Birdwatching

Some of my favorite sights at Murchison Falls national park were the jewel-colored birds.  Two species of bee-eater were present in the park; the Carmine Bee Eaters were breeding, and even more brightly colored than usual.

Red Throated Bee Eaters nest in the trees and escarpment cliffs along the banks of the Nile.

I met a fellow bird enthusiast, Margaret as we both watched this African Jacana wading among the water-hyacinths while everyone else was looking at the hippos.  I don't know if being a lady of a certain age is a prerequisite for enjoying birdwatching, but I managed to make several converts among my younger traveling companions.

I was thrilled to see a tiny gem-like Malachite Kingfisher clinging to papyrus reeds close to the water on a small sandbar in the middle of the river.  His beak and feet were neon-red, his crest was turquoise, his breast orange and his back intense purple.

Pied Kingfishers are a common sight along the river - they hover vertically high above the water with their beaks pointed sharply down looking for fish, periodically diving to attempt a catch.  There are two pied kingfishers sitting on the forked branch in the picture below; to their left is a grey heron and a pied lapwing.

Another sight for twitchers' eyes was a pair of Saddle-Billed Storks - these birds with red bands around their bills and knees are on the cover of my bird book.

African Palm Swifts and Saw-wings swooped above the falls catching insects, and Wire tailed Swallows, which have chestnut crests, glassy blue backs and two long thin tail feathers flew around the boat as we set off from Paraa Landing for the river cruise.

The Crowned Crane is Uganda's national bird, and I was lucky enough to see a flock take flight.  I've also seen cranes flying along the river in Kampala and from the car on road trips.

Several African Fish Eagles were visible from the Nile.  You can clearly see this one's yellow eye patch and pink feet.

 

Black Cormorants and brown-headed African Darters perched in branches and on rocks by the river, looking for fish.  This is a darter, distinguishable by its rufous head and neck.

The Goliath Heron is the largest heron and also has a rufous head and neck

Pied Lapwings or Spurwings were also abundant at the water's edge

Yellow Billed or Intermediate Egret with Jacana and buffalo

White Faced Whistling Ducks; also spotted but not shown were Egyptian Geese.

The campsite was full of savannah birds, including bright yellow bodied and black-headed Village Weavers, and red breasted Silverbirds. 

Spotted but not shown were the vivid sky-blue winged Red-Cheeked Cordon Bleu, a kind of waxbill; the brilliant red-bodied and black winged Red Bishop; Rueppell's Long-Tailed Starling; and the Spotted Morning Thrush which greeted me at dawn with its beautiful song.

Other bird sightings in the savannah (not shown) included more Red Bishops, a Grey Kestrel, Griffon Vulture, Denham's Bustard and blue faced Helmeted Guinea Fowl.  Cattle Egrets mingled with Ugandan Kob in the tall grasslands, and red and yellow billed black Oxpeckers hitched rides on the shoulders of buffalo and elephants alike.