Some of the birding areas in Uganda
BIRDING AREAS
Mabamba Wetland
Mabamba wetland is found on Lake Victoria in the area of Masaka, South of Kampala. Apart from Murchison Falls National Park, this is the only place and site where the elusive Shoebill (Balaeniceps rex) can be spotted at any one time of the day, approximately 38% of the global population of the Blue Swallow (Hirundo atrocaerulea), and the globally-threatened Papyrus Yellow Warbler plus other birds of global conservation concern. The Shoebill feeds primarily on lungfish (Protopterus aethipicus), which is also cherished by the local community. Shoebills are regularly recorded in pairs or in threes in the marsh at Nakowogo, about 2 km north east of Mabamba Bay. Mabamba has been surveyed in recent years and now boosts of over 260 bird species with one day’s record of 157 species.
Other bird species to watch out for include: Rey-headed Gull, White Winged Terns, Madagascar Bee-eater, Yellow Billed Egret, Long toed Plover. If you choose to have a walk along the tracks on the main road in search of more birds then you expect to see the Black Crake, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers, Cape Wagtail, Swamp Flightier, Winding Cisticola, Blue- Breasted Bee- eater, Red Chested Sunbird and many
Mabira Forest
Mabira Forest Reserve covers an area of 360 square kilometers with about 300 bird species many of which are difficult to see anywhere else in Uganda, over 200 different kinds of trees, 218 butterfly species with their beautiful color, and 23 different types of mammals, mainly monkeys. The patches of grassland in the valleys and extensive papyrus swamps support a lot of different kinds of birds.
The forest is just an hour’s drive from Kampala city. Managed by the Forestry department with support from the local community, Mabira Forest was opened to the public in 1996.
Key bird species found in the reserve include:- Nathan’s francolin, Cassin’s hawk eagle, Green tailed bristle bill, Grey long bill, Leaf love, Paradise flycatcher, Sooty boubou, Purple-throated cuckoo shrike.
Something unique about the forest is the fact that a large number of birds may be seen from the visitor’s centre. Flowering trees in the clearing attract a variety of sunbirds such as green, Little Olive, Blue throated brown, Green throated, olive bellied and superb sunbirds. Other forest edge species include speckle –breasted Woodpecker, Black throated Apalis, African blue Flycatcher and Grey-crowned Negro finch. Forest Ribon, Snowy headed Robin-Chat, Grey capped warbler, Black and white Flycatcher, Dusky Tit and common Wattle Eye which can be seen around the Campsite.
Entebbe Botanical Gardens
Situated on the northern shores of Lake Victoria in Entebbe town, the Entebbe Botanical Gardens were established 1901 and it is well maintained as small protected area of 40.7 hectares. The gardens host a variety of open country and woodland species and you can easily spend a pleasant couple of hours here.
The gardens have a collection of species of plants of the tropical, sub-tropical and temperate zones, besides several shrubs and other plants which regenerated naturally over the years. The habitat has attracted a diverse array of birds - 206 species (both forest and shorebirds) and monkeys (recently introduced the Black and White Colubus and Vervet Monkeys). The most common bird species are Ruff, Wood, Common, Marsh Sandpipers, Common Green Shank, Long-tailed and Great Cormorants, Madagascar Bee-eater, Green Crombec, Orange weaver, Golden and Yellow backed weavers, Superb sunbird, Bare faced go-away-bird, Ross's and Great blue Turacos, Grey and Brown Parrots, Palm Swift, Little Swift, Entebbe Weaver (an endemic to Uganda that was recorded at the site only once), White spotted Fluftail etc
Birds of Bwindi Forest National Park
Located in South Western Uganda, Bwindi National Park hosts a high diversity of birds, representing one of the forest's avifauna in Africa. The bird list for the park currently totals 334 species, 67 non-forest-dependent species, and 182 forest-dependent species.