Birding Within Lake Mburo National Park
Are you looking forward to participating in bird watching within a National Park at close proximity to Kampala City? Then Lake Mburo National Park is the perfect place to go for your birding safari in Uganda.
Stretching for approximately 370 square kilometers, Lake Mburo is the smallest Savannah National Park in Uganda comprising of different ecosystems and areas such as Lakes, Moist Acacia savannahs, grasslands, taller mixed woodlands, Papyrus swamps and rocky ridges that offer habitats to more than 317 species of birds. Not only that, the National Park is dominated by tall savannah grasses dotted with Euphorbia and Acacia trees much as thick thorn thickets are also found along the watercourses. The Park also has a vast wetland area that offers shelter to different species of mammals and birds but also its landscape is characterized by rolling hills and lush lake shores with different habitats ranging from the abundant acacia tree valleys, forest galleries to permanent and seasonal wetlands that all are homes to numerous bird species.
There are several birding spots in the Park and they include the Rwonyo Camp and Park Headquarters where breathtaking bird species such as the Yellow-Breasted Apalis, Emerald spotted wood Dove, Nubian Woodpecker, Chin-spot Batis, Blue-napped Mousebird, Broad-billed Roller, Red-necked Spurfowl, Brown Parrot, Marico sunbird, common scimitarbill, Crested Francolin, Green Wood-hoopoe, Greater Blue-eared starling, Arrow marked Babler, African Grey Hornbill, Barefaced Go-away bird, Spot-flanked Barbet, Speckled Mousebird and Northern Black Flycatcher can be spotted. Within the immediate vicinity of Rwonyo Camp is actually woodland that also offers shelter to a number of bird species.
The open and extensive grassland north of Rwonyo Camp, especially along the popular Zebra Track is a fascinating birding spot for exploring beautiful species of birds such as the Northern Ground Hornbill, Coqui Francolin, Southern Red Bishop, African Wattled Plover, Red-necked Spur fowl, the migratory Brown-chested Plover, Rufous-chested Swallow, Temminck’s Courser, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Rufous-Napped and lapped Larks and Black-bellied Bustard in addition to the nocturnal bird species such as the Pennant-winged Nightjars, Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, White-tailed Nightjars, African Scops Owls and many others.
If you are someone interested in accessing the aquatic habitats for aquatic bird species, use the Kyempitsi trail which will lead you to the wetlands along Lake Mburo offering opportunities for sighting the Papyrus Gonolek, the elusive shoebill but the Lakeside Campground is one of the ideal spots for spotting the beautiful African fin foot, Pied kingfishers, Spur-winged Plover, Malachite kingfishers, African Darter, Giant kingfishers, Yellow-throated Leaf love, Hammerkop and Water Thicknee among others.
The Park’s only Forest, Rubanga can be explored on foot or by vehicle and is ideal foe seeing forest bird species such as the Red-faced barbets, that can only be spotted within Lake Mburo National Park.
Other species include the native Red-faced Barbet, Narina Trogon, Lead-colored Flycatcher, Black-collared Barbet, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike, African Marsh Harrier, White-winged Tit, Black-bellied Bustard, Grey Kestrel, Dark chanting Goshawks, Long-tailed Cisticola, Rufous-bellied Heron, Long-Crested Eagles, Long tailed warbler, Bateleur, Brown Parrot, Brown-chested Lapwing, Black Cuckoo-shrike, African Hawk, Red-headed lovebird, Red-headed Lovebird, Nubian Woodpecker, Green-capped Eremomela, Ross’s Turaco, Grey Crowned Crane, Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Reppell’s Griffon, Green Wood-hoopoe, African Harrier Hawk, Red-faced Barbet, Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove, Augur Buzzards, Common Scimitarbill, African Fish eagles, Martial Eagles, White-headed Barbet, Lappet-faced and white headed Vultures among others.
