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.

Black-faced Apalis: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This used to be the Mountain-masked Apalis, and is another Albertine Rift endemic…restricted in range to the highlands forests of Western Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. It is a very active bird, often found, as we encountered it along the edge of the parking for the Gorilla Trek in Bwindi, in mixed feeding flocks…though typically higher in the canopy than we found it here. Sony Rx10iv at about 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. In the changing light of the understory, ISO 1600 down to ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Rwenzori Apalis: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This little bird of the thickets under the rainforest canopy is one of the Albertine Rift endemics, only found in a very narrow range in south-western Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. Apparently it was the Collared Apalis until recently. There seems to be a move afoot to give the Albertine Rift birds more distinctive names. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 3200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Streaky Seedeater: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The sun had not yet reached the ground floor around the parking area for the gorilla trek at Bwindi but it was strong in the treetops, where this Streaky Seedeater was warming itself. The Streaky Seedeater is a common bird of mid to high elevations in openings and along forest edges, from Ethiopia south through most of East Africa. There is a separate race with a yellow wash across the face in Tanzania. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/1000th.

Grey-headed Nigrita: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda — A bird of the high country and the high canopy, that occasionally comes down to feed. In Bwindi we were looking for Albertine Rift endemics, and this is not one of them…being found at higher elevations in both Kenya and Tanzania, as well as Uganda. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro on the Mac Air. ISO 800 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Chubb’s Cisticola: Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Cisticolas are a confusing lot, and we saw many different Cisticola species in Uganda. I believe this is the Chubb’s which is common in the western mountains of Uganda. It was the first bird we saw as we explored the margins of the ranger trail-head parking while two of us waited from the Gorilla trekkers to come back. Certainly, like all Cisticolas, a perky, cheerful little bird. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 2000-3200 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Black and White Manakin: Rushaga Gorilla Lodge, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — We did not arrive at our lodge in Bwindi until after sun-set so my first photos there at the edge of the National Park were light-challenged to say the least. This is a Black and White Manakin that was feeding below the balcony in front of my room. Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications and multi-frame noise reduction. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. Equivalent ISO 2500 @ f4 @ 1/500th.