Bird Watching in Semuliki National Park / Uganda Birding Safari
Bird watching in Semuliki National Park ; Semuliki National park is one of the most visited birding sites in Uganda, which partly covers half of Congo biome species which reaches their Eastern limits to Semuliki Forests, which has ranked Semuliki National park to be among the greatest forest birds to encounter on birding in the Pearl of Africa.
About 131 bird species of the 144 Guinea-Congo forest Biome Species have been recorded in Semliki National park such bird species include ; white-tailed/Piping Hornbill ‘’which can also be seen in Budongo forest ,Capuchin Babbler and Blue-headed ,Crested Flycatcher also more common in Mabira forest ,Orange Weaver commonly seen along the Northern shores of Lake Victoria and Red-billed Malimbe can be seen in nearby Kibale Forest National park famously known as Chimpanzee tracking experience.
River Semuliki that go through forming ox-bow lakes in some places located along the western border down to Lake Albert surrounded by swamp where four Lake Victoria biome species which include; Papyrus Gonolek and Caruthers’s Cisticola are recorded. The site has two restricted range species, ‘’six Afrotropical highlands biome species ‘’.
Birder who make their birding trip in Semuliki National Park, they never get disappointed of spotting the unique Africa’s best forest bird species. Well, the Sempaya and Ntandi provides the best viewing points and some of the birds to see here are White-crested Hornbill, Piping Hornbill, Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, Yellow-throated Nicator, Great blue and Ross’s Turacos, Birdwatching in Semuliki National Park.
List of birdlife species to encounter while on safari on birdwatching in Semuliki National Park as highlighted below;
Bird list in Semuliki National Park include ; Swamp palm Bulbul ,Spotted Greenbul ,white-starred Robin ,Red-throated Alethe ,Lowland ,Fire-crested Alethe ,Northern Bearded Scrub-Robin ,Red-eyed Puff back ,Shouldered Robin- Chat , Spotted Greenbul ,Capped Wheatear Afep pigeon ,Blue-headed Coucal ,Cassin Spine tail ,Yellow-billed Barbet ,Double-toothed Barbet ,Black-billed Barbet ,White-headed Barbet ,Chestnut –flanked Goshawk ,Grant’s Bluebill ,Oystercatcher ,Long-tailed Hawk ,Thighed Sparrow hawk ,Toro Olive Greenbul ,Mountain Greenbul ,Oberlaender’s Ground-Thrush ,Common Stonechat ,Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, Black Saw-wing ,Eurasian Oystercatcher ,Afep pigeon ,Sabine’s Spine tail ,Petit’s Cuckoo-shrike among others.
In general, Semuliki National Park is a truly birding site with over 400 bird species which can be added to tourist’s bucket list who has a combined safari wildlife and birding, and of these 400 bird species ,216 of the species ‘’66% are of the country’s total bird species which are true forest birds and some of species include the rare eborlander’s ground thrush, Sassi’s olive greenbul and nine hornbill species. The park is also habitant of about 60 mammal species which can be seen on safari here such as leopards, hippos, African civet, African buffalo, Mona monkeys, water chevrotain, bush babies, African elephant, and pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel, within Semuliki their chances of seeing duiker species including the bay duiker.
However, the park inhabits over eight primate’s species and around 460 butterfly species to explore. The two famous hot springs has the Semuliki to be popularly known on Uganda Safaris, to birder the area is worth an encounter because these hot springs attracts a lot of shorebirds and provides salt lick for many animals. Furthermore, birding in Semuliki national park can be carried out through walking to the savannah grassland, hike through Kirumia Trail and later on go visit fame hot springs one of the main selling attractions apart from birding in the park, you can experience hot water into cooking eggs and plantains.
Climate; Semuliki national park experience an average rainfall of around 1,250 millimeters with peak rainfall from March to May and from September to December.
The temperature at the park ranges from18 to 30 degrees Celsius with relatively small daily variations.
However, the park lies within Albertine rift valley in the western arm of the East African Rift and on flat land that ranges from 670 to 760 meters above sea level. Semuliki national park is located in Bundibugyo district in the western region of Uganda which was gazette as a national park in October 1993, covering a small total area of about 219 square kilometers of the lowland tropical rainforest managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority.
Best time for birding on Uganda safaris
Uganda birding safari is done throughout the year but the best time is in wet season when fruits is in abundance within the park which starts from May to April and October to December, still you can do birding any time you feel you want to visit the park. Get started now! With Achieve Global Safaris.
