Bird watching in Mount Elgon national park

Bird watching in Mount Elgon national park: Over 300 bird species have been recorded in Mount Elgon national park. The high number of bird species in Mountain Elgon national park have made the area one of the best birding destinations in eastern Uganda. Of the 300 bird species it’s been said that 50 bird species are afro tropical highland biome species.

Bird watching is one of the activities that can be done in Mount Elgon national park for the park has over 300 bird species. There are different bird watching trails within Mount Elgon national park which birders can use to look out for different bird species within the park. Bird watching is a guided activity in Mountain Elgon national park done with armed ranger guides who make sure that you are safe while carrying out the activity.

Birds of Mount Elgon national park

Birds of Mount Elgon national park include Elgon francolin, rameron pigeon, western crested guineafowl, blue spotted wood dove, white headed woodhoopoes, cinnamon chested bee eater, ayres’s hawk eagle, European bee eater, double toothed barbet, crowned hornbill, black tailed oriole, barn owl, cassin’s hawk eagle, African paradise flycatcher, black and white casqued hornbill, northern crombec, grey apalis.

Red eyed dove, red chested cuckoo, common scimitarbill, purple throated cuckooshrike, lanner falcon, narina trogon, little bee eater, grey backed fiscal, rufous necked wryneck, African black headed oriole, grey throated barbet, mountain buzzard, red fronted parrot, tropical boubou, red chested owlet, meyer’s parrot, Nyanza swift, chinspot batis, white necked raven, speckled mousebird, white stork, doherty’s bushrike, pied cow.

Grey crowned crane, hadada ibis, yellow rumped tinkerbird, northern fiscal, cardinal woodpecker, augur buzzard, African wood owl, black throated wattle eye, grey cuckooshrike, tambourine dove, black throated apalis, chubb’s cisticola, yellow whiskered greenbul, hunter’s cisticola, rock martin, brown woodland warbler, northern yellow white eye, Angola swallow, western house martin, eastern mountain greenbul.

Sharpe’s starling, mountain yellow warbler, buff throated apalis, ring necked dove, moustached tinkerbird, brown crowned tchagra, mosque swallow, common bulbul, cinnamon bracked warbler, African blue flycatcher, white bellied tit, African penduline tit, green backed camaroptera, white headed sawing, cape robin chat, malachite sunbird, brimstone canary, red cheeked cordonbleu, bronze sunbird, moorland chat.

Scaly spurfowl, African stonechat, mountain wagtail, western yellow wagtail, kandt’s waxbill, black billed weaver, white browed robin chat, slender billed greenbul, spotted flycatcher, red rumped swallow, black goshawk, mountain illadopsis, thick billed seedeater, black and white mannikin, red capped robin chat, variable sunbird, African dusky flycatcher, African thrush, African pied wagtail, white eyed slaty flycatcher.

Hartlaub’s turaco, ross;s turaco, black cuckoo, African emerald cuckoo, yellow billed barbet, peregrine falcon, Eurasian blackcap, red billed oxpecker, red winged starling, waller’s starling, Abyssinian thrush, pale flycatcher, white starred robin, collared sunbird, green headed sunbird, northern double collared sunbird, baglafecht weaver, brown capped weaver, Abyssinian crimsonwing, pin tailed whydah, northern grey headed sparrow, grey wagtail, oriole finch, streaky seedeater, yellow crowned canary, golden breasted bunting.

When is the best time to do bird watching in Mount Elgon national park?

Bird watching in Mount Elgon national park can be carried out all throughout the year. November to April is the best period for bird watching in Moun Elgon national park. During these months there is plenty of food for birds in the park and also lots of migratory birds which come from Asia and European countries. This means that birders will be able to see a high number of bird species.

Bird lovers can still carry out bird watching from May to September for the park is always open. During these months, bird lovers are still able to see a number of bird species in different parts of the park if they happen to move with a good birding guide. The vegetation is short in the dry season giving birders an opportunity to have a clear view of bird species.

What to pack for bird watching in Mount Elgon national park

To have the best bird watching exercise in Mount Elgon national park, you need to go with the best birding equipment. Bird watching packing list includes a light backpack, long-sleeved shirts, long-sleeved shorts, a rain jacket, waterproof hiking shoes, a pair of gaiters, a birding book, a pair of binoculars, a camera, a voice recorder, gardening gloves, toiletries, insect repellents, sunscreen, energy giving snacks, and drinking water to mention but a few.