Our plan
for the day at Semuliki was very simple really; walk 14 kilometers through the
forest to the river that borders the DRC in order to see the rare White-bibbed
Swallow, and then walk back. It was going to be tough but we hoped that it
would pay off. Less than two hours after we started we were hit by a tropical
storm, leaving us stranded for an hour. Then we spent at least an hour
traversing a swamp that the trail crossed. Then my trousers tore in half. But
then, after everything, we reach the Ox-bow lake where the swallow could be found,
and to our joy, we found two of the birds hunting over the waters surface.
There was a small fishing community based there and the fishermen kindly took
us out in their small boats so we could get closer to the birds. This swallow
is very hard to find due to its preference for forested habitats, and was one
of the key targets for our trip. The ranger with us informed us that we were only the second group of tourists that he had ever taken to see the bird, during his ten years at the park.
Although much of the walk was spent marching through the forest to try and keep good time, we enjoyed a large number of good birds along the way including an impressive 6 species of Hornbill, four of which were new for me; Red-billed Dwarf, White-crested, Black-casqued and Piping Hornbills. There were also a few species which, in this region at least, are specialties of the forest; Yellow-throated Nicator, Yellow-eyed Bristlebill, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher and Crested Malimbe. There were also six species of Monkey in the forest, including the endemic Semuliki Red Colobus. It was an exhausting but extremely rewarding days birding.
Although much of the walk was spent marching through the forest to try and keep good time, we enjoyed a large number of good birds along the way including an impressive 6 species of Hornbill, four of which were new for me; Red-billed Dwarf, White-crested, Black-casqued and Piping Hornbills. There were also a few species which, in this region at least, are specialties of the forest; Yellow-throated Nicator, Yellow-eyed Bristlebill, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher and Crested Malimbe. There were also six species of Monkey in the forest, including the endemic Semuliki Red Colobus. It was an exhausting but extremely rewarding days birding.
-Yellow-eyed Bristlebill
-White-bibbed Swallow
-Giant Kingfisher
-Yellow-throated Cuckoo
-European Honey Buzzard
-Black-casqued Hornbill
-Hypolycaena sp.
-African Fish Eagle
-Grey-cheeked Mangabe
-Semliki Red Colobus Monkey
-Frog sp.
-Hemidactylus sp.
Species
List:
Semuliki National Park: Tambourine Dove, African Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, African Palm Swift, African Jacana, Common Sandpiper, White-winged Tern, Striated Heron, Western Osprey, African Harrier-Hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, European Honey Buzzard, African Fish Eagle, African Wood Owl, Narina Trogon, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, African Pied Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, Black-casqued Hornbill, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Piping Hornbill, Woodland Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Western Oriole, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Nicator, Green Hylia, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Buff-throated Apalis, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, White-bibbed Swallow, Yellow-eyed Bristlebill, Red-tailed Greenbul, Xavier's Greenbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Brown Illadopsis, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Fraser's Rufous Thrush, White-tailed Ant Thrush, African Thrush, Grey-headed Sunbird, Crested Malimbe, Vieillot's Black Weaver, African Pied Wagtail, Mantled Guereza, Semliki Red Colobus Monkey, Grey-cheeked Mangabe, De Brazza's Monkey, Dent's Monkey, Schmidt's Red-tailed Monkey, Alexandra’s Squirrel, Red-legged Sun-Squirrel,
Semuliki National Park: Tambourine Dove, African Green Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, African Palm Swift, African Jacana, Common Sandpiper, White-winged Tern, Striated Heron, Western Osprey, African Harrier-Hawk, Palm-nut Vulture, European Honey Buzzard, African Fish Eagle, African Wood Owl, Narina Trogon, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, African Pied Hornbill, White-crested Hornbill, Black-casqued Hornbill, Black-and-white-casqued Hornbill, Piping Hornbill, Woodland Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Blue-throated Roller, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Hairy-breasted Barbet, Western Oriole, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-throated Nicator, Green Hylia, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Buff-throated Apalis, Sand Martin, Barn Swallow, White-bibbed Swallow, Yellow-eyed Bristlebill, Red-tailed Greenbul, Xavier's Greenbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Chestnut-capped Flycatcher, Brown Illadopsis, Scaly-breasted Illadopsis, Fraser's Rufous Thrush, White-tailed Ant Thrush, African Thrush, Grey-headed Sunbird, Crested Malimbe, Vieillot's Black Weaver, African Pied Wagtail, Mantled Guereza, Semliki Red Colobus Monkey, Grey-cheeked Mangabe, De Brazza's Monkey, Dent's Monkey, Schmidt's Red-tailed Monkey, Alexandra’s Squirrel, Red-legged Sun-Squirrel,
