The glorious nature of Uganda
Little Hanna and I went to Uganda in October and saw, among other animals, a leopard hunting a small antelope. We first spotted the predator lying on a big tree branch in a national park named after the Murchison Falls in the Nile. The leopard was watching a herd of antelopes and crept down the tree when it had chosen the easiest prey. Hungry vultures appeared above the leopard after it had hunted the young. A few antelopes turned and cautiously walked towards the predator, perhaps in the faint hope that it would let go of the poor little one. After catching its prey, the leopard carried it up to a nearby tree. It settled on a branch beneath the leafy canopy, lying flat to recover from its exertion. The big cat was still there as we continued our adventurous journey through the Pearl of Africa with a small but great group of travellers in a trip organized by Obeo Africa.
Uganda is an ideal country for those who want to see primates and little Hanna and I saw many apes and monkeys. These include mountain gorillas, chimpanzees, baboons and even small nocturnal primates, called bushbabies.
Little Hanna, the adventure girl, took me to a jungle in Uganda to see the mountain gorillas. It was an unforgettable experience. Mountain gorillas have been in high danger of extinction, but their numbers have increased greatly in recent decades. It is estimated that they are now about 1,060, but they are said to have been fewer than 300 in 1980. Adult male gorillas are called silverbacks because they have a silvery colour on their backs from the age of 12. Silverbacks are usually 161-171 cm tall and weigh 120-191 kilograms, while females are smaller and stay under 100 kilograms. Mountain gorillas are herbivorous and mainly eat leaves, stems, and fruits. Silverbacks eat an average of about 19 kilograms per day, while females eat about 15.
Little Hanna and I also went for a hike in Kibale National Park to see chimpanzees. We saw, among other animals, a chimpanzee sitting comfortably after mating, happy and pleased with himself.
Numerous other animals, large and small, delighted our eyes, as you can see in the following summary that I posted on YouTube.
Beautiful and strange birds
Little Hanna took me on a cruise around the Mabamba Swamp near the town of Entebbe in Uganda to see the Shoebill, a unique bird that is sometimes called the king of the swamps in central and eastern Africa. Because of its primeval look it is sometimes called “the dinosaur bird”. It was thought to be related to storks, but genetic studies indicate that it is more related to pelicans. It is about 124 cm tall, has a wingspan of just over 230 cm and weighs 5.5 to 5.8 kilograms. The beak is 20 cm long and almost as wide at its largest. Shoebills are largely piscivorous, they catch for instance lungfish and catfish but also frogs and water snakes.
Little Hanna and I also saw the Grey Crowned Crane, Uganda’s national bird, on our trip through the Pearl of Africa. That was a day we will never forget. The Grey Crowned Crane is a particularly beautiful bird and is found in sub-Saharan Africa. It feeds on plants, seeds, grain, insects, frogs, worms, snakes, and small fish.
Eagles have been very close to little Hanna’s heart, so we were keen to see the most beautiful eagle in Africa, the African Fish-Eagle. We got our wish because we saw several Fish-Eagles by the lakes in western Uganda. The eagle lives mainly on fish, which it catches at the surface, but it also takes birds and reptiles and sometimes feeds on carrion. It makes a loud penetrating call which is one of the most distinctive sounds of Africa. It is the national bird of three countries, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Sudan. It is smaller than the White-tailed Eagle, 63-76 cm long, with a wingspan of 1.8-2.4 m and weighs 1.8-3.6 kilograms. The White-tailed Eagle is 70-90 cm, about 5 kilograms and has a wingspan of 2.0-2.4 m.
Little Hanna and I saw twelve species of birds of prey on our trip in the Pearl of Africa, including the Brown Snake-Eagle, African Harrier-Hawk, Grey Kestrel, Buzzard, juvenile Bateleur and Martial Eagle. We identified four species of vultures, including White-backed Vulture and Rüppell’s Vulture.
We also spotted several species of herons on our trip, including the world’s largest heron, the Goliath Heron. It is 152 centimetres, about 50 cm larger than the Grey Heron, which is an annual winter visitor to Iceland.
In addition, we saw several types of kingfishers, including a Pied Kingfisher that was catching fish. Uganda is blessed with an incredible range of birdlife and beautiful birds delighted our eyes wherever we went. Outside the terrace of one of our accommodations, Chameleon Hill Lodge, there were, for example, colourful birds called Olive-bellied Sunbirds. There are about 150 species of sunbirds. They feed mainly on nectar, using their long, pointed bills to reach deep into flowers, but they also hunt insects. Among other bird species that little Hanna and I saw for the first time in our lives were the African Jacana (which Ugandans call “the Jesus bird” because it seems to be able to walk on water), the Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, and the Lilac-breasted Roller.
What a feast for bird enthusiasts and those who adore the glorious nature of Africa! Thank you, Obeo Africa.
Birds in Iceland and other animals
Among the birds in the pictures are some vagrants that have strayed to Iceland across the Atlantic Ocean, such as the Common Kingfisher, which has been sighted only once in Iceland, and Grey Herons, mainly young birds from Norway. There are also photos of birds that breed in Iceland, from small passerines like Goldcrests and Winter Wrens to White-tailed Eagles, Gyrfalcons, Merlins and and Short-eared Owls.
One page contains pictures of birds in other countries, including Golden Eagles in northern Sweden and Finland, a Sparrow Hawk, Kestrel, Red-backed Shrike and a Dartford Warbler in Norfolk, England.
Last but not least there are some pictures of seals, an Arctic Fox, Red Fox, Field Mouse and a flying fish.
Falcons, vagrants and other birds
Rich and diverse wildlife in Namibia
Namibia is endowed with rich and diverse wildlife despite its arid climate and deserts that cover big parts of the country. In fact, one of the most fascinating aspects of Namibian wildlife is how many of the animals have adapted to the harsh desert terrain.
My wife and I went to Namibia for three weeks with Obeo Afrika, https://obeoafrika.is/, in October 2022 and saw many of the animals, such as elephants, lions, giraffes, cheetahs, antelopes, meerkats, Cape Fur Seals, crocodiles, hippopotami, warthogs, zebras, rhinos, baboons and some unique desert species like the Namib Dune Gecko, Shovel-snouted Lizard, and Namaqua Chameleon. You can see pictures of the animals here and in the video below.
Weavers, secretaries, raptors and lovebirds
Namibia supports a highly diverse avifauna of almost 690 species, including over 90 species endemic to southern Africa. We saw many of these birds, such as secretarybirds, weavers, hornbills, eagles, and hawks, and the icing on the cake for the travelling Icelanders were the beautiful flamingos and lovebirds.
Weavers are conspicuous in Namibia, for instance, the Southern Masked Weaver and Sociable Weavers. The Southern Masked Weaver nests in colonies and weaves the nests from grass, reed, and palm. The Sociable Weaver is endemic to Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. The weavers build huge compound community nests that are among the most spectacular structures built by birds. They are large enough to provide a home for over a hundred pairs of birds. Some nests weigh several tons and can get so heavy that they knock down the supporting tree. Sometimes the weavers build their nests on electric or telephone poles. Many small birds, such as lovebirds, reside in those nests, and bigger birds like eagles, owls, and vultures often roost on the nests‘ roofs.
The cuddliest birds we saw were Rosy-faced Lovebirds, native to the Namid desert and other arid regions in southwestern Africa. They are known for their sleeping and resting positions when the pairs sit side-by-side and turn their faces toward each other. They are very social, and sometimes hundreds of birds gather when food is plentiful. They eat mainly seeds and berries.
We also saw huge flocks of flamingos in Walvis Bay, on a lagoon attracting tens of thousands of birds, including both the Greater and Lesser Flamingos. The Lagoon and salt pans near Walvis Bay are among southern Africa’s most important coastal wetlands. The birds feast on small shrimp, seeds, algae, and molusc.
Using their feet the birds stir up the mud, suck water through their bill and filter out the food. The Greater Flamingo is the largest and most widespread species of the flamingo family and lives in Africa, southern Europe, the Indian subcontinent, and the Middle East. The Lesser Flamingo is the smallest and most numerous species. It is found in sub-Saharan Africa and western India.