13 Days Savannah Birding Safari In Uganda

Savannah Birding Uganda | Open Country Bird Watching Tour | Savannah Game Safaris Uganda

Detailed Itenary

DAY 1 Savannah Birding Uganda: Arrival for Birdwatching in Uganda – Savannah Birding Safari In Uganda

Arrive at Entebbe International Airport, transfer to the Hotel. Depending on the time of arrival, we bird Entebbe botanical Gardens or Uganda Wildlife Education Centre.

DAY 2 Savannah Birding Uganda: Birding Tour to Mabamba Swamps in Uganda

This morning we bird the Swamps where most of the birding is done canoeing! And in the afternoon, we bird Mabamba bay. A variety of species to be seen shall include; The elusive Shoebill, White-faced Whistling-duck, Fulvous Whistling-Duck, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Common Squacco Heron, long-toed Plover, African water Rail, Grey and Black Headed Herons, Striated Heron, Pygmy Goose, Yellow Billed Duck, Black Crake, Swamp Moorhen, Allen’s Gallinule, African Jacana, House Sparrow which is Vagrant, Mosque Swallow (monteiri race), Weyn’s Weaver, White Shouldered Tit, Little Swift, Sand Martin, Brown Snake-Eagle, Eurasian Hobby, Grosbeak Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal, Fork-tailed Drongo, Feral Pigeon, Flappet and Rofus-napped Lark Lark, Long-Crested Eagle, Stripped Kingfisher, Common Stonechat, Common Greenshank, Little bee-eater, Whinchat, Grey Wagtail, Great Blue Turaco, Grassland Pipit, Orange Weaver, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Black-headed weaver, Slender-billed Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Black Headed Gonolek, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, Grey-Headed Sparrow, Spur-winged Lapwing, Yellow Wagtail, African Pied Wagtail, Pied King Fisher, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Yellow-billed Stork, Olivaceous Warbler, Tawny Eagle, Carruther’s Cisticola, Ross’s Turaco, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Ashy Flycatcher, Rufous-napped Lark, Yellow-throated Greenbul name it. You could also see the Sitatunga, a swamp antelope and much more of wildlife.

DAY 3 Savannah Birding Uganda: Birdwatching Tour to Murchison Falls National Park in Uganda

After breakfast, we bird to Uganda’s largest National Park; we stop at Masindi for lunch then proceed to the top of the spectacular falls.

DAY 4 Savannah Birding Uganda: Game Viewing and Uganda birds Tour – Uganda Savannah Bird Watching

We have an early morning breakfast then go birding on a game drive, we take the best trucks and to the delta, we bird. We carry packed lunch with us so we will waste no moment if we are to see a more significant number of savannah birds along with other wildlife. Among the many species you should expect include; The Secretary Bird, The Giant, Pied, Malachite, Stripped, Chestnut-bellied, Blue-breasted, Woodland and the African Pygmy Kingfishers, House Martin, African Rock Martin, Lesser Striped Swallow, Ethiopian Swallow, Angola Swallow, Red-rumped Swallow, Rufous-chested Swallow, Nightingale, Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Isabelline Wheatear, Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Black and Penduline Tits, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Black Scimitarbill, Green Wood Hoopoe, a number of Buzzards, Barbets, Rollers, Harriers, Vultures, Eagles, Bee-eaters, Warblers, and so forth.

DAY 5 Savannah Birding Uganda: Uganda Birding Tour at Mubwindi – Birdwatching Uganda

Early in the morning, we bird on foot with a game ranger for the early and late morning active birds. We get back to the hotel for lunch then take a launch cruise to the bottom of the falls. Here, your list shall include; The Shoebill Stork, Little Grebe, Great White and the Pink-backed Pelicans, Red-knobbed Coot, African Water Rail, Allen’s Gallinule, Black Crake, African Crake, Black-crowned Crane, Southern Pochard, The Egyptian, African Pygmy, and the Spur-winged Gooses, Storks like; the Saddle-billed, Open-billed, Abdim’s, White, Yellow-billed, Marabou, and the Wooly-necked, the Little and Dwarf Bitterns, Night Heron, Black Heron, Goliath Heron, Purple Heron, Green Backed Heron, Common Squacco Heron, Great White Egret, Cormorants, the African and Eurasian Spoonbills, the Lesser Flamingo, Lesser Jacana, African Finfoot, Painted Snipe, Wattled Plover the list is very long.

DAY 6 Savannah Birding Uganda: Birdwatching Safari to Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda

Have breakfast and then go birding to the home of 606 bird species

DAY 7 Savannah Birding Uganda: Birding the Mweya Peninsular & Kazinga Channel

The morning of this day, we bird the Mweya Peninsular, and in the afternoon we take a boat to the Kazinga channel. You will have the exposure to the, African Skimmer, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, White-winged Terns, Swamp Fly-catcher, Grey-capped Warbler, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Collard Particles, African Jacana, Pin-tailed Whydah, Martial Eagle, Gabon and Slender-tailed Nightjars, the lovely Black-headed Gonolek, Great and Long-tailed Cormorants, Common Squacco Heron, African Skimmer, African Fish Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, Sedge Warbler, White-winged Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek, Papyrus Canary, Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, African Mourning Dove, African Open-billed Stork, Black-rumped Buttonquail, Yellow-billed and Marabou Stork, Egyptian Goose, a number of Gull species, just to mention but a few.

DAY 8 Savannah Birding Uganda: Whole day Avian Watching along Kasenyi Track and the Craters in Uganda

Today, bird the Kasenyi trail and the craters for hundreds of Savannah species, we search for the Common Rock Thrush, Pied Wheatear, Whinchat, Common Redstart, White-fronted Black Chat, Sooty Chat, Isabelline Wheatear, Common Bulbul, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Yellow-throated Greenbul, the Black, White-breasted, and Red-shouldered Cuckoo Shrikes, the Black and Penduline Tits, the Arrow-marked, Black-lored and Brown Babblers, Nubian Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Lesser Honeyguide, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Black Scimitarbill, Green Wood Hoopoe, a number of Buzzards, Barbets, Rollers, Harriers, Vultures, Eagles, Bee-eaters, Warblers, and so forth.

DAY 9 Savannah Birding Uganda: Bird Uganda Ishasha Sector and Kyambura Gorge- Savannah Birdwatching Tours

We bird this beautiful sections for hundreds of bird species, among which will include; African Thrush, Ruppell’s Long-tailed Sterling, Black-headed Gonolek, Slender-billed Weaver, Little Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Grey-headed Sparrow, Red-headed Lovebird, Spur-winged Lapwing, the African, Red-eyed and African Morning Doves, the Winding, Croacking and Zitting Cisticolas, just to mention but a few.

DAY 10 Savannah Birding Uganda: Birdwatching Journey to L. Mburo National Park in Uganda

After breakfast, we bird to the best choice place to find the African Finfoot: L. Mburo National Park. On checking in, we will go for an evening game drive for some bird species and a variety of mammals, for example, Warthogs, Zebras, Elephants and many others. Lunch en route.

DAY 11 Savannah Birding Uganda: Whole day Birding Uganda L. Mburo National Park – Bird Uganda Savannah Safaris

Have an early morning breakfast before going birding in a game drive car, we bird and return for lunch and later take a boat ride in search of water associated birds. Species possible to see today will include the African Finfoot Coqui, and the Red-winged Francolins, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Brown Parrot, Barefaced Go-away bird, Harlequin and Blue Quails, Common Button Quail, White-headed and Black-billed Barbet, Greenwood Hoopoe, Common Scimitarbill, Blue-napped Mousebird, Blue-breasted and Shining-blue Kingfishers, Lilac-breasted Roller, African-grey Hornbill, the Nubian, Buff-spotted, Brown-eared, and the Grey Woodpeckers, Trilling, Stout, and Wing-snapping Cisticolas, Red-necked Spurfowl, Black-bellied Bustard, Temminck’s Courser, African-wattled Plover Rufous napped and Flappet larks, Rufous-chested Swallow ,Yellow-throated Longclaw, Black-winged Bishop, Chubb’s, Carruther’s and a number of other Cisticolas, the Lesser and Great Swamp Warblers, Black Crake, Common Squacco, Striated, Goliath, Purple, Black-headed, Grey, and Black-headed Herons, Great White and Pink-backed Pelicans, the African Fish Eagle, among others.

DAY 12 Savannah Birding Uganda: Birding Journey to Kampala/Entebbe

On the last day, we bird our way out of the park for more species possibly missed out as we head to Masaka for our lunch before proceeding to Kampala or Entebbe.

DAY 13 Savannah Birding Uganda: Departure – End of Uganda Savannah Bird Watching Tour

Tour Highlights

Departs: Entebbe International Airport Tour Length: 13 Days Focus: Birding | Game Viewing Key Species: Shoebill Stork, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Orange Weaver, Papyrus Gonolek, African Finfoot, Red-faced Barbet, Lesser Jacana, Lesser Flamingo, White-napped Pigeon, Lesser Kestrel, Black-winged Pratincole, Pel’s Fishing-Owl Expected # of birds: 350 Species Birding Pace: Moderate Physical Difficulty: Moderate Group Limit: Maximum 8 Bird Photography: Worthwhile

Mountain Gorilla
Mountain gorillas are the largest living primates and the world’s most endangered apes with a population of less than 800 individuals world over- none in zoos. They are found in Uganda, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

They share 97% DNA with human beings! They are our closest living cousins after the Chimpanzee, They have up to 25 vocalization for communication

Mountain Gorillas are shy, social and very active during day. They live in families of 8-25 members with one leading male (The Silver Back).

Gorillas have a lifespan of 50 years in the wild. They reproduce at a very slow speed with a gestation period of approximately 8.5 months and an interval of four years to the next birth.

Diet: Mainly herbivores eating fruits, herbs, leaves, stems, roots and shoots. Sometimes ingest small insects like ants and termites.

Hamerkop
This sedentary medium-sized wading bird of 56 cm long, weighing 470 gm is know to occur from Africa to coastal southwest Arabia wetlands.

Hamerkops feed during the day, the main diet consists of amphibians and fish. Sometimes, they eat shrimp, insects and rodents. They walk in shallow water looking for prey, shuffling one foot at a time on the bottom or suddenly opening their wings to flush prey out of hiding.

Hamerkops, of all birds make the biggest nest in the trees, sometimes more than 1.5 m across, comprising perhaps 10,000 sticks and strong enough to support a man’s weight. A mud-plastered entrance 13 to 18 cm wide in the bottom leads through a tunnel up to 60 cm long to a nesting chamber big enough for the parents and young.

They lay 3 to 7 eggs that start white but soon become stained. Both sexes incubate for 28 to 30 days. The chicks leave the nest at 44 to 50 days.

In culture, the bird is associated to bad omen; Some cultures in Uganda believe, when the bird patches on ones house then they are likely to be struck by lightening. In some places, when it calls over the house, people know that someone close to them has died. The Kalahari Bushmen believe that the inimical god Khauna would not like anyone to kill a Hamerkop. According to an old Malagasy belief, anyone who destroys its nest will get leprosy, and a Malagasy poem calls it an “evil bird”. Such beliefs have given the bird some protection.

Grauer’s Broadbill
Kingdom: Animalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Family: Eurylaimidae, Genus: Pseudocalyptomena, Species: Pseudocalyptomena graueri

The Grauer’s Broadbill or African Green Broadbill (Pseudocalyptomena graueri) is an actual broadbill, one of only a few African representatives of a primarily Asian family. It is bright green with a blue throat and vent and a small bill, quite unlike those of the other broadbills. It is endemic to the Albertine Rift Mountains of Uganda and Democratic Republic of Congo. Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist montane forests where it forages in canopies.

It is one of the African Big Five bird species, highly sought after by ornithologists but very elusive.

The species is both globally endangered and endangered according to the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Blue-breasted Bee-eater
Kingdom: Amimalia, Phylum: Chordata, Class: Aves, Order: Coraciiformes, Family: Meropidae, Genus: Merops

The Blue-breasted Bee-eater is endemic to Africa and just as the name suggests, predominantly eats flying insects, especially bees and wasps, which are caught in the air by sallies from an open perch. While pursue any type of flying insect, honey bees predominate in their diet. Hymenoptera (ants, bees and wasps) comprise from 20% to 96% of all insects eaten, with honey bees comprising.