Bulletin 369 - Uganda #13 - Herons, Crane, Ibis, Fruit Bat

After the week in the Capetown area, the guide Casper Badenhorst, and I flew to Uganda and met a local guide. We started at Entebbe Airport on the southeast corner of Uganda and made a diagonal trip to Murchison Falls NP in the northwest corner. From there, we proceeded south through a chain of nature preserves and parks to the southwest corner at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. We finished along the southern border back to the airport.

With many lakes, rivers and marshes in Uganda, herons were common and I photographed 2 new species.

The 33" Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea) is a common heron, but this was the first time I got one close by, for a good photo.

Purple Heron

The taller 38" Gray Heron (Ardea cinerea) resembles our Great Blue Heron.

Gray Heron

The giant 60" Goliath Heron (Ardea goliath) is a bird I had seen in the guide book. As the largest heron in the world, it was one I wanted to see. It has a gray body and reddish neck.

Goliath Heron

3 smaller herons include the 18" Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides). It is a squat beige heron.

Squacco Heron

The 20" Black Heron (Egretta ardesiaca) is all black. It is often found creating an umbrella like posture with its wings forward.

Black Heron

Lastly is the 22" Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). This is the common white egret with a yellow bill and orange plumes in breeding season. It is widespread in the Americas.

Western Cattle Egret

Surprisingly, I only found a single ibis species, the 32" African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus). It is an elegant bird and an easy ID with its bare black neck and white body with black wings.

African Sacred Ibis

Probably the most elegant bird of the trip is the 44" Gray Crowned Crane (Balearica regulorum). It is the National Bird of Uganda.

Gray Crowned Crane

and another photo of this magnificent bird.

Gray Crowned Crane

The Straw-colored Fruit Bat (Eidolon helvum) is the most common African large bat. It is found in most of sub-Saharan Africa. They live in large colonies of 100 thousand to 1 million animals. And each year in the largest mammal migration on the planet, 10 million bats roost in a 5 acre forest in Zambia. Despite its relatively small size, 6-9 inches and 8-12 oz weight, many are hunted for 'bush meat' in Central and West Africa.

Straw-colored Fruit Bat

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 28 of the 66 species of herons, bitterns and egrets

I have photos of 11 of the 35 species of  ibises and spoonbills

I have photos of 7 of the 15 species of  cranes

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2020 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 351 - South Africa 2020 #5 - waterfowl, seal

I was enthralled with my first visit to Africa in November 2018 and so I scheduled another trip with the same guide Casper Badenhorst. As we had done the eastern part of the country from Durban to Kruger NP, we went to the Capetown area and the famous fynbos habitat.

There are a number of African endemic ducks and geese. I saw several on the first trip, and found a few more here.

Of course as we have seen, some of them will be named cape something. The 20" Cape Shoveler (Anas smithii) is a mottled gray brown duck with large blue wing patches and the typical large shoveler bill. The male here has a yellow eye. This was a lifer.

Cape Shoveler - male

The 18" Cape Teal (Anas capensis) is a gray mottled duck with a red bill.

Cape Teal

The next 3 species were all life birds for me. The 25" female South African Shelduck (Tadorna cana) is a brown duck with a gray neck and white face - an easy ID. I never saw a male. He would have a totally gray head and neck. The name shelduck is strange, so I investigated and these are a group of a half dozen large ducks that are intermediate between ducks and goose.

South African Shelduck - female

The 20" male Southern Pochard (Netta erythrophthalma) is a very dark duck with a blue bill.

Southern Pochard - male

Lastly is the 20" male Maccoa Duck (Oxyura maccoa). He is similar to the Ruddy Duck in America. The male has the stiff tail, ruddy body and blue bill, but has an all black head.

Maccoa Duck - male

The 2 geese we saw were not lifers. The 30" Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptica) can be found beside any puddle in Africa. What was uncommon about this bird was he was swimming in the ocean! Even the guide was surprised although the guide book says they may be found in 'sheltered bays'.

Egyptian Goose - in ocean

The 40" Spur-winged Goose (Plectropterus gambensis) is a huge black goose with a red bill and is an easy ID. These are my best photos of this species.

Spur-winged Goose

And standing on land one can see his red legs as well.

Spur-winged Goose

The Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) also gave me my best photos in that same wetland. Here is nice close up of face to show yellow eye and bicolored bill.

Greater Flamingo

There was also a large flock of African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopics). This is a white bodied ibis with a bare black neck, head and bill is an easy ID. This is also my best photo of the species.

African Sacred Ibis

The only marine mammal I saw on the trip was the Cape Fur Seal (Arctocephalus pusillus). It is a huge seal with males weighing up to 650 pounds. The adults are brown and, like the California Sea lions, they love to sleep on docks in the harbor, so one can walk right up to them.

Cape Fur Seal

The pups are black.

Cape Fur Seal - pup

I put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 72 of the 165 species of  ducks and geese

I have photos of 3 of the 6 species of flamingos

I have photos of 11 of the 35 species of  ibis and spoonbills

I have photos of 3 of the 16 species of fur seals

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2020 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.

Bulletin 332 - South Africa #9 - Part 2 - Tall Waders, Primates

Continued from Part 1


The 22" Hamerkop (Scopus umbretta) is a brown heron-like bird with a long crest giving a hammer-head appearance. It is in its own family.

Hamerkop

Flamingos are well known long legged waders. The 40" Lesser Flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor) is pale pink with a dark bill. This was the only bird I saw on the trip.

Lesser Flamingo

The 60" Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) has brighter pink wings and a pink bill tipped with black.

Greater Flamingo

And in flight, the wings are beautiful.

Greater Flamingo

The 36" African Spoonbill (Platalea alba) is white with a red face and gray bill.

African Spoonbill

There were 3 ibis species. The 23" Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus) is a dark ibis with iridescent wings. It is found worldwide including the southeastern USA.

Glossy Ibis

The 32" Hadada Ibis (Bostrychia hagedash) is a gray ibis with a white shoulder and red on the upper mandible. This was a very commonly seen bird on the trip. Interestingly, it is spelled Hadeda in the Southern African book and Hadada in the East African book and on my IOC master list, so I guess that is the correct spelling.

Hadada Ibis

The 32" African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) is an easy ID with the white body and black neck, head and bill.

African Sacred Ibis

I saw 4 primates on the trip and photographed 3. The smallest is the 4 pound Greater Galago (Otolemur crassicaudatus). He is also known as Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Greater Galago
aka Thick-tailed Bushbaby

Here is another photo of the same one. I saw this nocturnal animal 3 times on the trip.

Greater Galago
aka Thick-tailed Bushbaby

The most common primate was the 17 pound Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops). It is gray with a black face. 

Vervet Monkey

Here is a mother nursing her baby.

Vervet Monkey

The ugly Chacma Baboon (Papio ursinus) is gray with a long black snout. There is a marked sexual size difference with males weighing up to 90 pounds and the females only 37 pounds.

Chacma Baboon

However this baby was cute as all baby animals as he does not seem to have that long snout.

Chacma Baboon

I have put the different bird/mammal families in single folders for easy viewing

I have photos of 6 of the 19 species of storks

I have photos of 26 of the 66 species of herons and egrets

I have photos of 11 of the 35 species of spoonbills and ibis

I have photos of 3 of the 6 species of flamingos

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2018 David McDonald

To have these trip reports sent to your email, please email me at the above address and ask to subscribe.