Bird watching in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park
Bird watching in Mgahinga Gorilla National Park: Mgahinga National park is located in the southwestern part of Uganda in Kisoro district encircling three active volcanoes which include Mt Muhavura, Mt Sabyinyo, and Mt Gahinga where the conservation areas borrowed its name of southwestern Uganda in Kisoro district. The park has an area of 33.7 square kilometers. The park used to be a game reserve until it was converted int a national park in 1991 to step-up conservation efforts since it is home for the endangered mountain gorilla. The process saw settles that had turned their crop field relocated to nearby areas outside the park in the 1990s.
Lying in three sub-county of Bufumbira, Nyarusiza, and Muramba, Mgahinga National Park is part and partial of the Virunga conservation area which has over 250 species of bird of which Mgahinga registers over 50% of these birds which is equivalent to 125 bird species which makes exciting to the birders for bird watching trips. Some of these birds in Mgahinga are prevalent in the Albertine rift valley mountains. The most interesting part is that, bird watching in Mgahinga can be done throughout the year though birdwatchers would be recommended to visit the park in April and May and in October up to the end of November, as they are very many migratory birds during this time.
Indeed, Mgahinga National park is the bird’s haven which leaves birders indubitable because of the different colored bird species. We assure our travelers that while in Mgahinga National Park, expect to see very many birds which among another include; waxbills, ibis, Olive woodpecker, Kivu ground thrush, blue-headed coucal, White-necked Raven, Black kite, Pin-tailed whydah, Yellow-Vented Bulbul, Alpine chat, Alpine, Archer’s robin-chat, Blue-headed coucal, Dusky crimson wing, Kivu ground-thrush, Olive Pigeon, Olive woodpecker, Double-collared Sunbird, Speckled mousebird, Paradise flycatcher, Whydah, Speckled Mousebirds, and grey capped warbler.
The above bird species are the most common ones but there are still more birds in Mgahinga that you can enjoy on your bird watching trip. Most travelers who have done bird watching in Mgahinga National Park have described it as the park with the pleasant bird sounds that welcomes them, scenic views of birds hovering in the sky while others are busy feeding their young ones in their nests constructed on trees. Travelers who travel to Mgahinga for Gorilla Safaris cannot complete the trip without doing bird watching because of plenty and enticing species of birds of the park irrespective of time of visit.