Posts in Category: Uganda
Stuhlmann’s Sunbird
Stuhlmann’s Sunbird: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This used to the the Rwenzori Double-collard Sunbird, and is almost identical to the Northern Double-collared Sunbird. It is just just slightly larger and has a longer tail and a bit more red on the breast and is yet another Albertine Rift endemic, found only at high elevations in the mountains of western Uganda down through Rwanda, Burundi, and into Tanzania. We saw this one in the same area as the previous birds, just beyond the ranger station at Mgahinga. Notice the little bit of yellow just at the corner of the wing in brushy shot. That is, according to the field guides, rarely seen. I will remember this bird as the one I stood in fresh Buffalo dung to photograph…not by choice…I was just so intent on the bird that I did not look where my feet were. The nice folks at Birdnest Resort on lake Bunyonyi, where we spent the night, did a wonderful job of cleaning my shoes, but not the memory! Sony Rx10iv at 526mm and 567mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. With flowers: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/640th. Without: ISO 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Rwenzori Batis
Rwenzori Batis: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Unlike the last two birds from Mgahinga, we had to dig this Rwenzori Batis out of the thich undergrowth tangle and it was not in the sun. It lurked about 4 feet inside the tangle and was only visible in little windows through the foreground vegetation. This one is, I think, a feamale…the males have a more yellow eye-ring. The Rwenzori Batis, is, as the name suggests, another Albertine Rift endemic. Sony Rx10iv at 580mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 6400 @ f4 @ 1/250th.
Uganda Edition: Dusky Crimsonwing in the sun!
Dusky Crimsonwing: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Regal Sunbird was not the only bird that hand been challenging at Bwindi that was easy at Mgahinga. We also had Dusky Crimsonwing out in the sun just beyond the ranger station…in the same tangle of brush as the Regal, only lower to the ground. Still skulking and still moving to fast to for great photos…but I caught one! (Crimsonwing, not great photo 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Regal Sunbird in the sun, singing
Regal Sunbird: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Of course you will never forget your first sighting of a Regal Sunbird, especially when you slithered down the side of mountain to get it, and Bwindi will always have that honor for me…but here we are a day later, just beyond the ranger station at Mgahinga National Park, and we have one singing in the sun! Each of these photos deserves a closer look. Such a bird! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 640, 500, and 400 in the changing light @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Rwenzori Chameleon
Rwenzori Chameleon (Johnston’s Chameleon): Mghinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This rather large and rather amazing chameleon was there to greet us right outside the ranger station at Mghinga. I would say this one is at the upper range the likely length for species. The more common three-horned chameleon is the Jackson’s, which is found throughout most of East Africa (expect Uganda, Rwanda, and Bhrundi) and is problematically invasive in Hawaii, Florida, and California. The Rwenzori or Johnston’s Chameleon is endemic to the higher altitudes of the Albertine Rift, and is apparently somewhat of a tourist attraction. We were blessed to see this one as easily as we did. Sony RX10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 125 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Kandt’s Waxbill
Kandt’s Waxbill: Mghinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Moving on from Bwindi to Mghinga National Park. We were scheduled for the Golden Monkey trek at Mghinga, but considering our trail experiences at Bwindi, I made an executive decision to forgo the trek in favor of some birding around the trailhead and up the trail for a mile or so. For one thing, close encounters with the Golden Monkeys had been rare for the past few days, with some groups not seeing them at tall, and for another, we were all pretty tired after Bwindi, and, I was assuming the Golden Monkey Trek would easier…no so! All in all it was a good decision. We saw lots of birds, many right around the ranger station. There was a flock of Kandt’s Waxwings…not easy to photograph because they are so active…but in great light! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ 4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Green-headed Sunbird
Green-headed Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Our final treat on the unintentional hike from the Gorilla Trek trailhead back to our lodge, was this male Green-headed Sunbird. I complained earlier, when posting the shots of the females that we saw around the parking area, that we could not find any males…but there was one in the same tangle of brush were we saw the Regal Sunbird, deep down next to the stream near the trail. Again in difficult light, but that only made the brilliant green stand out more. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.
Uganda Edition: Regal Sunbird
Regal Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — What turned out to be about half way back to the lodge from the Gorilla Trek trailhead, we found the bird we had been looking for all morning. Gordon had not guaranteed us this bird, but, considering our slither down the steep mountain side, and the lack of birds along the trail, he was visibly and vocally relieved to find us a Regal Sunbird. The Regal is perhaps the poster bird for Albertine endemics…found only at high altitudes on the slopes of the volcanos of far western Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, and Tanzania. And such a stunning bird. During this encounter the bird was up the slope from us in a heavy tangle of vines and against the sun, so not the best photos, but such a bird! And a bird that I had missed in 2019, on my first trip to Uganda. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus .3EV for the backlight.
Uganda Edition: Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — When it became obvious that our driver was not, in fact, going to come back for us at the parking area for the Gorilla Trek, our guide Gordon got talking to one of the rangers (Gordon was a porter at Bwindi for several seasons and knew a lot of the staff there). The ranger told him about a path that lead down the mountain toward a lodge and offered to show us where it left the little town there…I only figured out it was our lodge, which was several miles by road from the trail head, when we actually got to point where we could see it above us on the mountain side. He failed to mention that the trail was near vertical for long sections and typically, for Bwindi, muddy and slippery. If we had known…but we didn’t…so Gordon bought us some water and we headed out. It sloped down through fields for the first quarter mile, before it entered the forest and dropped down steeply toward a stream We had some adventures in controlled falling for a while (a bit too long to be comfortable and bit too much like actual falls) before it leveled out along the stream bed. We were looking for whatever we could find, but one bird we had yet to see in particular…the Regal Sunbird…endemic to the Albertine Rift…but the bloom was off the morning and the birds were quiet. We did come up on this scruffy looking…maybe molting into adult plumage…Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater. We take what we can get! Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Not to spoil the story for tomorrow’s post, but we did come out on a road right below our lodge, and actually were almost to the lodge drive when the safari vehicle, coming back from picking up the Trekkers, pulled in and picked us up for last 200 yards…which was, again, typical Bwindi, almost vertical. 🙂 All told, the Gorilla Trek itself might have been less strenuous. But that is Africa!
Collared Sunbird
Collared Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — In my experience it is rare to actually see the “collar” on the Collared Sunbird, and I can think of a lot of more descriptive names for this bird…one of the most attractive of African Sunbirds…if you like green and yellow. This also one of the few (along with the Green-headed, where the female has significant color. This is two shots of a male and two of the female. The male was considerably further away. And this is the last of the birds from our hour or so working the edged of the parking area for the Gorilla Trek in Bwindi. Sony Rx10iv at about 560mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixomator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.