What’s your favourite fowl species?
I really like all birds however the Shoebill is my favourite fowl.
What’s your identify, and the place do you reside?
My identify is Kenneth Tumusiime, I dwell in Nyabushozi, Kiruhura District in south-western Uganda close to Lake Mburo Nationwide Park
What are the principle areas or areas you cowl as a fowl information?
I cowl all 4 areas of East Africa: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda
How lengthy have you ever been a fowl information?
I’ve been a information for 16 years now
Gray-crowned Crane
How did you get into fowl guiding?
My profession began in 2000 once I joined the Lion Challenge Crew in Murchison Falls Nationwide Park led by Dr Sifert throughout faculty holidays. Sifert impressed me to hitch Murchison Falls Nationwide Park in northwestern Uganda in 2008, and I began working as a trainee website information. My focus was on birds, and I began attending birding coaching and excursions. Finally, my guiding abilities led to my promotion to the Head of the Division of Coaching & Guiding.
What are the facets of being a fowl information that you just like greatest? Which facets do you dislike most?
Being a fowl information I’ve loved and achieved loads, I’ve been in a position to uncover the universe and I acquired linked to nature touring. I’ve fulfilled my craving of assembly folks from everywhere in the globe. Additionally, the group mindset of the locals in areas the place I take my shoppers for birding has drastically improved.
As a fowl information, I dislike seeing encroachment on wetlands and different wildlife habitats by the locals and in addition depletion of the setting by the rising numbers of factories/industries that fail to observe environmental legal guidelines and Normal working tips!
What are the highest 5-10 birds in your area that you just suppose are probably the most attention-grabbing for visiting birders?
There are a number of birds which might be sought by all birders throughout the globe. Right here in Uganda, these embody
- Inexperienced Broadbill
- Shelley’s Crimsonwing
- Nice blue Turaco
- Purple-breasted Sunbird
- Regal Sunbird
- Rwenzori Turaco
- Good-looking Francolin
- Rwenzori Blue-headed Sunbird
- Narina Trogon
- Bar-tailed Trogon
- Rwenzori Nightjars
- Pel’s Fishing Owl
Are you able to define not less than one typical birdwatching journey in your space? Please briefly describe the areas, the important thing birds, and the approximate length of such a visit
The 14 Days Thrilling Uganda Birding Tour begins and ends at Entebbe Worldwide Airport and combines birding and wildlife watching. Habitats lined embody equatorial forests, wetlands, savannahs, highland forests, Albertine Rift Mountains, semi-arid scrublands, and lakes.
This tour is about to cowl the distinctive habitats of Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. These habitats are house to the area’s most original and restricted-range species. We intend to cowl the good Albertine rift for the montane forest birds and different wildlife, the mid-elevation birds at Budongo Forest, Bwindi Impenetrable, Mabamba Bay Swamp, Queen Elizabeth Nationwide Park, Kibale Forest Nationwide Park, Semuliki Nationwide Park, Murchison Falls Nationwide Park, Cultivated Lands, Lake Victoria. Whereas the tour covers montane habitat, the tempo will usually be straightforward.
Abyssinian Curler
Key Hen Species of the tour embody Shoebill, Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Finfoot, Pink-throated Bee-eater, Purple-breasted Sunbird, Regal Sunbird, Papyrus Gonolek, Narina Trogon, Bar-tailed Trogon, Good-looking Francolin, Black Bee-eater, Saddle-billed Stork, Egyptian Plover, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Nice Blue Turaco, Ross’s Turaco, Crested Barbet, and plenty of raptors and waders.
Pink-throated Bee-eater
African Finfoot
Saddle-billed Stork
What different ideas are you able to give to birders focused on your space?
For impartial birdwatchers with excessive expectations, hiring an area information is very useful because it will increase the possibilities of seeing unusual and localized species, contributes on to the native economic system, and creates an incentive for the safety of birds.
Birding in Uganda is completed all year long between its two dry seasons: December to February and between Might, June and August.
Issues to carry with you for a birding tour in Uganda
- Waterproof gentle climbing boots/sneakers
- Gardening gloves
- Lengthy-sleeved shirts/shirt
- Lengthy Pants/brief pants
- Toiletries
- Insect repellant
- Sun shades
- Hat
- Sanitary put on
- A very good pair of Binoculars
- Area fowl information e-book (Birds of East Africa)
- Rain jacket/Coat
- First assist package
- Bottled ingesting water
- Additional batteries
- Vitality giving snacks
- Scarf and heat sweaters
If any reader of 10,000 Birds is focused on birding with you, how can they greatest contact you?
Is there the rest you wish to share with the readers of 10,000 Birds?
Sure! I’m additionally dedicated to saving Shoebills and all different birds in Uganda! I’m very grateful for taking this chance to introduce the Save Shoebill Conservation Challenge (SSCP) to you.
We’re a community-based group in Murchison Falls Nationwide Park Uganda (SAVE SHOEBILL CONSERVATION PROJECT ‘SSCP’). We’re concerned in ecotourism and conservation tasks geared toward constructing a aware group about shoebill significance, worth and conserving its habitat together with all different birds. This group was fashioned by a group of devoted ornithologists concerned in environmental conservation actions round Murchison Falls Nationwide Park, a key biodiversity space in Uganda with the general objective of excelling in nature safety and creating alternatives for sustainable lives, the inception of SSCP was a results of the influence of human actions on the Murchison falls-Albert Delta wetland system and different ecosystems.
Our website is a key water fowl space throughout the Rift Valley chain of lakes, marshes, and rivers. In addition to resident fowl species these habitats are essential for a lot of migratory birds each by species and by numbers, together with palearctic birds. We’re dedicated to conserving this wetland habitat and we’re doing habitat surveys to indicate the extent of any ‘patchwork’ of habitats e.g. mud, open water, waterside margins, and the use by different species of those areas in addition to throughout the dense papyrus required by the shoebill.
We’re at the moment finishing up the common monitoring of resident and migratory fowl species, assessing utilization and species interactions for shoebill’s ecology and all different birds, for instance by way of predation and competitors.
We have now developed teaching programs aimed at college youngsters and native fishermen to preserve and shield Shoebills and all waders and their habitats in Uganda, elevating consciousness of Shoebill conservation by participating all of the native communities. Our program will enhance the understanding of the conservation wants of the Shoebill.
We understand that birdwatching is a booming worldwide ecotourism enterprise that pulls low quantity, low influence, and excessive return guests that may increase rural and nationwide economies. Birdwatching is one of many world’s main leisure actions and in Uganda has the potential to generate income in comparison with Gorilla tourism. The SSCP promotes birding tourism by getting the youth and younger youngsters concerned, and by coaching native folks as fowl guides.
We’re calling upon your assist in conserving this essential Hen Space by involving the native communities. For extra data, go to
