Twongyeirwe Matthew was born in southwestern Uganda and has grown from the forest edge of Bwindi Impenetrable National Park- Buhoma. Regular sightings of Mountain Gorillas, Red-tailed Monkeys, Olive Baboons, mantled Guereza and two encounters with a Crowned Eagle hunting Blue Monkeys in his surrounding inspired his passion for calm wildlife. Such encounters are nothing to brag about for a Bwindi village boy guarding his family’s food crops against such significant pests.

The Ornithological community that prides in the prolific birdlife of Bwindi has Matthew’s father to pride in, a prominent and wealthy man of his times, happily donated a large chunk of his hundred acres to the restoration of Bwindi Forest that had been encroached on by a densely populated community. Today’s secondary forest that harbours Bush-shrikes,  Greenbuls, and Raptors, to mention but a few, would be potato fields had it not been for such conservation hearts.

Matthew’s birding practice picked up on his encounter with two birders from the United Kingdom at Buhoma of Bwindi a decade and a half ago. The two avid and kind birders allowed him to look through their bins, and seeing birds too close with more defined colours was the wow moment.

Matthew is well trained and has intensively birded Uganda, a sound member of the Uganda Safari Guides Association and the Uganda Bird Guides Club.