River of Biodiversity

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Expedition to Rwanda and Uganda December 2014- January 2015 (Part 2)

Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park is worthy of a month stay or perhaps even better, multiple visits in different months and years.

Uganda straddles the equator; there is no winter or summer since there is minimal year round temperature fluctuation. The hottest months are January and February when the average daytime range is 24-33°C (52-91°F) with peaks of up to 40°C/104°F in the far north where many visitors do not go. The south has two wet seasons: from mid- September to November and March to May. The dry season from December to February means that it rains a bit less but the SW gorilla parks stll see some rain during these months. The second dry season- from June and July- is considerably drier. Still, with 1000 to 2000mm (39.4-78.7in) of rain every year, it can rain at almost any time. The north, including Murchison Falls and Kidepo Valley, has one continuous wet season from March to November and a more obvious dry season from December to February.

Dry Season

June, July & August - June and July are the driest months in most of the south, but it can still rain. Average temperatures hover around 27°C/81°F in the afternoon and 16°C/61°F in the morning. It will be colder at altitudes above 1300m/4265ft, including the gorilla parks.

Unlike the south, these months are part of the wet season in the north. The far north, including Kidepo Valley, is semi-arid and can experience droughts some years.

December, January & February - Most of the south has less rainfall, but still more when compared to June and July. It is slightly warmer with daytime temperatures of about 28°C/82°F and morning temperatures of 16°C/61°F. The north has a clear dry season with little rain.

Wet Season

March, April & May - There is more rainfall throughout the country during these months, with a clear peak in April in the south. Most days have some sunshine as well. The rain can make travel more difficult since dirt roads and forest trails used for gorilla tracking can become challenging to navigate. Daytime temperatures average around 28°C/82°F and morning temperatures around 16°C/61°F. It will be colder in the gorilla parks at high altitudes and warmer in the north.

September, October & November - These months are comparable to March, April and May but, on average, there is a bit less rain. Daytime temperatures are around 28°C/82°F.

Bar-tailed Trogon

The family had been thought to have an Old World origin^[7] notwithstanding the current richness of the family, which is more diverse in the Neotropical New World. DNA evidence seemed to support an African origin for the trogons, with the African genus Apaloderma seemingly basal in the family, and the other two lineages, the Asian and American, breaking off between 20–36 million years ago. More recent studies^[8]^[9] show that the DNA evidence gives contradictory results concerning the basal phylogenetic relationships; so it is currently unknown if all extant trogons are descended from an African or an American ancestor or neither.f version

Liley a migrant Spotted Flycathcher but the yellow lower mandible is being reearched.

Likely a migrant Spotted Flycathcher; the yellow lower mandible is quite extensive but perhaps within the range.

Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher, locally common in parts of Uganda but absent from others.

Female Red-headed Malimbe.

Black-and-white Cuckoos can follow the rains in East Africa.

Male Black-backed Weaver.

Male Brown-throated Wattle-eye, only females have the brown throat.

The Great Blue Turaco is a spectacular bird that may stay close if they are in a preserved area.

Wahlberg's Eagle

The Great Blue Turaco is a spectacular bird that may stay close if they are in a preserved area.

Queen Elizabeth National park boosts in an excess of 550 species of birds that have actually made it a charming destination for guests that love watching birds. The park is situated in Rukungiri district in southwestern Uganda covering a total land area of 1 978 sq km. It sits at an altitude of 900 meters on the adjacent Lake Edward up to 1 845 meters at the peak of the western Rift Valley’s – eastern Escarpment. It has a home of average altitude – moist semi-deciduous forest, rivine bush-land, moist thicket and riparian forest. Among the bird habitats offered within this national park are Open woodlands, rivers, open grassland, lakes seasonal as well as permanent swamps.
There are several aquatic birds such as the White-faced Whistling, Spur-winged Plovers, Squacco Heron, Fish Eagle, Pink and white backed Pelicans, Long tailed Cormorants, African Jacana, Yellow backed Weavers, open-billed Stork, Water-Thick knee, Pied kingfishers, Wattled Plovers, the Black Crake and the Knob-billed Ducks along the impressive Kazinga Channel in the park.
Additional prominent species include the malachite, black-ramped buttonquail, Collard Pranticles, papyrus canary, verreauv’s eagle-owl, black bee-eater, squacco heron, African fish eagle, swamp fly-catcher, long-tailed cormorants, Martial Eagle, Black- rumped Buttonquail African Skimmer, White winged terns, White-winged Warbler, shoebill, African skimmer, Verreaux’s Eagle-owl, Grey-headed kingfisher, papyrus gonolek, Papyrus Canary, and the thin-tailed Nightjars; these are normally also heard in the morning echoing in the tree branches
Taking a hike down into the verdant gorge will unveil to you a diversity of the forest species among which are the Grey Wood pecker, black & African Emerals Cuckoos, Hairy breasted Barbet, speckled Tinker bird, the purple-headed starling as well as the Green Hylia even though these are also commonly seen within the Maramagambo forest. The good-looking white -spotted fluff tail is plentiful within thickets by the river side. Listen in damp grassland close to the verdant gorge, for the far stretching, metallic twink echo of Broad-tailed Warbler.
Best time for bird watching in Queen Elizabeth National Park
The finest timing to enjoy bird watching safaris within Queen Elizabeth is from December up to February. It is recommended to take a two- days or a three – days bird watching safari and on such you can be able to spot as many as more than half of the 550 species recorded within this park.

Wahlberg's Eagle

Queen Elizabeth National Park occupies an estimated 1,978 square kilometres (764 sq mi),^[2] of which, about 17% lies in Kasese District, 50% in Bushenyi District and an estimated 33% lies in Rukungiri District. The area of the park extends from Lake George in the northeast to Lake Edward in the southwest, and includes the Kazinga Channel that connects the two lakes.

The Ugandan Kob (Kobus kob thomasi) is an antelope subspecies of Kob; Kob are found in sub-Saharan Africa.

The park is named after Queen Elizabeth II and was established in 1954. The park was later renamed Ruwenzori before it returned to its royal name. QENP is known for its wildlife, although many animals were killed in the Uganda-Tanzania War. Many species have recovered, including hippopotami, elephants, leopards, lions and chimpanzees; it is now home to 95 species of mammal and over 500 species of birds. The area around Ishasha in Rukungiri District is famous for its tree-climbing lions, whose males sport black manes, a feature unique to the lions in this area.

The Ugandan Kob (Kobus kob thomasi) is an antelope subspecies of Kob; Kob are found in sub-Saharan Africa.

These African Elephants in Queen Elizabeth National Park were the first of our trip. They crowded around the young and kept an eye on us.

Grey Kestrel

These African Elephants in Queen Elizabeth National Park were the first of our trip. They crowded around the young and kept an eye on us.

The Ugandan Kob (Kobus kob thomasi) is an antelope subspecies of Kob; Kob are found in sub-Saharan Africa.

The tree climbing lions of Queen Elizabeth National Park in Uganda
It is somewhat uncommon for lions to actually climb trees. There are no more than 2 populations in whole world of such lions that do actually climb trees as one of their day after day behavior. One of these populations is found within the Ishasha sector which is found in the south part of the well known Queen Elizabeth National Park within Uganda. The other population is found in Lake Manyara National Park in the Southern part of Tanzania.
It is supposed that this type of lions climb trees as a way of protecting themselves against the numerous biting tsetse flies on the ground level, whereas other people claim the they actually climb into the branches to escape from the heat on the ground and enjoy the cool breeze; nonetheless the reason why they climb up into the tree branches remains unknown.
Visitors t that go to Queen Elizabeth National Park generally end up visiting the Ishasha region primarily to see the population of the resident Tree Climbing Lions although they are also rewrded with views of other wildlife species.

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White-faced Whistling-Duck from a distance; a common duck in preserved areas.

Long-crested Snake Eagles are widespread and found in settls areas. They sometimes sit on poles.

The Hamerkop is found throughout sub-Saharan Africa and Madagascar. Kop means head in Afrikaans (derived from German).

Male Crowned Hornbill, common in woodland; we only saw a few.

Location - The Queen Elizabeth National Park is the second largest national park in Uganda at 1,978 sq.km,lies north and south of the equator to the south west of Uganda. It is contiguous with Kibale NP, Uganda Parc Nationale des Virunga, in the DRC. It is a world bio-sphere reserve (UNESCO, 1979) includes a RAMSAR wetland site and is a classified Important Bird Area (IBA) by Birdlife International. QENP has 568 of Uganda's 1017 species of birds (over a quarter of Africa's bird species), more than any other park in Africa. In the Queen Elizabeth Park you may see crater lakes filled with huge flocks of flamingos. You will spot eagles soaring and vultures perching.

Waterbuck in Queen Elizabeth National Park. This park may have had the largest animal biomass per acre in the world according to data of the 1960s.

Waterbuck in Queen Elizabeth NP. Wars reduced the general biomass but it is now rebounding.

Hartebeest in Queen Elizabeth NP.

You can jump between hemispheres in seconds here.

Large herds of cattle are not common in Uganda but you will see many smaller groups tended by an extended family.

Outside of the larger towns and cities, indoor running water is not common. Children wave at your vehicle.

Typical dusty group of buildings.

Male Brown-throated Wattle-eye

We find an old elephant tooth with the characteristic ridges of the vegetarian.

A pair of Saddle-billed Storks.

Saddle-billed Stork, male.

Saddle-billed Stork, female, see the red irises.

Eastern Grey Plaintain-eaters are open coutntry relatives of Turacoes. They are common.

Murchison Falls National Park lies at the northern end of the Albertine Rift Valley, where the sweeping Bunyoro escarpment tumbles into vast, palm-dotted savanna. First gazetted as a game reserve in 1926, it is Uganda's largest and oldest conservation area, hosting 76 species of mammals and 451 birds.
The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile, which plunges 45m over the remnant rift valley wall, creating the dramatic Murchison Falls, the centerpiece of the park and the final event in an 80km stretch of rapids. The mighty cascade drains the last of the river's energy, transforming it into a broad, placid stream that flows quietly across the rift valley floor into Lake Albert. This stretch of river provides one of Uganda's most remarkable wildlife spectacles. Regular visitors to the riverbanks include elephants, giraffes and buffaloes; while hippos, Nile crocodiles and aquatic birds are permanent residents.
Notable visitors to the park include Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, Ernest Hemingway and several British royals.
- See more at: http://www.ugandawildlife.org/explore-our-parks/parks-by-name-a-z/murchison-falls-national-park#sthash.FHtCyPaK.dpuf

We reach one of the Murchison Falls National Park's gates.

Waterbuck.

Giraffes and Hartebeest on the rolling plains.

Giraffes.

Grey-backed Fiscal, pair.

Tawny Eagle.

Patas Monkey.

Pair of African Grey Hornbills, one of the common hornbills of East Africa.

Giraffe.

African Grey Hornbill, one of the common hornbills of East Africa.

Looking west into this large park.

Giraffes.

Speckle-fronted Weaver, our only one on this trip.

Hartebeest.

This appears to be a Common Kestrel.

Big Game

The park is home to 76 species of mammals including four of the “Big Five”, with huge herds of buffaloes and elephants, well-camouflaged leopards and a healthy population of lions. It is also known for its giraffes; in Uganda these can only be viewed here and in Kidepo Valley. Other species viewed regularly along the game tracks include Jackson’s hartebeest, bushbucks, Uganda kob, waterbucks and warthogs. Resident crocodiles and hippos as well as other, visiting wildlife are found along the river.

Primates

Olive baboons are common along the roadsides – be sure to keep car windows and doors shut if you don’t want to lose your lunch! Blue and red-tailed monkeys and black-and-white colobus can be found in the forested sectors. The savanna-dwelling patas monkey is only found here and in Kidepo Valley National Park. Around 800 chimpanzees live in the Kaniyo Pabidi and Budongo Forests.

Birds

The varied habitats of Uganda’s largest park make it home to a variety of birds with 451 species recorded. The list includes the Shoebill Stork, the Goliath Heron – the largest heron in the world – and pairs of elegant Grey Crowned Cranes - Uganda’s national bird. Also seen along the banks of the Nile are the Blue-headed Coucal, Swamp Flycatcher, Squacco Heron, African Jacana, Sandpipers, Denham’s Bustard, Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill, Black-billed Barbet, Black-headed Gonolek, Eastern Grey Plantain-eater, Piapiac, Silverbird, Weaver Birds, Pied, Giant and Malachite Kingfishers, Red-throated Bee-eater, White-browed Sparrow Weaver, Speckle-fronted Weaver and African Quail-Finch.
- See more at: http://www.ugandawildlife.org/explore-our-parks/parks-by-name-a-z/murchison-falls-national-park/wildlife-and-birding-summary#sthash.o8Ved9eS.dpuf

Tawny Eagle.

Grey Crowned Cranes flock up at this time of year in Murchison Falls.

Grey Crowned Cranes flock up at this time of year in Murchison Falls NP.

This Ugandan Kob was likely gored in the lower abdomen by another male Kob or perhaps a different animal. The carcass was gone the next day.

Woodchat Shrike, and uncommon Palearctic visitor reaching down to the equator.

Whinchat are common Palearctic migrants to the grasslands of East Africa.

Waterbuck with a prescribed burn area in the distance. Burns are an important management tool.

Burns keep certain areas biodiverse; the Abyssinian Ground-hornbill feeds on insect larvae exposed in fires and in low grasses.

The Borassus Palms are well adapted to the drier plains; they provide shade for animals such as Hartebeest.

The striking Swallow-tailed Bee-eater in an uncommon resident.

Cape Buffalo are common on the plains. It can be a dangerous animal; it gores and kills over 200 people every year.

A distant picture of a Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. They are a common waxbill but can be skittish.

Helmeted Guineafowl are gregarious gamebirds of East Africa.

Murchison Falls National Park is Uganda's largest national park. It measures approximately 3,840 square kilometres (1,480 sq mi). Together with the adjacent Bugungu Wildlife Reserve and the Karuma Wildlife Reserve, the park is part of the 5,308 square kilometres (2,049 sq mi) Murchison Falls Conservation Area (MFCA).^[2] The park is bisected by the Victoria Nile from east to west for a distance of about 115 kilometres (71 mi). The park is the location of the famous Murchison Falls, where the waters of the majestic Nile River squeeze through a narrow gorge, only 7 metres (23 ft) wide, before plunging 43 metres (141 ft) below. Also in the park, adjacent to the Masindi-Gulu Highway, are the Karuma Falls, the location of the 600 MW Karuma Power Station, Uganda's largest hydropower station, currently under construction and expected to come online sometime around 2018.^[3]

In Murchison there are four of the "big five". Cape buffalo, elephants, lions, leopard are best to be seen in the northern part (above the Nile). Due to excessive hunting and poaching, rhinos became extinct by 1983, but were re-introduced into Uganda in 2005 by Rhino Fund Uganda. White rhinoceros are now being bred again in the 7,000 hectares (27 sq mi) Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, which is located 70 kilometres (43 mi), south of the park. Their mission is to reintroduce small herds of rhinos (around five at a time), whilst retaining a nucleus breeding herd in the sanctuary.
MFCA and adjacent Bugondo Forest reserve contain 76 Species of mammals as well as Uganda's largest population of Nile crocodile. 450 bird species are present ranging from easy variety of waterbirds, including the rare shoe-billed stork.^[4] to Bugondo's 59 'restricted range' species, dwarf kingfisher, Goliath heron, white-thighed hornbill and great blue turaco are some of the species among them.

The Cape Buffalo's horns have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a "boss".

The park is also home to the large African wild animals including: hippopotamus, giraffes, antelope, Uganda kob, hartebeest and oribi.

Caspian Plovers were sitting in a parsed area a few hundred yards from the shores of Lake Albert.

Caspian Plovers have a slim, relative delicate bill for a plover.

Barn Swallow are resident with migrants of various subspecies possible.

The striking Swallow-tailed Bee-eater in an uncommon resident.

Ugandan Kob on the golden plains.

A female Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. They are a common waxbill in many habitats.

Spur-winged Lapwings are conspicuous in western Uganda near water.

In this open habitat birds are observant. Spur-winged Lapwings are conspicuous in western Uganda near water.

Waterbuck near the N end of Lake Edwards.

The Common Warthog is the only pig species that has adapted to grazing and savanna habitats.^[

The African Mourning Dove is not in the same genus as its North American namesake.

The attractive African Mourning Dove was seen a few times.

Burns keep certain areas biodiverse; the Abyssinian Ground-hornbill feeds on insect larvae exposed in fires and in low grasses.

An Abyssinian Ground-hornbill sitting on a termite mound.

Giraffes

Pied Kingfisher over the Victoria Nile River.

A female Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. They are a common waxbill in many habitats.

Pied Kingfishers are common in this area.

Goliath Heron; this is the world's largest heron. It is also called the Giant Heron. Height reaches 120–152 cm (47–60 in), the wingspan is 185–230 cm (73–91 in) and the weight is 4–5 kg (8.8–11 lbs).

Pied Kingfishers are quite social.

Looking west on the Victoria Nile a few miles below Murchison Falls; the rolling hills of the park rise 200 feet above the banks.

This perch changes position and stirs up food.

There is commensalism between hippos and many other species. Mutualism exists between fish and hippos.

Squacco Heron

Typical hovering of a kingfisher.

Spur-winged Plovers are common in preserved areas of East Africa.

The Spur-winged Plover is thought to be the possible "trochilus" bird said by the Greek historian Herodotus to clean Nile Crocodiles teeth (symbiosis). However the symbiosis is not supported by any true photographic evidence although photoshopped "clips" are there.

Senegal Thick-knee

Hippos are slow moving until they are not.

Hadada Ibises' name is onomatopoeic; they call loudly at roosts--haa haa ha-aaa

Sacred Ibis. Venerated and often mummified by the Ancient Egyptians as a symbol of the god Thoth. It also seems to be given some reverance in today's Uganda.

Sacred Ibis have been introduced into Southern Europe and this can be a problem for native birds such as tern colonies.

African Jacana, immature.

African Darter, male.

Victoria Nile

African Darter, male

Marsh Sandpiper.

Yellow-billed Stork, non-breeding plumage.

Nile Crocodile thermoregulating on the Victoria Nile.

Black-and-white Colobus. Their ruminant-like digestive tracts allow these leaf-eaters to occupy niches that are primates can't. They must forage many hours and are therefore often in view.

The spectacular Red-throated Bee-eaters have colonies on river banks.

Red-throated Bee-eater.

Pied Kingfisher

Red-throated Bee-eater

Red-throated Bee-eater.

Grey-headed Kingfishers are woodland species. Most African kingfisher species are woodland insectivores and are "misnamed".

Massive African Elephant dwarfs the large Waterbucks. Most very old, larger elephants have rotten or missing teeth and soon gravitate to habitats where softer, moistened vegetation is found.

The eternal view on the Victoria Nile.

Egyptian Geese well S of Egypt.

Giraffes are always looking back.

Cooler in the mud

Malachite Kingfishers are only 5; they are skittish and animated.

Yello-billed Stork

African Fish Eagle

Spur-winged Plovers performing synchronized mating ritual.

Spur-winged Plovers mating. Notice the smal black spur in the next picture.

Spur-winged Plovers mating; the smal black spur at the wing bend can be seen.

A favorite rock of the African Darter.

I would like to view this large crocodile stuggling up out of the water.

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Rock Pratincoles are found around the Murchison Falls.

Rock Pratincole.

Its takes an enjoyable hour or two to approach Murchison Falls.

The famous movie, African Queen and many others were filmed here.

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Ernest Hemingways and his wife crashed their plane here. Their unscheduled night in the undergrowth beside Murchison Falls, with Mary in considerable pain, was spent building fires and scaring off elephants

A large boiling wall of water keeps all boats and animals away.

Two hundred feet higher and upstream from the falls there is a dry scrubby forest where the water speed picks up.

A monument to conservation efforts

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Rapids above the falls.

The last set of rapids above the falls.

Looking west through the mist.

Giant Kingfisher.

Giant Kingfisher

Goliath Heron.

It's unusual to see African Elephants in the Nile Victoria here, undoubtedly they may have been vulnerable to hunting by primitive and modern man in these sitations.

They quickly rumbled out of the water.....

And into the brush.

Sunset on the Victoria Nile.

At the Equator the Sun appears much closer than in higher latitudes; the rays must pass through a longer curvature of the Earth spreading the Sun's image.

Sunspots may be seen naked eye with the obligatory quick glance.

Black-headed Gonolek. Gonoleks are another bush-shrike. Speciation in Africa has favored shrikes and their kin. The variance in geographic reliefs and the bushy habitats favor these bird familes.

Black-headed Gonolek.

This large turtle (shell ~ 11 inches, 30 cm) is in the Pelusios genus, likely a William's African Mud Turtle. It was in the central wooded section of Murchison Falls NP in a stream, 10 miles S of the Victoria Nile and falls.

The Royal Mile is found in the 793 km² Budongo Forest Reserve that lies at the edge of the Albertine Rift and is attached to Murchison Falls National Park in the south. Named for its popularity as a traditional leisure stop-over for Uganda's royalty, the Royal Mile is a superb birding spot with many west and central African species, as well as a variety of sought-after key species.
Key species that can be found here include:

African Crowned Eagle
Nahan's Francolin
White-spotted Flufftail
Sabine's Spinetail
Cassin's Spinetail
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Chocolate-backed Kingfisher
Dwarf Kingfisher
Blue-throated Roller
Piping Hornbill
White-thighed Hornbill
Hairy-breasted Barbet
Yellow-spotted Barbet
Yellow-billed Barbet

Brown-eared Woodpecker
Yellow-crested Woodpecker
Spotted Greenbul
Fire-crested Alethe
Blue-shouldered Robin-Chat
Red-capped Robin-Chat
Lemon-bellied Crombec
Rufous-crowned Elemomela
Yellow-browed Camaroptera
Black-capped Apalis
Ituri Batis
Chestnut-caped Flycatcher
Grey-headed Sunbird
Western-black Headed Oriole

Birding; the forest is among the most ideal places in Uganda to have a guided bird watching tour by the Royal Mile that extends from Nyabyeya Forestry College to the research station.
The Chimpanzee Tracking experience: is the number one priority here. Starting in October up to January, the time when the fruits are shorter in supply, the chimps move a lot covering a wider area so the success of seeing them drops to about 50% rate. Fortunately there is a diversity of Accommodation facilities available from where you can base to enjoy the Chimpanzee trekking as well as the exciting forest walks.
Birding in Budongo Forest
Among the various bird species that have been recorded in this forest are more than 360 species that will certainly reward you with a very amazing birding safari experience in this great forest in Uganda. in addition there are 290 butterflies species, 130 Moths species, 465 tree species, as well as 24 mammals nine of which are actually primates.
The Budongo Forest reserve is among the most significant birding destinations in Uganda, and is located on the escarpment northeast of the stunning Lake Albert. The forest is characterized by a medium altitude damp semi-deciduous verdant forest that covers 42 800 hectares, with patches of Savanna as well as woodland. Kthis forest reserve sits on a gently rolling landscape, with a wide-ranging slope north-northwest towards the great Rift Valley. This forest is drained by 4 tinny rivers which are Waisoke, Sonso, Bubwa, plus Wake that empty into the Lake Albert. the Budongo has 5 major forest types which include: swamp-forest, mixed, Cynometra-mixed, colonizing plus the Cynometra. The greater part of this forest reserve is sheltered by tropical high-forest communities. The Mid altitude semi-deciduous Cynometra-celtis forest occupies close to half of the total site whereas the Combretum savanna is extensive within the drier regions. There are a number of Eco-tourism sites found at Kaniyo Pabidi plus Busingiro.
There are 2 endemic bird species within the Budongo forest which cannot be seen in other parts of East Africa. This forest comes second after the Semliki National Park as the most important forest in Uganda with species of the Guinea Congo forest-Biome. The Yellow-footed Flycatcher, simply known in Budongo within Uganda, was common within mature forest, however today it is extremely rare to see. Illadopsis puveli, a new addition, isn’t seen in another place in East Africa. Additional species that rank Budongo one of the finest bird watching destinations in East Africa include the Zoothers camaronensis, Ceratogymna fistulator, Neafrapus cassini, Batis ituriensis, Smithornis rufolateralis, Sylvietta denti as well as Ixonotus guttatus. These different species are as well seen in just a few additional forests within Uganda. Rare forest birds have recently several times been recorded within the forest and among these are the Pitta reichenowi as well as Parmoptila woodhousei. Within this forest, Bird watching is properly facilitated with a widespread properly maintained 115 kilometer truck system.

African Hoopoe

Vitelline Masked Weaver

White-faced Whistling Ducks.

An apparent immature Ruppell's Long-tailed Starling

After almost an hour hearing but not seeing one a White-crested Turaco was spotted 200 yards away.

As you get a few miles out of Kampala traffic can build.

Kampala market.

Typical street market near Kampala.

After almost an hour hearing but not seeing one a White-crested Turaco was spotted 200 yards away.

Lake Victoria near Kampala

Immature Blue-cheeked Bee-eater then an adult; note more blue in cheek and longer tail of adult. Pied Kingfisher.

Pied Kingfisher was the most common fisher on this expedition.

African Open-billed Stork.

Hadada Ibis.

Yellow-billed Duck

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, immature.

Open-billed Stork.

Yellow-billed Kite

Black-and-white Colobus. Their ruminant-like digestive tracts allow these leaf-eaters to occupy niches that other primates can't. They must forage many hours and are therefore often in view.

Egyptian Goose on the shores of Lake Victoria

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Breeding (Again?) in Passaic County, NJ

Sapsucker, 2016 Stokes State Forest, Sussex County NJ

Had a breeding pair of Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers feeding two or more nestlings in the Pequannock Watershed, Passaic County on 6/29/14.

While bushwacking deep in some good forest, a distant, nasal note of a suspected sapsucker was followed. Bird by bird, over an hour the call grew into a family group. No other individual sapsuckers or pairs were in the immediate area or seen during that 3 mile hike but habitat is expansive and the afternoon heat crept in.

During this spring (2014) and last spring and summer (2013) I hiked almost every trail from and near P1-6 (designated parking areas of the watershed), some of the excursions were day long loops that included multiple trails. Almost all birds heard or seen were identified. The species is not an uncommon or very uncommon breeder; it is very rare breeder or absent as a breeder in the watershed..

I suspected this species would soon be found definitively breeding in Passaic County based on the rapid and recent spread through Sussex County, NJ (just to the west of Passaic County).

In 1957 a pair feeding 3 young was observed in Franklin Lakes, Bergen County, NJ (just to the east of Passaic County) Birds of NJ (Walsh, Elia, et al.).

This subject Passaic County sighting seems to be the first ever confirmed breeding record, or at least the first breeding record in over 114 years.

This is another species that some authors miss when discussing the true, colonial and precolonial avidiversity of NJ; it likely bred 150-300 years ago in at least all 4 of the most northerly NJ counties, plus Morris, Essex, Union County and Somerset Counties which the two Watchung Mountains ridges run through.

The decline of the species probably began with the local reduction or extirpation of the beaver in NJ; their work supplied new dead wood into the ecosystem and sapsuckers prefer stressed and dying trees for nests. The subject sapsucker nest portrayed this predilection as it was associated with a tree killed by beaver flooding. The complete disappearance of the woodpecker, likely caused by logging, grazing and farming, seems to have occurred prior to 1900 in some of the mentioned NJ counties including Passaic County.

Evidence today that the Pequannock Watershed was logged and saw various farm or livestock use lies with the various straight stone berms that mark property lines built after acreage was cleared for use. Trees over 120 years are rare in the watershed. The absence of the species in NJ was chronicled in The Wilson Bulletin, Kohler 1913, where he stated then that it was not breeding in that century (meaning at least 1900 to 1913). The NJ breeding bird atlas of the 1990s, Birds of NJ (Walsh, Elia, et al.), lists several safe date 1995, Passaic County sight records; breeding was probable but unconfirmed.

File Photograph, Rothhauser (c)

Near the subject sapsuckers there was a fully fledged family of Hairy Woodpeckers showing nominal breeding phenology. I am wondering if the late date and location of this nest weakly infers a second nesting attempt after a run in with a Black Rat Snake or other predator. However sapsuckers do seem to nest a bit later than other NJ Picidae.

The nest tree, a secluded dead sweet gum, 18 inch DBH and 70 feet tall was surrounded by some standing water. It was located at the SE shore of a large beaver dammed lake. Some Picidae nest in isolated trees located in standing water to deter terrestrial predators and prevent arboreal snakes (most in the Elaphe genus).from climbing onto the nest tree The literature may note that sapsuckers sometimes nest in standing water perhaps to avoid some predator pressure. However other nests (4) I have found in Sussex County, NJ were in upland habitat.

The hatchlings could be heard from over 100 feet away......and the adults were a bit jittery.

Since the literature is minimal in NJ for this species I have looked up some other states literature.

There are 11 records of nests with eggs in Vermont, with dates ranging from May 12 to June 20. Nestling dates range from June 4 to July 17 (41 records), and fledgling dates range from June 24 to July 13 (9 records). Of 27 Yellow-bellied Sapsucker nest cavities in Vermont, 18 were in aspens, 4 in American beeches, 3 in red maples, 1 in an unidentified maple, and 1 in a hemlock. Kilham (I971a) reported that Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers in New Hampshire will nest in aspens, beeches, and butternuts infected with the tinder fungus (Fames igniarius). This fungus affects only the heartwood, leaving sapwood intact. Lawrence (1967) observed that Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers prefer to nest in live trees. Nest predators include raccoons and red squirrels.

Good birding.

Fred

New Jersey (Midvale);

Eggs: [Author’s NOTE: The yellow-bellied sapsucker lays four to seven eggs to a set, though five or six eggs are more commonly found. They vary from ovate to elliptical-ovate and sometimes to elliptical-oval. The shell is smooth and either dull or moderately glossy. They are pure white, like all woodpeckers' eggs. The measurements of 52 eggs average 22.44 by 16.92 millimeters; the eggs showing the four extremes measure 24.9 by 17.0, 23.8 by 18.0, 20.57 by 16.26, and 22.1 by 15.5 millimeters.]

Young: As in the case of most nestling birds reared in a hole in a tree, little is known of the young sapsuckers while they are in the nest.

Frank Bolles (1892) speaks of "a nest filled with noisy fledglings whose squealing sounded afar in the otherwise silent woods. * * * The parent birds came frequently to the tree, and their arrival was always greeted by more vigorous crying from the young."

William Brewster (1876a), in his study of the bird at Umbagog Lake, Maine, says: "The young leave the nest in July, and for a long time the brood remains together, being still fed by the parents. They are very playful, sporting about the tree-trunks and chasing one another continually."

Frank Bolles (1892) has given a very interesting, detailed account of rearing three nestlings, about to be fledged, over a period of three and a half months. The three birds were dissimilar enough in coloring to be distinguished from one another; they proved to be two males and one female; and they soon developed marked differences in conduct and personality. Mr. Bolles at first kept them in a large cage in which they had ample space to climb about and later allowed them to fly around a room. They became very tame, letting him handle them freely. They subsisted almost entirely on maple syrup and water in equal parts, fed by hand at first, but in a few days they drank readily from a basin. They caught a few flies and ate some other insects that entered the cage, attracted by the syrup. Mr. Bolles says, however, that "the number of insects caught by them in this way was small, and I do not think amounted at any time to ten percent of their food."

The birds were lively and apparently in perfect health from the time they were captured, July 7, until October 11, when one of them, the female, began to droop. Two days later she had a convulsion in the morning and died in the afternoon. Autopsy showed that her body was well nourished and that the organs were apparently normal except the liver, which was "very large, deeply bile-stained, and very soft."

A week later the other two birds died after exhibiting the same symptoms as the first bird. The Department of Agriculture examined the body of one of these birds and reported enlargement and fatty degeneration of the liver.

Mr. Bolles remarks that "the most probable cause of this enlargement of the liver, which seems to have been the reason for the death of the three sapsuckers, was an undue proportion of sugar in their diet. In a wild state they would have eaten insects every day and kept their stomachs well filled with the chitinous parts of acid insects. Under restraint they secured fewer and fewer insects, until during the last few weeks of their lives, they had practically no solid food of any kind."

Summarizing his observations, he says:

From these experiments I draw the following conclusions: (1), that the yellow-bellied woodpecker may be successfully kept in captivity for a period corresponding to that during which as a resident bird he taps trees for their sap, sustained during this time upon a diet of which from 90 to 100 per cent is diluted maple syrup; (2), that this fact affords evidence of an extremely strong character, in confirmation and support of the theory that when the yellow-bellied woodpecker taps trees for their sap he uses the sap as his principal article of food, and not primarily as a bait to attract Insects.

Winton Weydemeyer (1926) in Montana "observed a pair of red-naped sapsuckers * * * gathering sap to feed their young in the nest. A regular tree-route, followed alternately by the male and female, included a quaking aspen, a larger alder, and a large willow, in which borings had been made. The birds flew directly from the nest to the aspen, and gathered the sap that bad accumulated since the last visit; then flew to the alder and to the willow, repeating the process; and finally flew back to the nest, without hunting for insects. Occasionally the male would vary the process by catching a few flies from the air, eating some and carrying some to the nest."

Forbush (1927) gives the incubation period of the yellow-bellied sapsucker as "probably about 14 days."

A. Dawes DuBois furnishes the following note: "Yellow-bellied sapsuckers were observed feeding young in a nest, in Hennepin County, Minn., on July 5, 1937. The nest was about 25 feet above ground in a partially dead tree at edge of willow-and-alder thicket adjoining woods. Both parents were bringing food. The squeaky note of the young was repeated with such regularity (about four times a second) as to indicate that only one nestling was uttering it. When the nestling was being fed at the entrance, by the poking method, these notes went up to a higher pitch, and were sometimes choked off almost to inaudibility.

"Two days later, the parents were still feeding very frequently. The male, who on the first day had been seen to bring a bright red berry about the size of a pea, again brought a bit of small red fruit. On one occasion, when the parents were away, the nestling put its head out of the hole; but it did not do so when being fed. In general, alarm calls of the parents had little if any effect upon the squeaking of the nestling, though at one time, July 7, the squeaking seemed to cease for a short interval when the parent gave the alarm notes. For the most part the series of squeaky notes is continuous. It was by hearing these sounds that this nest was discovered."

This is another species that some authors miss when discussing the true, colonial and precolonial avidiversity of NJ; it likely bred 150-300 years ago in all 4 of the most northerly NJ counties, plus Morris, Essex, Union County and Somerset Counties which ellied Sapsucker
Their ability to draw phloem sap from trees makes the Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker an important ally for several other animals that drink tree sap. Among mammals, bats, porcupines and squirrels all appreciate the efforts made by the sapsucker.
Their greatest beneficiaries, however, are hummingbirds. In particular, the ruby-throated hummingbird would be hard pressed to find enough nectar from flowers in the northern edges of its breeding zone. The tree sap released by sapsuckers makes a perfect substitute for nectar.