Black Cuckoo-shrike: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Cuckoo-shrikes of East Africa are one of those species where the male and female look like two different species, they are so no alike! This is the female of the Black Cuckoo-shrike from the slopes of Mgahinga above the ranger station. Sony Rx10iv at 541mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 100 @ f5.6 @ 1/1000th

Red-faced Woodland Warbler: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Another Albertine Rift endemic. This small Woodland Warbler is common in the mid-canopy at in the highlands of western Uganda, Rwanda, and Burundi. This one was foraging much lower…or it came down for its photo, one or the other. 🙂 Sony Rx10iv at 541mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. I have never seen a photography of this bird, or an illustration for that matter, where the face actually looks “red” but then I have only ever seen this one bird.

Chestnut-throated Apalis: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — The Chestnut-throated Apalis is common in the highlands of East Africa with widely separated ranges in the mountains of the Albertine Rift and in Kenya on either side of the Great Rift valley. A perky little bird, seen here in a small sunny clearing near where we turned around to head back at Mgahinga National Park. Sony Rx10iv at 547mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo and Apple Photos. ISO 640 and 160 @ f4 ! 1/500th.

Northern Puffback: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — Here are a few more Northern Puffback shots, this time from Mgahinga. The Northern Puffback has a wide range in both East and West Africa, and at most elevations where there is scrubby brush. These birds were along the edge of one of the open fields along the Golden Monkey trek path. Sony Rx10iv around 550mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Photo. ISO 400 and 320 @ f4 @ 1/500th.

Western Tinkerbird: Mgahinga National Park, Uganda, August 2022 — This little Tinkerbird would not come down low enough for photo showing off its bright yellow stripe from crown to tail, but it is definitely a Western Tinkerbird. The Western is pretty much restricted to the Albertine Rift in East Africa but there are populations along the border between Nigeria and Cameron and much further south in Angola. I would have to suspect that they are not actually all the same species…but I also doubt anyone has looked closely. Who knows, this might one day be the Rwenzori Tinkerbird? Sony Rx10iv at 600mm equivalent. Program mode with my custom birds and wildlife modifications. Processed in Pixelmator Pro and Photo and Apple Photos. Against the green: ISO 250 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Against the sky: ISO 100 @ f4 @ 1/500th. Plus 1.7EV.

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.

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.

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.