Uganda Pre-Tour Day 3

Entebbe Botanical Gardens was our destination this morning, and to be honest I could list a bunch of really great birds that we saw easily….. Oh well why not?! We began with Grey-backed Camaroptera that showed well in the end, followed by Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat skulking in the shadows of a huge tree that also held Ashy Flycatcher and Red-bellied Paradise-Flycatcher. Then we had our first of several amazing encounters with a small group of Great Blue Turacos, quickly followed by a pair of stunning Ross’s Turacos, with African Grey Parrot and several Black-and-white Casqued Hornbills flying over. 

Great Blue Turaco

Walking down to the lake shore was entertaining as we watched a pair of Hamerkops taking sticks from one old nest to their new nest just a few trees away, and as we watched them we saw Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird and Grey-headed Nigrita. 

The totally weird Hamerkop

Just around the corner we had a pair of fabulous Green Crombecs, African Openbill and a surprise sighting of a Yellow-crested Woodpecker – the first time our guide, Paul, had seen this species here. Along the lake shore we saw Black Crake, lots of egrets, openbills, herons and commoner birds. But it was here that the same group of Great Blue Turacos flew down into a tree next to us and fed maybe 20 feet above ground level, allowing us to get unbelievable views and some pretty decent photos. 

African Openbill

Higher up in these huge trees flocks of Splendid Starlings were feeding, whilst African Fish-Eagles, Northern Brown-throated and Golden-backed Weavers, Yellow-billed Kites, Spur-winged Lapwing, Striated Heron, Winding Cisticola, Red-chested Sunbird and Blue-spotted Wood Dove were all seen. We spent a bit more time with the Hamerkops before walking to the far end of the gardens seeing Olive-bellied, Mariqua and Collared Sunbirds, Black-and-white Mannikins, Diederik Cuckoo, Black-headed Weaver,and Vieillot’s Black Weaver were also seen.

 

After lunch back at the lodge and a siesta Dan & Tricia returned to the Botanical Gardens seeing African Hobby, whilst I collected the rest of our group from the airport and we managed to see the roosting African Wood Owls we had found earlier today, along with African Palm Swift, Meyer’s Parrot, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Spectacled Weaver, Grey-headed Nigrita and other commoner species.