Trip to Mount Kigali, Rwanda, 25 Sept 10

Posted by Jason on the Rwanda_BurundiBirds group on 27 September 2010

Last Saturday was Umuganda, the day when everybody in Rwanda volunteers to help their local community. So I went birdwatching by myself. Not that I don't like the idea of Umuganda, just that I'm officially a volunteer 5 days a week, so I felt no pangs of guilt on my conscience when I took off at dawn for one of the largest eucalypt forests near the capital city.

The forest is atop the largest hill in the vicinity of the capital, which reaches 1850m ( 1°58'7.40"S+ 30° 2'15.10"E). I got there by 6:30 to find good numbers of Cinnamon-chested Bee-eaters picking off the eucalypt bees, including several juveniles still being fed by parents ( http://kilnsey.tripod.com/cinnamon_juv.jpg ). Around were Bronzy Sunbird, Bronze Mannikin, Brimstone Canary, White-browed Robin Chat, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Yellow-fronted Canary and Scarlet-chested Sunbird. The first notable was a lone Streaky Seedeater foraging on low bushes. East of Kigali, I have no records of this species, and in the town itself it's rare. This was the first of 3 birds today, so I suspect its range is restricted by altitude in Rwanda. Above the tree tops I could hear European Bee-eaters warming up with the day. I suspected that they had roosted there, but I went on to hear them all day long. Due to the tree cover, it was difficult to estimate the numbers of individual parties, or indeed to estimate whether they were separate parties, or one bunch of birds taking a sabbatical out of their migration. 3 brief glances above the canopy produced views of 20-40 birds each time. But were they one party?

As I moved into the forest and found some reasonable undergrowth I was surprised to hear a White-browed Scrub-Robin, which I eventually tracked down. Trilling Cisticolas were around, and indeed became one of the commonest species of this woodland. Other birds that were common were: African Paradise-Flycatcher – possibly the commonest species in these woodlands (including just-fledged juvenile), White-eyed Slaty-Flycatcher and Southern Black Flycatcher, which often associated with Fork-tailed Drongo to cause a little confusion for me.

A lone Red-chested Cuckoo was a surprise, followed by lone Green-backed Camaroptera and African Thrush. As I reached the top of the hill, the forest gave way to low scrub with smaller eucalypts and pines. This habitat turned up Thick-billed Seedeater, Tropical Boubou, chasing a pair of puffbacks, which after a little observation of the female and some nice recordings of the male calling turned out to be Northern Puffback. Holub's Golden Weaver, and (finally) Common Bulbul were also here, along with a lone Willow Warbler and a pair of Yellow-throated Longclaws on the more open area.

One of the nicest surprises today was the song of Mackinnon's Shrike/Fiscal (photo above), heard on 3 occasions and recorded. It was a pleasingly melodious but hesitant warble, not at all like most of its scratchy congeners. http://kilnsey.tripod.com/mackinnons.jpg

Black Cuckoo-shrike, both male and female were in a small copse of pine trees overseeing a ground party including no less than 14 Yellow-fronted Canaries. Golden-breasted Bunting were the only other new species here. Back into the eucalypts, I picked up my first Spotted Flycatcher for this autumn. This was followed by a Lesser Honeyguide, seen very close up, but not heard.

After a spot of lunch, I was passing through a dull patch of forest when suddenly a Long-crested Eagle swooped in, followed very closely by a larger eagle. Up and down, over the trees then round and back they came, the Long-crested making an awfully cissy-like racket. It appeared to have something in its claws, that perhaps the eagle wanted. On the second flyby, the eagle gave lovely views of both underside and uppers. It turned out to be a juvenile Tawny Eagle, my first confirmed record for Rwanda, after many suspected birds on the thermals above Akagera. A surprise to confirm this species here, mind.

The most interesting turned up last. As I was recording a Black-crowned Tchagra, one of 3 singing mid-afternoon, I spotted a Narina Trogon! On the branch of a pine tree in mixed pine and eucalypt. It stayed for a few very quick photos before disappearing into a pine thicket. After Marcell's record on his site in Ruhengeri, this is the second record of Narina Trogon in exotic woodland in Rwanda. Most interesting, and as always clumsily enigmatic. One of my favourite birds in Africa. http://kilnsey.tripod.com/narina.jpg

By mid afternoon I'd exhausted the species of this woodland, topping out at just under 50. Not very much. A nice day's birding, but I've gone off eucalypt woodland. Think I'll do Akagera next weekend… again.

Jason