Adventure in Uganda, it starts in Entebbe

On the evening of Feb. 16th, 2011, Gary Lyon, Tom Choate, and myself arrived in Entebbe Airport from Amsterdam. Since it was dark I was very anxious for morning to come so I could see what the place looked like. I was especially excited to see the birds of Uganda.
It was mostly a sleepless night but I dropped off to sleep towards dawn. When I did wake up I could hear vigorous bird song outside our hotel. I stepped out onto the balcony of my room and shot the above photo.
There were birds flitting in the trees below but it was hard to get decent views of them in the thick foliage.
     Uganda is a small country in the middle of the African continent. It is right on the Equator, wedged between Sudan to the north, Kenya to the east, Tanzania to the south, and the DRC to the west. It is densely populated, 34+ million people, most of them living in small, rural villages that lack electricity and running water. There are relatively few paved roads in the country. The people we encountered were universally friendly and helpful.

The highest mountain range in Africa, the Rwenzoris, border western Uganda. The Nile River starts in Lake Victoria, (Africa's largest lake), in Uganda. There are comparatively few tourists in Uganda, and most of them come to Uganda to see Mountain Gorillas. There are many species of primates in the country. We saw 11 species on our month long trip. Uganda has amoung the highest bird diversity in the world with a good mix of East African, and West African birds.

Before I go to a new country I spend months studying the birds that occur there. Some of those birds really stand out for one reason or another and I hope to see them most of all. One bird that I missed seeing in South Africa last year was the stunning, Scarlet-chested Sunbird. From my hotel balcony it was the first bird I could see well enough to identify. We ended up seeing many of them in various parts of Uganda.

Hammerkops were abundant near water everywhere we went. This individual was on the roof of the giftshop in the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre in Entebbe where we spent several nights.

Ring-necked Doves are everywhere.

There were many Broad-billed Rollers around Entebbe. The photo does not adequately depict it's striking pattern, especially when it flies.

Viellot's Black Weaver is an unusual example of the many weaver species that we saw. It looks like a North American grackle or blackbird although there is no relation.

Crowned Hornbill is one of nine species of hornbill that we saw. These guys were very shy when I first saw them in South Africa, but much more approachable in Uganda. Hornbills look especially pre-historic to me.

A large and common hornbill was the Black and White Casqued Hornbill.

Another of my target birds was the very exotic Ross' Turaco. They were easily seen at the Wildlife Education centre. This bird was in a tree right next to our banda,(hut).

Years ago I was fascinated by a documentary about an expedition into the most remote region of the Congo. The wildlife film makers got great footage of many strange and beautiful jungle creatures. The thing that impressed me the most was the wonderful, Great Blue Turaco. How I longed to go on an expedition someday to see the Great Blue Turaco. I first saw them in the park across the street from the Wildlife Centre. So much for a trek into the unknown wilds of West Africa. They turned out to be very common. The bird above was in a tree above the road. More about them later.

Another target bird that I missed in South Africa, but saw on this trip. The elegant, Lizard Buzzard.

Not a new bird, but a welcome sight, Collared Sunbird. There is more to come on Entebbe's birdlife soon. Also I need to mention that because of the altitude, about 1500 meters or more, Uganda was warm, but not hot. The exception being our last stop, Murchison Falls National Park.

All Good Things Must End

Puerto Jimenez, on the Osa Penninsula in Southwest Costa Rica marks the last stop on my extended trips. Although Puerto Jimenez is the largest town on the Osa Penninsula, It's tiny. There is an airstrip, a short wharf, some small restaurants and hotels, not much more to it.
The Osa Penninsula is home to Corcovado National Park, which is Costa Rica's most pristine, and one of the largest parks.

The Chestnut-mandibled Toucan in the photo above was eating a Papaya in someone's yard in the middle of town. The neighborhood children could not understand why I would want to photograph such a mundane sight as a toucan. They wanted me to take photos of them. I popped my camera's flash at them a few times to make them think I was taking their photo.

A small Orange-chinned Parakeet. They are often seen in large flocks. They are the most abundant local parrot.

Speaking of abundant. A Tropical Kingbird. They are everywhere.

I saw a lot of Yellow-bellied Eleanias in different parts of Costa Rica and assumed that this bird was just another one. Now I'm not so sure, it may be a Lesser Eleania. Eleanias are a kind of flycatcher.

Female Black-crowned Tityras have brown crowns.

A lot of my Costa Rica photos are too dark. This is because the high humidity of the place caused all three of the cameras I used on the three trips to malfunction. This is a Cherrie's Tanager.

A Green Heron stalks a fish in a Mangrove swamp at the edge of town.

This is the unusual fish that the Green Heron was after. It had luminous headlights above it's eyes. Way cool.

I worked hard to get this photo. There were several Gray-necked Woodrails skulking around the edges of the same Mangrove swamp where the Green Heron was. I sat quietly for an hour or more, letting the mosquitos have a feast, hoping for a photo like this. It was a lucky shot, my favorite of the whole trip. The original slide looks so much better.

The countryside around Puerto Jimenez was the first place that I ever saw a Yellow-headed Cara cara. Their range has expanded northward because of widespread deforestation.

Roadside Hawks are another common raptor in the area. This one is perched on someone's thatched roof.

I went to Puerto Jimenez because I read that Scarlet Macaws occur in the area. Since I really wanted to see them in the wild, I had high hopes of catching a glimpse of them. I arrived on to the Osa Penninsula at night and heard them calling at first light in the morning. I walked in the direction of their raucous screams and found them in a tree overhanging the main street in the middle of town. They were completely unafraid of people.

This is going to be my last blog post for about the next six weeks or so,  because I leave for Uganda on Monday night. I really hope to have some new adventures to write about when I get back.

Golfito

Golfito is a smallish town right on the Pacific Coast in the far south of Costa Rica. The town was originally built by the Dole company, that was then called the United Fruit Company, ( I believe). It was a company town that exported bananas until the big corporation moved on. The older homes and buildings are nicer than the average for that part of the world. The hills above town have good rainforest that has been protected as a watershed for the town. Needless to say, the birding around there is great. It is also very hot and humid.

One of the exotic birds of the forest is the glittery, Rufous-tailed Jacamar.

One day I decided to follow this small stream in the rainforest all the way to it's source. It was a little bit scary going so far into the forest by myself. I saw many birds. The best were crested Guans, Brown-billed Scythbill, and one of Costa Rica's two endemics, Black-faced Ant Tanager. The other endemic, Coppery-headed Emerald is a hummingbird that I saw in Monteverde.

There were a number of mystery frogs like this one, in the stream, and in the low branches next to it.

Another mystery frog.

A large male Brown Basilisk.

A large and creepy looking, (but harmless) millipede.

Ruddy Ground Doves are common in town.

There were a few Spectacled Caimans in a small pond on the edge of town.

Fiery-billed Aracaris are also common in Golfito along with Chestnut-mandibled Toucans.

The Lttle Hermit is a species of hummingbird. This is the only one of this species, I can remember seeing.

This was my first sighting of a White Hawk.

Cherrie's Tanagers are very common all around the region.

Social Flycatchers are common city dwellers throughout much of the Neotropics.

One wonderful experience I had was the day I found a pair of Slaty-tailed Trogons excavating their own nest in a termite nest. It was right above the road behind the soccer, (football) field. This is the male. Notice the termites clinging to his tail. He did almost all the work while the female patiently watched, and helped when the male paused to catch his breath. They both ignored me. I wish I could go back to that scene with the camera I have now.

Wilson Botanical Gardens

If you cross over the Cerro de la Muerte and keep going south to the Panamanian border, the last town in Costa Rica is San Vito. It is on the Pacific Slope and is is the location of the Wilson Botanical Gardens.
I intended to visit them on my first trip to Costa Rica but the principal buildings of the gardens burned to the ground while I was in Costa Rica. I went to Golfito instead after I read about the fire in the newspaper.
The gardens are famous for their bird diversity. Above a Blue-crowned Motmot enjoys a piece of banana.

By the time I visited the place on my second trip to Costa Rica, The buildings had been rebuilt and there was no sign of the devastating fire. The bird above is a Streaked Saltator.

One of the least colorful of the tanagers, Palm Tanager.

A spectacular little tanager, this Golden-hooded Tanager enjoys some Papaya.

Another beauty, Silver-throated Tanager.

Thick-billed Euphonias are closely related to the tanagers. Both are strictly New World bird families.

The Speckled Tanager is certainly more impressive in life than this photo indicates.

The photo is in bad light and cannot convey the unreal quality of the Bay-headed Tanager's colors.

A lovely female Green Honeycreeper feasts on a banana.

The male Green Honeycreeper is neon bright in life.

Another bird that is unreal in it's gaudy appearance, The Fiery-billed Aracari.

These toucans look like they are made of paper mache'. They occur in a small range on the Pacific Slope along the border of Costa Rica and Panama.