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Kigali – One Day Birding around the Rwandan Capital
7 May 2016
Gorilla family seen in Rwanda’s Volcanoe’s National Park on 8 May
A business trip to Rwanda offered opportunities for a short, one-day birding trip to the marshes around the capital, Kigali. I found my Rwandan guide, Claudien Nsabagasani, through birdingpal.com. Claudien knew his stuff and was excellent company for a day’s excursion on 7 May. Claudien charges US$200 per day as a guiding fee (including transport) and his contact details are:
Director and Principal Guide Birding and Educational Tours LTD (Rwanda) Promise House/Kimironko Tel +25(0) 788754615 www.birdingrwanda.com [email protected]
The birding was easy in the spring-like air of Kigali (1,560m). We spent the day visiting at five different wetland sites, all of which held good species, despite obvious human population pressures on the environment (marsh draining, reed-cutting, fishing, etc.). The most distant site, Kamatana Dam, can be reached by car within one hour of the city capital.
In all, 99 species were seen, of which 20 were personal lifers (highlighted in bold). Our Guidebook was: Stevenson & Fanshawe, Birds of East Africa). Species seen are listed in chronological order:
1. Fan-tailed Widowbird, Euplectes axillaris – common in rank herbage around water courses 2. Winding Cisticola – the most common cisticola and very common in reed beds 3. Spur-winged Goose – two sighted at Kamatana Dam 4. Pink-backed Pelican – a single fishing on the dam 5. African Open-billed Stork, Anastomus lamelligerus – commonly seen at all sites perched
high on shrubs and trees 6. Yellow-backed Weaver – near water; common in reeds 7. Blue-headed Coucal, Centropus monachus – several of this lumbering giant seen flying over
reed beds 8. Black-headed Gonolek, Laniarius erythrogaster – this beautiful bicoloured bird (black with
bright red belly) initially caused great excitement. It was later found to be common in small shrubs everywhere around the wetlands
9. Red-rumped Swallow - common 10. Wire-tailed Swallow – reasonably common in the presence of the above species 11. African Swamphen, Porphyrio madagascariensis – only one seen 12. Red-knobbed Coot – several pairs 13. Grey-crowned Crane – one on grassland 14. Black Crake – common and confiding 15. Common Moorhen – very common at all sites 16. Three-banded Plover – 3 seen in muddy, drying pools 17. Yellow-billed Duck – a pair, but was unfortunately not the hoped for White-backed Duck,
often recorded at Kamatana 18. Long-crested Eagle – one perched very low and quite confiding of farmworkers around
Typical marsh habitat near Kigali
19. Cardinal Quelea, Quelea cardinalis – small group on short grasslands 20. Gabar Goshawk – one hunting in an around reeds 21. Speckled Mousebird – the most common mousebird; seen at most sites 22. Cape Wagtail – common 23. African Pied Wagtail – less commonly encountered than the above species 24. Red-cheeked Cordinbleu – common 25. Cinnamon-breasted Bee-eater, Merops oreobates – up to half a dozen, hawking insects
from trees and low shrubs 26. Grosbeak Weaver – fairly common in reedbeds 27. African Wattled Lapwing – three seen loitering in the mud flats 28. Blue-spotted Wood-Dove – several on ground in surrounding wooded grasslands 29. Yellow-throated Longclaw – 3 seen during the course of the day 30. Common (Black-headed) Bulbul – very common 31. White-browed Robin-Chat – common in pairs, keeping to the cover of low undergrowth 32. Baglafecht Weaver – uncommon; only two seen 33. Black-necked Weaver – the most common weaver encountered 34. Green-headed Sunbird – 2 seen during the day 35. Bare-faced Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides personata – only two seen, keeping to taller trees 36. Red-billed Firefinch – the most common Lagonosticta 37. Holub’s Golden Weaver – uncommon; only one pair seen 38. Arrow-marked Babbler – heard (mostly) and seen in small parties moving though
undergrowth 39. African Harrier-Hawk – one seen soaring 40. Bennett’s Woodpecker, Campethera bennettii – the only woodpecker encountered 41. Grey-capped Warbler – seen twice and singing 42. Pin-tailed Whydah – common; males courting in breeding plumage 43. Tawny-flanked Prinia 44. Red-eyed Dove - common 45. Ring-necked Dove - common 46. Scarlet-breasted Sunbird – a few seen around flowering bushes
Another typical marsh site
47. Grey-backed Fiscal – several seen perched for long periods, hunting 48. Olive Thrush – several seen in wooded grasslands 49. Black Kite - Yellow-billed also seen in the afternoon 50. Ross’ Turaco, Musophaga rossae – only one of this beautiful deep-blue and red bird seen;
flying between taller trees and alighting 51. Copper Sunbird – reasonably common 52. African Thrush – one seen only 53. Klaas’ Cuckoo – heard only 54. Brown Snake-Eagle – one in flight 55. Southern Red Bishop, Euplectes orix – one only; brilliant male in breeding plumage 56. Yellow-billed Stork – several; also common right in Kigali City 57. Hammerkop – 3 seen; one on its huge nest 58. Black-crowned Waxbill, Estrilda nonnula – small group seen feeling on grass seed 59. Yellow-crowned (Cape) Canary – one calling from treetop 60. Augur Buzzard – 2 in flight 61. Bronze Sunbird – male with long tail streamers 62. Western Cattle Egret – common; and more so in the late afternoon with flocks of 30+
preparing to roost 63. Purple Heron – in flight over reeds 64. Black-headed Heron – common fishing along reed beds 65. Common Waxbill 66. Yellow-fronted Canary – several 67. Blue-naped Mousebird, Urocolius macrourus – only one of this stunning bird; feeding on
the ground 68. Swamp Flycatcher – the very common flycatcher of reeds and marshy areas 69. Variable Sunbird – one seen at flowering tree 70. Striped Kingfisher – common, hunting from telephone wires 71. Malachite Kingfisher – common down by water’s edge, fishing from reed stems 72. Thick-billed Seedeater, Serinus burtoni – uncommon; two seen in shrubs 73. Grey-headed Sparrow – commoner closer to human settlement 74. Fork-tailed Drongo – reasonable common 75. Bronze Mannikin – reasonably common; feeding parties in long grass
At lunchtime, we took a short break at the Palast Rock Hotel. Several new, non-wetland species were seen around the hotel and in the local village:
76. Rüppell’s Long-tailed Starling, Lamprotornis purpuropterus – common in trees around villages
77. White-headed Black Chat (Ruaha Chat), Myrmecocichla arnoti – recently split to Ruaha Chat; both male and female seen in a village
78. Sooty Chat, Myrmecochicla nigra – seen perched on electricity wire, inside a village
We resumed birding at 15:00 in a large valley wetland that was being cleared of reeds to be reclaimed as a dam. Our target was Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, which was reported to hold a roost in the line of tall eucalyptus trees, lining the road. Unfortunately, and despite much searching, (including with the help of local children), no owl was found. We spent the rest of the afternoon birding the reeds and grassland of the area:
79. White-browed Coucal – two in mixed vegetation close to reeds
80. African Fish Eagle – three spotted over the marshes. Later an aerie with chicks was discovered
81. White-faced Whistling Duck – a pair in flight 82. Lizard Buzzard – one in flight 83. Common (African) Stonechat, Saxicola torquata – the split from the Eurasian rubicola.
Fairly common in shrubs in open grassland 84. Red-billed Quelea – large flocks (100+ birds) in flight over reed beds 85. Squacco Heron – a singleton, fishing along the banks 86. Angola Swallow, Hirundo angolensis – very like a Barn Swallow; white spotting on tail was a
clue to identification 87. African Marsh Harrier – a single female bird hunting low over the marshes 88. Hadada Ibis – common at one site 89. Spectacled Weaver – one seen in low shrubbery 90. Lilac-breasted Roller – three seen perched on telephone wires during the afternoon 91. Sacred Ibis – a pair flying 92. Little Swift – a congregation of many 100s wheeling and screaming in a large group in the
early evening 93. Red-chested Sunbird, Cinnyris erythrocera – two of this distinctive marsh-dwelling species
seen; a breath-taking red cummerbund in the late afternoon sun 94. Yellow-throated Greenbul (Leaflove) – one seen in a thicket 95. Giant Kingfisher – one fishing from the bow of a fishing boat 96. Little Egret – not common; one fishing by a river 97. Spur-winged Lapwing – two seen 98. Pied Crow – ubiquitous 99. Lesser Striped Swallow – some flying with swifts 100. Feral Pigeon – near habitations 101. Red-necked Falcon, Falco chicquera – a fortunate sighting in the early evening. An
adult alighted on a tree within 5 metres away and proceeded to eviscerate a small bird on a low tree limb.
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Lake country on the road to Volcanoes National Park
Volcanoes National Park, start of the trek to see the Mountain Gorillas
On 8 May, I took a tour to Volcanoes National Park, which shares borders with Rwanda, Uganda and Congo, to see the mountain gorillas. The trip was not a birding trip, but en route and in the bamboo forests and high altitude grasslands of the park, several additional species were seen:
1. African Paradise Flycatcher - common 2. African Dwarf Kingfisher – one beautiful little bird seen in eucalyptus forest 3. Streaky Seedeater – Serinus striolatus – several in mountain heath 4. Yellow Bishop – several seen around cultivation 5. Hooded Vulture – a roost of 20+ birds by the roadside 6. Pied Kingfisher – by streams 7. Little Bee-eater – family groups in wooded grassland areas 8. Common Fiscal – individuals became more common, the higher up 9. Black-headed Waxbill, Estrilda atricapilla – small groups feeding in the carpark 10. Long-billed Pipit, Anthus similis – a lone bird in alpine grassland
Typical alpine grassland at Volcanoes National Park
David Karr
Geneva, 17 May 2016
Claudien and the author at the end of a long (and productive) day’s birding
Our Silverback