Just Relax and Bird — End of Uganda

Nothing to do but just bird. That was our agenda as we entered Lake Mburo National Park. We had done so well in Uganda we didn’t have many targets left. In the beginning we weren’t sure Julien would even be able to join us for Mgahinga and the gorilla experience, yet here we were with enough time to drive him back to Entebbe. We had gotten all of our targets in record time! (Although if Rwanda’s borders were open Ross and I would have gone straight there after but since we were on our way back to Tanzania he had the luxury of a private ride to the airport!)
I have to admit it was nice to have a relaxing time birding. We made a list of common birds we hadn’t yet seen and were sure to target them. Never did anyone think we would actually be taping for Yellow-breasted Apalis and Gray-capped Warbler but here we were!
Most tours to Uganda can get upwards of 580-590 species and those in January, when the Western Palearctic migrants are still present, can get just over 620. We hoped to get over 620 without the migrants and so after seeing all of the hard birds (and then some!) Ross and Julien were set on finding the common birds we didn’t seem to run into up until this point.
Our only real target was Red-faced Barbet, which we saw easily on the drive into the park. The rest of our time was spent doing our best to rack up our Uganda “country list.”
In the end, we spent a total of 21 days in Uganda (not including the three days Ross and I hung out in Entebbe relaxing at a hotel) and managed to see 630 species of birds! Not too shabby without any of the migrants and for a trip we weren’t sure would even be able to take place in the times of coronavirus. Ross and I ended our trip to Uganda with the exact same bird we kicked off with, Shoebill! (Shoebill is just one of those birds that seeing up close never gets old!)

During our visit Uganda initiated intense travel restrictions and a severe lockdown. Thankfully tourism was exempt in an attempt to preserve the massive economic toll these sanctions have on the economy. I felt guilty that I could move around freely while the local people were no longer allowed to leave their district or drive in their car for any reason. Seriously, no one was allowed on the roads except tourists and trucks carrying supplies which meant we encountered very little traffic. Strict curfew hours of 1900-0600 where no one was allowed outside (a practice with no scientific evidence of effectiveness) were enforced and from what I could tell from talking with local people, suffering ensued as a result. That being said, our trip was a success and we really enjoyed our visit. Eco-tourism is more crucial than ever at this point.