Bulletin 378 - Uganda #22 - Falcons, Turacos

 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.

The worldwide 19" Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is well known to all birders as the fastest flyer in the world in its dives. This is the subspecies south of the Sahara Desert, (F p minor). It is listed as uncommon in East Africa. We did not see it until the last morning.

Peregrine Falcon

There were 3 smaller falcons. The first is the 13" Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). It is a fierce looking all brown falcon with black streaking on the breast. He has the typical moustache like most falcons.

Common Kestrel

The 13" Gray Kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus) is all gray with bare yellow skin around the eye.

Gray Kestrel

Lastly is the 14" Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo). This bird resembles our American Kestrel. It is a winter migrant to Africa.

Eurasian Hobby

Turacos are a small family of large, long-tailed, showy birds endemic to Africa. 3 of them are national birds. The 19" Bare-faced Go-away Bird (Corythaixoides personata) has a white head, neck and breast, a black face and the rest of the bird is brown. There is a large crest and a long tail.

Bare-faced Go-away Bird

The 20" Eastern Plantain-eater (Crinifer zonurus) is charcoal colored with some spots, a long tail and bushy crest.

Eastern Plantain-eater

Next is the fantastic 30" Great Blue Turaco (Corythaeola cristata). This is an enormous blue bird with a crest and long tail. It is an easy ID.

Great Blue Turaco

Lastly is the stunning 21" Ross's Turaco (Turaco rossae). This is a royal blue bird with a yellow beak and facial skin and a red crest. It is an easy ID and it was the most spectacular bird for the whole trip.

Ross's Turaco

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

I have photos of 17 of the 65 species of falcons

I have photos of 7 of the 23 species of  turacos

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2021 David McDonald

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

Bulletin 344 - China 2019 #2 - Nonggang Babbler and non passerines

I guess I am partial to rare birds and animals . I do not mind passing up a lot of common ones to see rarities. Such was this trip to see the langur in the last bulletin.

In southwestern China close by the Vietnam border is the Nonggang Natural Reserve, established initially for 2 primates including the langur we saw last time. A new bird was discovered there in 2005 and accepted in 2008. The Nonggang Babbler (Stachyris nonggangensis) is a songbird that spends most of its time on the ground searching for insects.

It is a 6" brownish and gray bird with a white throat patch and distinctive white crescent on the cheek. It has a pale iris. 

Nonggang Babbler

Many of the people who live near the reserve have set up feeding stations for visiting birders, so my guide and I were able to visit one of these and see the birds close up. They attract the insect eating birds with some grubs. This is an easy bird to see in the right place haha. One can see the yellow grubs on the rock.

Nonggang Babbler

After observing them being fed for 15 minutes, the birds flew back into the forest and perched about 15 feet away to wait for more food.

Nonggang Babbler

The bird is listed a vulnerable due to its restricted range in the reserve. There is similar habitat across the border in Vietnam, so it may occur there as well. The IOC actually does list it in both countries. This bird was definitely the highlight of the trip along with the primate.

I photographed 2 new woodpeckers. The first is the 8" Rufous Woodpecker (Micropternus brachyurus). It is a reddish brown woodpecker. The male has a red cheek patch.

Rufous Woodpecker - male

The 3.5" White-browed Piculet (Sasia ochracea) is listed as uncommon, so to get a photo perched in the open was fantastic. It has an olive back and orange below. This is a female with the rufous forehead. The male would have a yellow forehead. Of interest, it only has 3 toes, rather then most woodpeckers with 4 toes.

White-browed Piculet - female

The only falcon was the 13" Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus). This is a male with the brown back and gray cap.

Common Kestrel - male

The 9" Collared Scops-Owl (Otus lettia) is a small gray owl with a thin sandy collar.

Collared Scops-Owl

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

I have photos of 5 of the 55 species of  scimitar babblers

I have photos of 54 of the 234 species of woodpeckers

I have photos of 14 of the 65 species of falcons

I have photos of 32 of the 216 species of typical owls

Happy birding and photography,

David McDonald

dkmmdpa@gmail.com

photos copyright 2006 - 2019 David McDonald

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