Uganda: Shoebill and other target Species birding trip Report

September - October 2016

By Allan & Ann Tate, UK

Although we have done a lot of birding abroad in the last thirty years and have used the services of guides, this was the first trip we had undertaken, which was just my wife and me plus a guide for three weeks. Ann has always wanted to see Shoebill, but most organised tours to Uganda include gorilla trekking, and arthritic knees meant the terrain might not be suitable. Moreover, one of our primary interests is photographing waders, so we needed some flexibility in our itinerary to accommodate the possibility of missing certain species. To this end, we engaged the services of Deogratius Muhumuza of Uganda Eco-Tours (henceforth known as Deo). We asked Deo, the company owner, to lead us, which was fine. The trip proved to be highly successful, as we managed to see and photograph nearly all of our target species. The species we missed were either long shots or species that we could easily see elsewhere.

Tuesday 20th September
The airport welcomed us with a cry of "Alan" as we arrived in Entebbe in the afternoon, and we quickly transferred to a Toyota Landcruiser to start our journey. Not quite so rapid was leaving the car park; we apparently arrived the same afternoon as large numbers of pilgrims returning home from the Haj. Our experience was no worse than navigating the M25, and we quickly checked into our first hotel. In order to keep costs down, we had asked for reasonably priced accommodation, nothing upmarket, and had no complaints about anywhere we stayed. Many countries build elegant hotels and lodges, but maintenance seems to be an alien concept. Despite the odd light and loose taps, we were more than happy. After checking in, Ann elected to relax while Deo and I visited the nearby Botanical Gardens. Deo pointed out the Scarce Swift to me, a species I would have likely overlooked among the local Palm Swifts, and a local guided us to a Verraux's Eagle Owl roost. Other birds included Pied and Malachite Kingfishers, Swamp Flycatchers, and Black-headed Gonolek.

Wednesday 21st September
The following day marked the start of our journey. We first returned to the Botanical Gardens, where sadly the owl had changed its roost, but saw more common species, including Great Blue and Ross' Turacos and Black-and-White Casqued Hornbill. Our first wader was a Common Sandpiper, which winters here along with a number of other palearctic breeders. The gardens are on the shore of Lake Victoria, and two unexpected species here were African Openbill and Saddle-billed Storks, the latter being one of our target birds. We saw one from the car later that day, but "ticked" it at our main destination, which was Lutembe Bay. Not usually visited by tour groups, this is a Ramsar site (as are several wetlands in Uganda), close to Entebbe, and part of Lake Victoria. We arrived at a local village where Deo quickly organised the use of a dugout canoe, and off we went for 2-3 hours. The main feature of the bay was a large number of White-winged and Gull-billed terns (probably hundreds), all in moult or non-breeding plumage. Grey-headed Gulls, among which we managed to find a couple of Slender-billed Gulls, appeared to be a rare visitor to Uganda, but I believe they were likely overlooked. Small numbers of Baltic and Heuglin's Gulls were also present. A few palearctic waders were present, mainly Curlew Sands and Little Stints, rarely seen in winter plumage in the UK. The trip also gave us our first wader target in the shape of Long-toed Lapwing, although we weren't expecting any difficulty and indeed saw them on several days thereafter. We looked for a White-backed Night-heron known to be in the area, but without luck, this was one of the few targets we missed. Some compensation came in the form of our first saddle-billed stork, white-throated and blue-breasted bee-eaters, Woodland, Malachite, and Pied Kingfishers, and Little Weaver. On our return, a Marabou greeted us, which enabled me to take one photo and then ignore perhaps the world's ugliest bird for the rest of the trip. While the boatmen sorted out logistics and payment, a large colony of Village Weavers sat in a nearby tree, providing us with something to watch. Deo included such "organised" activities in the trip cost; we just had to give a small tip.

Thursday 22nd September
Today was our big day, the first real attempt to see Shoebill. We left early, as birds apparently fly to more sheltered areas as the temperature rises. Our destination was Mabamba Bay, where the local village has organised the use of their fishing boats to allow eco-tourists to see the famous bird. This has two benefits: it provides a steady income for the village and also protects the swamp from the degradation and destruction that usually follow human activity. Thankfully it has not become too commercialised in the way Gorilla trekking has, so there is no hefty fee, and original dugout canoes are used. Outboard motors are available, but much of the two or three hours is under "paddle power." Navigating through the papyrus channels in silence was an incredible experience, as we eagerly sought out areas with more open water. The dugouts were more comfortable than the previous day's, having padding on the seat boards and being flat-bottomed, but any discomfort was soon forgotten anyway when, after about ten minutes, we rounded a corner and saw a Shoebill standing out in the open, and immobile, about forty meters away. Our boatmen paddled silently closer; the bird remained immobile except for an occasional blink, until eventually I had to take the converter off my camera lens. We sat and enjoyed the moment, which lasted almost an hour in the end. Deo informed us that birds have been known to stand motionless for up to three hours, but eventually there were signs of movement. First, the head moved, followed by a very slow step forward, a slow extension of the neck, and finally, a return to immobility! This happened two or three times, followed by a few more steps forward. I requested that the boat stop not because I feared disturbing the bird, but because I could no longer get it in the frame! Clearly searching for a plump lungfish, the shoebill began a slow movement before suddenly lunging forward, its wings outstretched for balance, and plunging its enormous bill and head into the water. The bird emerged from the water, with vegetation protruding from its bill and its eyes tightly closed. We never saw the prey, but the bird appeared satisfied as it quickly removed the dead papyrus stalks and other debris from its bill, using its foot as a giant toothpick, and settled in a relaxed position. After a further few minutes, it took off and started to fly away. However, it seemed to appreciate its audience, since it turned back and circled our boat as if by way of an encore. We couldn't have asked for more; our main target bird watched for over two hours completely out in the open at close range, with flight views as well, on our second full day in the country. We saw a bird, which I think was a different one, distantly flying over the swamp later, and what may have been a third from the top of the hill behind the village that afternoon. Deo tells me he has only ever missed them here three or four times over the course of many years.

The itinerary for the next few days included two activities. We needed to travel some distance to our next national park, which was Murchison, so in part it was a case of finding birding sites en route. Two places we had picked were Lakes Opeta and Bisina, because they also provided backup for four of our target species and were the only sites where we might find Fox's Weaver, Uganda's only endemic. However, three of those targets revealed themselves at Lake Mabamba. Following our successful encounter with the Shoebill, we had ample time on the boat and began our quest for the Lesser Jacana, a challenging bird to locate and our final sighting of the species. Deo had a brief glimpse of one but couldn't relocate it, so Ann countered by finding a Rufous-bellied Heron, another difficult species to pin down. That day, as we continued our search, I stumbled upon a pair of White-backed Ducks, a species we had previously missed in at least four African countries. Deo was obviously even more determined to find the jacanas, so he persuaded the boatmen to return to an area we had searched (we were heading back by then) for one last try. Success! We managed to track the landing of two birds in flight and saw one walking along the edge of the papyrus.
Friday 23rd September
A day spent largely travelling enabled us to reflect on what we'd done in the space of a couple of days, but in order to have some birding, Deo had been able to permit us access to the Kibimba Rice Scheme in the afternoon. We were able to drive around a vast area of experimental rice growing and other crops, which were well populated with various waders. A number of Ugandan "firsts" have occurred here; sadly, we couldn't add to the list, nor had the Wattled Crane (1987!) returned, but we had excellent views of Yellow-billed and Woolly-necked Storks, our first Grey-crowned Cranes, and various waders. We searched for Painted Snipe but to no avail, and Deo began my education in Cisticola identification with excellent views and photos of Winding Cisticola. Our hotel for the night was in the town of Tororo, but we still managed Lilac-breasted Roller among other species nearby.

Saturday 24th September
We scheduled another dugout canoe trip on Lake Bisina for today. Quite a long drive during which we saw Brown Snake-Eagle brought us to the lake shore, where we managed to find fishermen to take us in to the papyrus. The canoe was even less comfortable than the Lutembe Bay one, but the lure of Dwarf Bittern kept us going. Sadly we only managed to find Little Bitterns (about four) and Squacco Herons in the papyrus, although one of those we realised (too late) was a Madagascar Squacco. They always fly directly away when you want to photograph them! However, we encountered several Lesser Jacanas, which were far more approachable than those in Mabamba. One of them stood for several minutes, preening its full breeding plumage right in front of our canoe, keeping the camera busy. In fact, most birds, including the Little Bitterns, allowed a close approach while the canoes were being paddled. It is likely that they have become accustomed to the presence of fishermen. Other birds included Papyrus canary and Northern Brown-throated Weaver. We stayed in Soroti town for two nights; after that, our accommodations were all lodges (much better in terms of experience, location, etc.)
Sunday 25th September
Today was largely a repeat of the previous day, although the fishermen were more organised (when we found them, they were all in church!). While Lake Opeta is larger and more open, it's likely that birders searching for Fox's Weaver visit it more frequently. Although we weren't bothered, we didn't encounter any and later heard that birders led by a friend of Deo had spent the next two days searching for them specifically with the same result. Sadly, the same applied to our target, Dwarf Bittern, but at least in their case we know they exist! However, we did see about twenty Little Bitterns, which was far more than Deo had ever seen in one place. This was undoubtedly due to making our way slowly and quietly through the papyrus, something you can't usually do in European reedbeds. Deo inquired about the presence of a solitary Hippo in the lake on the way back, only to discover that the villagers had killed and consumed it!

Monday 26th September
We set out early to travel to Murchison National Park, where we spotted an Abyssinian roller in a tree visible from our hotel window. Although not a huge distance, much travel in Uganda is slow due to the lack of decent roads away from the capital, but by dint of not stopping much, we arrived in the general area of Murchison fairly early, in time to look over a bridge where Rock Pratincoles occur. I was looking at a pair about fifty yards upriver when Ann suggested I look down, and there about fifteen feet below was a bird on a rock, looking settled and waiting to be photographed. Security reasons prohibit photography from the bridge, and a couple of bored soldiers stand by to ensure compliance. After a brief conversation with Deo, they agreed to stay out of the way for ten minutes, allowing us to capture superb photos of another target species. The contribution to the army benevolent fund was commendably small, so everyone was happy.
In truth, we saw few other birds that day. Floodwater blocked the easy route to the park, necessitating a forty-kilometer detour, so we decided to book in at our lodge early. We got petrol in Fort Portal, and as we crossed the bridge towards the lodge, Deo stopped for a look at the papyrus swamp on the shores of the Nile. To our amazement, we found another Shoebill! They occur within the park, but this is apparently as excellent a spot as anywhere. Therefore, even if you happen to miss them at Mabamba, it's not a complete loss.

Tuesday 27th September
We began the next day exploring the northern section of the park. We had to enter through a different gate due to the high floodwaters, but since we could easily see our targets, time was not a constraint. In parks such as this, the longer you spend, the more you will see, but we weren't attempting a "clean-up," so we weren't too worried. Certainly we saw plenty of species, both mammals and birds. We first headed to a spot near the river to locate more waders, where we had excellent views of Senegal Lapwing, African Wattled Lapwing, Black-crowned Plover, Kittlitz's Plover, Spur-winged Plover, and Long-toed Lapwings, which were becoming increasingly common. We also came across migrant Black-winged Pratincoles on the way. Raptors were prevalent throughout the area, including the Black-shouldered Kite, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, Grey Kestrel, and Red-necked Falcon. Other notable species were Black-bellied Bustard, Heuglin's Francolin, Diderik Cuckoo, Little, Swallow-tailed, and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, and Buff-bellied Warbler. Mammals were much as would be expected; we watched a group of lions, but the nearest we got to a leopard was a group of Uganda Kob on "high alert," indicating the presence of a predator. Probably the ultimate stealth hunter, it remained hidden, and eventually, for whatever reason, the Kob resumed their relaxed grazing.
A herd of elephants once halted our progress. There are large numbers in the park, and frequently the presence of droppings indicates where they have crossed the tracks. Several animals crossed or approached our path, and as we rounded a bend, we encountered a large animal standing across the track, seemingly resting under the shade of a tree. Elephants are unpredictable creatures, usually quite tolerant, but if something upsets them, they may charge to remove the minor irritation, which is your vehicle. So blasting the horn does not send them running off and may result in an attack, so gently revving the engine was our best option. Whilst the elephant was obviously aware of us, it showed no inclination to move, so we had to sit and wait, photographing our only Silverbird of the trip above us in an overhanging branch. It became obvious we would get bored first, and when others of the herd began to cross close to our vehicle, we had to admit defeat and retrace our steps (or tire tracks). I have to say Deo always had our safety in mind when near animals; some safari guides are not so careful, as became apparent later.

Wednesday, 28th September
The next morning was similar to the previous one, but we managed to navigate through the floodwaters to gain faster access to the park. On the exit track from our lodge (definitely a 4WD route), we had a Marsh Tchagra pop up in roadside reeds, the only one of the trip. We were due to join the boat trip on the Albert Nile in the afternoon, so we proceeded slowly to the river bank via whatever we happened to see. Vultures were much in evidence today, including White-headed, Hooded, White-backed, Ruppell's, and Lappet-faced. We observed the latter three vultures fairly closely during a "kill," but the absence of jackals and hyaenas suggested a natural death. It's all the same for vultures. Other new birds included the Nubian Woodpecker, Spotted Palm-thrush, Foxy Cisticola, Gambaga Flycatcher (rare in Uganda), White-browed and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weavers, and a brief view of a Jacobin Cuckoo. A habituated warthog greeted us at the picnic area, where the riverboat picks up tourists, and advised us to keep an eye out for Yellow Baboons. We had a packed lunch and relaxed whilst awaiting the arrival of the boat. Wire-tailed Swallows and our first Red-throated Bee-eater of the trip entertained us during this time.
Even more entertaining were the Baboons we had been told to be wary of. A small troop appeared; we had finished our lunch, and another couple sat at the table. Unfortunately, their guide didn't warn them, and they swiftly grabbed and opened a bag to remove any food contents. The girl did manage to retrieve the bag, which appeared to have a souvenir logo (at least when it arrived), and they seemed to find the incident amusing. The occupants of an upmarket 4WD safari vehicle, who arrived with windows open, did not share this sentiment. As the group disembarked, a baboon suddenly emerged from the open window, intent on ransacking whatever bags it could find. Thankfully no one was actually attacked, but I wonder if the group had been made aware of the size of a baby's canines! This incident serves as a lesson in the habituation of creatures, as incidents like this often begin with people throwing food scraps for the "cute monkeys." Professional guides should warn their clients about this.
By contrast, our boat trip was well-organised, with very knowledgeable guides, and was a relaxing way to spend the afternoon. Whether it was hippos, crocs, elephants, or Marsh Sandpipers, we had to approach them closely. However, I noticed a lone elephant on the shore, clearly in need, left well alone. The hippos seemed pleased with the boat's presence; we even felt them swimming under the flat bottom on occasion. However, birds were the real highlight for us. The single Red-throated Bee-eater we had seen earlier didn't prepare us for the colony, about sixty strong, attending burrows in the riverbank. Once again, we found ourselves in close proximity to nesting Pied Kingfishers, a sight we had grown quite accustomed to by now. This was just the beginning. As we progressed, the flat-bottomed boat managed to get extremely close to the shoreline, allowing me to capture some exceptional photos of the Yellow-billed Stork, Marsh Sandpiper, and Senegal Thicknee, the latter of which was the only one we saw during the trip and was mistakenly identified as a Water Dikkop until we later examined the photos. Making our way to midchannel, the boat continued toward Murchison Falls themselves, and we picked up our first White-headed Saw-wings feeding over the water. The falls are quite impressive, although not large, and the boat approached a landing stage very close to the bottom. As most tourists got off, we considered following a track to the top, but the noise was too much. We have seen Pel's Fishing Owl here, but we believed we had a better chance of finding one by scanning from the boat, as most of the railed path was in view. This approach, along with another scan from the top the following day, yielded no results. While others were disembarking, we discovered a pair of Rock Pratincoles perched on a rock in the river. One of these birds flew closer, and we devoted several minutes to observing and photographing it at close range.
We had earlier asked the guide on the boat about Giant Kingfisher, which is apparently rare in Uganda. The guide had been searching for the Giant Kingfisher, but to our surprise, a pair appeared from the falls area and flew downriver past the boat, providing excellent views from the air. After offloading most tourists, the boat turned to return to the dock, but instead of making the usual quick dash back, the guide spent a significant amount of time searching for the Giant Kingfishers and continued to point out various species all the way to the jetty. We unfortunately saw no more of the Kingfishers but found several Goliath Herons in the reeds on a central island and more flying upriver. Our day's total for that species was an incredible six.

Thursday 29th September
After our boat trip, we spent the night in a hotel further south, where we quickly learned why few people visit the southern section of the park. The moment you open the vehicle's windows, these flies invade you. Despite the assurance that sleeping sickness wouldn't be an issue in that area, the bite of these flies is extremely painful. Thankfully, that does mean instant death or removal for the fly, although many of those we killed had obviously had a meal of blood from some unfortunate creature. Our intended route to the next area did take us via the top of the falls we had sat below the previous day; strangely, the flies were less there, although so were the birds. The site is the "standard" stakeout for Rock Pratincole, but although we'd enjoyed more than adequate views, there was little reason to change our route. Deo and I went off for another fruitless search for Pel's Fishing Owl, while Ann sensibly waited in a small shelter, intending to follow us if we found one. All we observed were more pratincoles, some of which were in flight, while Ann managed to spot a Tinkerbird and two more Goliath Herons! We spent the rest of the day travelling to Masindi, our overnight stop before visiting Budongo Forest, and saw little new except a mystery bird flitting along a roadside verge in front of the vehicle, which turned out to be the only Cabani's Bunting of the trip.

Friday 30th September
The famous Royal Mile in Budongo Forest. After an early start, we arrived at the open forest ride for some easy birding. At least in terms of the walk, it was easy. Finding birds, many of which were in the canopy, presented some difficulty. Had we been alone, we would probably not have seen any of the specialties; however, Deo introduced us to the local guide, Raymond, whose first words after the exchange of pleasantries were “What are your target species?” Having determined these, chief among which was chocolate-backed kingfisher, our hunt began. Before leaving the immediate area, Raymond pointed out a Pygmy Kingfisher, closely followed by Little Bulbul. Soon after, Ituri Batis, one of the area’s specialities, appeared (to Raymond anyway) in the canopy. Judicious use of a laser pointer enabled us to swiftly “get on it," although views were brief. At a break for lunch in the forest, Deo told me Raymond was very impressed with the speed with which I picked up on things; perhaps he’s used to less experienced birders?
I can't recall the exact sequence we observed now, but the Kingfishers were the day's highlight. All the time Raymond was imitating the call of a chocolate-backed, in between other species, which he heard as we walked, but for a long time it looked as if a dip was on the cards. We heard a Nahan's Francolin and left the track in an effort to see it, but they're much more adept at sneaking through the undergrowth than we are, so we never did manage to. Raymond's call imitation seemed perfect to me, but the bird obviously wasn't interested. However, a blue-breasted kingfisher did appear to see what was going on, and a pair of dwarf kingfishers crossed the path in front of us. We continued, seeing various species, including several Greenbulls, a Yellow Longbill, a Yellow-throated Nicator, a Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, and a Superb Sunbird, among others.
We were just coming to terms with the fact that there were no chocolate-backed kingfishers around when Raymond heard a distant call. His imitated whistle became much more intense, and after a few minutes we enjoyed a bird sitting quite high in the canopy, but almost above us. Finally, we spotted the most sought-after species in Budongo! The pressure was off, and soon we approached a stream that crossed the track, intending to have lunch nearby. There, sitting on a branch across the stream, was a Shining-Blue Kingfisher, its electric blue back in the shaft of sunlight living up to the name. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough with the camera, and although we waited some time, with White-headed Saw-wings coming to drink on the wing, no more was seen of it. Although I had seen one before, it's apparently not an easy bird to see and hadn't been seen in that spot for months. Mammals seen that day included Tree Hyrax, Blue Monkey, Alexander's Tree Squirrel, and Red-legged Sun Squirrel.

Saturday 1st October
After the success of the previous day, the next was mainly taken up with traveling due to the appalling main road to Kibale. The distance wasn't great, but neither was the distance between large potholes. Kibale, with its chimpanzees, is now a tourist attraction, but it seems the further from the capital the worse the roads. New roads are being constructed, but for our trip, the roadworks only served to hold us up further. However, it could have been worse; we had a good lunch stop and arrived at our lodge with plenty of daylight left. Just before reaching the lodge, which was at a higher elevation than areas we had visited, we stopped for a couple of bee-eaters on roadside wires, which turned out to be cinnamon-chested, our only ones of the trip. The lodge itself proved to be an excellent site; within a few minutes we had recorded African Blueflycatcher, Grey Parrot, Bronze Sunbird, and White-rumped Swift, all of which appeared to live in the grounds, and later Lesser-striped Swallow, Black-crowned Waxbill, and Northern Fiscal. Ann elected to have a rest while Deo and I made a preliminary sortie to locate the "stakeout" for Black Bee Eater, our main reason for visiting.
We went to a roadside bank where they were known to nest, only to be confronted with roadworks and no birds. We thought they would still be in the area, so we traveled up and down the road searching. The nearest we got was a few holes in the bank further along. However, neither Deo nor I give up easily, so after driving up and down several more times, we resolved to return the following day, since Deo knew of no other sites in the area and we hoped they were still nearby. Black bee-eaters do not nest in large colonies; had they done so, it is much more likely the whole colony would have relocated. Ann at least wasn't too disappointed, since she would have dipped anyway!

Sunday 2nd October
The plan of action today was therefore to visit Kibale Forest, or a section of it, sandwiched between two sessions of looking for black bee-eaters. The problem was in part that we had no other sites for the bee-eater; they are far commoner further south (in Bwindi, for instance). The first session produced nothing except one of the monkeys that are frequent in the area, Uganda Mangabey (a recent split from Grey-cheeked). Monkeys were a feature of the walk in the forest; we recorded, in addition, Red Colobus, Red-tailed Guenon, and more Blue Monkeys. The forest was notable for Barbets, Tinkerbirds, and Sunbirds in the main, but the highlight (for me anyway) was an extreme skulker, found by our local guide. It only took ten minutes to see it—a white-spotted flufftail that crossed a gap in the undergrowth about twenty feet in front of us. Had it been much longer, I would have gotten cramps, being in a low crouch necessitated by the dense foliage. Another skulker affording brief views was Brown Illadopsis, my first of the genus.
Returning to the main quest in the afternoon, we continued to drive up and down the road. We saw more monkeys, red-headed Malimbe, chestnut-winged and narrow-tailed Starlings, and bee-eater entrance tunnels, which kept our hopes up, but eventually we all but admitted defeat and, being at the furthest point from our lodge, decided to head slowly back. About half way back, Deo, never one to give up, suddenly braked and suggested we look at the bird above us at the edge of the trees. We did, and we immediately forgot the last few largely unproductive hours! Of course it was the Holy Grail of bee-eaters—Black! There were in fact three or four in the vicinity, but the others quickly flew off while I was panicking to take a photograph. One bird, however, stood posing in the tree, showing off its beautiful plumage. Not that other bee-eaters aren't beautiful, but Black is something different and a much-wanted bird by many birders. In fact, we recorded no less than nine species in Uganda; we didn't see many bees though!

Monday, 3rd October
At this point, many people travel to visit gorillas and also a large number of birds in the forests of the Ruwenzori mountains. As our trip was specifically about target species, we had elected to travel slightly to the east, our next stop being a couple of days in Queen Elizabeth National Park. We arrived at lunchtime, having just seen a mosque swallow on wires along the road. QE is a fairly major tourist park, and our lodge was quite upmarket, albeit not as luxurious as some in the area. Several new species, such as the Dark-lored and Arrow-marked Babblers, were spotted around the lodge. Additionally, some food, likely discarded by a previous guest, was found right outside our room, attracting a flock of weavers and Red-billed Quelea. The flock included Lesser and Heuglin's masked weavers. Regrettably, we identified the latter from a photograph three weeks later, a practice that appears to be prevalent in modern birding! Our time in the park was spent birding from the vehicle, in the manner of a typical safari, although some areas were not on the tourist route and outside the park boundaries, thus enabling us to get out. Our main target species were Caspian Plover and Dwarf Bittern, both destined to frustrate our efforts. The former winters in varying numbers, and the latter can turn up anywhere but usually doesn't. However, we still saw several new species and a lot of wildlife, including Lion, Zebra, Jackson's Hartebeest, Oribi, and Cape Buffalo, among others. A visit to two wetland areas where we could walk produced a large flock of Lesser Flamingos, African Crake, Water Thicknee, Three-banded, and Kittlitz's Plover, but no Caspians, although there was a large area of suitable habitat surrounding the first area and they often are seen there. On our return journey, Deo suddenly stopped and indicated a large tree to our left. Ann finally saw a Verreaux's eagle-owl outside a zoo!

Tuesday, 4th October
The following morning took us to different areas of the park, where we quickly learned of one of our target waders, Senegal Lapwing. Not to be confused with African Wattled Lapwing, which used to be called Senegal Wattled; this is a bird similar to Black-winged Plover; both are quite thinly distributed, but Senegal is easily found in parks of southern Uganda. There were plenty of African Wattled Lapwings around in the park; the appearance is very different. Another new wader for the trip was Crowned Plover, much commoner in other parts of Africa. Other species of note included Black-bellied Bustard, Red-necked Francolin, Common Scimitarbill, White-tailed Lark, and a Kurrichane Buttonquail, which alighted on the track, enabling me to photograph it.
The afternoon was spent on the tourist boat, which plies the Kazinga Channel, running between Lake Elizabeth and Lake George. In truth, this provided one of the disappointments of the trip, since we were expecting to see one of our targets, African Skimmer. We saw none, as the rains had arrived a bit early and the sandbanks beloved of Skimmers were underwater. Still, it was the only missed target we really had expected to see; the others were long shots, so no complaints. The boat trip itself was well worth it; the banks of the channel are thronged with mammals and birds, and the flat-bottomed boat was able to get really close to the shore. We didn't spot any new birds on our trip, but we did spot a new mammal, a Giant River Hog, which is rare in other parts of Africa. Or rather,, we saw a mound of mud with a hog-like shape and a typical hog snout, asleep in a wallow, again oblivious to the boat. One interesting bird we did see, which has apparently been in the area for about four years, was a white Malachite Kingfisher. Not an albino, since the eyes were dark and the bare parts bright red, but otherwise completely achromatic. Why it hasn't been predated in those four years is a mystery.

Wednesday, 5th October
It was now time to return to Entebbe, but we still had a specific target in mind: the Brown-chested Lapwing, a species that is not widely distributed. An intra-African migrant, Lake Mburo National Park is a major wintering area and probably the easiest place to catch up with them since the breeding areas are in West Africa and largely inaccessible without a lot of planning and expense. Most of this day was spent travelling, with a leisurely lunch, a visit to Deo's home village, and a puncture that was fixed at a typical African pace, i.e., slowly. No problems; we were heading for possibly the best lodge of the whole trip and weren't in a great hurry. The lodge was on a hill and consisted of a large restaurant area and tented accommodations with en-suite facilities to the rear. The great thing was the view over miles of savannah; with raptors circling above us, we could literally see for miles and sit on the verandah of the tent, relax, and watch the sunset. Appropriately named Eagle's Nest, unfortunately we had a slight problem getting up the hill due to a minibus in front, which couldn't make it up the very steep climb. Getting out and walking up the hill, Ann unfortunately had an asthma attack. Thankfully this wasn't serious, but as we were already running late, she decided to sit and take in the view while Deo and I went to find the plovers, thinking we could all go straight back to the area the following morning.
The birds aren't always in the same area of the park, favouring burnt-grass areas like many of their kind; such areas obviously move from year to year. Also, some areas of the park are "no-go" areas as there is a village within the park boundaries, and some areas are conservation areas within which tourists aren't allowed. Even so, we didn't expect too much difficulty in finding the birds, but this proved not to be the case. We drove in and out of several parts of the park, not even seeing commoner plovers, but eventually found a few African Wattled, then some Senegal. But no Brown-chested, and dark comes quickly near the equator. However, in the best traditions of brinkmanship, as dusk began to fall, we passed an area where we had seen Senegal Plovers earlier, and our eyes alighted on a small group of Brown-chested Lapwing. Photos were duly obtained before the light went, including one young bird that walked on to the track and towards our vehicle, presumably curious. It eventually came too close to focus on, so much relieved, we proceeded back to the lodge at some speed, as you aren't allowed in the park after dark.

Thursday, 6th October
Our last full day of birding, Deo had planned an afternoon boat trip on the lake, and we set off to show Ann the Brown-chested Lapwings. To everybody's amazement, they were nowhere to be seen. We recognised a juvenile Senegal Plover at the site from the previous evening, but none of our target birds. Ann said she wasn't bothered (like she expected us to believe that!) so we set off to search the area again. We came across Crested Francolin, new for the trip, Green Woodhoopoe, and the range-restricted Tabora Cisticola, but all too soon it was time to set off for the boat, and there was still no sign of the Lapwings. We vowed to have another try later and actually picked up a few new species whilst having lunch at the jetty, including Red-headed and Holub's Golden Weavers.
The boat was to an extent a further disappointment, since rising water levels had caused the local White-backed Herons to retreat into the forest, and we saw nothing new as we searched the perimeter. However, there was a sting in the tail, as we suddenly stopped when almost back to the jetty. Raising binoculars, we saw an African finfoot swimming in and out of overhanging branches! I soon had excellent photos of this difficult and often secretive member of the family, and this did raise our spirits more than somewhat.
However, we continued our search for the Lapwings by swiftly returning to our familiar area. We traversed the same tracks with no sighting, and eventually Deo said, "I know where we will see them, but unfortunately it's in an out-of-bounds area." We continued, but soon realised we had become "lost". I don't know how that happened, but within five minutes we were watching a small flock of Brown-chested Lapwings-at last! A fantastic end to our trip, for Ann especially. As we left to return to our lodge, we were stopped by an armed guard. "Oh, is this Eland track? No, silly me, I seem to have made a mistake; can you direct me please?" Duly given directions by the guard and told to be careful because he could be fined for entering the area, Deo made his way to the park exit, where it was again rapidly approaching dusk, and three very happy birders returned to Eaglenest to celebrate. Unfortunately, things were dampened slightly (literally) by an horrendous downpour, but it was the first really heavy rain we had seen in daylight.
Friday 7th October
The following day was spent driving to the airport for our flight home; had we needed it, we could have had a couple of hour's to look for anything we still desperately wanted to see, but thanks to Deo's excellent planning, we had seen 90% of our targets, and not one of the few we missed couldn't be seen elsewhere.

Most birders visit Uganda to see shoebill, but there is much more to see. We targeted waders, and it probably has a greater range of waders than any other African country, plus a number of other desirable species. Primates apart, it doesn't have abundant mammals, although had we been wanting to see more, it would have been easy enough. Rhinos are sadly extinct, although there are re-introduction plans. Herons, kingfishers, bee-eaters, and raptors are common, and if you include the Western mountains in your trip, about five hundred species are on the cards. A number of these would only be otherwise found in western Africa. An added bonus is that the country is still relatively tourist-free; in many places we visited, we saw no one else. All in all, a fabulous country to visit, and Deo was probably the best guide we have ever travelled with, especially for his perseverance and the ability to get "lost." An added bonus is that most reasonably priced flights are with Emirates, enabling a day's stopover in Dubai for Crab Plover.