What’s your favourite chook species?
I like all birds however the Shoebill is my favourite chook.
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 primary areas or places you cowl as a chook information?
I cowl all 4 areas of East Africa: Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Rwanda
How lengthy have you ever been a chook information?
I’ve been a information for 16 years now
Gray-crowned Crane
How did you get into chook guiding?
My profession began in 2000 once I joined the Lion Challenge Group in Murchison Falls Nationwide Park led by Dr Sifert throughout faculty holidays. Sifert impressed me to affix Murchison Falls Nationwide Park in northwestern Uganda in 2008, and I began working as a trainee web site information. My focus was on birds, and I began attending birding coaching and excursions. Ultimately, my guiding expertise led to my promotion to the Head of the Division of Coaching & Guiding.
What are the elements of being a chook information that you simply like finest? Which elements do you dislike most?
Being a chook information I’ve loved and achieved so much, I’ve been capable of uncover the universe and I obtained linked to nature touring. I’ve fulfilled my craving of assembly individuals from all around the globe. Additionally, the group mindset of the locals in areas the place I take my shoppers for birding has vastly improved.
As a chook information, I dislike seeing encroachment on wetlands and different wildlife habitats by the locals and in addition depletion of the surroundings by the rising numbers of factories/industries that fail to comply with environmental legal guidelines and Normal working tips!
What are the highest 5-10 birds in your area that you simply suppose are essentially the most fascinating for visiting birders?
There are a number of birds which can 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 places, the important thing birds, and the approximate period 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 coated embody equatorial forests, wetlands, savannahs, highland forests, Albertine Rift Mountains, semi-arid scrublands, and lakes.
This tour is ready to cowl the distinctive habitats of Uganda, the Pearl of Africa. These habitats are dwelling to the area’s most unusual and restricted-range species. We intend to cowl the nice 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 typically be straightforward.
Abyssinian Curler
Key Chook Species of the tour embody Shoebill, Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Finfoot, Crimson-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 lots of raptors and waders.
Crimson-throated Bee-eater
African Finfoot
Saddle-billed Stork
What different recommendations are you able to give to birders excited about your space?
For impartial birdwatchers with excessive expectations, hiring an area information is extremely helpful because it will increase the probabilities 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 mild mountaineering boots/sneakers
- Gardening gloves
- Lengthy-sleeved shirts/shirt
- Lengthy Pants/brief pants
- Toiletries
- Insect repellant
- Sun shades
- Hat
- Sanitary put on
- A great pair of Binoculars
- Area chook information e book (Birds of East Africa)
- Rain jacket/Coat
- First assist equipment
- Bottled consuming water
- Further batteries
- Power giving snacks
- Scarf and heat sweaters
If any reader of 10,000 Birds is excited about birding with you, how can they finest contact you?
Is there anything 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 initiatives aimed toward constructing a aware group about shoebill significance, worth and conserving its habitat together with all different birds. This group was fashioned by a staff of devoted ornithologists concerned in environmental conservation actions round Murchison Falls Nationwide Park, a key biodiversity space in Uganda with the general purpose of excelling in nature safety and creating alternatives for sustainable lives, the inception of SSCP was a results of the affect of human actions on the Murchison falls-Albert Delta wetland system and different ecosystems.
Our web site is a key water chook space inside the Rift Valley chain of lakes, marshes, and rivers. In addition to resident chook 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 point out 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 inside the dense papyrus required by the shoebill.
We’re at present finishing up the common monitoring of resident and migratory chook species, assessing utilization and species interactions for shoebill’s ecology and all different birds, for instance by way of predation and competitors.
We’ve developed teaching programs aimed in school kids and native fishermen to preserve and shield Shoebills and all waders and their habitats in Uganda, elevating consciousness of Shoebill conservation by partaking all of the native communities. Our program will enhance the understanding of the conservation wants of the Shoebill.
We notice that birdwatching is a booming worldwide ecotourism enterprise that pulls low quantity, low affect, 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 kids concerned, and by coaching native individuals as chook guides.
We’re calling upon your help in conserving this essential Chook Space by involving the native communities. For extra info, go to