VENT. Uganda Highlights 6/14/2025-7/3/2025

https://ebird.org/tripreport/372738

Our 2025 Uganda trip was yet another very successful tour, complete with great sightings in the wild of Shoebill, Chimpanzee, and Gorillas. We also recorded 43 species of mammals and some 11 reptiles. Beyond the Shoebill we recorded another 460 species of birds!

Shoebill, Mabamba Swamp © Dion Hobcroft

There were so many highlights. At Mabamba Swamp we had stunning views of Shoebill and Lesser Jacana. Later in the day, at Entebbe Botanic Gardens, a perched Bat Hawk and a glowing male Orange Weaver were two big ones.

Lesser Jacana, Mabamba Swamp © Dion Hobcroft

At Lake Nabugabo we twitched the highly localized Angolan Colobus monkey. Lake Mburo produced so many birds and mammals, with personal highlights for me including African Finfoot, White-backed Night-Heron, Black-faced Waxbill, Pearl-spotted Owlet, African Penduline-Tit, and Green-capped Eremomela. We had a great look at a Central African Rock Python. There were herds of Zebra, Impala, and Giraffe, and schools of Hippopotamus.

African Finfoot, male, Lake Mburo National Park © Dion Hobcroft

At our key sites in the Albertine Rift at Buhoma and Ruhija we enjoyed a relatively straightforward hike in to see the Habinyanja group of Mountain Gorillas—a group of six with three males and three females. The dominant male silverback was Ryumbo, 14 years of age. We were extremely fortunate to spend our hour with the group in an open glade where they fed on ebombo herbage, played, and just rested in the sun.

Mountain Gorilla, Bwindi National Park © Dion Hobcroft

Birding was excellent with so many great birds: Black-billed Turaco, Western Tinkerbird, Dwarf Honeyguide, Bar-tailed Trogon, White-headed Woodhoopoe, Black-faced Rufous-Warbler, Waller’s and Sharpe’s starlings, Regal and Blue-headed sunbirds, Strange and Brown-capped weavers, and Kandt’s Waxbill amongst a few of the many bird species on offer. This area is voted the number one birding area in Africa by African birders. Guereza Colobus, Blue, Red-tailed, and L’Hoest’s monkeys were all seen very well.

Great White Pelican and Saddle-billed Stork, Queen Elizabeth National Park © Dion Hobcroft

Queen Elizabeth National Park produced as well, with Giant Forest Hog right next to us, bull elephants clashing tusks, and some superb bird sightings including Harlequin Quail, Black Coucal, African Crake, African Skimmer, and Red-throated Wryneck to mention a few. Every day we recorded more than 100 species of birds with abundant sightings of Uganda Kob, Hippopotamus, and plenty of elephants including some amazing bulls with incredible tusks.

Harlequin Quail, male, Queen Elizabeth National Park © Dion Hobcroft

In Kibale National Park we completed our trifecta with a morning spent chimp watching. Hooting, shrieking, and only a few meters away, it is not to be forgotten easily. A real adventure took us deep into the forest where we had success with the ultra-elusive Green-breasted Pitta. Forest birding was also productive, and our lodge gardens were also amazing for bird diversity. White-spotted Flufftail, Black Bee-eater, Eastern Yellow-billed Barbet, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Gray Parrot, Dusky Tit, Narrow-tailed Starling, and Yellow-mantled Weaver were some of the stars of the show. We picked up the key primates here, too, with Gray-cheeked Mangabey and Ashy Red Colobus new for our impressive primate list.

Chimpanzee, Kibale National Park © Tom Pericak/Bonnie Simmons

In the amazing Budongo Forest we connected with the most unusual Nahan’s Partridge (now considered an American wood-quail); after some intense searching, the highly prized Chocolate-backed Kingfisher; and the amazing African Dwarf Kingfisher. Other great birds included Dusky Long-tailed Cuckoo, Narina Trogon, White-thighed Hornbill, and Yellow-breasted Forest-Robin. No one will forget the large family of wild unhabituated Chimpanzees that barreled across the road in front of us with several of the alpha males standing up to check us out. There were a lot of birds in the forest edge (Gray-headed Olivebacks—wow!) and a large colony of Straw-colored Fruit-bats in Masindi town.

Murchison Falls National Park was our final destination, and it delivered five sightings of Leopard including some truly great views. We also found four Lion cubs at night. The north bank of the Victoria Nile is one of the great wildlife destinations in Africa, with impressive herds of diverse hoofed mammals (giraffe, buffalo, oribi, hartebeest, kob, and elephant) and so many great birds. We made an exciting discovery extending the range of the rare and poorly known Papyrus Yellow Warbler. Other big highlights included Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Red-necked Falcon, Gray-headed Bushshrike, White-crested Helmetshrike, Dusky Babbler, and incredibly colorful Black-winged and Northern Red bishops. At night we observed an amazing male Pennant-winged Nightjar, very tame Swamp Nightjar, and several Grayish Eagle-Owls. Patas Monkey was our last new primate.

It was time to return to Entebbe and fly home. Special thanks to my good friend, the wonderful Davis Rukondo, and some very talented site guides including Zeph, Gordon, Milka, and Raymond. Thanks for traveling with VENT and me. It was an amazing adventure with a great group. Big hugs.

— Dion

A complete list of the birds recorded on our tour can be found at: https://ebird.org/tripreport/372738

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