Uganda Day 9 - Ruhija

  This was another day with a sizable hike involved. Todays destination was shorter than our hike in Semuliki but sadly involved more hills with a 200 meter change in elevation during the walk. Our destination was the Mubwindi Swamp deep in the national park. Fortunately most of the uphill walk was on the way back, so the birding was easy going during the morning. Unfortunately, just after lunchtime the heavens open and our steady uphill walk back turned into an exhausting march to try to reach shelter.
  The birding was fantastic, with a large number of the regions endemics falling quickly during the morning. Highlights included Stripe-breasted Tit, Archer’s Ground Robin and Dusky Crimsonwing, as well as a Handsome Spurfowl that we had to follow on the path for a short distance. Once we reached the swamp we failed to find some of the species we had been searching for, but fortunately these are not as range restricted as the forest birds that we were able to find. It was a fantastic walk with some really rewarding birding.
  Once the rain ceased during the afternoon we headed out again to bird along the road near our lodge, in the same area as the previous day. Again we encountered a lot of the same species we had found the previous day, but it was good to see them again. We also added a few new species including a fantastic Black Cuckoo that perched above us. It was fantastic to get nice views of the beautiful L'Hoest's Monkey just outside our lodging, and our guide Gordon found a nice Chameleon on the path as we birded. 

-Dusky Crimsonwing

-Handsome Francolin

-Olive Woodpecker

-Blue-headed Sunbird

-Archer's Ground Robin

-Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher

-Mountain Buzzard

-L'Hoest's Monkey

-Dark-capped Bulbul

-Strange Weaver

-African Dusky Flycatcher

-Crowned Hornbill

-African Olive Pigeon

-Black Cuckoo

-Kigezi Highlands Chameleon

-Giant Earthworm sp.

Species List:

Bwindi National Park – Ruhija: Handsome Spurfowl, African Olive Pigeon, Great Blue Turaco, Black Cuckoo, Common Swift, Mountain Buzzard, White-headed Wood Hoopoe, Crowned Hornbill, Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater, Grey-throated Barbet, Cardinal Woodpecker, Olive Woodpecker, Mountain Oriole, Rwenzori Batis, Chinspot Batis, Northern Puffback, Brown-crowned Tchagra, Doherty's Bushshrike, African Paradise Flycatcher, Stripe-breasted Tit, White-browed Crombec, Grauer's Warbler, Rwenzori Apalis, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Mountain Masked Apalis, Chestnut-throated Apalis, Grey Apalis, Chubb's Cisticola, Grauer's Swamp Warbler, Pale Crag Martin, Barn Swallow, Common House Martin, Black Saw-wing, Olive-breasted Greenbul, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Dark-capped Bulbul, Red-faced Woodland Warbler, Rwenzori Hill Babbler, Green White-eye, Mountain Illadopsis, Stuhlmann's Starling, African Dusky Flycatcher, Yellow-eyed Black Flycatcher, White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher, Archer's Ground Robin, Collared Sunbird, Blue-headed Sunbird, Northern Double-collared Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Strange Weaver, Dusky Crimsonwing, L'Hoest's Monkey, Boehm's Bush Squirrel, Kigezi Highlands Chameleon,