The Uganda trip just completed was highly successful. We tallied 561
species including 8 owls, 6 nightjars with two separate Standard-winged
Nightjar males displaying over females with their outrageous flags at the
end of a primary, 38 raptors, 13 stunning starlings, and 20 beautiful
sunbirds. Rollers and Bee-eaters also scored high on the list of gorgeous
birds unlike the many cisticolas and greenbuls that can be identification
nightmares. This was the highest number of species seen on any previous
trip led by our guide, even one that was four days longer than ours.
We also had a total of 55 mammals including amazing treks for Chimpanzees
and Mountain Gorillas, and 13 other primates. Night walks presented us with
4 species of what are commonly referred to as bush babies with 3 species of
Galago and a Potto. We encountered 10 species of antelope, saw the famous
tree-climbing lions, and a leopard snoozing in a tree.
The interactions among the family members of Gorillas were utterly
fascinating. They were grooming, feeding and taking care of a six-month-old
baby.
A night drive produced our only snake of the trip. It was a highly venomous
Puff Adder observed safely from the vehicle.
A cruise on Lake Victoria brought us close views of Hippopotamus,
Elephants, and Nile Crocodiles. The end of the lake gave us our only
Finfoot and views of the spectacular Victoria Falls. Another boat ride on
Lake Albert ended with seeing the equally gorgeous Murchison Falls.
Everyone felt perfectly safe the entire time and we had guards with us on
tours and hikes within the national parks and reserves. The people and
staff we encountered were very friendly and courteous and the service was
excellent. The State Department overstates the risk of travel in many
countries due to a handful of incidents. If this were not the case, I can’t
explain why every major tour company have trips scheduled for Uganda.
The Chile trip is scheduled for October 26 through November 17. Chile is
varied with a huge range of habitats with altitudes ranging from sea level
to over 15,000 feet and arid desert in the north to the glacial region in
the south at Tierra del Fuego and Torres del Paine NP. We will visit the
arid north birding both in the lowlands and the high Andean plateau with
their various specialties.
A pelagic trip on the coast near Santiago could produce several Albatross
species, storm-petrels, numerous shearwaters and petrels, the most
beautiful tern on the planet being the Inca Tern. Magellanic and Humboldt
Penguins and Peruvian Diving-Petrel among numerous other species are to be
encountered. The temperate rainforest above Santiago has several
specialties.
I am looking at a trip to Tanzania for April 2026 to the endemic areas of
the Uluguru and Udzungwa Mountains among other locations. The trip would
have about 15 days of birding and involve a couple strenuous hikes. I has
originally planned to add the Usambara Mountains. I will save that area for
a future trip that will include Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti since
trying to cover all of the great locations in Tanzania would need at least
four weeks.
The following September, I am considering an excursion to Bolivia with a
May 2027 trip to Poland and Finland.
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