Is it worth birding in Murchison Falls Park

Is it worth birding in Murchison Falls Park? Murchison Falls National Park is among the top birding destinations in Uganda and having great birding sites both in the Southern and Northern sections harbouring over 451 bird species. These species include savannah, migratory, forest, water, and common and uncommon birds, among others. Besides birdwatching, the park offers other thrilling and captivating popular activities such as chimpanzee tracking, game drives, boat cruises, sport fishing, adventure safaris, sun down cruises, cultural safaris, and hikes to the world’s most famous and powerful falls. The falls are thought to be the most powerful in the world, pushing 200 bathtubs’ worth of water through a narrow and now widening 7-meter gorge every second and 45 metres downstream into the waters of the Victoria Nile Every second.

Numerous wildlife species can be found in the park, including the well-known “big four”—Lions, Leopards, Elephants, and Cape Buffaloes—as well as other creatures like chimpanzees, Patas monkeys, Olive baboons, Black and White Colobus Monkeys, Red-tailed Monkeys, Blue Monkeys, Jackson’s Hartebeest, Oribi and Crocodiles, hippos, and Budongo forest in the south has popular primates like the chimpanzees, Olive baboons, Blue monkeys, Red-tailed monkeys, Black and White Colobus Monkeys to mention but these.

What makes Murchison Falls National Park ideal for birdwatching?

Murchison Falls National Park attracts many tourists throughout the year because of its unique birding spots which include, Kaniyo Pabidi and the Royal Mile for forest birds, especially the Guinea Congo Biome endemics all within Budongo Forest in the southern sector of the Murchison Falls Conservation Area. Others include savannah birds in the northern sector of the park as well as the water birds along the Victoria Nile and Albert Delta, among others. These key birding spots include:

Albert Delta Region

The Victoria Nile drains into Lake Albert to the southwest of Murchison Falls National Park. A variety of birds can be seen here, concealing themselves in the shrubs and fronting the plants in the waterways. The Shoebill, African Darter, Black-winged Stilt, Senegal Thick-knee, Lesser-swamp Warblers, Comb Ducks, Egyptian Geese, Grey Heron, Sacred Ibis, Open-billed Stork, Grey-headed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, African Skimmer, Yellow-billed and Saddle-billed Stork, Glossy Ibis, and many more birds inhabit the area. It is easy to see these birds when taking a boat ride around the foot of the waterfalls.

The Royal Mile and Busingiro tourism sectors in Budongo Forest

The Budongo Forest in Murchison Falls National Park is home to approximately 360 different bird species, including the following: Chocolate-backed, Blue-breasted, Pygmy and African Dwarf Kingfishers, Ituri Batis, Green and Lemon-bellied Crombec, Blue-throated Brown, Collared, Superb and Little Green Sunbird, White-throated, Greenbul, and Spotted Greenbul, Green Twinspot, Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Cassin’s Hawk-Eagle, Fire-crested Alethe, Cassin’s, Sabine’s, and Mottled Spinetail, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Nahan’s Partridge, Western Crested Guineafowl, Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Grey-headed Sunbird, Brown-chested Alethe, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-spotted, Grey-headed and Yellow-billed Barbet, Uganda Woodland Warbler, Forest Robin, Chestnut and Jameson’s Wattle-eye, Forest Flycatcher and Grey-throated among others.

 Kaniyo Pabidi Forest in Budongo Forest

Situated in the southern section of Murchison Falls National Park, 8 km from Kichumbanyobo Gate, it is a fantastic spot for birdwatching. Many different bird species can be found in this woodland, such as the rare species of East Africa commonly known as the Puvel’s Illadopsis, the only endemic bird in Budongo Forest,  Yellow-footed Flycatcher, Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Western-black-headed Oriole, Forest Robin, Yellowbill, Ituri Batis and Rufous-sided Broadbill, Grey and Yellow Longbill, African Emerald Cuckoo, Golden-crowned and Brown-eared Woodpecker, Spotted Greenbul, Afep Pigeon, White-thighed Hornbill, and many more that can be seen at the Royal Mile because this area is a continuum eco-system that extends up to this point.

The Northern sector of the park

This sector is dominated by savannah birds, especially in areas surrounding the Paraa and Red Chilli Safari Lodges, which are home to a multitude of birds due to their undulating savannah grasslands, prickly plants, and thickets plus acacias. Among these birds are the Northern Red Bishop, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Black-rumped Waxbill, African Grey Hornbill, Red-necked Falcon, Grey Kestrel, Pin-tailed Whydah, Black-billed Barbet, Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow, Black-headed Gonolek, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Red-cheecked Cordon-bleu, White-rumped Seedeater, Silverbird, Black-billed Wood-Dove, Spotted Palm Thrush, Speckle-fronted Weaver, White-browed Sparrow Weaver, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Martial Eagle, White-browed Coucal, Rattling, Croaking and Foxy Cisticola, African White-backed Vulture, Northern Carmine, Red-throated and Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Pale Flycatcher, Grey-backed Fiscal, Sooty Chat, Black-crowned Tchagra and Grey-crowned Crane.

How to go birding in the Park

Birdwatching can be done while carrying out park activities such as game drives, boat cruises, and game drives; however, it is worth birding in Murchison Falls National Park during nature walks in the trails of Budongo Forest. The Abyssinian ground hornbill, marabou stork, secretary birds, black-bellied bustards, open-billed storks, and window birds are among the most frequent birds found inland in the savannah plains.

In addition to taking a boat cruise, birdwatching in Murchison Falls National Park can be done in a vehicle or on guided nature walks along the Nile, up the Falls Nature Walk, and through the Budongo Forest. You can enjoy watching and photographing a variety of water birds, including African Black Crakes, Blue-spotted Doves, Abdim’s storks, white-thighed hornbills, dwarf kingfishers, and great blue turacos.

Best time for Migratory Birds

The Murchison Falls Bird Checklist welcomes a few new migratory bird species which are palearctic from other continents during the low season and also Intra African migrants which are both vertical and horizontal which runs from late August to early May. Winter and a few autumnal months are when the migratory birds travel from Europe to Africa. As a result, you can see migrating birds along the Nile River if you visit Murchison Falls National Park during the off-season.

Best time to go birding in Murchison falls

Even though January through March are the busiest travel seasons, birding in Murchison Falls Park is best done throughout the year. In the low season—December through February, when there is the least amount of rain—birding is also done in Murchison Falls National Park. The trails become slick and unusable in April and October, when there is an excess of precipitation, which hinders birdwatching in Murchison Falls National Park.

Although you may visit the park at any time of year, it is worth birding in Murchison Falls National Park during the dry season, for it offers greater photography opportunities, clearer bird sightings, and no weather disruptions for your nature excursions. However, the national park is rather empty during the wet season, which allows you to spend more time birdwatching. The migrating birds of Murchison Falls National Park can also be seen during the wet season.

In addition, lodging costs are lower in the national park during the off-peak months. You can decide what to do about the aforementioned, but keep in mind that Murchison Falls National Park is open year-round and welcomes tourists. Take note of this: a tour company can arrange the best birding safaris in Murchison Falls National Park. They can handle all the planning, so you do not need to worry.  Thank you very much.