Birdwatching Day Trips in Uganda
Birdwatching Day Trips in Uganda: This article describes day trips to Uganda’s most popular birding sites and Important Birding Areas that are relatively close to Kampala and Entebbe.
Some of the most popular bird-watching day trips in Uganda include the following:.
Mabamba Swamp Trip
Mabamba Swamp is 50 km west of Kampala and is among the most popular birdwatching day trips in Uganda. Aim for rare papyrus species at Mpigi Swamp when travelling. Look out for the White-winged Warbler, Northern Brown-throated Weaver, Yellow-backed Weaver, Blue-headed Coucal, and other unique birds of the marsh. Most of our local site guides paddle canoes to the swamp, where we go birdwatching. Search the skies and the marsh for the Shoebill. This most well-known and peculiar bird of prey is unique among its kind, with no other counterparts on Earth. Witnessing this strange bird preen and display its enormous, smiling beak and wooden, clog-like bill is truly an experience that will change your life. You could be able to see it fly with incredible views of its wide wings.
Additionally, keep an eye out for the African Pygmy Goose, African Water Rail, Common Moorhen, Lesser Jacana, African Jacana, African Water Flycatcher, African Marsh Harrier, Black Crake, African Marsh Harrier, Squacco, Rufous-bellied and Purple Heron, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Winding Cisticola, Goliath Heron, African Marsh Harrier, Hamerkop, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Common Waxbill, Osprey, Fan-tailed Widowbird, Intermediate Egret, Yellow-billed Duck, Blue-headed Cuckoo, Long-toed Lapwing, African Pied Wagtail, and Red-billed Fire-finch.
Mabira Forest Birding Trip
Despite being secluded from the neighbouring sugar and banana farms, this extraordinarily prolific forest may be the richest in the nation, and well-kept pathways facilitate easy birdwatching. Along the wide paths, mixed flocks are frequently spotted, and noisy flocks of the nearly endemic Weyn’s Weaver—possibly the most beautiful of the species—spend their time in the canopy. Aside from the African Pied Hornbill and Forest Wood Hoopoe, we can also hope to spot Blue-breasted, White-bellied, Dwarf, and Shining-blue Kingfishers at the seasonal pools. Inside, Green-tailed Bristle Bill and Toro Olive Greenbul are sly residents, while Yellow-throated and Speckled Tinkerbirds inhabit the canopy. The Fire-crested Alethe, Forest Robin, and Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat may be present if safari ants are marching.
Frequently observed is the rare Tit Hylia, as well as Yellow-Billed, Yellow-Spotted, and Hairy Breasted Barbets. When birding here, our targets will include the elusive Purple-throated, Olive Green, Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Grey, and Yellow Longbill, as well as Sooty, African Paradise, Red-bellied paradise Flycatcher, Tambourine Dove, White-breasted and Grey-headed Negrofinch, and numerous other species.
Entebbe Botanical Garden Birding trip
This historic garden may be found around Entebbe’s edges and near Lake Victoria’s showers. With a variety of forest, water, and urban bird species, this garden by a lake is the best place to go birdwatching in Kampala and possibly Wakiso. We keep an eye out for the following species while we’re here: Fain-tailed Widow bird, Giant, Woodland, and Pygmy Kingfishers; Eurasian and Great Reed Warbler; Black Cuckooshrike; Red Chested, Klaas’s, and Diederik Cuckoo; Ashy Flycatcher; Winding and Red Faced Cisticola; The following birds are identified as black bishops: Grey Woodpecker, Olive, Olive-bellied, Red-chested, Superb, Copper and Collard sunbird, Orange, Golden-backed, Yellow-backed, Slender-billed, Black Necked, Viellot’s Black Weaver, and African Thrush. The Bat Hawk may be sighted throughout the day on a fortunate day.
Lutembe Bay Birding Trip
Situated in the Wakiso area, Lutembe is roughly two kilometres away from the Kampala-Entebbe route. A well-known bird sanctuary, Ramser Site, and IBA, the Lutembe region is situated within wetlands that have been gazetted by the National Environment Management Authority. Blessed with both savannah and water birds, Lutembe Bay and the surrounding area make excellent spots for bird watching. We can also get a closer look at the water birds by taking a boat journey to the Rose Bird Flower Gardens.
The following are a few of the frequently seen birds: Hamerkops, Egrets, Black-winged Stilt, Common Moorhen, Black Crake, Chats, Weavers, Widowbirds, Doves, Gulls, White-browed Scrub Robin, Grassland, African, Plain-backed and Tree Pipits, Blue-headed and White-browed Coucal, Senegal, African Wattled and spur-wing lapwing, Grey-capped, Sedge and Reed Warblers, Papyrus Gonolek.
Buso Forest Birding Trip
This woodland lies 5 kilometres off the Kampala-Luwero route, and it takes 1 hour and 30 minutes to get there by car from Kampala making it among popular birdwatching daytrips in Uganda. The Tropical Environmental Foundation (TEFO) founded the BUSO Forest, a serene area perfect for picnics, on 30 acres of property in 1995 with a group of individuals who were passionate about the natural world. It should be mentioned that the forest was home to 127 species of trees, 40 species of butterflies, 11 species of amphibians, and 120 species of birds in 1999, when an ecotourism analysis was conducted.
Grey-headed Negrita, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Lizard Buzzard, whistling Cisticola, White-chinned Prinia, Klaas’s Cuckoo, Tambourine Dove, Senegal Coucal Marsh Tchagra, Purple Banded Sunbird, Bronze Manikin, Eastern Grey Plantain Eater Gross Beak Weaver, and others are among the birds that one might not miss in a day’s visit. Pygmy Kingfisher, Little Greenbul, Olive-Bellied Sunbird, Brown Illadopsis, Green Hylia, Splendid Glossy Starling, Toro Olive Greenbul, Yellow White Eye, Angola Swallow, Crowned Hornbill, Black and White Casqued Hornbill, Red Bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Cameroon Sombre Greenbul, Hadada Ibis, and Great Blue Turaco Yellow-spotted Barbet, Olive Sunbird, Green-Headed Sunbird, Western Nicator, White-Spotted Flufftail, Common Bulbul, Red-Billed Fire Finch, African Emerald Cuckoo, White-throated Greenbul, Yellow-billed, Brown-eared Woodpecker, Green-backed Cameroptera, and Superb Sunbird can be seen while at Buso Forest.
Furthermore, a variety of birds can be found in the area: Pin-tailed Whydah, African Thrus, Black Headed Heron, Brown Throated Wattle Eye, Yellow Billed Barbet, Yellow Throated Tinkerbird, Slender Billed Greenbull, Little Olive Sunbird, Violleit’s Black Weaver, Woodland Kingfisher, Blue Spotted Wood Dove, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Yellow-mantled Widowbird, Grey Crowned Crane, African Paradise flycatcher, Ross’s Turaco, Meyer’s Parrot and many more.