

* Holub's golden weaver (Ploceus xanthops) - If these have been around, I've been overlooking them. Last week two of the boys and I saw what looked like on of these on the golf course, but I couldn't be sure. I watched a pair of them searching through leaves of corn plants and long grass in a marshy area this morning.

* Black and white mannikin (Lonchura bicolor) - We see these occasionally, much less frequently than the abundant bronze mannikin (Lonchura cucullata).

* A pair of palm-nut vultures (Gypohierax angolensis) are nest-building in one of the mature African mahogany trees that line the road above our house.

* Had a paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) pass through on its way across the valley where I watched the pair of weavers.

* Bronze-tailed starling (Lamprotornis chalcurus) - these seem to have returned from wherever most of them spent the past few months away from here.

A few notables from Sudan

2007-10-27T13:13:00.000-07:00

During a recent 3-day visit to Nimule, Sudan I did not have leisure for focused birding but did see some nifty ones along the way. Here are a few highlights, most of them typical of that area but of interest to one who is seldom there:

* Grasshopper buzzard (Butastur rufipennis)

* Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) - formerly much more common across Africa than at present

* Flappet lark (Mirafra rufocinnamomea) - much in evidence with the males passing high overhead in their signature wing-snapping display flights

* Zitting cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) - another common species there that draws attention to itself by its display flight; it is named for the "zitting" call that the male emits as he follows an undulating pattern at fairly high altitude, before plunging back down into the long grass where they live and breed

* Northern red bishop (Euplectes franciscanus) and black-winged red bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus) - these similar spectacular species are found alongside each other in the bushy grassland around Nimule

A pair of long-crested eagles (Lophaetus occipitalis) in flight

A tawny eagle (Aquila rapax) that passed over the location of one of the eye-glasses clinics that we conducted a little east of Nimule

honeyguide & cuckoo

2007-10-25T21:01:00.000-07:00

A day or two ago I stepped outside and heard the distinctive, repetitive double-note of a greater honeyguide (Indicator indicator). These fellows are fairly nondescript and tend to stay high in a tree, so are hard to glimpse even when you can hear them not far away! I didn't have the leisure to pursue this one, but it was nice to hear after a number of months without that particular call in the neighborhood.

I've had two brief sightings the past few days of Levaillant's cuckoo (Oxylophus levaillantii), both times flying across my field of vision for just a second or two. This is the largest cuckoo that we have in the area, as far as I know--very striking with largely black plumage, crested, with white wing patch and white or black underparts, depending on the color phase of the individual bird.

Also heard a Klaas's cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas) calling yesterday. These are common throughout the region, but I had not heard one for a while.

Njeru & Mabira

2007-10-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

Back in September we had several delightful days in the Njeru area, beside the source of the White Nile, where it empties out of Lake Victoria. One morning some of us drove the short distance to Mabira forest in search of any interesting birds and other forest denizens we might come across. My combined list from the lakeshore and forest was 122 species seen and/or heard, even though the number from our forest walk was lower than usual. A few of the more noteworthy:

African hobby - two pairs and a single
White-faced duck
Black and white shrike-flycatcher
Golden-backed weaver
Brimstone canary
Brown-crowned tchagra
Emerald cuckoo (calling at Kingfisher resort, male and female seen in Mabira)
Common (brown-throated) wattle-eye
Osprey (several)
Black-crowned waxbill
White-browed scrub robin
Levaillant’s cuckoo
Yellowbill
Little green sunbird
Black-necked weaver
Cassin’s hawk eagle
Buff-spotted woodpecker
Speckled tinkerbird
Yellow-throated tinkerbird
Blue-headed coucal
White-breasted negrofinch
Buff-throated apalis
Ross’ turaco
Gabar goshawk
Yellow-throated longclaw
Velvet-mantled drongo

On Kenya roads

2007-10-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

Five days in Kenya last week -- many hours on indescribably bad roads and a fair bit of moving about in Nairobi -- no time for focused birding, but I did take note of several interesting species in passing.

Hoopoe (Upupa epops) -- one flew across the road as we left Nakuru town; probably the African version, but in that part of Kenya could perhaps have been the northern race

Lilac-breasted roller (Coracias caudata) -- a common enough species, but I never see them in Mbale and indeed could never tire of seeing any bird so splendid

Olive thrush (Turdus olivaceous) -- a familar garden bird in Nairobi and other suitable highland areas, but again not present in Mbale, where it is replaced as in most of Uganda by the very similar African thrush (Turdus pelios)

Common (Cape) robin-chat (Cossypha caffra) -- another highland bird, somewhat more drably turned out than its more common cousin the white-browed robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini); but all robin-chats are spectacular in their own way

Dusky turtle dove (Streptopelia lugens) -- seen on the road just east of Eldoret town in the higher forested area around Timboroa

Augur buzzard (Buteo rufofuscus) -- noted four or five of these magnificent buteos on various parts of our journey; always associated with mountainous or hilly areas

Crowned crane (Balearica regulorum) -- Uganda's national bird, but may be more common in Kenya, depending on locale; I always look for them around Eldoret, where there were quite a few this time, especially in the open country around the junction of the Kitale road and the A104 just west of Eldoret town

A little sunbird

2007-10-03T11:55:00.000-07:00

I don't remember ever seeing a purple-banded sunbird (Nectarinia bifasciata) before, but we do seem to have come across one just outside our gate a couple of days ago. The considerably larger (14 cm v. 11 cm) marico sunbird (Nectarinia mariquensis) is not uncommon in Mbale, and I've often wondered if the size differential would be all that helpful in distinguishing these two species from each other in the field. They have almost identical plumages. Anyway, I was glad to notice that the purple-banded does look quite a bit smaller than the maricos that we have in the neighborhood, and its beak is shorter and appears less curved.

A few other notes from along the way...

Saw a steppe/common buzzard (Buteo buteo) on Wanale mountain Sunday, as well as a common kestrel or two (Falco tinnunculus).

Heard a buff-spotted flufftail (Sarothrura elegans) in a swampy patch near our house a few days back.

Have seen several African blue flycatchers (Elminia longicauda) out and about, and, to my particular delight, a male paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) with the gorgeous long tail streamers of his breeding plumage.

Observed a solitary bronze-tailed glossy starling (Lamprotornis chalcurus) on a utility line Monday - may have been a vagrant, since there seem to be no others around currently, and they are normally found in pairs or small flocks.

Our black / yellow-billed kites (Milvus migrans) are back in force. I watched one stoop down behind a hedge yesterday and come back up with a chick from a domestic chicken brood in its talons.

Can't remember if I posted about having a black goshawk / sparrowhawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) visible and calling in the top of a mahogany tree not far from our house a week or so back. We come across these here only occasionally.

Mbale owls & a cuckoo

2007-09-17T12:12:00.000-07:00

Between 4 and 5 a.m. a few days ago I heard the unmistakable weird screech of a barn owl (Tyto alba) in our yard, first from one side of the house, then on another. A bit later, after returning from a morning jog, I noticed quite an assemblage of small birds fussing and agitated in the thick foliage of some trees in one corner of our compound -- bulbuls, mousebirds, sunbirds, etc. The reason for all the commotion had to be a predator of some sort, either a snake, a cat, or some bird of prey. So I crept up under the low branches hoping for a glimpse of whatever it might be. It took some searching, but finally I was able to discern the distinctive outline of a roosting barn owl. It did not seem disposed to leave, and I was glad to have it spend as much time with us as it might, especially if it reduces the rodent population in the neighborhood!

A few times at night or very early morning recently I've heard the high-pitched, somewhat mournful hoot of a white-faced scops owl. These seem to be fairly common in Mbale, at least for part of the year. A couple of years ago we found a slightly injured adolescent specimen on a nearby road at night. It was mature enough that we were able to feed it for a week or two and then release it. We called it Otis, suggested by its Latin name, Otus leucotis.

The other species of owl that is resident here in Mbale happens to be the largest on the continent -- the giant eagle owl (Bubo lacteus). As the name more than implies, these are eagle-sized birds and fierce predators. They roost by day high in the thickly leaved branches of the African mahogany trees that still line some stretches of road in this part of town. They are more often heard than seen, their low-pitched grunting notes a common sound not only at night but also an hour or so after sunrise and before sunset.

Once in a great while I've heard or caught a glimpse of African wood owls (Strix woodfordii) in the Mbale night-time, but it's been seldom enough that I do not think they are normally residents here.

Sunday I visited Kachede, a parish in Bukedea district, near some of the areas most devastated by recent flooding from the swollen Sironko River. It was not a day with impressive numbers of bird species noted, but I did have a brief look at a black cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) that flew into a grove of grevillea and citrus trees nearby and proceeded to serenade us with its haunting, ascending three-note call, repeated over and over again. This is an intra-African migrant which, though reasonably common in its range, I have seen only a few times. Since they tend to call from inside the foliage of trees, often in forested areas, they are far more often heard than seen.

Pairs

2007-09-11T21:22:00.001-07:00

I was not far from the house on my morning run the other day when from up in a Neem tree ahead of me came the unmistakable two-phrase laughing song of a male paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis). These strikingly beautiful birds, common in much of their range, are an uncommon find in Mbale, so I stopped to take a look. Turned out to be a pair (in the past I've come across single birds only here in town) of them. The male did not have his breeding-plumage long tail streamers, but it was special to see both birds at once.

Not two minutes after leaving the flycatchers I came across an avian version of the odd couple. A female gray woodpecker (Dendropicos goertae) was excavating for insect larvae at wire level on a utility pole. Juxtaposed less than three handbreadths away, on the wire, was a white-browed robin chat (Cossypha heuglini) busy with its morningly outpouring of song. The two of them, absorbed in their respective endeavors, ignored me as I ran by, giving them considerably more attention than they had for each other.

Shortly thereafter I noticed yet another pair of flycatchers flying across the road in front of me -- African blue flycatchers (Elminia longicauda), cousins, actually, to the paradise flycatcher, in a group called monarch flycatchers (probably because most or all of them are crested/"crowned"). These guys are an unusual (among birds) powder-blue and never stay still for more than a couple of seconds at a time. I had a good view of them as they perched briefly on a power line before diving into the foliage of a jambulan tree near the road.

arrivals

2007-09-03T01:09:00.000-07:00

The start of migration season caught me by surprise today, as the familiar liquid notes of European bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) on the move came down from overhead this afternoon. September 3 isn't all that early to begin seeing these and other migrants escaping the cold European fall and winter, but I had not thought about the time being upon us already. A few minutes later, the similar but sharper-toned calls of a flock of blue-cheeked bee-eaters (Merops persicus) announced that they are also passing through. Nice to have both of these in the skies the same afternoon--an appropriate appetite-whetting experience as I look forward to having many other migrating species around in the next seven or eight months.

Just a couple of days ago I noticed the first large group of black kites (Milvus migrans) that I've seen in two or three months flying overhead in Mbale town. There has been a straggler or two in the neighborhood since most of them left for their seasonal relocation, but it looks like they're back. I did not have binoculars handy to check whether these were the European race (M. m. migrans) or the common African yellow-billed one (M. m. parasitus).

Had a nice view of a black-headed oriole (Oriolus larvatus) yesterday. It's a gorgeous bird, a bit larger than most American orioles I've seen, and decked out in stunning yellow plumage with black head and red bill.

Other notable sightings lately include:

Black sparrowhawk/goshawk (Accipiter melanoleucus) - I see these only occasionally in Mbale; this fellow was calling from the top of an African mahogany tree

Ross's turaco (Musophaga rossae) - always traveling tree to tree in groups, some of the most spectacular feathered inhabitants of our area

More from Liwonde

2007-08-16T07:32:00.001-07:00

Take a look at this stunning sago star shrub that I photographed beside Mvuu ("hippo") Camp in Liwonde National Park while in Malawi last week. Not a bird, granted, but gorgeous nonetheless!

Some of the notable birds that I caught sight of while there in Liwonde:

* Western banded snake eagle
* Giant kingfisher
* Boehm's bee-eater
* Little bee-eater
* Fork-tailed drongo
* Grey loerie (turaco)
* Trumpeter hornbill
* Long-toed plover (lapwing)
* African skimmer
* White-faced duck
* Blue-grey flycatcher
* Egyptian goose
* African Jacana
* Grey-headed gull
* Black crake
* Natal (red-capped) robin-chat
* Red-billed ox-pecker
* Collared morning thrush
* Emeral-spotted wood dove
* Bateleur
* African fish eagle
* Gymnogene (harrier hawk)
* Long-tailed starling
* Wattled plover (lapwing)
* White-browed sparrow weaver
* Lillian's lovebird
* Red-faced mousebird

You can see the ox-peckers perched on the hippos' bodies:

Seen on the Shire

2007-08-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

On a recent trip to Malawi I had the opportunity to visit Liwonde National Park, which contains a considerable length of the Shire River, the principal outlet of Lake Malawi. We spent one hour of our time there on a boat safari -- saw large numbers of hippo and crocodile up close, as well as elephant, warthog, baboons and numerous bird species. White-faced ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) were abundant, and we had magnificent views of several pairs and singles of African fish eagles (Haliaeetus vocifer), whose signature wild, ringing calls up and down the river reminded us that we were indeed still in Africa.

White-faced ducks line the shore of the river, with an openbill stork (Anastomus lamelligerus), wings half spread

A fish eagle keeps solitary vigil near the water

Comings and Goings

2007-06-23T02:42:00.000-07:00

We're having the unusual experience of no black / yellow-billed kites (Milvus migrans - some authorities divide them into two full species while others consider them two races within the one species) in our skies these days. The African-resident race/species (yellow-billed) is here almost all the time, but does follow some intra-African migration patterns. I assume that's what has happened to them temporarily, but they'll be back soon, I'm sure. The typical view of this graceful raptor is captured in the photo at http://www.treepad.net/onlinebooks/birdphotogalery/documents/8A0FA17A0FEEC18204E74D14E370768031FFF5B0.html

I've glimpsed a couple of that miniature flying jewel, the African pygmy kingfisher (Ispidina picta), in the past week or two. It's been a while since they've been around -- another intra-African migrant. Nice to have them back, with their habit of appearing out of nowhere after launching from an inconspicuous perch and zinging in a straight line to their next stop. Like their larger and more abundant cousin, the woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis), they are not water-dependent but live primarily on insects and any other animal even smaller than they are, wherever they can find them. Check out some amazing pictures of these beauties at http://www.greglasley.net/africanpygking.html

We have also had bronze sunbirds (Nectarinia kilimensis) back in the area lately after not having seen them for a few months. These are the only species common in Mbale in which the males have the elongated central tail feathers sported by several members of this showy family (see the male pictured on the flower-pendant of a banana tree at http://www.treepad.net/onlinebooks/birdphotogalery/documents/F3E4D511728B48F5F437C19331516C8DB823094F.html).

North of Elgon

2007-06-19T10:27:00.000-07:00

Did a bit of exploring with four of the kids Monday, through the area at the base of Mount Elgon on its north side. The farther east one goes, the more thinly distributed are the human inhabitants, and the lightly wooded savanna is quintessentially African. We saw close on 50 bird species, observed mainly from our pickup, since we did not have time to get out and walk around. Here are some of the best birds of the day:

d'Arnaud’s barbet

black-billed barbet

lanner falcon (imm)

silverbird

crested francolin

white-crested turaco

fork-tailed drongo

superb starling

red-billed hornbill

village indigobird

pin-tailed whydah

fan-tailed widow

blue-headed coucal

northern red bishop

black-winged red bishop

rufous sparrow

olive pigeon

yellow-throated longclaw

striped kingfisher

mountain wagtail

black-and-white mannikin

grey-backed fiscal

marsh tchagra

cardinal quelea

blue-naped mousebird

Ross's

2007-06-16T07:42:00.000-07:00

Twice recently have had a family group of Ross's turacos (Musophaga rossae -- for image check http://images.google.co.ug/imgres?imgurl=http://wingsbirds.com/img/tours/66/gallery/kenyajan19-rossesturaco.jpg&imgrefurl=http://wingsbirds.com/galleries/gallery/85&h=465&w=350&sz=29&hl=en&start=14&tbnid=R09SwjGCIhQFGM:&tbnh=128&tbnw=96&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dross%2527s%2Bturaco%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D18%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN) in or just outside our compound. A little larger than crow-sized and with much longer neck and tail, the glossy dark-purple plumage with crimson primaries and crest and bright yellow face make these one Africa's most impressive avians. We used to see them a little more often in Mbale, which makes it feel all the more of a privilege to have them come around these days.

Monday at Sisiyi

2007-06-11T10:26:00.000-07:00

Had several pleasant hours at Sisiyi Falls on the first terrace of Mount Elgon today. Even though we were not there for prime birding during early-morning hours, still there were these highlights (in addition to the stunning scenery around the falls - see pictures at http://safariyetu.blogspot.com):

Fan-tailed raven (Corvus rhipidurus)
African blue flycatcher (Elminia longicauda)
Black-and-white mannikin (Lonchura bicolor)
Mountain wagtail (Motacilla clara)

Mocker swallowtail, citrus swallowtail, and green-banded swallowtail butterflies were also much in evidence. We had a glimpse of what was probably a mother-of-pearl butterfly too.

Mabira, bat hawk, etc.

2007-06-04T21:39:00.000-07:00

We took a field trip for the older students in our mission school to Mabira May 26, and spent most of the morning in the trails in both the primary and secondary rain forest. Our guide took us on a route long enough that we had to maintain a quick pace and were not able to stop-look-listen the way one needs to do to observe many forest birds. Nevertheless we did see some fine specimens, especially after returning to the forestry office compound and waiting for lunch to get ready. Some of the species highlights on my list of what we saw:

Common (brown-throated) wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea)
Olive sunbird (Nectarinia oliivacea)
Yellow-throated tinkerbird (Pogoniulus subsulphureus)
Speckled tinkerbird (Pogoniulus scolopaceus)
White-rumped swift (Apus caffer)
Cardinal quelea (Quelea cardinalis)
Great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata)
Red-bellied paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone rufiventer)
Purple-throated cuckoo-shrike (Campephaga quisqualina)
African blue flycatcher (Elminia longicauda)
Black-necked weaver (Ploceus nigricollis)
Common waxbill (Estrilda astrild)
Black-crowned waxbill (Estrilda nonnula)
Grey-headed negrofinch (Nigrita canicapilla)

We heard almost as many kinds of birds as we actually saw, but did not have leisure to wait around for them to appear, or to make detours to find them. Counting species both seen and heard, I wrote down about 70 for the day.

------------------------------

Bat hawk

"The early bird gets the birder"--I guess that re-wording of the proverb is one way of saying it when one comes across a bat hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) early of a morning before it goes to roost after its dawn hunting. I was on a pre-breakfast jog a few days ago, somewhere around 6:30 or so, when one of these mysterious raptors flew a semicircle in front of me before alighting in a giant muvule tree.

------------------------------

Baglafecht nest

My boys showed me a Baglafecht weaver (Ploceus baglafect) nest just a couple of meters outside our dining-room window. We watched the adults coming and going into and out of the nest, which they had attached to overhanging bougainvillea branches above a retaining wall. Here's a picture of the nest; if I get one that includes any of the weavers themselves I'll post it later.

Superb sunbird

2007-05-14T04:28:00.000-07:00

I took advantage of having an overnight stay in Entebbe last week to stroll around in the municipal botanical gardens, a several-acre tract of light woodland interspersed with real rain forest, and all fronting on the shore of Lake Victoria (I'm told that the original Tarzan movie was filmed in the rain forest there). It was Saturday and consequently a little crowded with other people out to enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the place. The birding could have been much better otherwise, but even so I did have one of those breath-taking sightings. A dark sunbird turned out, on closer inspection through my binoculars, to be a male superb sunbird (Nectarinia superba). Since male sunbirds in general are gorgeous, to merit a title like "superb" one has to be seriously stunning--and he was. Although his colors are all on the dark side, there's a remarkable richness and lustre in the deep maroon and blue iridescence of this fellow's plumage. He's larger than average for a sunbird, which adds to his impressiveness. And, being a forest dweller, he's harder to get a look at than most others. This was my first encounter with a male of the species, although a few years back I did see a female in the same park area. Sunbirds need to be seen from several angles and in varying light to bring out their best points, but you can see a still of a male superb sunbird at this URL:

http://www.naturbilder.de/portf_bischsunbird/pages/bischoff_sunbirds13.html

Lanner

2007-04-26T07:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning around 0700 I was standing in downtown Mbale when I noticed an incoming from the north, looking about crow-size. Turned out to be a lanner falcon (Falco biarmicus), cruising over at only about 50 feet altitude. These are occasional here, and always a particular pleasure to see.

It's been a few days since hearing the liquid contact-calls of Eurasian bee-eaters (Merops apiaster) migrating overhead. The season's rush is more or less over, but we'll probably still have some straggling flocks up into May.

In case anyone's wondered why I have been including scientific/Latin names for bird species, it's because English nomenclature varies so much from book to book and area to area. If you look up a species I mention by its Latin name, your 95% certain to come up with the species that I have referenced, regardless of which English-(or other language)-name it may go by in your fieldguide or website of choice.

Seen on the shoulder

2007-04-23T05:09:00.000-07:00

Driving the road from Mbale toward Kampala yesterday we spotted a female Abyssinian ground hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) in statuesque pose on the paved shoulder of the road. At over 40 inches long (105 cm), these turkey-sized mainly black birds with blue and red facial wattles are an impressive sight. I've seen them in that area a few times before, but it had been a couple of years since the last time.

empty nest

2007-04-18T21:34:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago there were a pair of adult palm-nut vultures (Gypohierax angolensis, also called the vulturine fish eagle) soaring in the neighborhood in company with a brown-plumaged immature. The mature birds, with their startling black-and-white color scheme and reddish bare facial skin, cut quite a contrast with most other raptors that are typically decked out in sombre camouflage. One of the roads bordering this subdivision is lined with towering African mahogany trees where the palm-nut vultures roost and, I suppose, nest.

I've been hearing the calls of a red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) daily for quite a while, but haven't yet caught a glimpse of it.

This morning I noticed a kettle of about 70 migrating storks, probably Abdim's (Ciconia abdimii), circling together in preparation for the next leg of their journey.

The leisurely song of the African thrush (Turdus pelios) is an early morning fixture these days. Must be time for nest-building and breeding! It sounds much like that of the American robin and others in this large avian family.

Kenya trip, etc.

2007-04-09T05:27:00.000-07:00

We spent the last week or so of March in western Kenya on a farm just outside Eldama Ravine town. It's an area where the highlands in that region end in an escarpment that descends to the Rift Valley. The change in elevation makes for an extraordinarily diverse ecosystem, from highland forest and grassland to dry, hot acacia savannah in the valley floor.

I wrote down a hundred or so bird species that I encountered on the trip, and I'm sure could easily have logged over hundred and fifty if I'd made a foray or two into the lower-lying bush areas. Here's a list of several of the ones I found especially notable:

Wahlberg's honeybird (Prodotiscus regulus), alternatively named sharp-billed honeyguide--a rather drab bird, apart from prominent white outer tail feathers, but a new species for me

Hartlaub's turaco (Tauraco hartlaubi)--an altogether splendid bird in violet, green and scarlet, with with dashing white facial markings; had better than usual views of one this time, a particular pleasure since we do not have this species in our Mbale, Uganda area

African crowned eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)--Africa's most powerful raptor; son Jonathan's sharp eyes spotted one soaring over the forest as we were starting our return trip to Uganda; we pulled over to the shoulder of the road and enjoyed watching for a little while

Red-fronted parrot (Poicephalus gulielmi)--had flocks flying overhead daily en route to feeding or roosting places

Dusky turtle dove (Streptopelia lugens)--this was a new one for me also; viewed several of the birds while there; they do occur in Uganda, but only in southwestern and far northeastern parts of the country

Common scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas)--it had been years since I'd last seen one of these handsome black birds with white wing and tail spots

Cape robin-chat (Cossypha caffra)--I don't come across these very often, as they tend to be found at higher elevations than where we live, and not in my past experience in the same area as the related white-browed robin-chat (Cossypha heuglini, which we also enjoyed seeing while there)

Cape wagtail (Motacilla capensis)--a pair of them, foraging on the same patch of roadside grass with a couple of the common African pied wagtail (Motacilla aguimp)

Yellow-breasted apalis (Apalis flavida) and chestnut-throated apalis (Apalis porphyrolaema)--both of these were new to me, both observed in acacia trees at or not far from the forest edge

Sulphur-breasted bush-shrike (Malaconotus sulfureopectus)--saw a juvenile of this species that I often enjoyed watching at home in Malawi during growing-up years

Yellow-bellied waxbill (Estrilda quartinia)--I first got acquainted with these lovely, gregarious little birds in the highlands of Malawi, where the field-guides call them East African swees.

Streaky seedeater (Serinus striolatus), thick-billed seedeater (Serinus burtoni) and yellow-rumped seedeater (Serinus reichenowi)--the last of these was a new species for me

African golden-breasted bunting (Emberiza flaviventris)--gorgeous birds that I came across on several walks as they foraged on the ground, then flew up to a branch of a tree or shrub when I got too close

Red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius)--there were quite a number of these attractive birds drawing attention to themselves by their loud three-note, oft-repeated (even throughout the night!) calls; had some excellent views of a pair of them late one afternoon; sometimes they are called "rain-birds" because of their habit of calling frequently around the time that the rainy season begins

Heard the calls also of the black cuckoo (Cuculus clamosus) and the African emerald cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus); Klaas's cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas) both heard and seen while there

Chin-spot batis (Batis molitor)--another bird familiar from our yard in Malawi, but not seen so far in Uganda

White-throated bee-eaters

2007-03-19T06:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was treated to a first-time (in Mbale) view of a flock of white-fronted bee-eaters (Merops albicollis) crossing over our yard, probably 200 feet up. Not the best presentation of these lovely birds, against a bright sky, but a thrill nonetheless to see and hear them in this area for the first time. They are not uncommon in other parts of Uganda, especially near wetlands, and draw attention to themselves by their almost continuous calling while on the wing.

A while back, as I was driving east toward Mbale from Kampala in the Busembatia area, I was keeping alert for grey-headed kingfishers (Halcyon leucocephala) on the power lines alongside the road. More often than not I get a glimpse of them on that section of road. This is to be appreciated because, even though they are not all that uncommon, they are much more localized in their distribution than their almost ubiquitous (in Uganda, at least) cousin the woodland kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis). Anyway, it was my pleasure to spot one or two of them and a woodland kingfisher to boot, right in the same neighborhood. I think that's the first time I've observed both species there together.

A day or two back I heard in the distance the distinctive descending three-note call of the red-chested cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius). I've heard that these are sometimes called "rain-birds" because they do often call repetitively with the onset of the rainy season. They are somewhat infrequent here in Mbale, for some reason, but have been around more often the past couple of years.

Blue flycatchers

2007-02-22T05:06:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since I saw blue flycatchers in Mbale, even though they are reasonably common around here. What a pleasure it was early this morning to come across a pair of them just a few feet away from where I was walking. Almost completely powder blue, crested, never still, frequently fanning their tails and keeping up a lively chittering as they chased each other through the lantana bushes--it was a delight to see them.

I was also treated this morning to stunning views of a male scarlet-chested sunbird and very close-up looks at a male olive-bellied sunbird.

Recently noted

2007-02-20T06:44:00.000-08:00

African hobby -- brief look at a pair of them early one evening from the verandah atop our garage; the time of day when bats begin flying and the palm swifts were still out in numbers, either of which would make fine menu items for the hobbies

African paradise flycatcher -- second sighting in a month or so, and still quite unusual for within Mbale town

Bat hawk -- spotted on two early-morning outings; the first one was probably sharing in the general feeding frenzy on a flight of the winged reproductive versions of one of the larger termite varieties

Tropical boubou -- ran across a pair dueting (which is what alerted me to their presence about 30 meters off the road I was on); I've observed these only a few times in this neighborhood during our eleven years in Mbale

This morning there were noticeably fewer than usual yellow-billed kites in flight around the area. In 30 minutes or so I saw two, I think, compared with the 30-40 I would have expected based on what I've been seeing in recent months. Makes me wonder if most of them may be gearing up to move out of these parts for a while.

Also this morning I got close to a mvuli tree from which a giant (Verreaux's) eagle owl was grunting; short on time, I couldn't stay long enough to locate it among the branches.

Near a swampy area along the municipal golf course I came across a winding cisticola, which I've not usually met that close to town (they are common just outside in the wetlands just west of town).

There have been a pair, at least, of red-billed oxpeckers turning up in our part of town the past two or three weeks. We evidently have enough people keeping cows around here to provide a sufficient supply of ticks and other parasites to support them.

More cuckoos

2007-02-16T21:21:00.000-08:00

Since hearing the Klaas's cuckoo calling the other day for the first time in a while, I've noticed their signature sound just about every day. A couple of days ago, over on the north side of Mbale along Nabuyonga stream, I was surprised to hear another trademark African voice from the same family: that of the diederick cuckoo. These birds are named for their call, which goes something like "dee-dee-dee-deederick!" -- with the emphasis at the end. Diederick cuckoos tend to inhabit somewhat warmer areas than Klaas's cuckoos, and it's a little unusual in my experience to find them together in the same neighborhood.

Note on pictures

Copyright law does not allow the display on a website of pictures taken by someone else without prior written permission. So I'll limit my occasional posting of bird images to pictures I've taken myself. I do recommend, though, that if you'd like to have a look at a bird that I write about encountering, just use Google or another search engine to do an image search on the bird's name. In most cases, you'll get a number of excellent pictures to view.

Here today, gone tomorrow

2007-02-05T05:10:00.000-08:00

The male Klaas's cuckoo is a dapper fellow, metallic forest green above and mainly white below. That green and white pattern camouflages him perfectly when he's high in a full-foliaged tree (which is where he prefers to hang out). Usually the only thing that gives his presence away is his distinctive and oft-repeated whistling call, one of the characteristic sounds of woodland in this part of Africa. The other day I heard this signature sound up in a tree beside the road I was on; didn't see the bird, but was glad to get a call from him, so to speak. It's been a number of months since I've heard one, and in the few days since then I haven't heard one calling again. He may have been just passing through.

Speaking of birds that are sometimes here and sometimes not, the grey-capped warbler is another one. These tend to be much harder to observe than Klaas's cuckoo, not only because of their grey and green coloration but also because they normally stay well within dense thicket or undergrowth. I tried for many months to get a glimpse of this bird that regales the neighborhood with an extraordinarily loud and varied series of call notes before I finally laid eyes on one. For some reason, though, since returning to Uganda in October, I had not heard a grey-capped warbler sing until early in January. For a couple of weeks, then, I heard their calls several times, but not again since then. They have either moved on, perhaps according to some local migration pattern, or they are skulking in the hedges without vocally advertising their presence.
I'll mention one more that fits in the category of "here today, gone tomorrow"--the African black-headed oriole. For the past several weeks, beginning in December I think, I've been hearing one calling in the early part of the mornings of several days. About three times I've been treated to a sighting--most recently yesterday when one flew between trees not far above my head half a mile or so from our house. These encounters have reminded me that I also saw and heard these orioles several times in December 2005 and January 2006. I would guess that they may be in our area seasonally as intra-African migrants; or alternatively that they simply find it convenient to be here at this time because of the temporary availability of some particular type of food that they favor. The African black-headed oriole is extremely similar to the less widespread western black-headed oriole (which also occurs in our area, according to my field guide). One of my challenges is to observe these birds closely enough with binoculars at some point to be sure which of the two I've been seeing. Sometimes one arrives at a firm identification of a species only after months of peering and researching. Which I think makes reaching that conclusion all the more rewarding.

Mabira stopover

2007-01-16T11:10:00.000-08:00

Last week I stopped overnight in Mabira Forest, about two hours' drive west of Mbale toward Kampala. While there I indulged in a late afternoon walk in the forest and another early the next morning. The number of bird species I saw/heard was somewhat less than average for birding in Mabira, but there were some notables, as always.

A few highlights:

*** In the weaver department, black-necked weaver and red-headed malimbe

*** Representing the turacos, the great blue turaco and black-billed turaco (voice only on the black-billed; these guys are fairly elusive in Mabira and I didn't get to lay eyes on one this time)

*** From the barbet and woodpecker families, speckled tinkerbird, grey-throated barbet, yellow-billed barbet (voice only), yellow-spotted barbet, and the diminutive buff-spotted woodpecker

*** Robins, thrushes and their kin -- forest robin and scaly-throated illadopsis

*** Greenbuls and allies -- saw a variety of these, but in most cases they exceeded my amateur forest-bird identification skills; I did run across several red-tailed bristlebills

*** Sunbirds -- would have expected more than I saw, but enjoyed sightings of olive and collared sunbirds

*** And my new species for the outing, Nahan's francolin -- these reclusive forest-dwellers start searching the fallen leaves and ground debris for food around sunset. They are extremely shy and difficult to observe, so I was more than a little pleased to come upon a family group of them on the trail in front of me as twilight was turning into evening darkness. They scattered on seeing me, but I was able to approach to within about 20 feet of them and get a brief look before they noticed.

*** Finally (stepping momentarily out of strictly birding mode), I had good views of red-tailed monkeys and red colobus monkeys.

Mannikins and mannikins

2007-01-02T04:07:00.000-08:00

Mannikins are a family of finches so named, I would guess, because their dark heads, upperparts and chests with the rest of their underparts white gives the impression of a clothing-shop white mannequin on display with a dark coat on.

The bronze mannikin, sporting a dash of easily overlooked bronzy-green on its shoulders, is one of the most common and familiar little birds in Mbale, as in many other parts of Africa.

Less often seen (or recognized, at least) is the closely related black and white mannikin. The dark and light coloration patterns are similar in both species, and I can testify that they appear even more alike when you see them out and about. The best field mark for distinguishing them is the bit of white that extends up around the black bib on each side of the chest on the bronze mannikin. The black chest of the black and white mannikin makes a kind of waistcoat line all the way across the bird's breast, from one dark-hatch "sidebar" to the other on each side.

It is rare not to come across small family groups of bronze mannikins whenever you walk in our neighborhood. Seeing a group of black and whites is somewhat unusual here, however, so I was pleased the other day to observe both species on one outing.

The snake that wasn't

2006-12-26T02:08:00.000-08:00

This morning my attention was drawn to the mix of small trees and various shrubs along the upper side of our compound. A small cacophony of avian hysteria, of the sort that typically announces the presence of a predator--cat, snake, owl, or something like that--made me sure that something was upsetting the frantic birds. As I approached, I noticed several species in the party, including olive-bellied sunbird, red-cheeked cordon-bleu, speckled mousebird, common bulbul, tawny-flanked prinia and white-browed robin chat. Scanning the branches and foliage to find out what they were upset about, I saw this:

That horizontal shadow running across the middle of the image is thicker than any of the other branches in the vicinity, and my first impression was exactly the same as the birds', I'm sure: This is one monster of a cobra!

Taking a closer look, though, I realized our collective mistake. The top third or so of the attenuated trunk of a pawpaw tree that has been dying for several months had finally bent over and was lying across the upper parts of the woody shrubs beneath it. The fact that it had not been there in that position before, its slightly curved shape, and the greyish, somewhat scalloped and scaly texture of its surface all combined to give a very snaky initial impression!

So, no snake on this occasion, and I'm not overly disappointed, even if I was temporarily the victim of a natural scam. It was at least as effective as a scarecrow in a grain field in fooling the local bird population, besides taking me in too.

Good week for unusual sightings

2006-12-21T02:54:00.000-08:00

It's been a better-than-average week for unusual sightings here in Mbale. On an early morning walk along Wanale Road I heard a distinctive contact call and then caught sight of the russet in the plumage of an African paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis). This has been one of my all-time favorite birds ever since I got acquainted with them at home in Malawi in the 1970s. They are fairly common in many places, but for some reason I rarely see them inside Mbale town (three or four times in eleven years). The one I saw a couple of days ago was either a female or juvenile/non-breeding male, without the signature long tail streamers of the adult male in breeding regalia.

Then this morning, on the upper side of our neighborhood, right before one begins to ascend in earnest the lower slopes of Wanale mountain, I heard a bird call that stood out as different from the usual avian symphony in our neighborhood. It sounded familiar, just out of place. Turned out to be a pair of darkish starlings, which, if I had not heard them calling, I'd have identified from a distance as Ruppell's long-tailed. The liquid call notes, however, made it obvious that these were red-winged starlings (Onychognathus morio). This species does occur, I'm sure, on the flanks and cliffs of Wanale mountain above Mbale town, but I've never before seen them down here in our backyard, so to speak. I guess this pair was just out a-wandering away from their home turf.

Levaillant's (Striped) Cuckoo

2006-12-15T13:45:00.000-08:00

I was walking in our neighborhood around 7 a.m. the other day and noticed a commotion of sorts in the middle of a terminalia (umbrella) tree. Turned out to be a pair of Levaillant's Cuckoos (both light-morph, with mostly white underparts), one of the more spectacular of East Africa's crested cuckoos. It was my first time to see them definitely, too, which made it even more enjoyable, especially as I've been looking for one for several years. I don't think they're all that uncommon, but as with many cuckoo species, they tend to be wanderers and one never knows where they may turn up. At 16 inches / 40 cm in length, and with crest and striking black and white plumage, they make quite a visual splash.

A few weeks ago a dark-morph crested-type cuckoo passed through our yard, harvesting hairy caterpillars out of the musizi trees. I didn't see it well enough to be certain whether it was a Jacobin (Black-and-white) Cuckoo or a Levaillant's, since the dark morphs of the two species are very similar.

Kingfisher Safaris Resort trip birds, 24-27 Nov 06

2006-12-07T02:38:00.000-08:00

The Kingfisher Safaris Resort sits on a bay on the northern shore of Lake Victoria, just a few hundred meters from where the fabled White Nile spills out to begin its odyssey north to the Mediterranean Ocean. Like most locales in Uganda, birding there is excellent. I was able to see or hear the following species on this trip with only a couple of hours spent specifically looking for birds. Here's a picture of one I heard but didn't lay eyes on (typical with flufftails!)--a male white-spotted flufftail, illustrated on a stamp from neighboring Rwanda:

1. Marabou
2. Red-chested sunbird
3. Scarlet-chested sunbird
4. Green-throated sunbird
5. Black-headed heron
6. Little egret
7. Cattle egret
8. White-browed robin chat
9. Black-headed gonolek
10. Golden-backed weaver
11. Common camaroptera
12. Tawny-flanked prinia
13. Yellow-fronted canary
14. Brimstone canary
15. Palm swift
16. Yellow-billed kite (at nest)
17. Broad-billed roller
18. Bronze mannikin
19. Splendid starling
20. Lesser blue-eared starling
21. Yellow-fronted tinker bird
22. Black and white shrike flycatcher (male and female)
23. Common bulbul
24. Yellow white-eye
25. Eastern grey plantain-eater
26. Long-tailed cormorant
27. Paradise flycatcher
28. White-throated bee-eater
29. European hobby (pair)
30. African thrush
31. White-browed coucal
32. Woodland kingfisher
33. Pygmy kingfisher
34. Variable sunbird
35. Brown-crowned tchagra
36. White-spotted flufftail (voice)
37. African hobby
38. Double-toothed barbet
39. Piapiac
40. Red-billed firefinch
42. Lizard buzzard
43. African goshawk
44. Openbill stork
45. Hamerkop
46. Winding cisticola
47. Grey-headed sparrow
48. Red-eyed dove
49. Laughing dove
50. Speckled mousebird
51. African pied crow
52. Pied wagtail
53. Yellow wagtail
54. Ruppell's long-tailed starling
55. Palm nut vulture
56. Baglafecht weaver
57. Black-headed oriole (voice)
58. Grey-backed fiscal shrike
59. White-breasted cormorant
60. Pied kingfisher
61. Hadada ibis
62. Sacred ibis
63. Grey heron
64. Black-headed weaver (nesting colonies)
65. Shikra
66. African darter
67. African fish eagle
68. Harrier hawk (gymnogene) pair of adults
69. Osprey
70. African green pigeon
71. Hooded vulture
72. Long-crested eagle
73. Grey woodpecker
74. Blue-cheeked bee-eater
75. Brown-throated wattle-eye
76. Brown parrot
77. Black bishop
78. Red-faced cisticola
79. Squacco heron
80. Malachite kingfisher
81. Yellow-throated greenbul
82. Striated (green-backed) heron
83. Giant kingfisher
84. African jacana
85. Pink-backed pelican
86. Speckled pigeon
87. Grey-cap warbler (voice)
88. White-headed barbet
89. Spectacled weaver
90. Blue-spotted wood dove
91. Northern puffback
92. Black-crowned waxbill
93. African blue flycatcher
94. Little swift
95. Barn swallow
96. Black-shouldered kite
97. Ross’s turaco (voice)
98. Grey hornbill
99. Common sandpiper
100. Large number of migrating warblers, including willow warblers and other similar species
101. Single quail overhead one evening, probably a harlequin
102. Unidentified medium-sized falcon