Uganda Day 10 - Ruhija & travelling to Mgahinga NP

  Today was another day largely going to be spent travelling as we made our may to Mgahinga National Park, although it was planned that it would be a steady journey with numerous small locations to stop off at and where we might get some birding done. The first kilometers of our trip bordered the Bwindi National Park and as such we were able to mop up some of the regional endemics that we had missed on our walk to the swamp. With the help of our guide we were able to located Albertine Sooty Boubou, Sharpe’s Starling, Mountain Yellow Warbler and Evergreen Forest Warbler all while we were driving along the road. But the real highlight was Kandt’s Waxbill, which is a beautiful range restricted Waxbill species found in these mountains. We did not see so many waxbills on our trip but this was a good one to get. Sadly though they remained true to their waxbill nature and we were unable to approach them to get good photos.
  Once we passed out of the National Park the habitat for the rest of our drive turned into basic agriculture thus this reduced our birding opportunities. We did pass a small water body where we found a few nice birds such as Yellow-bellied Waxbill and African Stonechat, as well as a pair of distant otters, but otherwise the only other stop was in a reserve called Echuya Forest. Although we were birding along the road we did find some nice birds such as Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Western Citril Finch and another Albertine Sooty Boubou. After around an hour in the reserve the weather turned on us and we finished off our journey to Mgahinga National Park in the very South-West of the country.  

-Mountain Yellow Warbler

-Sharpe’s Starling

-Evergreen Forest Warbler

-African Stonechat

-Bronzy Sunbird

-Swamp Flycatcher

-Black-headed Weaver

-Regal Sunbird

-Red-faced Woodland Warbler

-Kandt's Waxbill

-Fawn-breasted Waxbill

-leucistic Common Waxbill

-Western Citril

-Acraea amicitiae

Species List:
Bwindi National Park – Ruhija: Handsome Spurfowl, Great Blue Turaco, Common Swift, Crowned Hornbill, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Western Tinkerbird, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Grey Cuckooshrike, Northern Puffback, White-tailed Blue Flycatcher, White-browed Crombec, Black-throated Apalis, Chubb's Cisticola, Mountain Yellow Warbler, Black Saw-wing, Olive-breasted Greenbul, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Green White-eye, African Dusky Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Archer's Ground Robin, White-starred Robin, Kandt's Waxbill, Streaky Seedeater, Thick-billed Seedeater,
Travelling stop: Common Sandpiper, Little Egret, African Sacred Ibis, Malachite Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Sedge Warbler, Swamp Flycatcher, African Stonechat, Bronzy Sunbird, Slender-billed Weaver, Village Weaver, Black-headed Weaver, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Common Waxbill, Kandt's Waxbill, Cape Wagtail, Streaky Seedeater,
Echuya Forest Reserve: Booted Eagle, Mountain Buzzard, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Albertine Sooty Boubou, White-necked Raven, Chubb's Cisticola, Grauer's Swamp Warbler, Black Saw-wing, Sharpe's Starling, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Regal Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Common Waxbill, Kandt's Waxbill, Western Citril, Streaky Seedeater,