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HIGHLIGHTS

JANUARY 11–30, 2020

“Mukiza” the Silverback, Bwindi Impenetrable , January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

LEADERS: KEVIN ZIMMER & HERBERT BYARUHANGA LIST COMPILED BY: KEVIN ZIMMER

VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM

UGANDA HIGHLIGHTS

January 11–30, 2020

By Kevin Zimmer

Shoebill, Mabamba wetlands, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

This was the second January departure of our increasingly popular Uganda Highlights Tour, and it proved an unqualified success in delivering up-close-and-personal observations of wild Mountain Gorillas, wild Chimpanzees, and the bizarre . Beyond these iconic creatures, we racked up over 430 of and had fabulous encounters with Lion, Hippopotamus, African Elephant, Rothschild’s Giraffe, and an amazing total of 10 species of primates. The “Pearl of ” lived up to its advance billing as a premier destination for birding and primate viewing in every way, and although the -species composition and levels of song/breeding activity in this (normally) dry season are somewhat different from those encountered during our June visits, the overall species diversity of both birds and mammals encountered has proven remarkably similar.

After a day at the Boma Hotel in Entebbe to recover from the international flights, we hit the ground running, with a next-morning excursion to the fabulous Mabamba wetlands.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Opportunistic roadside stops en route yielded such prizes as Great Blue , Lizard Buzzard, and Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, but as we were approaching the wetlands, the dark cloud mass that had been threatening rain for the past hour finally delivered. We remained on the bus, waiting out the rain, which, mercifully, moved through after an hour or so. With our allotted time for the marsh already cut nearly in half, we scrambled to board the boats, eager to get going before the still unsettled skies opened up again. Spread over two boats, we spent a magical couple of hours alternately motoring and being poled through a series of narrow channels in a vast papyrus marsh. Our primary target was the incredible Shoebill, a prehistoric relict constituting a monotypic family that is endemic to the African continent, and, for most first-time visitors to Uganda, the ‘most-wanted’ bird of the trip. We would have other chances for the species, but the chances of encountering another before reaching Murchison Falls (at the very end of the tour) were not great, so we instructed the boatmen at Mabamba to prioritize the Shoebill before spending time on the many other denizens of the marsh. We were less than an hour into our search when we scored big, with a superb, close Shoebill that allowed lengthy studies and gave a nice demonstration of its foraging technique by patiently waiting for lungfish to surface and then lunging with its massive bill, scooping up large amounts of vegetation and muck in the process. Eventually, the behemoth tired of us and lifted off, only to drop into a nearby but less accessible stand of papyrus. With the big prize firmly in the bag, we could now turn our attention to such fare as Malachite , Yellow-billed Duck, Squacco and Purple herons, African Jacana, Long-toed Lapwing, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, and Blue-headed Coucal. A flock of Weyn’s Weavers hurtled past while we were still looking at the Shoebill, but, sadly, there was no time to pole out into the more distant parts of the marsh to look for the rare Lesser Jacana. After returning to Entebbe for lunch back at our hotel, we made a late afternoon excursion to the nearby Entebbe Botanic Gardens, where we were greeted by an engaging group of Vervet Monkeys, including mothers nursing babies, and youngsters playing tentatively atop the fence. The next couple of hours were highlighted by nice studies of magnificent Great Blue and Ross’s and their cousins, the Eastern Plantain-eaters; side by side comparisons of Long-tailed and Great cormorants; scope views of perched Gray ; and a non-stop parade of weavers of six species, including some actively nest-building Orange Weavers. It was an amazing finish to what had been a highlight-packed first day.

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Great Blue Turaco, Entebbe Botanic Gardens, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

The next day, we hit the road, headed south and west, but not before picking off a number of goodies on the hotel grounds (including Double-toothed Barbet, Black-headed Gonolek, Red-chested and Green-headed , and Splendid ), and making a brief stop just down the road from our hotel to look for a recently discovered pair of Bat Hawks. We had barely exited the bus before sighting our quarry—both birds were present, and although we could not see a nest, it seemed pretty apparent that the pair had settled on this site for that purpose. Over the next 45 minutes or so, they put on a real show, alternately perching side by side for several minutes, only to have one individual or the other periodically fly out of the tree, disappear for a few minutes, and then return. As I explained at the time, this species, although widespread in its distribution, is rarely seen this well, due mainly to its decidedly crepuscular habits. More often than not, it is seen only in dashing direct flight at dawn and dusk, as it strafes groves of trees with concentrations of roosting bats. The remainder of our morning and early afternoon was consumed with the drive to Lake Mburo National Park, which produced a few new birds, among them, most notably, multiple Long-crested Eagles perched atop telephone poles, and a mixture of Broad-billed and Lilac-breasted rollers on the wires. Once we turned off the tarmac, we were in a position to bird our way into the park. Highlights included a pair of magnificent Saddle-billed , a Woolly-necked , Wattled Lapwing, Water Thick-knee, our first Crested Barbet (a recent colonist to southern Uganda from ), a Tabora (Long-tailed) displaying high above the road, a male Pin- tailed Whydah, and bunches of Red-necked Francolins.

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Bat Hawks, Entebbe, Uganda, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

The following morning was one of great excitement, as we spent a few magical hours aboard a small boat in exploration of the Lake Mburo shoreline and the fringing papyrus marshes. In addition to coaxing such skulkers as Sedge Warbler and Carruther’s Cisticola out of the papyrus, we were treated to dazzling studies of an absurd number of Malachite and Pied , African Fish-Eagles on the nest, , Black Crakes slinking along the shoreline, a lovely pair of Double-toothed Barbets defending their nest cavity from a lurking , and a plethora of grunting Hippopotami. Best of all was our breathtakingly close (and prolonged) encounter with a male African Finfoot, the major target bird of our morning. In the late afternoon, we birded the savanna woodlands, picking up a number of new birds and mammals in the process.

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African Finfoot (male), Lake Mburo NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Hippopotamus, Lake Mburo NP, January 2018 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Then, it was on to Ruhija and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Most of the day was consumed with the drive, although we were able to do some productive roadside birding

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 6 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 on our way out of Lake Mburo (netting stellar views of male Copper and Mariqua sunbirds, a dazzling Sulphur-breasted , and an unusually sedate Red-backed Scrub-Robin, among others), and picked off a few forest birds after the entrance gate into Bwindi. Without doubt, our biggest prize once inside the park was the endemic Handsome Francolin that I spotted foraging at the edge of the road. This elusive Albertine Rift endemic seldom remains in view long enough for everyone in the bus to see, but this particular individual did not flee the scene when we came to a sudden stop, and even stayed long enough to be thoroughly documented by the photographers in the group. We also saw our first L’Hoest’s Monkeys (with their signature ‘question-mark’ tails) while traversing the bamboo zone of the park. We arrived at Gorilla Mist Camp with time to get settled in before dusk, in preparation for our big day ahead.

Handsome Francolin, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Our morning was dedicated to gorilla tracking. After the briefing by our ranger-guide, we sorted out how many porters we were going to require, picked out our walking sticks, and then drove to the trailhead. With our ranger-guide, two armed guards (one at the front, one at the rear; a precaution against a chance encounter with buffalo or forest elephants), the 7 of us, another couple who was not part of our VENT group, and our 11 hired porters, we presented quite the expedition. The porters proved a wise investment, lugging not only all of our gear, but also assisting those that needed it on the steep portions of the trail, both going out, and, on the return. From the road, we dropped rather steeply downhill for about 35 minutes before our ranger-guide, in a masterful bit of understatement, stated, “Sometimes you hike for three hours before reaching the gorillas, and other times, it takes only 30 minutes—you are lucky!” And lucky we were! The “Mukiza group” (one of 5 groups of habituated gorillas in the Ruhija sector of the forest), to which we had been assigned was scattered on either side of the trail, some feeding high

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 7 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 in the trees, and others on the ground, but all actively engaged in foraging, and, hence, on the move, leaving us quickly behind. Our trackers immediately began cutting a new trail through the dense undergrowth, with our group close on their heels. Our bushwhacking efforts had us scrambling up and down slope, stopping when the gorillas stopped, only to be roused into pursuit again as soon as the great apes resumed moving.

Mountain Gorilla (adult female with baby), Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, Jan 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

The next hour could only be described as “magical.” The Mukiza group consisted of 13 gorillas, including one silverback (“Mukiza,” aged 20 years), 6 adult females (including “Mugwere,” mother of “Mukiza,” and thought to be 40–45 years of age), 1 blackback (subadult male), 1 juvenile female, and 4 youngsters (ranging in age from 8 months to 4 years), the youngest of which (“Mugenyi”) was an adorable little female with an unusual patch of white fur on one arm. For much of the hour, various members of the group went about their business of eating, sleeping, and playing just a few feet away from our group! Mukiza spent part of the hour lying on his stomach, “babysitting” the two youngest members of the group, which put on quite the wrestling exhibition, much to the delight of the photographers (which is to say, basically everyone) in our group. Eventually, the entire group was put on high alert when the crashing sound of a large branch falling, followed by some maniacal ape sounds from just down slope, signaled the approach of another group of gorillas, this one not habituated, and therefore, a potential threat to Mukiza as the lone silverback in the group.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 8 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 The threat posed by the approaching group of wild gorillas roused the Mukiza group out of their stalled foraging mode and put them once more on the move. This time, we did not attempt to follow, because our allotted hour with these remarkable creatures had expired. It is no exaggeration to say that such an intimate encounter with these endangered great apes was deeply moving and profoundly spiritual, and, for each of us, ranked at or near the top of any natural history experience we have ever enjoyed.

“Mukiza” the Silverback, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

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“Mukiza” the Silverback, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

The return hike back up the mountain took us twice as long to negotiate as did our descent, but we still made it back to the road in time to justify putting off eating our boxed lunches until we were back in camp. After a few hours of down time, we headed to a nearby trail skirting the forest-edge, where we picked off several goodies, including Regal , Rwenzori , Black-faced Apalis, Gray , Yellow- streaked and Slender-billed , Black-tailed (Mountain) Oriole, African Hill Babbler, White-tailed Blue-Flycatcher and others. Maddeningly, a Red-chested Owlet, drawn to our audio playback, and, in the process, attracting a noisy mob of agitated , managed to escape unseen, despite having seemingly remained in the huge tree over our heads for some 15 minutes or more. The biggest highlights were provided by a Black-billed Turaco, which posed (uncharacteristically) for an extended period of time, and by a pair of colorful Narina , all lured in by playback.

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Narina (male), Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

The following day was spent birding/driving the 50+ km of road to Buhoma, on the other side of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We stopped frequently to walk various sections of road, including an area known as “The Neck.” This normally productive transect proved unusually quiet for birds but still resulted in nest-building Yellow-crowned Canaries, wildly duetting pairs/trios of Chubb’s , bunches of Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters, unusually tame Golden-breasted Buntings and Gray-headed Nigritas, and others. Topping everything was our lunch-stop at “The Neck,” where a family group of Mountain Wagtails and a pair of Cassin’s Flycatchers patrolled the stream, and where we enjoyed prolonged studies of a pair of stunning Black Bee-eaters perching at eye level outside of their nest hole in a dirt bank next to the road. Upon arriving at our upscale accommodations in Buhoma, we had planned to make a late afternoon excursion to the nearby national park but ended up taking the remainder of the afternoon off due to an impending thunderstorm, allowing everyone’s legs to recover more fully from the gorilla trek of the previous day. Snowy-crowned Robin-Chats cavorting on the lawn beneath the dining room balcony and Bronze Sunbirds feeding in the nearby flowering ornamental shrubs provided all the stimulus that some of us needed to spend what was left of the day birding the grounds instead.

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Black Bee-eater, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

For our full day at Buhoma, we were joined by local guide Matthew, who proved a big help in pinning down several of the special birds of his “patch.” Highlights were many, among them, a lovely but elusive Lühder’s Bushshrike; a Blue Malkoa; bizarre Black- and-white -flycatchers (also present on our hotel grounds); Pink-footed Puffbacks; Petit’s ; a Speckled Tinkerbird that I lured down out of the canopy; groups of Narrow-tailed ; unusually cooperative Gray-winged Robin-Chats; a pair of Brown-capped Weavers creeping over bare limbs like nuthatches and returning again and again to their nest (which was dangling over the road); and scope views of a singing White-breasted Nigrita. The lodge grounds proved even more productive during the break, particularly for Gabi and Tovi, whose balcony overlooked some fruiting trees that proved to be major bird magnets, attracting everything from Ross’s Turacos to Yellow- billed, Gray-throated, and Double-toothed barbets.

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Brown-capped Weaver (male) at nest, Buhoma, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Ross’s Turaco, Mahogany Springs Resort, Buhoma, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 13 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Next on our agenda was Queen Elizabeth National Park. Along the way, we stopped at a likely looking papyrus swamp and made a surgical strike on a pair of flashy Papyrus Gonoleks. Road conditions resulting from extended November and December rains dictated that we take a more circuitous route to the park than usual, meaning that there was little time for birding on our way in. We did pick up several new birds for the trip on the drive in, but the biggest highlight was a group of unusually cooperative Giant Forest Hogs near the park entrance.

Papyrus Gonolek, en route to QUENP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

The next morning, we awoke to a bus with a malfunctioning starter. Plan B was to arrange for an open-air safari vehicle as our transport, while Hood (our driver) attended to the mechanical issues afflicting the bus. We started in the Euphorbia-dominated woodlands near the lodge and worked our way out into the wetter, tall-grass savanna. We were rewarded with nice studies of Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Marsh , Black Coucal, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, some stunning male Southern Red Bishops in full breeding plumage, and, to the delight of our cisticola fans (As it turned out, there weren’t many!), Red-faced, Croaking, and Wing-snapping cisticolas.

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Southern Red Bishop (male), Queen Elizabeth NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

In the afternoon, we took another boat trip, this time on the Kazinga Channel, which connects Lake George and Lake Edward. The boat took us right along the shore, allowing close studies of a nice diversity of shorebirds (including many Palearctic migrants), gulls, and , as well as herons, egrets, and storks, not to mention a concentration of 200+ African Skimmers and truly impressive numbers of Pied Kingfishers. We also scored our first Red-throated Bee-eaters from the boat, found a perched that posed for our cameras, and saw a number of “Red Forest” (Congo/African Forest) Buffalo, a distinct of the African (Cape) Buffalo that is distinctly smaller and noticeably more reddish and shaggier in pelage compared to their bigger, blacker cousins that we would be seeing on the savannas. On the way back to the dock, we came across an African Fish-Eagle, inexplicably treading water in the middle of the channel. As we drew nearer, the reason for his predicament became clear: the raptor had grabbed a fish that was heavier than he could carry off, a problem exacerbated by the increasingly waterlogged state of the eagle’s feathers. Eventually, the soaked bird ended up releasing the fish, jettisoning enough weight to be able to lift off the water and fly away.

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African Fish-Eagle attempting take-off with fish, Kazinga Channel, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

On our way out of the park the following morning, we devoted a few hours to birding the extensive, shorter grass savannas, scoring everything from a perched (and then low- circling) Wahlberg’s Eagle to Temminck’s Courser, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Woodchat Shrike, Red-capped and Rufous-naped larks, and and Plain-backed pipits, to large numbers of Ugandan Kobs. We rolled into our next stop, the Chimpanzee Guest House, adjacent to Kibale National Park, in the midafternoon, with enough time for some roadside birding through nearby tall forest. This yielded a number of new birds, among them, Afep Pigeon, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, Hairy- breasted Barbet, and a pair of striking Red-headed Malimbe.

At Kibale, our focus was once again on trekking for primates, this time for Chimpanzees. An early start the next morning found us on the Kibale trail system before first light, in hopes of locating a displaying Green-breasted Pitta. This special bird is missed more often than it is seen—our 2018 group didn’t even hear one. Luck was with us this time. Our local guide, Richard, informed us that he had heard a displaying bird the day before, the first one that he had heard in five weeks! After a bit of a hike (in the dark, with flashlights), and a short wait in the appropriate area, we heard a displaying pitta, then another, and then, a third. Following Richard, we bushwhacked our way off-trail, attempting to triangulate the mechanical sounds made by the male pittas as they did their jump-up displays from perches high above the ground. It was rapidly getting lighter inside the forest, but locating the pitta was still more of an aural exercise than a visual one. Finally, Richard gestured frantically to me that he had located one of the birds, and soon we had the entire group on it! We watched, transfixed, for 10–15 minutes, as the

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 16 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 pitta displayed again and again, occasionally changing perches, but not moving more than a few feet at a time. Abruptly, he darted off, not to be seen by us again.

Green-breasted Pitta on display perch, Kibale NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

With the early morning light filtering down to the forest floor, and buoyed by our outstanding pitta experience, we moved on, now refocused on finding the elusive Chimpanzees. As we moved through the forest, Richard pointed out numerous fresh nests where Chimps had recently bedded down for the night. He also pointed out fresh scat and several favored trees where the Chimpanzees liked to feed. At a couple of points, we heard an impressive cacophony of Chimp vocalizations, but by the time we had bushwhacked to the spots, the apes had moved on. It was getting late in the morning, and our post-pitta euphoria was starting to be replaced by pre-Chimp anxiety! Fortunately, Richard was in radio contact with colleagues guiding other groups focused exclusively on Chimpanzees. Eventually came word of a large group of Chimps located by one of the other ranger-guides. Off we went, bushwhacking in a straight line to get to the nearest dirt track, where Hood was waiting with our bus. A short drive took us to the nearest entry point, and then off we went again, moving rapidly through the forest to where two other groups of trekkers were gathered. As advertised, there was a large group of Chimps in the vicinity, and, gratifyingly, many of them were down on the ground! The next 30–45 minutes were a blur, as we rubbernecked from tree-climbing Chimps to copulating Chimps to subordinate Chimps grooming their “President.” Once the “President” had been sufficiently groomed, he picked up and started moving along the ground, signaling the other Chimps that it was time to move on. Before we knew it, the entire group had moved out of sight, and at a pace that meant we weren’t going to be able to follow. No matter—our encounter had been incredible!

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Chimpanzee, Kibale NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Chimpanzee (subordinate adult male), Kibale NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 18 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Before leaving the Kibale area the next day, we got to spend a productive hour or so birding the grounds of the Chimpanzee Guest House, picking up where we had left off late the afternoon before. The highlight from this time was watching up to 6 lovely Gray Parrots, perched, feeding on palm fruits, and flying around, right off the balcony of the dining area. An adult Palm-nut Vulture, living up to its name by feeding in the same fruiting palm, was a close second.

Gray , Chimpanzee Guest House, Kibale, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

A long drive north to Masindi put us in position to bird the Royal Mile section of the Budongo Forest the following day. A few roadside stops in the lush agricultural lands en route to the forest produced a number of new open-country birds, including Cabanis’s Bunting, Brown-backed Scrub-Robin, Brown Twinspot, , Black-winged and Black bishops, and Yellow-mantled Widowbirds, the Ploeceids among them, sadly, all in their drab non-breeding plumages. Along the way, we met up with our local forest guide Raymond and then continued on to the Royal Mile. Forest birding is rife with possibilities here, but it is always a challenge, given the height of the trees and the density of the vegetation. We started slow, as whatever dawn chorus the dry season had offered up was long since concluded. A lovely, rich warble from the forest floor signaled the presence of a Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, and a brief snatch of playback brought a pair of these shy songsters almost to our feet. It took awhile to get everyone on these skulkers, but eventually we succeeded before moving on to a Green Hylia that was clambering around in the midstory. New birds came quickly after that, sometimes too quickly. Many of the new finds (including Rufous-crowned Eremomela, Uganda Woodland- Warbler, Lemon-bellied , African [Fraser’s] Forest-Flycatcher, Sooty Flycatcher, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, and Gray-throated -Flycatcher) were small,

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 19 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 active, or elusive birds moving with mixed-species flocks, and thus, presented challenges to get everyone on before the next new bird demanded our full attention. Others were notably larger and more cooperative, ranging from honking big and sedately feeding White-thighed Hornbills to Golden-crowned (Yellow-crested) , to a lovely Western Black-headed Oriole. Activity waned markedly by midday, and after making short work of our packed lunches, we walked to the end of the accessible part of the forest, which was marked by a sign just beyond a bridge over a small stream. We were still missing two of our most-wanted target birds, the tiny and inconspicuous and the spectacular and much more vocal Chocolate-backed Kingfisher. The quiet stream seemed a likely site for the former, and, indeed, Raymond said that he had seen one here just the day before. We resolved to stake out the spot and see what happened. In short order, Raymond spotted an African Dwarf Kingfisher perched at relatively low height, and, thankfully, the tiny sprite sat for an extended time before changing perches, allowing for scope-filling views. Even after leaving, this tiniest of African kingfishers (measuring out at a mere 4” in length, a good chunk of which is accounted for by the bill) returned again and again to nearby perches. Meanwhile, I continued with intermittent audio playback of the calls of the Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, to no avail. The stream did prove a nice spot to sit and relax, and to enjoy the wealth of butterflies attracted to its muddy margins. Eventually, it also proved a magnet for a thirsty Sabine’s Spinetail—a broad-winged, short-tailed species of forest-inhabiting swift—which made a few quicksilver-fast sorties to drink on the wing.

African Dwarf Kingfisher, The Royal Mile, Budongo Forest, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Just as we were on the verge of giving up on this spot and starting to work our way back, I heard the remarkably antpitta-like voice of a distant Chocolate-backed Kingfisher,

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 20 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 finally responding to my audio playback. After quickly getting situated in a good spot, I gave it another burst of playback. Within seconds, Judith calmly announced that she had the bird! And there it was, a lovely Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, perched in the midstory for wide-open, scope-filling views, and singing its heart out! It was still there when we tore ourselves away, nearly 15 minutes later.

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, The Royal Mile, Budongo Forest, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

From Masindi, it was a short jump to Murchison Falls National Park, which would be the last stop on our tour before returning to Entebbe. A roadside stop in some promising- looking second growth resulted in much-improved views of Brown Twinspots and Compact Weavers, and turned up a few new things, including a lovely Gray-headed Oliveback. Once inside the park, we drove mostly without stopping through the northern extension of the Budongo Forest, hoping to make the 12-noon ferry crossing of the Nile. It was not to be. A random stop in the forest to try for White-crested Turaco did indeed result in a turaco calling back, although it never came into view. We did hit on a very responsive little Brown-backed at that same spot. With time running short, we ended up stopping again, when we came upon a scrum of Abdim’s Storks and Black Kites feeding in frenzied fashion upon fleeing and other prey at the margins of a prescribed burn. Shortly thereafter, we came to yet another screeching halt when a group of White (-crested) went leapfrogging across the road and into the open woodlands on our left. In an attempt to nail down the helmetshrikes, we had to exit the bus, a move that quickly led to finding our first Vinaceous Doves of the tour. With the 12:00 p.m. ferry a now-distant memory, we rolled into a nearby tourist camp and enjoyed lunch there while awaiting the next ferry crossing at 2:00 p.m. Once across the Nile, it

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 21 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 was only a couple of minutes more to our lodge, where we hurriedly checked in, had a very short break, and then headed out again for a late afternoon birding/game drive.

Piapiacs atop a Common Warthog, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Our time in the park alternated between vehicular forays across the picturesque, Borassus palm-studded savanna and riparian woodlands bordering the Nile, and chartered launch trips by boat, first, upriver on the Victoria Nile to the bottom of Murchison Falls, and then, downriver to the delta with Lake Albert. The boat trips treated us to great Hippo viewing, and the elephant and crocodile viewing was first rate as well. The afternoon trip upriver to the bottom of the falls produced superb viewing of a group of roughly 200 African Skimmers on a sandbar, 30+ African Darters, several gorgeous Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, frame-filling views of a Rock Pratincole, the aptly named Goliath Heron (including one astride its nest), a thriving colony of Red-throated Bee-eaters, a Barn peering out of its nest hole (high above the bee-eater colony), and our first Giant Kingfishers of the trip. The downriver trip to the Delta the next morning gave us more Goliath Herons, a Saddle-billed Stork on its nest, Little Bittern, a Greater Swamp- Warbler, and a vagrant Southern Carmine Bee-eater (a species that has been found on our last couple of June departures but not previously recorded by our January groups). We were hoping for more , but the prolonged rainy season that stretched deep into December resulted in much higher-than-usual water levels, effectively submerging all of the fringing marsh vegetation bordering the tall papyrus, and eliminating 90% of the normally accessible Shoebill .

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African Elephants, River Nile, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Rock Pratincole, below Murchison Falls, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Not to be outdone, the vehicular excursions produced a non-stop procession of mammals, from herds of African Buffalo to family groups of stately Rothschild’s Giraffes.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 23 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Ungulates, from Defassa Waterbuck and Bushbuck to Uganda Kob and Red Hartebeest, dotted the landscape, and liberally sprinkled among them were good numbers of Oribi. There were plenty of new birds as well, ranging from confiding and elegant Swallow- tailed Bee-eaters to unusual numbers of handsome Black-headed Lapwings, bizarre Abyssinian Ground-Hornbills, and strikingly magpie-like Piapiacs, which, as often as not, were seen hitching rides on everything from warthogs to buffalo.

Rothschild’s Giraffes, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

The last day saw us crossing the Nile on the ferry one last time (and being greeted by a perched Giant Kingfisher on the other side), and then driving back out of the park the way we had entered, with only a couple of brief stops for birds. A short foray to the top of Murchison Falls allowed us to appreciate the sheer violence with which the Nile forces its way through the rocks. Lake Victoria births the Nile River, discharging an estimated 300 cubic meters per second of water from its outlet. This water flows northwest to the park, only to be forced violently through a narrow (7 m/23 feet) gap in the rocks at Murchison Falls, where it falls nearly 150’ to the placid Victoria Nile below, which then flows westward to Lake Albert. This brief scenic side trip also produced a stoically perched Grasshopper Buzzard right next to the road as we rolled out. We stopped at the Exit Gate for bathrooms, the requisite paperwork, and one last try for the elusive White- crested Turaco, which we did finally succeed in luring in, although our views were strictly a flash of crimson and green as the pair of turacos sailed back and forth across the road, never stopping in sight. Much to the joy of nearly everyone, this last stop did enable us to add one last species of cisticola to our lists, in the form of a breathtakingly

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 24 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 drab pair of Whistling Cisticolas! From Masinde, we made our way back to Entebbe on good tarmac road, without stops. Day rooms awaited us at the Boma Hotel, giving us a chance to clean up, repack, and enjoy a final dinner and checklist session before heading off to the airport. This really was an exceptional tour in every respect, and I want to thank Herbert (the “Godfather of Uganda Birding”) and Hood for making our visit to the ‘Pearl of Africa’ a safe and successful one. I also want to thank each of the various local guides who helped us immeasurably along the way, particularly Moses (Lake Mburo), Matthew (Buhoma), Richard (Kibale Forest), and Raymond (The Royal Mile), as well as Judith (guide-in-training), who was with us almost throughout, and who was responsible for spotting several good birds.

Red-throated Bee-eater, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

10 FAVORITE BIRDS OF THE TRIP (as voted by the group)

1. Shoebill 2. Green-breasted Pitta 3. Chocolate-backed Kingfisher & Red-throated Bee-eater (tied) 4. Gray Parrot, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, African Dwarf Kingfisher & Gray Crowned- (tied) 5. Black-billed Turaco, Black Bee-eater, African Finfoot, Long-crested Eagle, Piapiac, Thick-knee, Yellow-billed Barbet & Gray-headed Kingfisher (tied)

ITINERARY

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 25 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 1/12 – All participants had arrived in Entebbe by early morning on this “sleep-in” day. Kevin, already in Uganda for a week of scouting, arrived just in time for the first scheduled group activity, an introductory dinner at the hotel. 1/13 – Boma Hotel, Entebbe: breakfast at 0600h, departing at 0700h for morning excursion to the Mabamba wetlands, arriving at 0900h, just as it started raining. We delayed our boat excursion until the rain stopped at 1030h, after which, we birded the swamp by boats until 1215h. We returned to the Boma Hotel for a late lunch at 1400h. After a short break, we went to the nearby Entebbe Botanic Gardens, where we birded from 1600h until 1800h. 1/14 – Boma Hotel, Entebbe: breakfast at 0700h, departing at 0830h, after 30 minutes of group birding on the hotel grounds. This was followed immediately by a 30-minute stop in a nearby neighborhood for a stakeout pair of Bat Hawks. We then drove four hours (with boxed lunches) on to Lake Mburo National Park, turning off the main highway at ca. 1600h, and birding our way to Mantana Tented Camp, inside the park, arriving just before dusk. 1/15 – Mantana Tented Camp, Lake Mburo National Park: breakfast at 0645h, depart at 0745h for Lake Mburo, where we did a boat trip into the papyrus swamp and along part of the near lakeshore, from 0815h–1045h, returning to camp for lunch and break, with late afternoon birding/game drive from 1500h–1830h. 1/16 – Mantana Tented Camp, Lake Mburo National Park: breakfast and bags out at 0645h, depart at 0745h. We birded our way out of the park, with some select stops outside the park gate along the dirt road back to the highway (arriving at highway at 1045h). Much of the rest of the day was spent driving to the Rujiha gate to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, by way of Mbararra (lunch stop) and Kabale. We arrived at the Bwindi entrance gate at about 1600h, and birded there on foot for 15 minutes or so while the paperwork was being processed. We then drove pretty directly through the park to Ruhija and on to Gorilla Mist Camp, a distance of only 10 km or so, but which took another hour. 1/17 – Gorilla Mist Camp, Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: breakfast at 0645h, departing at 0730h for National Park and gorilla trekking rally point. Following our briefing, we completed our arrangements for porters, and then drove to the trailhead. We began our trek at 0900h (2300 m elevation), arrived at the site where the trackers had located the gorillas at 0935h, remained with the gorillas until 1045h, and then started the hike back up the mountain to the road (back at the bus by 1200h). We made it back to Gorilla Mist Camp (where we ended up eating our packed lunch) by 1230h, and then enjoyed an afternoon break, followed by an optional birding excursion to a nearby jeep track bordering the forest from 1500h–1800h. 1/18 – Gorilla Mist Camp, Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest: breakfast at 0645h, bags out at 0730h, depart at 0745h; spending the day skirting the park boundary along the Butogota Road, while covering a distance of only 50 km of moderately rough dirt road, with numerous lengthy birding stops along the way (particularly, at ‘The Neck,’ at 1500 m, where we ate our packed lunch), reaching Mahogany Springs Lodge (just outside the Buhoma Gate to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest) at around 1500h. A thunderstorm that rolled in an hour later resulted in cancellation of planned birding activities for the remainder of the afternoon, which was then spent at leisure, on the hotel grounds.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 26 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 1/19 – Mahogany Springs Resort, Buhoma, Bwindi Community: breakfast at 0700h, depart 0800h for the nearby Buhoma entrance to the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We spent most of the morning birding on foot within 500m of either side of the park gate, quitting at 1215h to return to the lodge for lunch. Break, with productive birding on the lodge grounds, until 1600h, at which time we offered optional late afternoon birding back inside the park, covering a few hundred more meters of park road. Back to the lodge by 1815h. 1/20 – Mahogany Springs Resort, Buhoma, Bwindi Community: breakfast at 0700h, bags out at 0745h, depart 0830h for Queen Elizabeth National Park. We spent most of the day driving a longer-than-usual route (due to recent flooding having made some stretches of road impassable), with occasional opportunistic stops for birds, before reaching the park entrance, in the late afternoon, and Mweya Safari Lodge at ca. 1830h. 1/21 – Mweya Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park: breakfast at 0630h, with departure for morning birding/game drive in the park at 0730h. We spent the entire morning in the park, concentrating on savanna , before returning to the lodge for lunch and break. Back out at 1600h, this time to the nearby boat launch docks, where we boarded a boat for a private excursion along the Kazinga Channel to its mouth at Lake Edward (across which, we could see the border with the DRC), returning to the dock at 1830h. 1/22 – Mweya Safari Lodge, Queen Elizabeth National Park: bags out and breakfast at 0630h, departing at 0730h, and spending most of the morning birding short grass savanna habitats in the park that we didn’t have time to cover the previous day. Then, we headed north on the drive to Kibale, arriving in mid-late afternoon. After checking into our rooms at the Chimpanzee Guest House, we drove to a nearby stretch of road dissecting tall forest, for some late afternoon roadside birding from 1600h–1830h. 1/23 – Chimpanzee Guest House: breakfast at 0500h, depart 0545h for Kibale National Park (about 30 minutes by bus), where we spent the morning chimp-tracking, after spending the first two hours (starting pre-dawn) looking and listening for Green-breasted Pitta. Chimp-tracking took the remainder of the morning, and we returned to the lodge for lunch and break. Departed at 1500h departure for afternoon birding along the Bigodi Swamp Community Nature Trail, until 1800h. 1/24 – Chimpanzee Guest House: bags out and breakfast at 0700h, depart 0830h, on what was primarily a long travel day, with a few brief targeted stops for roadside birding, most notably at a small marsh just outside of Fort Portal. We spent the remainder of the day driving to Masindi, arriving at the historic Masindi Hotel at around 1730h. 1/25 – Masindi Hotel, Masindi: breakfast at 0600h, depart 0645h for ‘The Royal Mile’ section of Budongo Forest, via Kabango, arriving at 0900h, after having stopped twice for brief birding in the agricultural lands outside of the park, and birding on foot through the forest until almost 1545h (with packed lunch from the hotel), with one more stop of about 1-hour duration to bird in the agricultural lands outside of the park, before returning to Masindi (arriving back at the hotel at ca. 1745h). 1/26 – Masindi Hotel, Masindi: breakfast at 0630h, bags out at 0715h, depart 0745h for Murchison Falls National Park, with one stop en route for about one hour of birding in second growth along the road. We then carried on by bus to the park. After completing paperwork and using the restrooms, we continued our transect through the southern part of the park, with a few opportunistic stops for birds, stopping to eat lunch at a tourist

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 27 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 camp, before continuing to the ferry crossing over the Nile, which we crossed at about 1400h. Upon crossing the Nile by ferry, we immediately drove to our nearby lodge (Paraa Safari Lodge), checked in, and then went back out on a birding/game drive at 1530h, staying out until dusk. 1/27 – Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park: breakfast at 0615h, depart 0730h for morning birding/game drive across the savanna and past the airstrip to the delta along the banks of the Albert Nile and back, returning for lunch at 1230h, a short break until 1345h, and then down to the river, where we boarded a chartered boat for an afternoon boat trip up the Victoria Nile to the bottom of Murchison Falls and back (1400h–1730h), returning to the lodge at 1800h. 1/28 – Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park: breakfast at 0615h, depart at 0700h down to ferry crossing, where we caught another chartered boat, this time, down the Victoria Nile to the delta with Lake Albert and back, returning to the lodge for lunch at 1245h, followed by a break. Back out at 1600h for our last birding/game drive back across the savanna, returning at 1830h for dinner. 1/29 – Paraa Safari Lodge, Murchison Falls National Park: bags out and breakfast at 0615h, departing at 0645h in order to catch the 0700h ferry crossing back across the Victoria Nile. We then drove back across the park, with a short detour to the overlook at the top of Murchison Falls, and only a couple of brief stops for birds, exiting the park at the same gate where we had entered two days earlier. From there, we drove back to Masindi, then took the highway from Masindi to , and back to the Boma Hotel in Entebbe, arriving at ca. 1730h. The tour concluded with a final dinner and checklist session at the Boma Hotel, followed by separate airport transfers ranging from 2100h to 0230h the next morning.

KEY

ARE = after the species name signifies that the species is an Albertine Rift Endemic. BG = Entebbe Botanic Gardens BU = Buhoma Tract of the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Includes birds seen on the grounds of Mahogany Springs Lodge, the road between the lodge and the Buhoma gate, and roadside birding inside the Buhoma Tract.) BW = Bwindi Impenetrable Forest (Including the forest between the Ruhija Gate and Gorilla Mist Camp, the Gorilla trek, and all roadside birding along the 50-km track between Gorilla Mist Camp and Mahogany Springs.) EN = Entebbe (Primarily the grounds of the Boma Hotel and nearby neighborhoods, as well as birds seen in and around the city from the bus.) KI = Kibale National Park & Vicinity (Including the grounds of the Chimpanzee Guest House Lodge, our morning of chimp tracking, the afternoon birding the roadside forest near the lodge, the Bigodi Swamp Community Trail, and the brief stop outside of Fort Portal on the morning that we drove to Masindi.) LM = Lake Mburo National Park (including the long entrance road off the main highway, most of which lies outside of the park) MS = Masindi

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 28 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 MF = Murchison Falls National Park (From entrance to exit, including all birding/game drives & boat trips on the Victoria Nile to the base of the falls and to the Delta at the mouth of Lake Albert.) MW = Mabamba Wetlands QE = Queen Elizabeth National Park (Including our boat trip on the Kazinga Channel, all birding/game drives within the park [including our drive into the park on 1/22], the grounds of Mywea Safari Lodge, and the first section of highway traversed on our drive to Kibale. RM = The Royal Mile, Budongo Forest (including stops in agricultural lands en route to and from The Royal Mile) * = Heard only.

BIRDS

DUCKS, GEESE & WATERFOWL ():

White-faced Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna viduata) - MF Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) - BG, LM, QE, MF Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) - MF Yellow-billed Duck (Anas undulata) - MW

GUINEAFOWL (Numididae):

Helmeted (Numida meleagris) - LM, QE, MF (Guttera pucherani) - RM

PHEASANTS, & ALLIES ():

Handsome Francolin (Pternistis nobilis) ARE - BW Heuglin’s Francolin (Pternistis icterorhynchus) - MF Red-necked Francolin (Spurfowl) (Pternistis afer) - LM, QE Crested Francolin (Dendroperdix sephaena) - LM, QE

PIGEONS & DOVES ():

Rock Pigeon ( livia) - Seen in several cities and towns. Speckled Pigeon (Columba ) - Afep Pigeon (Columba unicincta) - KI Rameron (African Olive) Pigeon (Columba arquatrix) - BW White-naped Pigeon (Columba albinucha) - KI Mourning Collared-Dove (Streptopelia decipiens) - MF Red-eyed Dove (Streptopelia semitorquata) - Common throughout; seen at all locales visited, and on all but two days. Ring-necked Dove (Streptopelia capicola) - LM, QE

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 29 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Vinaceous Dove (Streptopelia vinacea) - MF Laughing Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis) - Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove (Turtur chalcospilos) - LM Black-billed Wood-Dove (Turtur abyssinicus) - MF Blue-spotted Wood-Dove (Turtur afer) - BU to QE, QE, KI, MS, MF Tambourine Dove (Turtur tympanistria) - BU, KI, RM African Green-Pigeon (Treron calvus) - LM, QE, KI to MS, MF

BUSTARDS (Otididae):

Black-bellied (Lissotis melanogaster) - MF (Seen only by Herbert.)

TURACOS (Musophagidae):

Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata) - BG, EN to MW, KI Black-billed Turaco ( schuettii) - BW

Black-billed Turaco, Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

White-crested Turaco (Tauraco leucolophus) - MF Ross’s Turaco (Musophaga rossae) - EN, BG, BW*, BU, BU to QE Bare-faced Go-away-bird (Corythaixoides personatus) - LM Eastern Plantain-eater ( zonurus) - EN, BG, KI to MS, MS, MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 30 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 (Cuculidae):

Blue-headed Coucal (Centropus monachus) - MW, MF White-browed Coucal (Centropus superciliosus) - LM, QE, MF Black Coucal (Centropus grillii) - QE Blue Malkoa (Yellowbill) (Ceuthmochares aereus) - BU Levaillant’s (Clamator levaillantii) - BW, QE Dideric Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx caprius) - MW*, LM, KI, MF Klaas’s Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas) - BG, BW* African Emerald Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx cupreus) - BW*, BU, KI* Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo (Cercococcyx mechowi)* - RM* Barred Long-tailed Cuckoo (Cercococcyx montanus)* - BW* (Cuculus clamosus)* - KI* Red-chested Cuckoo (Cuculus solitarius) - LM, BW*, QE, KI*, RM

NIGHTJARS & ALLIES (Caprimulgidae):

Black-shouldered Nightjar (Caprimulgus nigriscapularis) - LM (Heard by several folks; seen only by Pamela while walking to path between the tents and the dining room.)

SWIFTS (Apodidae):

Sabine’s Spinetail (Rhaphidura sabini) - RM Alpine Swift (Apus melba) - KI Little Swift (Apus affinis) - EN, EN to LM, QE White-rumped Swift (Apus caffer) - EN, LM African Palm-Swift (Cypsiurus parvus) - QE, MF

RAILS, GALLINULES & COOTS (Rallidae):

African Swamphen (Porphyrio madagascariensis) - MF {Most taxonomists now split the thirteen subspecies of what was called “Purple Swamphen” into as many as seven species. The birds of sub-Saharan African and Madagascar are referable to the taxon madagascariensis, and, when split, are called “African Swamphen”.} Black Crake (Amaurornis flavirostra) - MW*, LM, QE, MF

FINFOOTS (Heliornithidae):

African Finfoot (Podica senegalensis) - LM

CRANES (Gruidae):

Gray Crowned-Crane ( regulorum) - EN to LM, LM, LM to BW, BU, BU to QE, MS to MF, MF (Uganda’s National Bird! The highlight was watching an exuberant display of several dancing cranes at MF.)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 31 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Gray Crowned-Cranes dancing, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

THICK-KNEES (Burnhinidae):

Water Thick-knee (Burhinus vermiculatus) - LM, QE Senegal Thick-knee (Burhinus senegalensis) - MF

STILTS & AVOCETS (Recurvirostridae):

Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus) - QE, MF

PLOVERS & LAPWINGS (Charadriidae):

Long-toed Lapwing (Plover) (Vanellus crassirostris) - MW, MF Spur-winged Plover (Lapwing) (Vanellus spinosus) - QE, MF Black-headed Lapwing (Vanellus tectus) - MF (15 seen in one rather restricted area was, in my experience, a noteworthy concentration of this usually retiring and decidedly crepuscular species.) Senegal Lapwing (Plover) (Vanellus lugubris) - LM Crowned Lapwing (Plover) (Vanellus coronatus) - QE Wattled Lapwing (Plover) (Vanellus senegallus) - LM, QE, MF Kittlitz’s Plover (Charadrius pecuarius) - QE Common Ringed Plover (Charadrius hiaticula) - QE, MF Three-banded Plover (Charadrius tricollaris) - QE

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 32 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Black-headed Lapwing, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

JACANAS (Jacanidae):

African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) - MW, QE, MF

SANDPIPERS & ALLIES (Scolopacidae):

Black-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) - QE (Kazinga Channel) Little Stint (Calidris minuta) - QE (Kazinga Channel) Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) - MW Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos) - BG, LM, QE, MF Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) - LM Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia) - QE (Kazinga Channel), MF Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis) - QE (Kazinga Channel) Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola) - MW, LM, QE, MF

PRATINCOLES & COURSERS (Glareolidae):

Temminck’s Courser (Cursorius temminckii) - QE Rock Pratincole (Glareola nuchalis) - MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 33 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

GULLS, TERNS & SKIMMERS (Laridae):

Gray-hooded Gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus) - QE (Kazinga Channel) Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus) - QE (Kazinga Channel) Gull-billed (Geolochelidon nilotica) - QE (Kazinga Channel) White-winged Tern (Chlidonias leucopterus) - MW, EN, QE, MF Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida) - EN, QE (Kazinga Channel) African Skimmer (Rynchops flavirostris) - QE (100+ Kazinga Channel), MF

STORKS (Ciconiidae):

African Openbill (Anastomus lamelligerus) - BG, MF to EN (Mostly between Kampala and Entebbe.) Abdim’s Stork (Ciconia abdimii) - MF (Including 50+ feeding at the edge of a prescribed burn.) Woolly-necked Stork (Ciconia episcopus) - LM Saddle-billed Stork (Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis) - LM, MF Marabou Stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) - Virtually throughout our route, typically in towns and around human habitation. Yellow-billed Stork (Mycteria ibis) - LM, QE

ANHINGAS (Anhingidae):

African Darter (Anhinga rufa) - MF (Common along the Victoria Nile, with 30+ seen on our boat trip to the base of the Falls.)

CORMORANTS & SHAGS (Phalacrocoracidae):

Long-tailed Cormorant (Microcarbo africanus) - MW, BG, QE, MF (Including the incredible early morning flight of more than 400 birds leaving their nocturnal roosts and heading down the Victoria Nile to feed.) Great Cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo) - BG, QE (75+ along the Kazinga Channel)

PELICANS (Pelecanidae):

Pink-backed Pelican (Pelecanus rufescens) - BG, EN, QE

SHOEBILL (Balaenicipitidae):

Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) - MW

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 34 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Shoebill, Mabamba wetlands, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

HAMERKOP (Scopidae):

Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) - MW, BG, LM, QE, KI

HERONS, EGRETS & BITTERNS (Ardeidae):

Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) - MF Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea) - QE, MF Black-headed Heron (Ardea melanocephala) - BG, EN to LM, LM, LM to BW, BU, BU to QE, QE, QE to KI, KI to MS, MF (This is also the most commonly seen heron along the highways on travel days, and the one most likely, other than , to be seen away from water. We saw them frequently from the bus when traveling between sites.) Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) - MF Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) - MW, EN to LM Great Egret (Ardea alba) - MF Intermediate Egret (Ardea intermedia) - MF Little Egret (Egretta garzetta) - EN to MW, BG, LM, QE, MF Cattle Egret (Bulbulcus ibis) - BG, EN to MW, EN to LM, LM, LM to BW, QE, MF Squacco Heron (Ardeola rallioides) - MW, QE, MF Striated (Little) Heron (Butorides striata) - BG, LM, MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 35 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 IBISES & SPOONBILLS (Threskiornithidae):

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) - MF Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) - EN, LM, BU to QE, QE, MF Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) - EN, BG, LM, LM to BW, BU, BU to QE, QE, MS, MF, MF to EN African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) - QE (Kazinga Channel)

OSPREY (Pandionidae):

Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) - MF

HAWKS, EAGLES & KITES (Accipitridae):

Black-winged Kite (Elanus caeruleus) - LM, QE, RM African Harrier-Hawk (Polyboroides typus) - MW, BU to QE, QE, MF Palm-nut Vulture (Gypohierax angolensis) - MW, QE, KI, RM Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus) - BG, EN to LM, MF White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) - QE Bateleur (Terathopius ecaudatus) - LM, QE, MF Black-breasted Snake-Eagle (Circaetus pectoralis) - LM, LM to BW, QE Brown Snake-Eagle (Circaetus cinereus) - QE Bat Hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) - EN (Spectacular studies of a pair of these normally crepuscular birds just down the road from our hotel!) Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus)* - RM* Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis) - EN to LM, LM, LM to BW, BU to QE, QE, KI, KI to MS, MF to EN

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 36 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Long-crested Eagle, highway between Lake Mburo and Bwindi ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Wahlberg’s Eagle (Hieraaetus wahlbergi) - LM, BW, BU, QE, MS to MF, MF Ayre’s Hawk-Eagle (Hieraaetus ayresii) - BU Tawny Eagle (Aquila rapax) - LM, QE, MF Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) - MF Lizzard Buzzard (Kaupifalco monogrammicus) - EN to MW, BG, KI, RM, MS to MF Dark Chanting-Goshawk (Melierax metabates) - MF Gabar Goshawk (Micronisus gabar) - LM Grasshopper Buzzard (Butastur rufipennis) - MF Eurasian Marsh-Harrier (Circus aeruginosus) - MF, MF to EN African Marsh-Harrier (Circus ranivorus) - MW, LM, MS to MF, MF African Goshawk (Accipiter tachira) - BU to QE Black (Yellow-billed) Kite (Milvus migrans) - Seen on 14 of 17 days; like the Marabou, this species is most common around cities and human habitation. African Fish-Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) - LM, QE, MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 37 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

African Fish-Eagle, River Nile, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) - LM, KI Augur Buzzard (Buteo augur) - LM to BW, BU to QE

BARN- (Tytonidae):

Barn Owl (Tyto alba) - MF (Peering out of its nest cavity high on a dirt bank above the Victoria Nile [and directly above a busy colony of Red-throated Bee-eater]!)

OWLS (Strigidae):

Red-chested Owlet (Glaucidium tephronotum)* - BW* (We were so close to seeing this bird at Ruhija, as it was being mobbed by a swarm of angry passerines in a big tree over our heads!); KI* African Wood-Owl (Strix woodfordii)* - BW* (Heard from our cabins at Gorilla Mist Camp); KI* (Heard as we were hiking in the pre-dawn for the pitta.)

MOUSEBIRDS (Coliidae):

Speckled (Colius striatus) - Seen at all locales visited, and on every day of the tour. Blue-naped Mousebird (Urocolius macrourus) - LM, QE

TROGONS (Trogonidae):

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 38 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Narina Trogon (Apaloderma narina) - BW, KI

HOOPOES (Upupidae):

Eurasian (“African”) Hoopoe (Upupa [epops]africana) - MF {Some authorities split the subspecies africana, treating it as distinct from Eurasian Hoopoe (in which case, africana would be called “African Hoopoe”). The two differ in degree of color saturation, and distribution of white in the wings and the color of the tips of the crest feathers, but the subspecies of Eurasian Hoopoe that breeds in S (senegalensis) is somewhat intermediate between the “African Hoopoe” and the remainder of the Eurasian Hoopoe complex, which suggests that only one species is involved.}

WOODHOOPOES & SCIMITARBILLS (Phoeniculidae):

Green Wood-Hoopoe (Phoeniculus purpureus) - LM Common Scimitarbill (Rhinopomastus cyanomelas) - LM, QE

GROUND-HORNBILLS (Bucorvidae):

Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill (Bucorvus abyssinicus) - MF (Seen daily.)

Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 39 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 HORNBILLS (Bucerotidae):

Crowned Hornbill (Tockus alboterminatus) - BG, BW, BU, KI to MS African Gray Hornbill (Lophoceros nasutus) - LM, MF Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill (Bycanistes subcylindricus) - BG, EN to MW, KI, RM, MF White-thighed Hornbill (Bycanistes albotibialis) - RM

KINGFISHERS (Alcedinidae):

Shining-blue Kingfisher (Alcedo quadribrachys) - KI, RM (Corythornis cristatus) - MW, LM, QE, MF African Pygmy-Kingfisher ( picta) - QE, RM African Dwarf Kingfisher (Ispidina lecontei) - RM Chocolate-backed Kingfisher ( badia) - RM (Spectacular!) Gray-headed Kingfisher (Halcyon leucocephala) - LM, QE, MF (Really common here, with up to 30/day seen!) Woodland Kingfisher (Halcyon senegalensis) - BG, LM, MF Striped Kingfisher (Halcyon chelicuti) - EN to LM, LM, KI to MS, RM, MF to EN Giant Kingfisher (Megaceryle maximus) - MF Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis) - Ridiculously common at Lake Victoria (BG), MW, EN to LM (at every roadside papyrus swamp), LM, LM to BW (roadside papyrus swamps), QE (200+ on our boat trip along the Kazinga Channel), and MF.

Malachite Kingfisher, Lake Mburo NP, January 2020 (Kevin J. Zimmer)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 40 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

BEE-EATERS (Meropidae):

Black Bee-eater (Merops gularis) - BW (Three different nesting pairs!) Red-throated Bee-eater (Merops bulocki) - QE (Kazinga Channel), MF (20– 100/daily) Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus) - LM, QE, MF Blue-breasted Bee-eater (Merops variegatus) - MW Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater (Merops oreobates) - BW, BU to QE, QE to KI Swallow-tailed Bee-eater (Merops hirundineus) - MF White-throated Bee-eater (Merops albicollis) - MW, QE, KI, KI to MS, RM Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus) - BU to QE, QE, MF European Bee-eater (Merops apiaster) - LM, LM to BW, MF Northern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicus) - MF Southern Carmine Bee-eater (Merops nubicoides) - MF (A vagrant here, but one which has been recorded on two of our previous June tours in this same area.)

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 41 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Southern Carmine Bee-eater, River Nile, Murchison Falls NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

ROLLERS ():

Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracicus caudatus) - EN to LM, LM to BW, BU to QE, QE Broad-billed Roller (Eurystomus glaucurus) - MW, MW to EN, EN to LM, LM, LM to BW, KI to MS, MF to EN Blue-throated Roller (Eurystomus gularis) - KI

AFRICAN BARBETS (Lybiidae):

Yellow-billed Barbet ( purpuratus) - BU Crested Barbet (Trachyphonus vaillantii) - LM (Prior to 2005, there was only 1 record for all of Uganda. This appears to be a recent colonist to the drier parts of southern Uganda.)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 42 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Double-toothed Barbet, Lake Mburo NP, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

Gray-throated Barbet (Gymnobucco bonapartei) - BW, BU, KI Speckled Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus scolopaceus) - BU, KI, RM Yellow-throated Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus subsulphureus) - KI, RM, MF* Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus bilineatus) - BW, BU, KI Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird (Pogoniulus chrysoconus) - EN, BG, LM*, MF* Yellow-spotted Barbet (Buccanodon duchaillui)* - KI*, RM* Hairy-breasted Barbet (Tricholaema hirsuta) - KI Spot-flanked Barbet (Tricholaema lacrymosa) - LM, QE Black-billed Barbet (Lybius guifsobalito) - MF Black-collared Barbet (Lybius torquatus)* - LM* (Despite much effort on our part, it just wouldn’t come in. This and the Crested Barbet are both recent colonists to this region, and they may be contributing to the apparent decline of the local Red-faced Barbet population.) Double-toothed Barbet (Lybius bidentatus) - EN, LM, BU, KI

HONEYGUIDES (Indicatoridae):

Honeyguide sp.? (Indicator sp. ?) - KI, MF (Honeyguides as a group were mostly MIA during the course of our tour. We had naked-eye glimpses of two individuals, one at KI, the other at the entrance gate at MF, but not enough to identify either one to species.)

WOODPECKERS (Picidae):

Cardinal Woodpecker (Chloropicus fuscescens) - LM, RM

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 43 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Golden-crowned (Yellow-crested) Woodpecker (Chloropicus xantholophus) - RM Brown-backed Woodpecker (Chloropicus obsoletus) - MF African Gray Woodpecker (Chloropicus goertae) - EN, QE Nubian Woodpecker (Campethera nubica) - QE*, MF

FALCONS & CARACARAS (Falconidae):

Gray Kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus) - QE, MF Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo) - EN

OLD WORLD PARROTS (Psittaculidae):

Red-headed Lovebird (Agapornis pullarius) - LM, QE

NEW WORLD & AFRICAN PARROTS (Psittacidae):

Gray Parrot (Psittacus erithacus) - BG, KI, RM (A much better showing by this charismatic species than on our 2018 tour [when seen only in flight], with prolonged views of perched/feeding birds at KI, and more abbreviated scope views of perched birds at BG.) Meyer’s (Brown) Parrot (Poicephalus meyeri) - EN, LM

PITTAS (Pittidae):

Green-breasted Pitta (Pitta reichenowi) - KI (We heard 3 different birds displaying in the pre-dawn, and tracked down one of them, for superb views! According to our local guide, he had not seen or heard the bird for over five weeks, until the day before our visit, so our timing was impeccable!)

WATTLE-EYES & BATISES (Platysteiridae):

Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Platysteira cyanea) - EN, BU, KI*, MF* (Batis diops) ARE - BW Chinspot Batis (Batis molitor) - BW (Western) Black-headed Batis (Batis minor) - LM, QE, RM (Batis ituriensis)* - RM*

VANGAS, HELMETSHRIKES & ALLIES (Vangidae):

White (-crested) (Prionops plumatus) - MF African Shrike-flycatcher (Megabyas flammulatus) - KI, RM Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher (Bias musicus) - BU

BUSHSHRIKES & ALLIES (Malaconotidae):

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 44 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 (Nilaus afer) - LM ( gambensis) - EN, LM, BW Pink-footed Puffback (Dryoscopus angolensis) - BU (Tchagra minutus) - QE, RM Black-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra senegalus) - QE, MF Brown-crowned Tchagra (Tchagra australis) - RM Lühder’s Bushshrike ( luehderi) - BW, BU

Lühder’s Bushshrike, Buhoma, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Tropical Boubou (Laniarius major) - LM, RM Black-headed Gonolek (Laniarius erythrogaster) - EN, LM, QE, MF (Laniarius mufumbiri) - MW*, LM to BW, MF Gray-green (Bocage’s) Bushshrike ( bocagei) - BU Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike (Telophorus sulfureopectus) - LM Many-colored Bushshrike (Telophorus multicolor)* - BU*

CUCKOOSHRIKES (Campephagidae):

Gray Cuckooshrike (Coracina caesia) - BW Black Cuckooshrike ( flava) - LM Petit’s Cuckooshrike (Campephaga petiti) - BU, KI

SHRIKES (Laniidae):

Gray-backed Fiscal (Lanius excubitorius) - EN to LM, LM to BW, QE, KI to MS, MF, MF to EN

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 45 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Mackinnon’s Shrike (Lanius mackinnoni) - BW, BU Northern Fiscal (Lanius humeralis) - LM to BW, BU to QE Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator) - QE

OLD WORLD ORIOLES (Oriolidae):

Western Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus brachyrynchus) - LM*, KI*, RM Black-tailed (Mountain) Oriole (Oriolus percivali) - BW

DRONGOS (Dicruridae):

Fork-tailed Drongo (Dicrurus adsimilis) - LM, QE, MF

MONARCH FLYCATCHERS (Monarchidae):

Black-headed (Red-bellied) Paradise-Flycatcher (Tersiphone rufiventer) - KI, RM African Paradise-Flycatcher (Terpsiphone viridis) - BU

CROWS, JAYS & MAGPIES ():

Piapiac (Ptilostomus afer) - MS, MF, MF to EN Pied Crow (Corvus albus) - Common; seen in numbers on virtually every travel day, particularly around human settlements. White-necked Raven (Corvus albicollis) - BW (Leader only; 2 seen by KJZ from the dining room at Gorilla Mist Camp on the morning of our gorilla trek.)

NICATORS (Nicatoriade):

Western (Nicator chloris)* - RM*

LARKS (Alaudidae):

Rufous-naped Lark (Mirafra africana) - QE Flappet Lark (Mirafra rufocinnamomea) - LM, MF Red-capped Lark (Calandrella cinerea) - QE

SWALLOWS (Hirundinidae):

Bank Swallow (Sand Martin) (Riparia riparia) - MW, LM, RU to BU, QE, RM, MF Banded Martin (Riparia cincta) - QE (Seen only by Dick.) Rock Martin (Ptyonoprogne (Hirundo) fuligula) - KI (Nesting under the eves of the cabins at the Chimpanzee Guest House.) Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) - Everywhere; seen daily.

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 46 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Swallow (Hirundo angolensis) - Widespread; seen most days and most locations visited, as well as along the main roads. Probably present everywhere we went, but easily missed among the many wintering Barn Swallows.) Wire-tailed Swallow (Hirundo smithii) - MF Lesser Striped-Swallow (Cecropis (Hirundo) abyssinica) - LM, BU, QE, MF, MF to EN White-headed Sawwing (Psalidoprocne albiceps) - QE, RM Black Sawwing (Psalidoprocne pristoptera) - BW, BU, KI

FAIRY FLYCATCHERS ():

African Blue Flycatcher ( longicauda) - BU, KI White-tailed Blue Flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) - BW, BU

CHICKADEES & TITS (Paridae):

White-winged Black-Tit ( leucomelas) - LM Dusky Tit (Melaniparus funereus) - RM Stripe-breasted Tit (Melaniparus fasciiventer) ARE - BW (Heard by all, as they were part of the noisy mob that followed the Red-chested Owlet into the tree at Ruhija, but the light was so poor that most of us failed to obtain identifiable views.)

BULBULS (Pycnonotidae):

Slender-billed (Stelgidillas gracilirostris) - BW, BU Red-tailed Bristlebill (Bleda syndactylus)* - KI* (Baeopogon indicator) - KI (I spent some time trying to tape this bird in on the first afternoon of roadside birding at KI, only to have it flash across the road while we were distracted by a couple of barbets perched in a treetop, never to be seen again.), RM* Yellow-throated Greenbul (Leaflove) (Atimastillas flavicollis) - LM, BU Red-tailed Greenbul (Criniger calurus)* - BU* Gray Greenbul (Eurillas gracilis) - BU, RM Yellow-whiskered Greenbul (Eurillas latirostris) - BW Little Greenbul (Eurillas virens) - BU, KI, RM Toro Olive-Greenbul ( hypochloris) - BU* Cabanis’s Greenbul (Phyllastrephus cabanisi) - BU White-throated Greenbul (Phyllastrephus albigularis) - RM, MF* Yellow-streaked Greenbul (Phyllastrephus flavostriatus) - BW (Good looks – this was the bird that kept spastically lifting one wing high above its back, just like tyrant flycatchers of various genera in the Neotropics.) Common (Pycnonotus barbatus) - Seen everywhere, every day! (“The usual suspect”)

AFRICAN WARBLERS (Macrospenidae):

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 47 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Green Crombec (Sylvietta virens)* - BU*, KI* Lemon-bellied Crombec (Sylvietta denti) - RM Northern Crombec (Sylvietta brachyura) - MS to MF, MF (African) Moustached Grass-Warbler (Melocichla mentalis) - QE, RM

Incertae sedis (meaning we don’t know where they belong!):

Grauer’s Warbler (Graueria vittata)* ARE - BW* Green Hylia (Hylia prasina) - BU*, KI*, RM (nice views)

BUSH WARBLERS & ALLIES (Scotoceridae):

Chestnut-capped Flycatcher (Erythrocercus mccallii) - RM

LEAF-WARBLERS (Phylloscopidae):

Willow Warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) - BG, LM, BW, RM Red-faced Woodland-Warbler (Phylloscopus laetus)* ARE - BW* Uganda Woodland-Warbler (Phylloscopus budongoensis) - RM

REED WARBLERS & ALLIES (Acrocephalidae):

Sedge Warbler (Acrocephalus schoenobaenus) - LM African Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus baeticatus)* - MF* Greater Swamp Warbler (Acrocephalus rufescens) - MF (Great looks!)

GRASSBIRDS & ALLIES (Locustellidae):

Little Rush Warbler (Bradypterus baboecala)* - MF* White-winged Swamp Warbler (Bradypterus carpalus)* - LM*, KI*, KI to MS* (We spent a lot of time working on this one at three different stops, and each time, we had singing birds right in front of us, that couldn’t be seen because they were buried in the papyrus and wouldn’t come to the edge.)

CISTICOLAS & ALLIES ():

Rufous-crowned Eremomela (Eremomela badiceps) - RM White-chinned Prinia (Schistolais leucopogon) - BU, KI Ruwenzori Apalis (Apalis ruwenzorii)* ARE - BW* Green-backed Camaroptera (Camaroptera brachyura) - BG, LM, BW, BU, QE, KI, MF Olive-green Camaroptera (Camaroptera chloronata) - RM Black-throated Apalis (Apalis jacksoni) - BU Black-faced (Mountain Masked) Apalis (Apalis personata) - BW

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 48 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Buff-throated Apalis (Apalis rufogularis) - BW*, BU, RM Chestnut-throated Apalis (Apalis porphyrolaema) - BW Gray Apalis (Apalis cinerea) - BU Tawny-flanked Prinia (Prinia subflava) - BU to QE, QE, RM, MF Red-winged (Warbler) Prinia (Prinia erythroptera) - MF (A rarity in this area. Unfortunately, it flew from the bush right next to the road before we could get everyone on it, and then flew again once we got everyone off the bus. Despite several minutes of playback, we could never get it back in. Herbert was the only one who got any photos.) Black-faced Rufous-Warbler (Bathmocercus rufus)* - BU* Gray-capped Warbler (Eminia lepida) - LM, BU, QE, MF* Red-faced Cisticola (Cisticola erythrops) - QE, RM, MS to MF Singing Cisticola (Cisticola cantans)* - RM* Whistling Cisticola (Cisticola lateralis) - MF (At the entrance/exit gate on our last morning in the park.) Trilling Cisticola (Cisticola woosnami) - LM (Dirt common here.), QE Chubb’s Cisticola (Cisticola chubbi) - BW (We saw some lively vocal performances, mostly by trios of birds.), BU Rattling Cisticola (Cisticola chiniana) - MF Winding Cisticola (Cisticola galactotes) - MW, QE*, MF Carruther’s Cisticola (Cisticola carruthersi) - MW, LM, MF* Croaking Cisticola (Cisticola natalensis) - LM, QE, MF Tabora (Long-tailed) Cisticola (Cisticola angusticauda) - LM (We had a skyscraping individual doing a display flight one day, and then a pair of birds that led us on a lively chase the next day before showing nicely.) Siffling (Short-winged) Cisticola (Cisticola brachypterus)* - QE* Zitting Cisticola (Cisticola juncidis) - QE, MF Wing-snapping Cisticola (Cisticola ayresii) - QE

SYLVIIDS ():

African Hill Babbler (Sylvia abyssinica) - BW

YUHINAS, WHITE-EYES & ALLIES (Zosteropidae):

African Yellow White-eye (Zosterops senegalensis) - LM, BW, KI, RM Scaly-breasted Illadopsis (Illadopsis albipectus) - RM (Good looks [eventually] by all, but it was a devil to photograph!)

LAUGHINGTHRUSHES & ALLIES (Leiothrichidae):

Black-lored Babbler ( sharpei) - QE Brown Babbler (Turdoides plebejus) - RM (In the agricultural lands outside of the park.) Arrow-marked Babbler (Turdoides jardineii) - LM

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 49 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 OLD WORLD FLYCATCHERS (Muscicapidae):

Dusky-brown (African Dusky) Flycatcher ( adusta) - BW, KI Swamp Flycatcher (Muscicapa aquatica) - MW, QE (Including recently fledged juveniles on the grounds of our lodge.), MF Cassin’s Flycatcher (Muscicapa cassini) - BW (The East African counterpart to the Sooty and Torrent tyrannulets of the Neotropics, at least in appearance and behavior [even though Old World flycatchers are not at all closely related to the Tyrant Flycatchers of the New World.].) Sooty Flycatcher (Bradornis infuscata) - RM Dusky-blue Flycatcher (Bradornis comitatus) - BW, BU African (Fraser’s) Forest-Flycatcher (Fraseria ocreata) - RM Gray-throated Tit-Flycatcher (Fraseria griseigularis) - RM Ashy Flycatcher (Fraseria caerulescens) - RM Silverbird (Empidornis semipartitus) - MF Northern Black-Flycatcher ( edolioides) - EN, LM, BW, QE, KI Southern Black-Flycatcher (Melaenornis pammelaina) - LM (As of the publication of the Uganda Bird Atlas in 2005, Southern Black-Flycatcher was not documented to occur in Uganda. It was known from immediately to the south, and we recorded it in this same area on our 2018 tour, so it appears to be yet another recent colonist from the south, as is the case with both Crested and Black-collared barbets, neither of which was then known from the region in 2005, but both of which now have established populations in Lake Mburo.) White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher (Melaenornis fischeri toruensis) - BW, BU, QE (This subspecies has virtually no white eye-ring, and looks very different from the goggle-eyed nominate subspecies of and NE Tanzania.) Brown-backed Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas hartlaubi) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park.) Red-backed (White-browed) Scrub-Robin (Cercotrichas leucophrys) - LM (Including one particularly obliging bird seen on our way out of the park.), QE Gray-winged Robin- (Cossypha polioptera) - BU White-browed Robin-Chat (Cossypha heuglini) - EN, LM to BW, QE Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat (Cossypha niveicapilla) - BU Spotted Morning- (Cichladusa guttata) - MF White-starred Robin (Pogonocichla stellata)* - BW* Whinchat ( rubetra) - LM, QE, RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park.), MF (Particularly common in the savannas here.) Sooty Chat ( nigra) - EN to MW, LM, QE, MF Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) - QE, MF Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) - QE to KI (At our lunch stop.)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 50 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Mahogany Springs Resort, Buhoma, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

THRUSHES & ALLIES (Turdidae):

Rufous Flycatcher-Thrush (Neocossyphus fraseri) - KI*, RM Red-tailed Ant-Thrush (Necossyphus rufus)* - KI* White-tailed Ant-Thrush (Neocossyphus poensis)* - KI* African Thrush (Turdus pelios) - EN, BG, BU, KI, RM

STARLINGS (Sturnidae):

Waller’s Starling (Onychognathus walleri) - BW Narrow-tailed Starling (Poeoptera lugubris) - BU, KI Purple-headed Starling (Hylopsar purpureiceps) - KI Rüppell’s Starling (Lamprotornis purpuroptera) - Common & widespread; seen everywhere except BW and the forested parts of the Kibale region. Splendid Starling (Lamprotornis splendidus) - EN, LM, KI, RM Lesser Blue-eared Starling (Lamprotornis chloropterus) - MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 51 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

Splendid Starling, Boma Hotel, Entebbe, January 2020 ( Kevin J. Zimmer)

OXPECKERS (Buphagidae):

Yellow-billed Oxpecker (Buphagus africanus) - LM, QE, MF

SUNBIRDS & SPIDERHUNTERS (Nectariniidae):

Western Violet-backed Sunbird (Anthreptes longuemarei) - MF (Leader only. Herbert pulled us away from our quest for the White-crested Turaco to see this bird, but it escaped before we got there. We did, however, get the Whistling Cisticola as a consolation prize!) Little Green (Seimund’s) Sunbird (Anthreptes seimundi) - RM (Building a nest!) Green (Gray-chinned) Sunbird (Anthreptes rectirostris) - BW Collared Sunbird (Hedydipna collaris) - LM, BW, BU Green-headed Sunbird (Cyanomitra verticalis) - EN, LM, BU Blue-headed Sunbird (Cyanomitra alinae) ARE - BW Scarlet-chested Sunbird (Chalcomitra senegalensis) - EN, BG, LM, QE, RM Bronze Sunbird (Nectarinia kilimensis) - BW, BU, KI Olive-bellied Sunbird ( chloropygius) - EN to MW, KI, MF Northern Double-collared Sunbird (Cinnyris reichenowi) - BW, BU Regal Sunbird (Cinnyris regius) - BW Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchellus) - MF Mariqua Sunbird (Cinnyris mariquensis) - LM, MS to MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 52 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Red-chested Sunbird (Cinnyris erythrocercus) - EN, BG, QE (Common on the grounds of our lodges at EN and QE.) Purple-banded Sunbird (Cinnyris bifasciatus) - LM, MF (Cinnyris venustus) - BW, RM, MS to MF Copper Sunbird (Cinnyris cupreus) - LM, Fort Portal, MS to MF

Copper Sunbird (male), Lake Mburo NP, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

WAGTAILS & PIPITS (Motacillidae):

Cape Wagtail (Motacilla capensis) - BW Mountain Wagtail (Motacilla clara) - BW Western Yellow Wagtail (Motacilla flava) - MW, BG, LM, QE, MF African Pied Wagtail (Motacilla aguimp) - Seen at all locales visited, and on all but 3 days of the trip; often in towns or around human habitation, and frequently on the grounds of our various lodges. African (Grassland) Pipit (Anthus cinnamomeus) - QE Plain-backed Pipit (Anthus leucophrys) - LM, QE Yellow-throated Longclaw (Macronyx croceus) - MW, LM, QE

FINCHES, CANARIES & ALLIES (Fringillidae):

Yellow-fronted Canary ( mozambica) - LM, QE, RM, MS to MF Western Citril (Crithagra frontalis) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park.) Brimstone Canary (Crithagra sulphurata) - KI Streaky Seedeater (Crithagra striolata) - BW, BU, BU to QE

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 53 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Thick-billed Seedeater (Crithagra burtoni) - BU Yellow-crowned Canary ( flavivertex) - BW (A pair gathering nesting material.)

OLD WORLD BUNTINGS (Emberizidae):

Cabanis’s Bunting (Emberiza cabanisi) - RM (Seen well in agricultural lands outside of the park.) Golden-breasted Bunting (Emberiza flaviventris) - BW (Feeding along the roadside, and seemingly oblivious to our presence.), BU*

Golden-breasted Bunting, Ruhija to Buhoma, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

OLD WORLD SPARROWS (Passeridae):

House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) - Widespread in towns and cities. Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow (Passer shelleyi) - MF Northern Gray-headed Sparrow (Passer griseus) - Widespread and common, particularly around human habitation. Seen on all but three days, and at every locale visited except MF, where it is seemingly replaced by the previous species.

WEAVERS & ALLIES ():

Speckle-fronted Weaver ( frontalis) - MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 54 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver (Plocepasser superciliosus) - MF (We lucked onto one on our last afternoon drive in the park.) Red-headed Malimbe ( malimbicus) - KI Red-headed Weaver (Anaplectes rubriceps) - LM ( baglafecht) - BW, BU, RM (Ploceus luteolus) - LM Slender-billed Weaver (Ploceus pelzelni) - EN (Stripping fibers from palm fronds to use in nest construction at the Boma Hotel.), BG, QE Black-necked Weaver (Ploceus nigricollis) - BG, BU, KI, RM (Ploceus ocularis) - BU, QE Black-billed Weaver (Ploceus melanogaster) - BU (Brief glimpses of this species on our hikes in the park, in the morning, as the pair flew away from their nest, and then, in the late afternoon, when we saw the female slip back into the nest. I also had one outside my cabin at the lodge that same day.) Holub’s Golden-Weaver (Ploceus xanthops) - LM, QE (Ploceus aurantius) - BG (Several males actively nest building.) Northern Brown-throated Weaver (Ploceus castanops) - EN (Nesting colony at the Boma Hotel.), BG, Fort Portal, MF “Northern Masked-Weaver” (Ploceus intermedius) - Fort Portal {For the past several years, Ugandan guides have been identifying Northern Masked-Weavers from various marshes in western Uganda, particularly around Fort Portal, where we saw 2 birds fitting the Northern Masked-Weaver phenotype. The problem is that the species is not supposed to occur in Uganda. After seeing a less than completely typical looking individual from this same marsh outside of Fort Portal on our 2018 tour, I consulted with the authors of the Field Guide to the Birds of Kenya & Northern Tanzania. They urged caution in identifying “Northern Masked-Weaver” in Uganda, due to several confirmed instances of hybridization between Northern Brown-throated Weavers and Black-headed Weavers (both species of which are present in the marsh at Fort Portal), the males of which are very similar phenotypically to males of Northern Masked-Weaver (dark eyes, similar extent of black on the crown, face and throat, bleeding into chestnut-brown around the margins). The males that we saw this year, both looked pretty typical for Northern Masked-Weaver, but I don’t think that anyone can truly be certain about the range of variation in the appearance of hybrids.} Lesser Masked-Weaver (Ploceus intermedius) - LM, QE Vitelline Masked-Weaver (Ploceus vitellinus) - MF Vieillot’s (Black) Weaver (Ploceus nigerrimus) - MW, BG, BU, KI, MS (Ploceus cucullatus) - EN, MW, BG, EN to LM, BU, QE, KI, RM (agricultural lands outside of the park), MS to MF Black-headed (Yellow-backed) Weaver (Ploceus melanocephalus) - QE (The most common weaver on the grounds of our lodge.), Fort Portal, MF (Jackson’s) Golden-backed Weaver (Ploceus jacksoni) - BG, LM Brown-capped Weaver (Ploceus insignis) - BU (Pair at their nest.) Compact Weaver (Pachyphantes superciliosus) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park), MS to MF Red-billed (Quelea quelea) - QE, MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 55 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 ( franciscanus) - MF (Sadly, not in breeding plumage.) (Euplectes orix) - QE (Including a few males in gorgeous breeding plumage.) Black-winged (Red) Bishop (Euplectes hordeaceus) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park. These birds were in non-breeding plumage.) (Euplectes gierowii) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park.), MS to MF (all in non-breeding plumage) White-winged Widowbird (Euplectes albonotatus) - QE (Non-breeding plumage.) Yellow-mantled Widowbird (Euplectes macroura) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park.) {30+ birds in non-breeding plumage. The male birds had yellow shoulder patches, but no yellow on the mantle, suggesting that they were all of the subspecies macrocercus, but I’m not sure that those plumage distinctions between macrocercus and nominate macroura hold up outside of breeding season.} Fan-tailed Widowbird (Euplectes axillaris) - MW, BU to QE Grosbeak (Thick-billed) Weaver (Amblyospiza albifrons) - RM

WAXBILLS & ALLIES ():

Gray-headed Nigrita (Nigrita canicapillus) - BW, KI White-breasted Nigrita (Nigrita fusconotus) - BU Gray-headed Oliveback (Nesocharis capistrata) - MS to MF Yellow-bellied Waxbill (Coccopygia quartinia) - BW Fawn-breasted Waxbill (Estrilda paludicola) - MS to MF (leaders only) Common Waxbill (Estrilda astrild) - MF Red-cheeked Cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus) - EN, LM, RM (Agricultural lands outside the park.), MF (common) Brown Twinspot (Clytospiza monteiri) - RM (Agricultural lands outside the park.), MS to MF Green-winged Pytilia (Pytilia melba) - LM Red-billed Firefinch (Lagonosticta senegala) - LM, QE, MS to MF Bar-breasted Firefinch (Lagonosticta rufopicta) - RM (Agricultural lands outside of the park.), MF Black-bellied Firefinch (Lagonosticta rara) - RM (Probably seen by leader only.) African (Blue-billed) Firefinch (Lagonosticta rubricata) - BU (Seen & photographed by some on the grounds of our lodge.) Bronze Mannikin (Spermestes cucullata) - EN, BW, BU, KI, RM, MS to MF Black-and-white Mannikin (Spermestes bicolor) - BW, RM (Agricultural lands outside the park.)

INDIGOBIRDS (Viduidae):

Pin-tailed Whydah (Vidua macroura) - LM, LM to BW, QE, RM (Agricultural lands outside the park.) Village Indigobird (Vidua chalybea) - BU, BU to QE, RM (Agricultural lands outside the park.)

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 56 Uganda Highlights, January 2020

TOTAL = 435 species

MAMMALS

Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) - KI Mountain Gorilla (Gorilla gorilla graueri) - BW Guereza Colobus (Colobus guereza) - EN, RM, MF Olive (Anubis) Baboon (Papio anubis) - LM, QE, KI, MF Gray-cheeked (Uganda) Mangabey (Lophocebus albigena) - KI Patas Monkey (Cercopithecus patas) - MF Vervet Monkey (Cercopithecus pygerythrus) - BG, LM, MF L’Hoest’s Monkey (Cercopithecus l’hoesti) - BW

L’Hoest’s Monkey, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, January 2020 (© Kevin J. Zimmer)

Blue (Syke’s) Monkey (Cercopithecus mitis) - BU, RM Red-tailed Monkey (Cercopithecus ascanius) - KI, RM Bat sp. - unidentified bats were seen at several locales Yellow-winged Bat (Lavia frons) - LM Scrub Hare (Lepus saxatilis) - QE Striped Ground Squirrel (Xerus erythropus) - MF Alexander’s Squirrel (Paraxerus alexandri) - RM Boehm’s Squirrel (Paraxerus boehmi) - RU, BW, BU Red-legged Sun Squirrel (Heliosciurus rufobrachium) - BG Lion (Panthera leo) - MF

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 57 Uganda Highlights, January 2020 Slender Mongoose (Herpestes sanguinea) - EN, MF Banded Mongoose (Mungos mungo) - QE Marsh Mongoose (Atilax paludinosus) - QE Western Tree Hyrax (Dendrohyrax dorsalis) - RM African Elephant (Loxodonta africana) - QE, MF Common (Plains/Burchell’s) Zebra (Equus burchelli) - LM Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) - LM, QE, MF Giant Forest Hog (Hylochoerus meinertzhageni) - QE (Rare to see these feeding out in the open. They usually hurtle off into the brush before you can even bring the vehicle to a full stop.) Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus) - LM, QE “Rothschild’s” Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis rothschildi) - LM, MF African (Cape) Buffalo (Syncerus caffer caffer) - LM African (West and Central Savanna) Buffalo (Syncercus caffer brachyceros) - QE, MF Bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) - LM, QE Oribi (Ourebia ourebia) - MF Uganda Kob (Kobus kob) - QE, MF Defassa Waterbuck (Kobus ellipsipyrmnus) - LM, QE, MF Impala (Aepyceros melampus) - LM Topi (Tsessebe) (Damaliscus lunatus) - LM Kongoni (Red Hartebeest; Lelwel Hartebeest) (Alcelaphus [buselaphus] lelwel) - MF

TOTAL = 37+ species (depending on employed) (including 10 species of primates)

REPTILES

Blue-headed Agama (Agama atricollis) - Red-headed Agama (Agama agama) - Nile (Water) Monitor (Varanus niloticus) - Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) - Tropical House Gecko (Hemidactylus mabouia) - Seen on the walls outside the rooms at several lodges, including EN, QE, MA, MF. Unidentified green snake - BU

Total = 6+ species

Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 58 Uganda Highlights, January 2020