Holkham

Wedding anniversary and Michelle fancied some lunch and a walk at Holkham. So I obliged. Not really any birding but had a quick look and failed to find Creeping Lady’s Tresses. Apart from a Red Kite in Foxton, the most interesting sightings were in the garden of the Victoria where we had lunch. A Hummingbird Hawkmoth was on the Buddleia and this Wagtail kept me puzzled for a short while until its mom came along to feed it!

Holkham
31 July 2015 14:00 - 16:00
Sunny 18C 8SW
Mallard, Cormorant, Little Egret, Little Grebe, Marsh Harrier, Buzzard, Kestrel, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Common Tern, Black-headed Gull, Herring Gull, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Starling, Blackbird, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Meadow Pipit, Chaffinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Large White, Small White, Small Copper, Red Admiral, Common Darter, Humming-bird Hawk-moth

Chaffinch

Sadly, although it survived the night and seemed to be feeding fine, the Chaffinch died in the morning.

Chaffinch

A young Chaffinch (probably) flew into the window a couple of days ago. It’s been hanging around below the seed-feeders and below the one next year. It seems unable to fly. Made a decision to take it in and try to feed it up before the cat gets it. Hope it’s the right one.

Swifts have left the nest and are only returning in the evening to roost.

Pec’ Sand at Fowlmere

Lightning strikes twice and this time I get to see it: Pectoral Sandpiper at Fowlmere. Was away for the last one a few years ago and didn’t expect to get this one back! Rushed down with Tom and also ticked Redshank a few seconds later! Took a poor record shot…

Later sent this email to the finder Ade Cooper speculating on its origin…

I did actually wonder afterwards whether it may be the same bird as a few years ago. Think it was a similar sort of time? It’s highly unlikely to have come across from the US (or Siberia) in the last few days. My guess is, being an adult, it could doing a yearly north-south migration but on the wrong side of the Ocean: A failed breeder somewhere in northern Europe at some birder-less location, heading back south early after (obviously) failing to find a mate. Stopped off at Fowlmere last time to feed up for a day, and is doing the same again. Obviously no proof of this at all, but makes sense and seems a possibility to me.

On the way home a Marsh Harrier was over Fowlmere Road and a Hobby flew over the house.

Drive to Entebbe

Long drive back to Entebbe for 4pm flight. Ticked Hartlaub’s Marsh Widowbird on the way and stopped off in Kampala for African Wood Owl. Unfortunately the vehicle overheated (second time) and needed to be repaired. The lost time meant I didn’t get to shower and change my clothes at the lodge in Entebbe that the others were going to and I had to go travel home in rather a state!

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Royal Mile, Budongo

Yesterday’s long drive proved worth while. A great day’s birding along the Royal Mile. Highlight was a pair of Nahan’s Partridges that I called in, but there were other good birds including Pennant-winged Nightjar that was flushed (female unfortunately), African Dwarf Kingfisher, Rufous-capped Robin-chat (in the open on the path), Ituri Batis (that I called in despite an atrocious recording), Black-faced Apalis, and Uganda Woodland Warbler.

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Drive to Masindi

A frustrating day. It was a long drive to be fair, but giving only fifteen minutes a top spot for White-napped Pigeon (dipped) followed by an hour’s lunch and thirty minutes looking for Red-necked Falcon (I’d already seen one earlier in the day!) was scandalous and another example of the bad organisation that could have made a good trip better.

Also got frustrated at having to leave a Black-faced Rufous Warbler, though did manage a few decent ticks: Brown-eared Woodpecker, Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Masked Apalis, Dark-backed Weaver, and Golden-napped Weaver.

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Pitta and Chimps

A very early start as, due to a mix-up we weren’t staying in the forest at the Kibale Forest Lodge, but an hour away in Fort Portal, and wanted to be in the forest at dawn to try for Green-breasted Pitta. We picked up our guide and were below a tree with a Pitta calling whilst it was still dark. An hour or so later we still hadn’t seen it and it had stopped calling. Looked like we’d dipped (a lot of people do) so we went off to do some general birding. Then, walking along the track, I had to pull the guide back: He was just about to flush a Pitta on the track! Eventually everyone got good views of an excellent bird.
The afternoon was spent Chimpanzee trekking. Completely different experience from the Gorilla trek. Not far to walk to get there, but constantly on the move to keep up with them.
Sounded good too.





Some unidentifiable (by sight) Greenbuls were seen high in a tree. I took some sound recording in the hope of finding the identity later.

EDIT 04/08/2015: The birds are Plain Greenbul.



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Flufftail

Birded on the edge of Kibale Forest for most of the morning before heading off to Kibale Forest Camp (a great place, where we were supposed to be staying but due to a mix up we weren’t; and more importantly, a very good spot for White-spotted Flufftail, a bird I’d got ridiculously close to, but not yet seen.) We got one! Great views and even got a rubbish bit of video.
Spent the afternoon at Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary were I saw African Goshawk and Grey-throated Tit-flycatcher (a few minutes after, rather disappointingly, a Grey Tit-flycatcher came in to the call!)

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Semuliki

An excellent day of forest birding (Shoebill aside, that’s what the whole trip should have been about). White-thighed Hornbill, three new Greenbulls (Xavier’s Greenbul, Red-tailed Greenbul, Yellow-throated Nicator), Blue-shouldered Robin-chat, Black-bellied Seedcracker, Grant’s Bluebill amongst others.

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Also videoed a big centipede!

Queen Elizabeth National Park

A decent day of Savanna birding. Not many ticks but Senegal Lapwing was nice. Got annoyed with Deo again as we drove away from a White-tailed Lark that I was grilling to look at Three-banded Plover and Temminck's Courser. Also saw a (unfortunately not photographed) Pipit amongst the Grasveld Pipits that looked spot-on for Jackson’s Pipit: Extremely buff underneath; almost a pale orange. Otherwise as Grassland Pipit though possibly slightly darker above? Not heard to call.
Some decent animals to, including Lions and a lovely sunset at the lodge overlooking Lake Edward.

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Queen Elizabeth National Park

A joke of a day. Drove out of one of the world’s most famous Mountain Forests (where Sam was free to guide again) to do some crappy road-side scrub birding looking for standard African trash-padders followed by several hours visiting Deo’s conservation project. Not what I signed up for, and I told Deo so.

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Gorillas

Gorilla trekking, so up a bit later with the non-birders. I was in one-legged ‘Mad Max’s’ group so was on the easiest trek: Just an hours walk to the forest and an hour through the forest before we encountered the Gorilla family. An unforgettable experience. Even got charged by the big Silverback below!
 
Back in time for some afternoon birding and Deo had kindly arranged a session with “Sam No 1 Birder”. He had just incredible ears and incredible eyes. Saw some good birds (along with one other participant, Darcio) in the couple of hours I was with him, but dipped the rarely seen Short-tailed Warbler: Bar-tailed Trogon, Ansorge's Greenbul, and Red-throated Alethe.



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Bwindi ‘Neck’

A slow drive and birding day along the ‘Neck’ of Bwindi. Another good day. Not as exciting as yesterday as we were birding on the road along the forest edges, but had an Apalis clean-up day: Black-faced Apalis, Black-throated Apalis, Black-capped Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Buff-throated Apalis, Grey Apalis, Ruwenzori Apalis. All ticks, and apart from Black-throated, none (for definite) seen again.
Downside was that I glimpsed a MacKinnon’s Shrike. We were late, and I got out of the car to look. It disappeared into a bush and didn’t show. Deo and Luke told me to get back into the car as we would easily see lots in the days to come. We didn’t! Will never make that mistake again. Compounded by the fact that I picked out a Double-toothed Barbet five minutes later and we had to wait for fifteen minutes for everyone to get on it!

Earlier in the day I took some video of children dancing at an orphanage in a village.



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Ruhiija

Fantastic day. Trekked through the amazing forest to Mubwindi Swamp where I glimpsed Grauer's Swamp-warbler. African Green Broadbill along the way and other goodies such as Archer’s Robin-chat, Ruwenzori Batis, and Regal Sunbird (my new favourite Sunbird). We arrived back at the start of the walk a couple of hours before dusk. The others went straight back to the lodge but I asked to be dropped off and had several more ticks along the walk back, including Western Green Tinkerbird and Mounting Sooty Boubou. Just a great day.

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Drive to Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Mostly a driving day with a few stops along the way, one of which was particularly good. We were watching a few fairly standard African birds (new for the trip and a few of the group), when a constantly calling Warbler flew in. I was asked what it was. I said: “I don’t know, but I know I’ve never seen one before!”. After consulting the books it turned out to be an out-of-range Miombo Wren-Warbler, a species I hadn’t really considered, and a new bird for everyone including Deo and Luke. It flew off after only a minute or so, but by a bit of walking up a hill and playback, I managed to get some record shots and some decent sound recording. Greencap Eremomela was also ticked whilst searching for it.

We arrived in Bwindi an hour or so before dusk and did some birding though it was slow. However, I got lucky with my room, having a balcony view over a large valley and so, whilst enjoying a beer and admiring the forest, I gave a quick blast of Montane Nightjar, out of hope rather than any expectation. And one called back. Half an hour later I had one perched (extremely briefly) in a tree a few feet from me and managed to follow it (or another) in torch-beam when it was dark.

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Recording of the Miombo Wren-Warbler.

Lake Mburu

A full days birding in the park. Semi-open forest and scrubland. A good day. Obvious highlight was Red-faced Barbet, Lesser Moorhen and Finfoot. Back in time for a magnificent sunset over the park before heading out for a night drive where we got Square-tailed Nightjar and Slender-tailed Nightjar.

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Shoebill

Early start as we headed for Mabamba Swamp, a couple of hours away. Birded on route and picked up a few bits including four new birds for me: Grey-headed Warbler, Black-and-White Shrike Flycatcher, Green-headed Sunbird, and White-headed Saw-wing.

At the Swamp we picked up our guides and got on our two boats and headed off to where the Shoebills are found. They weren’t there. No panic, the guides went off to the other spot that they are presumably found in. They weren’t there either. So we headed off again and after about twenty minutes it dawned on me that we weren’t actually heading off to another known spot but just going up and down channels searching. I questioned Luke and he pretty much agreed that they always see them in one of the two spots we had been to but due to recent rain, the water was high and the birds had moved off. A couple of hours later (way past our allocated time) we were still searching. We were going to dip Shoebill! I don’t think the other birders realised, but if we failed here we went home empty handed. I began planning my return visit: A huge overnight taxi ride back to the swamp for a dawn visit before a mad dash to the airport. I didn’t fancy that, but didn’t fancy leaving Uganda without a Shoebill.

Then we got some news that one had been spotted. Both boats made a mad dash to the rough location. We then saw one fly distantly away. I hadn’t even seen it’s head and was told it may have been a Goliath Heron (though I think it was a Shoebill). Whatever, it was untickable. Disaster!

Then I spotted a boat watching something intently. I was told by someone on the other boat that they weren’t watching anything in particular and the now slightly worried guides spent the next five minutes discussing their plans. Howver, the other boat was still watching something intently. I climbed up on the back of the boat, balancing on the side and the engine, and the extra height enabled me to see what they were watching: I could see a Shoebill’s head!

We then attempted to make our way closer to it but the channel we were going down was pretty much un-navigable. Whenever we stopped I climbed back up and watched the bird and an ever decreasing range. I was still the only one to actually see the bird as nobody else seemed willing to do so. We eventually got reasonably close (though I still couldn’t see the whole bird) but then with the noise of dragging the boats along the channel, the bird was flushed. I’d had good enough views, including some good ones in flight, so the day (and trip!) was saved.

After lunch we continued south towards Lake Mburu. We stopped only once at a wetland and arrived at our magnificent campsite on top of a hill shortly before dusk.

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