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26 minutes ago, Soukous said:

 

Villareal de San Carlos

 

Monfragüe National Park, never been there, I was going to Douro International right by the Spanish border, we would probably see some identical species.

 

Anyway, I didn’t want to hijack the topic, sorry for that.

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kittykat23uk

I have moved @Galana's bird quiz to a separate topic so as not to clutter up our trip report. It can be found here: 

 

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On 3/31/2020 at 6:38 AM, kittykat23uk said:

I honestly don't understand this rush to finish personally.

Then you don't get the enjoyment we all have from reading this!  And if we run out of trip reports to read, we will just have to read it again.

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39 minutes ago, kilopascal said:
On 3/31/2020 at 12:38 PM, kittykat23uk said:

I honestly don't understand this rush to finish personally.

I agree with @kilopascal

There is the world of difference between rushing and glacial progress. @xelas's last update was on Sunday. Today is Thursday.

Some folks trips don't last that long.:lol:

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kittykat23uk
19 minutes ago, Galana said:

 

I agree with @kilopascal

There is the world of difference between rushing and glacial progress. @xelas's last update was on Sunday. Today is Thursday.

Some folks trips don't last that long.:lol:

 

So I guess my updates don't count? #whyamIbothering? 

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Yesterday does not count. Who would post anything serious on April 1st? :D

 

Stayed tuned as next chapter is almost on-line :).

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kittykat23uk

Little Sparrowhawk video

 

 

 

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3 hours ago, kittykat23uk said:

So I guess my updates don't count?

They do but the last of those was on Monday lunchtime. It is now Thursday evening 20.52 GMT.

 

2 hours ago, xelas said:

Yesterday does not count. Who would post anything serious on April 1st? 

But everybody knows that you can only April Fool up to midday or it is invalid.:P

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Great report, I've really enjoyed everyone’s contributions, and all of the fantastic birds, quite envious of all those great L’Hoest’s monkey shots and some of the great blue turacos, I regret now that I didn’t make the effort to squeeze in a return visit to the botanic gardens on my last Uganda trip.

 

On 3/29/2020 at 10:45 PM, xelas said:

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I've not been lucky enough to see one, but I'm sure this is a black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons).

 

Looking forward to reading about Ruhija, I went there many years ago.

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BWINDI IMPENETRABLE FOREST – RUHIJA / 20th– 24thFeb

 

 

There are four access points to gorilla trekking in Bwindi NP, the main one being Buhoma and the other Ruhija. There are only 50 km between the two but the road is narrow, and windy, and slow so transfer times are much longer then one would anticipate. 

 

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The two part of the primary montane forest are connected with what is called The Neck; it is the lowest point in that area. The satellite photo courtesy of Google Maps gives a better idea of how that whole area looks like. Dark green is hwere the forest is, light green is cultivated land. An The Neck is just under Bugiri.

 

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Yet even better are photos. This place is magical, it looks so primeval. Deep green of the montane forest (or is it a jungle :)), steep mountains, fast running creeks, misty and foggy and rainy but also sunny and clear and cool … a very different place even to what I have seen in highlands of Costa Rica.

 

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Edited by xelas
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The soil is extremely fertile and although not enough flat place for a football pitch, it is understandable that people have taken it for themselves. Agriculture and to some extent livestock is what one can see looking down (or up) from the road when passing by. 

 

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Edited by xelas
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Yet the life is not easy on these steep slopes. Being it picking the tea, grazing the livestock or working on the fields, one has to be in a really good shape to manage it. Villages are small, distances short … as the crow flies but long as the man walks. Despite all these hardship those that we have encountered were friendly, and welcoming.

 

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Most of them did not use even a bicycle; walking is the preferred way of moving around. I was amazed by how women were able to carry all kind of goods on their heads. Going to the nearest shop is a long trek so shop comes to them. For when they need to go to the valley, there is either boda boda (motorbike) or a truck. 

 

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It must be a special place for people to love it so much to be willing to live here. There were moments I thought I understand them.

 

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2 hours ago, inyathi said:

I've not been lucky enough to see one, but I'm sure this is a black-fronted duiker (Cephalophus nigrifrons).

The Rwenzori Red Duiker was once regarded as a sub species of Black-fronted Duiker but is now listed as a good species. (Cephalophus rubidus)

Here is what Kingdon has to say:-

"Because this species occurs on the same Rwenzori mountain range as another race of the Black-fronted Duiker (C. n. kivuensis) , yet differs from it in features that suggest other affinities, Kingdon (1982, 1997) regarded this as a distinct high-altitude red duiker, proposing that it might have been pushed up into its present sub-alpine and upper montane forest habitat by the later arrival of the Black-fronted Duiker. Molecular studies have also indicated that C. rubidus is a distinct taxon with relatively old and ill-defined affinities with other red duikers,

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@Galana Thanks for that, I should have checked my copy of Kingdon, but I didn't have it to hand, I will have a look in MOA when I have a chance, a good animal to see anyway.   

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3 minutes ago, inyathi said:

a good animal to see anyway.

I agree. We see them often up at Ruhija. In fact the photo on my Trip Advisor review of Broadbill was taken from my balcony. I do a LOT of sitting on my balcony.:lol:

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“Welcome to Broadbill Forest Camp, a mid range lodge located in Ruhija, on the Eastern edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, home to half of the remaining mountain gorillas and famous for gorilla tracking.

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is a key destination for birders visiting Uganda and includes globally threatened species such as African Green Broadbill from whom the lodge derives its name.

The camp is calm and peaceful with fantastic views of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest making it a perfect place to totally unwind and relax, away from the pressures and stresses of everyday life.

Broadbill Forest camp is located at the very edge of Bwindi Impenetrable Forest, encouraging birding on your balcony for the rare Albertine Rift Valley endemics in the east of the forest. Even after a long day’s safari, you will not be tempted to put your binoculars at rest.”

 

Yes, yes, I have shamelessly copied above text from their website - http://broadbillforestcamp.com/- but I am not afraid of being questioned about this; the lodge was built and is owned by Emmy R.Gongo, our driver, guide, birding pasionatus and Managing Director at Broadbill Forest Camp. 

 

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As soon as we have stepped out of the vehicle, we knew we have arrived at a very special place. One that Emmy calls his second (or first ??) home, and also Fred is very much at home there. 

 

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We have been greeted by smiling staff and lodge manager. After seeing all those ladies carrying all kind of goods on their heads, I have had to try it also myself.

 

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Cabins are large tents on wooden platform under fixed roof, and behind the tent is the bathroom. Ours even have a large bath. Shower was extra. The hot water comes from wooden-heated boilers (in Namibia they call them donkey boiler). Our tent has a small balcony and a large double bed, with mosquito net. Not that I have even heard a mosquito, less so to see one.

 

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Next to ours was Jo's tent, same size only with twin beds.

 

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Main building has 2 floors, two big fireplaces and we have enjoyed the open side dining as the (rare) moments of relaxation there. One thing to mentioned, there is no wifi available … and it was time for some of us to do some social distancing from internet. Instead of the internet, a local man came to start the fire in the fireplace, and while taking care of it, he played different local musical instruments, and sing. 

 

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Food was prepared in the kitchen using local coal-heated clay burners. No surprises why the food was delicious.

 

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Those were four splendid nights, and I could stay there even for a week. This place has very much all I am looking for when visiting foreign countries. And I have met a good friend there, a night watchman who was on duty every day protecting us.

 

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@Galana, @inyathi - what is the final verdict on that duiker?

 

 

BTW you guys don't sleep :lol:?. I have another chapter ready to be posted but my eyes are shutting down. To be continued tomorrow morning, I promise.

Edited by xelas
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kittykat23uk

20/02/2020 Buhoma to Ruhija

 

Emmy had hoped that we would be able to bird the Neck, but the rain poured down for most of our journey making for an interesting drive. 

 

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IMG_20200220_092209 Curio kid by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

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IMG_20200220_092237 Kid posing for a photo by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

We didn't see many insects, aside from butterflies, although many invisible ones found me in the night. This was an exception, a spectacular grasshoppery thing:

 

49673721311_a1a045b317_b.jpgP2200086 Some kind of grasshopper by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

The limited birding we did manage included red-headed melimbe, orioles and bee-eaters

 

49673178348_9843256316_b.jpgP2200138  Western Black-headed Oriole (Oriolus brachyrynchus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

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P2200216 White-tailed Blue-flycatcher (Elminia albicauda) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

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P2200227 Waller's Starling (Onychognathus walleri) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

49673177458_eed8a9848d_b.jpgP2200246 Waller's Starling (Onychognathus walleri) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 49673175858_066da245c6_b.jpgP2200499 (2) Slender-billed Greenbul (Stelgidillas gracilirostris) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

49673175688_d5c0bc1206_b.jpgP2200515 Mountain Greenbul Andropadus nigriceps kikuyuensis by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

49673717866_98d36a8508_b.jpgP2200554 Red-faced Woodland-warbler (Phylloscopus laetus) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

I also photographed some squirrels, but someone is looking at the IDs of those at the moment so I won't post them just yet.

 

Our first bit of birding around Ruhija was the "School Road" where we saw one of the most exquisite of all sunbirds:

 

49673997122_763eb7d4b9_b.jpgP2200608 Regal Sunbird (Cinnyris regius) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

49673996887_1f4a781be8_b.jpgP2200615 Regal Sunbird (Cinnyris regius) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

49673174638_01eaee48bd_b.jpgP2200636 (2)  collared sunbird, (Hedydipna collaris) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

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P2200677 (2) Cinnamon-chested bee-eater (Merops oreobates) by Jo Dale, on Flickr

 

 

 

Edited by kittykat23uk
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11 hours ago, xelas said:

@Galana, @inyathi - what is the final verdict on that duiker?

 

@xelas

 

I’m not completely sure as to the answer, I’ve consulted Kingdon, MOA and also Bovids of the World, from what I’ve read the Rwenzori red duiker  C. rubidus is entirely restricted to the upper reaches of the Rwenzori Mts. So, it shouldn't be that, I would think that the duikers in Bwindi are black-fronted, because the entry in MOA for this species lists Bwindi NP as one of the protected areas that is important for black-fronted. The Bovids book, lists the different species that have been split, in the entry for black-fronted under subspecies, but gives separate maps for each, I presume the author didn't do a full entry for each, because they couldn’t get photos of all of them, one of the photos it does have was taken in Bwindi, there is nothing to suggest that this photo isn't just a black-fronted.  

 

Interestingly, in MOA in the entry for Rwenzori red, it says under Geographic Variation

 

Quote

Currently believed to be restricted to the upper reaches of the Rwenzori Mts., no significant variation is known or likely. However. Sightings of very russet duikers from the bamboo zone of Bwindi forest in SW Uganda suggest a distinctive duiker in relictual habitat once similar to that in which C. rubidus occurs in the Rwenzori Mts.

 

I'm certainly no expert on these matters, so  I'll leave it to you guys to decide.

Edited by inyathi
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Our main interest was again birding. By doing so we have also encountered other wildlife. Not forest elephants or chimps or gorillas, not even the Golden Cat. But monkeys were seen often, and of smaller critters, butterflies and moths (please help with ID). And squirrels. And a Special one.

 

BLUE MONKEY

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BLACK-AND-WHITE COLOBUS

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SQUIRREL A

 

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SQUIRREL B

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BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS

 

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GRASSHOPPER (??)

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Edited by xelas
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Chameleons are fascinating creatures. Hard to be found but once you find it, a very photogenic creature. This one was found within the camp, on different days. Johnston’s chameleon or Johnston’s three-horned chameleon or R(u)wenzori three-horned chameleon, is an endemic chameleon of the Albertibe Rift.

 

TRIOCEROS JOHNSTONI

 

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kittykat23uk

OK I was holding back on the squirrels for now. I think squirrel A the striped one is Boehm's bush squirrel. The other ones, I had one down as Carruther's Mountain Squirrel and squirrel B I had down as possibly red legged sun squirrel but at present there is a question over whether both of these might be Ruwenzori Sun Squirrel. @xelas if you can email me the full size photos I can pass them on to the expert who is reviewing the literature. 

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michael-ibk

Love the Butterflies and Chameleons - and the Grasshopper is especially cool!

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2 hours ago, michael-ibk said:

Love the Butterflies and Chameleons - and the Grasshopper is especially cool!

Me too!

 

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