Dusky Crimsonwing: Bwindi National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — I got better photos (or at least photos in better light) of this bird at Mghinga National Park a few days later, but our guide Gordon worked so hard for these first photos that I have to post them. 🙂 This is another Albertine Rift endemic, with a very limited range on the western slopes of the volcanos of East Africa. This Crimsonwing is a skulker par excellence, and we got glimpses of it all around the parking area at the Gorilla Trek trailhead in Bwindi, but it was too quick for me to get a photo. Gordon did not give up though, and we eventually caught this bird in the open long enough for a burst. Sony Rx10iv at 595mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 1000 and 1250 @ 4 @ 1/500th.

Yellow-whiskered Greenbul: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The field guides say this is a “very common” bird throughout its range, and its range includes part of every East African country, from a few hundred feet to the tops of the mountains…basically wherever there is forest or gardens. This one was, again, around the parking area at the Gorilla Trek trailhead. Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 2000 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

African Hill-Babbler: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This is a common bird through-out its range in East Africa, but the birds along the Albertine Rift have the full black head and are a unique sub-speices, sometimes called the Rwenzori Hill-babbler. Yet another bird from our few hours abound the parking area at the Gorilla Trek trailhead. Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Northern Double-collared Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Sunbirds, like this Northern Double-collared, are made for the sun. Such a splendor of color! Again, from the edges of the parking area for the Gorilla Trek at Bwindi, while we waited for the trekkers to come back. This is more of an “art” shot…something for the wall instead of the guide-book. Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This is the female of the Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, not an uncommon bird in Uganda west of lake Victoria, but rare other places in East Africa. It is, I would say, also uncommon at the elevation where we were in Bwindi, but it is generally seen where we saw it…high in the top of tree or up into the canopy. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f5 and f4 @ 1/1000th.

Northern Puffback: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We must have been very near the maximum elevation for this bird…and I would have said we were higher there in the parking area for the Gorilla Trek in Bwindi. The Puffbacks are bushshrikes, and the Northern is the most common in western Uganda. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/640th and 1/800th. .

Female Green-headed Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — There were several female Green-headed Sunbirds around the parking area for the Gorilla Trek in Bwindi the day we visited, but we never did see a male. So it goes. At least the females of the the species are among the more colorful female sunbirds. The Green-headed also has much larger range than the Albertine Rift birds we have been looking at…it can be found in the highlands of East Africa as far south as Mozambique and throughout equatorial West Africa. Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 2000 and 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Blue-headed Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Another Albertine Rift endemic, from around the parking area at the trailhead for Gorilla Trekking. Gordon, our guide for the morning, and an excellent young guide/birder said, “Oh get this one! Take a photo!” and I did my best. We only saw it for a moment, though it can be fairly common in its restricted range. What a stunner! Sony Rx10iv at 591mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Northern Double-collared Sunbird: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — another bird from around the edges of the parking lot for the Gorilla Trek in Bwindi. Sunbirds are among my favorite African birds and I always have my eye out for them…and often spend way too much time photographing them when they are around. They have the intense colors of hummingbirds…but they sing! The Northern Double-collared has a restricted range along the Albertine Rift in southwest Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi and a larger range in the highlands of Kenya, as well as range in Western Africa. Sony Rx10iv at 580mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Apple Photos. ISO 500 and 400 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Strange and Brown-capped Weavers: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Strange Weaver (yes that is its official name) is another Albertine Rift endemic and the Brown-capped Weaver is limited to the Albertine Rift and the highlands of Kenya and maybe Tanzania (eBird shows nothing in Tanzania but the field guide range maps show a small area). There are also isolated populations of Brown -capped Weaver on the west coast of Africa. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator Photo, and Apple Photos. Strange: ISO 2500 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Brown-capped: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.