Eek! from the forest + podcast loading
👋🏼 Hello from my forest nest (as my mum calls it!)
It’s wonderful to be home on the edge of Kibale Forest, reconnecting with nature for a few weeks. Ahhhh, the simple pleasures of dawn chorus (and the snooze button!)
Mind you, I confess: the sight of termites was a rather alarming wake-up call this morning. Eek. We’re loathe to use any chemicals here at Sunbird Hill so let’s hope the application of a few litres of old engine oil will stop their munching of my lovely wooden house… !
I’m back in Kibale Forest after a busy fortnight in Kampala. It was fun to be back in the training room, sharing digital marketing tips with some of the tour operators, lodges and activities that feature in our Travel Directory. My experience co-developing a training curriculum for tour operators (with colleagues from Uganda, South Africa and the Netherlands) has proved very inspiring 🤩
At the same time, we’ve been busy putting the final touches on a brand-new version of Diary of a Muzungu – now live!
Fun fun fun! We took the photo at the top of this page while Bryan Kisembo and I were recording the first podcast episodes here on the edge of Kibale National Park.
I’m thrilled that one of my first podcast interviewees is the British TV sports commentator Rob Walker. I caught up with Rob when he revisited Uganda as a guest of the Uganda Tourism Board. In his interview, he tells us all about his amazing trip: tracking the gorillas in Bwindi, meeting up with his buddy Joshua Cheptegai (and sinking a few Nile Specials!)
During the last Olympics, Rob’s spontaneous live commentary touched the hearts of a nation after Ugandan athlete Joshua Cheptegei won a Gold medal.
And what unadulterated joy this win will have triggered back home in Uganda – one of the friendliest, most beautiful countries you could ever wish to visit!
Rob Walker
If Diary of a Muzungu has been quiet recently, know that we have bigger and better things planned for you! 😉
The podcast launches soon soon. Register for notification when the podcast goes live.
Billing and cooing around Lake Saka, Fort Portal
Pelicans and Great-crested Grebes – monitoring birds at Lake Saka on behalf of NatureUganda
Billing and cooing around Lake Saka – or “more birdwatching with Rog!”
The sight of four Sacred Ibis flying overhead is “a good sign” according to Roger, as we drive down the dusty back roads of Fort Portal towards Lake Saka. “I’m surprised to see them here,” he says. A minute later two Grey Crowned Cranes follow their route. The road to Mountains of the Moon University is so dusty a boda boda drive towards us with a face mask on.
Roger is anxious about what birdlife we’ll see or more correctly what we won’t see at Lake Saka. When he lived in Fort Portal he walked around this lake four times a week. He is concerned at what damage may been done in the year since his visit. Roger is prepared to be disappointed.
We park at the university and within minutes Roger’s face lights up as he hears the sound of a Red-winged Francolin. “I didn’t think they’d still be here!” He says. “There were three pairs here before. It’s the only place I’ve seen them in Uganda.”
At an elevation of 1,576 metres, we are around 400 metre higher than our forest edge home and this is reflected in the different bird species.
Our group of guides and casual birders sets to work following the transects designated for the NatureUganda bird population monitoring. “There’s no time for birdwatching, we have to focus on the transects,” orders Roger. “We can dilly dally later, on our walk back.”
Julia takes notes and Dillon (aged 8 1/2) watches the clock for us.
I spy a Red-eyed Dove on the overhead wire.
“Palm nut Vulture!” Calls Ambrose.
“A Windchat – a migrant.”
A Pink-backed Pelican sits on the surface of the lake. “This is fabulous!” Exclaims Rog.
“African Fish Eagle in the distance” calls Ambrose.
Roger points out the African Stonechat. What a pretty pair of birds they are. The female is quite different to the male and has a reddish pink breast.
Sightings come quickly. There’s no time to watch the birds, only to record them and march on. A small flock of Black and White Manikins sit on bleached ears of maize.
“Chubb’s Cisticola” someone shouts – and a pause to check its ID in Fanshawe’s “Birds of East Africa.”
The striking Baglefecht’s Weaver poses in Erthrynia.
“Ants!” Shouts Dianah. We step over a trail of red (biting) ants across our path.
We walk down a quiet marram path that slopes gently downhill. We’ve been walking for twenty minutes and only passed two of three other people. There are no cars, no boda bodas. All we can hear are the sounds of nature.
In the distance are the misty foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains. A speck of white passes high in the sky, lit by the sun. “Little Egret,” calls Roger.
A Cinnamon-chested Bee eater perches on a branch above our heads.
“Ah BEAUTIFUL… !” Everyone coos at the same time.
“Charlotte – take a photo!”
“There’s no time for birdwatching” Julia shouts sarcastically, mimicking Roger, pushing us on.
There is the sound of running water and the air cools as we cross a small stream. Above it is a large messy Hammerkop nest in the crook of a tree. A man washes his boda boda in the flowing water.
“Isn’t there a law against that?” Muses Roger loudly as we file past the naughty boda driver.
We climb a long slope that opens high above the lake. “African Open-billed Stork!” Ambrose shouts. (I love those prehistoric-looking birds).
A lone cow bellows loudly.
We see another six African Open-billed Storks, then three more. Close by, eleven Bronze Manikins fly through the tall grass. In this lovely unspoiled piece of countryside there are few houses.
“We haven’t found a Grebe yet,” Roger. Despite some good bird sightings, his anxiety persists.
As we wander along the path, the team calls out bird names:
Two Northern Black Flycatchers… Short-winged Cisticola… Yellow-throated Longclaw… Eight Pink-backed Pelicans. “This is brilliant, there only used to be one!” Cries Rog.
I get a close-up shot of a Lavaillant’s Cuckoo in an avocado tree next to the path.
We hear the plaintive sound of cranes in the distance over the lake. A Variable Sunbird perches on the tip of a matooke leaf. “Pretty!” Says Dianah.
Eastern Grey Plantain eater… two Palm Swifts in flight…
“New section guys!” Shouts Julia every few minutes, as she records all the data.
Roger points to a ridge of the Rwenzori Mountains. “I’ve seen Angola Colobus up there,” he says.
I point to a Little Brown Bird. I know what it isn’t but I don’t know what it is. I have a feeling we haven’t counted it yet. “It’s a Tawny-flanked Prinia,” he corrects me, “a type of warbler.”
On Lake Kigere, we see four Yellow-billed ducks and – finally – two Great-crested Grebes!
This is the first in a series of blogs about the NatureUganda bird population monitoring of Kibale Conservation Area, which is carried out twice-yearly by a team from Sunbird Hill. The Kibale Conservation Area comprises Toro Semliki Wildlife Reserve, Semliki National Park, Kibale National Park (Sebitoli, Ngogo Road Kanyanchu, Mainara, Kanyawara), Lake Saka and Lake Bikere and Toro Botanical Gardens in Fort Portal and Katonga Wildlife Reserve.
Our friend Roger Skeen takes centre stage in many of my birding blogs. Here are a few favourites:
A birding safari here in my backyard. Traversing the swamp from Kampala en route to Port Bell
Operation Shoebill – Uganda’s Big Birding Day Mabamba Bay
A disgusting day out – counting vultures in Kampala’s abattoirs
Where shall we go birding next?
A bed full of wings
Life on the edge of Kibale Forest during the rainy season
The chimpanzees of Kibale Forest have been screeching loudly for the past two weeks. I’ve stayed here at Sunbird Hill many times, but never have I heard them so close or so often.
On the drive back from Fort Portal yesterday, Julia stopped the car along the track to her land to enquire what John (in his bright yellow National Resistance Movement T-shirt) was working on. “I’m looking at the chimpanzees,” he said. And there they were, half a dozen of them, high in a medium size fig tree on the boundary of Kibale Forest.
A chimpanzee sits high in a tree in Kibale Forest bordering Sunbird Hill
Chimpanzee climbing down a fig tree, on the edge of Kibale Forest at Sunbird Hill
Today we venture to the forest edge, tracing the sound of the primates. “One of the females may be in oestrus,” says primatologist Julia, trying to explain the exuberant din.
On our walk, we come across a pile of fresh dung – full of industrious dung beetles. Where did the dung come from? We do not find any footprints – either elephant or buffalo – only a broken Albizzia branch. Elephants are known to love Albizzia trees; Julia has seen the elephants in the very same spot before.
We last saw elephants just five minutes’ drive from here. Julia filmed some Forest Elephants crossing the Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road that passes through Kibale Forest. You can see a short clip on the Sunbird Hill Facebook page below.
I saw a Forest Elephant last week too – from the back of a matatu taxi; the Ugandan passengers (particularly the toddler in front of me) were in awe!
Back at Sunbird Hill, we inspect the freshly-cut trails on our walk back towards the Birders’ Lounge. Flowers, flowers, everywhere: we’ve loved the Aloe flower; the Kagelia’s dark red flowers are striking, even beneath the dark canopy. The vantage point from Julia’s towering treehouse office reveals bright red Jatropha flowers that are not visible from the ground. From here, we have watched the Black-crowned Waxbills weave a dainty nest in the mango tree. The entrance is a narrow tunnel, below the nest itself.
Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher incubating eggs on its nest at Sunbird Hill on the edge of Kibale Forest
I’ve never seen so many nesting birds as we see now. The Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher has flown the nest, as has the African Blue Flycatcher. One morning after a heavy storm, Dillon noticed an Olive-bellied Sunbird chick and its nest on the ground. Julia scooped them up (away from the jaws of three dogs and a cat!) and moved them into a safer position. The chick survived. After a week, it was gone… we hope it survived.
It’s quarter to seven in the evening. In the distance I hear the Yellow-spotted Barbet (making a whirring noise, like a woodpecker). Closer by is Easter. We enjoyed his brother Christmas.
I wouldn’t annoy Easter the turkey!
The remaining turkey has had a reprieve. The family has become used to his comical gobbling noises. Easter has been renamed Easter 2019! No-one is in a rush to lose his friendly tones (although 7-year-old Dillon is petrified of this massive bird with an even bigger attitude!)
Today we have had a reprieve from the season’s thunderstorms and drizzle.
April sunset from Butterfly Cottage, Sunbird Hill
After Saturday morning’s heavy rain, we had a fiercely hot few hours of sunshine. Stepping onto the veranda at dusk was like walking into a filmset: my friends sat bathed in orange and pink light, in front of a ravishing backdrop of cotton wool cloud sky and the dark outline of the forest. The magical ambience was enhanced by the flickering of a thousand wings, a flight (can I call them that?) of enswa (white ants). They did not fly but floated, rising upwards from the long green grass (which clearly hid a termite mound!) I opened my eyes wide to take in every second of it.
The romance of the moment was short-lived as we batted away insect after insect, picked enswa from inside our clothes, our drinks and everywhere else!
Thankfully the enswa invasion was short-lived. The next day, the veranda – and even my mattress – was a sea of wings. The ants themselves had vanished.
Nights on the forest edge can be very dark. Last night Venus shone brightly above Kibale Forest.
Like these kinds of photos and stories? Then, let’s meet on the Sunbird Hill Facebook page!
Chasing chimps in Kibale? Then the Bee Hive is your next stop!
The Bee Hive Bar & Bistro Restaurant in Bigodi Town is a hit amongst travellers, tourists and locals.
The Bee Hive is conveniently located directly opposite the Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary, along the excellent Fort Portal to Kamwenge Road. You can’t fail to miss the big brown and honey-coloured striped building!
Looking for a tourist restaurant near Fort Portal? Or somewhere to hang out between chimp tracking in Kibale Forest and Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary Walk?
Just five minutes’ drive from Kanyanchu (the meeting point for tracking chimps in Kibale National Park), The Bee Hive is a great stopover for coffee, tea or cold drinks after tracking the chimpanzees. The reasonably priced restaurant menu includes local favourites like pumpkin soup, goat stew and rolex (omelette in a chapati in case you haven’t tried one yet) as well as international dishes, beers, wine and spirits. On a previous visit, I really enjoyed tucking into the spaghetti bolognese (goat of course!)
If you’re a sports fan, The Bee Hive has a pool table with regular pool competitions. You can also watch sports and international news on their 50″ screen and satellite TV. (The Bee Hive is the only venue in the area with a back-up generator back-up – so you won’t miss any of the TV action).
The Bee Hive is recommended in the Bradt Uganda Guide edition 9, the current edition (2021). “Set in a conspicuous orange and brown two-storey building opposite the Bigodi Swamp Walk office, this pub-like venue has a pool table, a TV for watching Premier League and other major football matches and a first floor veranda offering views to the Rwenzori in clear weather. A tempting menu of stews, curries and grills is supplemented by cheaper burritos, breakfast (including Rolexes), fresh coffee and desserts. Mains in the US 4-5 dollar range.”
As the name hints, The Bee Hive also sells honey that is harvested from beehives positioned on the boundary of Kibale National Park to deter elephants crossing to villagers’ land. You can even take part in the unique “Bees and Elephants Tour” which I describe here in my Travel Directory.
I love these kinds of projects, as regular blog readers will remember from my days as a volunteer in elephant and community conservation. (Honey is such a great present to buy for folks back home).
Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks, I recommend The Bee Hive for good wholesome food, cold drinks (make mine a beer), coffees (Gorilla Conservation Coffee, of course!) ice-cream and a fab view of the countryside. Outside tourist lodges, The Bee Hive is the only restaurant and bar in the area that caters for both local and international tastes.
TIP: If you’re travelling in a group, or want to hold a private meeting call Erias the Manager on +256 (0)785 948488 to reserve your tables.
How to find The Bee Hive
The Bee Hive is midway between Fort Portal and Kamwenge, about 4 km south of Kanyanchu Tourist Centre. To be honest, you can’t miss it! It’s 38 km from Fort Portal and 3.5 km from Sunbird Hill.
For latest updates from the Bee Hive, like the Facebook page.
Love birds, butterflies and chimps? Then don’t miss Sunbird Hill, Kibale Forest edge
Scroll down to read all about the half-day Sunbird Hill Experience!
Sunbird Hill Nature Monitoring & Rewilding Site in western Uganda is a haven for nature enthusiasts that have ticked off the Big Five and are ready to search for the smaller – yet equally impressive – creatures of Uganda.
Sunbird Hill is ideally situated for anyone planning to track the chimpanzees or the Green-breasted Pitta in Kibale Forest or for general birdwatching around Kibale Forest. It’s also a wonderful location to relax and enjoy the pure forest air and the natural sounds emanating from the forest. I’ve been visiting this fabulous part of Uganda regularly since 2009. One definite plus about visiting Sunbird Hill is having the chance to meet Julia Lloyd, the resident primatologist. If you love chimpanzees, you’ll be amazed at her stories of her many years living and working deep in Kibale Forest.
National and international experts who visit Sunbird Hill on a regular basis include ornithologists, lepidopterists, herpetologists, botanists, entomologists and primatologists. Bird ringing (or banding) occurs periodically throughout the year. Bird ringing in Kibale Forest is one of my all-time favourite blogs. Contact me if you’d like to learn more about the next ringing trips.
What is Sunbird Hill?
Sunbird Hill Nature Monitoring & Rewilding Site is situated on 40 acres of private land bordering Kibale Forest. It is just off the Fort Portal – Kamwenge Road, 3 km from Kanyanchu Tourist Centre (base for chimpanzee tracking in Kibale National Park) and 3.5 km from KAFRED at Bigodi Wetlands Sanctuary.
Julia writes:
We are a British-Ugandan family passionate about wildlife and conservation. Our compound is a traditional open plan dwelling, with grass thatched houses, a treehouse, a “camp kitchen” and the Birders Lounge. Guests are welcome to stay in one of the three elevated thatched cottages – with expansive views into Kibale Forest – to house visiting biology experts. These are open to the occasional tourist too.
Sunbird Hill is regenerating farmland. This, and its location on the edge of the forest, means the land has numerous microhabitats that give it a high species richness: plants, insects, amphibians, reptiles and mammals and our main passion: birds. Species lists are constantly being updated, and so far we have recorded 16 of the 38 sunbird species listed for Uganda. Our local naturalists, together with ornithologists Roger Skeen and Malcolm Wilson, have recently pushed our bird species list to 295! (A sighting of a lemon dove particularly delighted our Rog).
We know there are many more birds yet to be identified at Sunbird Hill (and we challenge all visitors to add to our bird list!) We know that NatureUganda members will definitely add many more ticks to our list. We are proud winners of the 24 hour Big Birding Day four years in a row (in the category Outside Protected Areas / Private Site).
Calls from wild chimpanzees are regularly heard, especially at night and early in the morning when chimps call out to each other from their night nests (making ‘contact calls’ as they are known in the primatological world). These primates are often seen when the fig tree at the end of our garden is laden with fruit; half of the tree’s canopy is in Kibale Forest National Park. Often elephants can be heard breaking trees during their nightly forages whilst the distinct calls of the Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl and Black-shouldered Nightjar reveal their identity.
Activities at Sunbird Hill
The Sunbird Hill Experience: explore our nature trails on the edge of Kibale Forest
The Birders Lounge
The Birders Lounge is a large thatched bird-themed shelter that houses our growing reference library and covers topics including: ornithology, mammalogy, primatology, entomology, herpetology, and botany, as well as ecology, conservation and African travel. Comfortable chairs, desks and work benches are surrounded by Ugandan natural history paraphernalia. The garden around the Birders Lounge is full of native and naturalised flowering plants carefully selected to nurture a diversity of birds and butterflies – perfect for the armchair nature enthusiast (and those of you with heavy photographic equipment!) Our bird baths, bird hide, butterfly mud puddle and pond just keep pushing our species lists up!
Paths wind through the 40 acres of land that borders Kibale Forest taking you through forest edge, woodland, bushland, grassland, farmland, wetland, and riverine habitats. (Pre-booked) visitors are invited to follow the nature trails with one of our expert naturalist site guides.
Sunbird Hill was set up to support the local NGO In the Shadow of Chimpanzees. Our concept is that national and international experts train our Sunbird Hill team. Our team pass this learning onto the youth of our Village Bird Clubs. Wildlife identification and information sharing inspire conservation.
In the Shadow of Chimpanzees has created a number of initiatives on the section of Sunbird Hill land that is dedicated to community use. They include a butterfly house and gardens, medicinal plant garden, bee hives, elephant trench and village football pitch.
On the Sunbird Hill Experience, one of the highly knowledgeable naturalist site guides will point out and provide insightful information on birds, butterflies, moths and plants as well as the occasional primate, reptile and amphibian sighting. What cannot be identified during the walk is photographed and identified at Sunbird Hill’s extensive reference library back at the Birders Lounge.
Guess who are staying overnight at Sunbird Hill Nature Monitoring & Rewilding Site are welcome to join nocturnal nature adventures with the team, as well as a nature walk the following morning before heading back to the Birders Lounge for refreshments, consultation with the reference books and documentation of our findings. As the birds quieten down, the birding morphs into butterflying, an interest that has been growing rapidly among our naturalist site guides.
Recommended activities within a few minutes of Sunbird Hill
We live in a truly Ugandan village environment so if you would like to see more of the rural village of Kyabakwerere, a member of our staff will be happy to escort you.
Chimpanzee Tracking (Kanyanchu Tourist Centre, Kibale National Park), Swamp Walk in Bigodi (managed by KAFRED, the original and best provider) and Tooro Cultural Museum (Bigodi) are less than 10 minutes drive from Sunbird Hill.
Accommodation at Sunbird Hill
Eat in or out at Sunbird Hill
The Treehouse and three elevated cottages are available on a ‘bed only’ basis. There is a well-equipped Camp Kitchen available for your use.
Alternatively, Kiconcos Kitchen can provide simple meals when booked in advance at 30,000 UGX per lunch and 35,000 UGX per dinner per person. A special breakfast can be prepared by our homeschooled teenager Dillon for 25,000 UGX.
How much does it cost to visit Sunbird Hill?
The elevated cottages are based on two adults sharing. Add $20 per extra person (each elevated cottage has one double and two single beds). (The construction of the cottage makes it unsuitable for little children).
The Treehouse – everyone’s childhood dream! – is cosy and self-contained with one double bed and is based on 2 people sharing.
Rates include accommodation, access to the Birders Lounge for armchair birding, use of the reference library and bird hide and a walk with our expert naturalist site guides.
The Sunbird Hill Experience fees include tea and coffee and nibbles at the Birders Lounge. Cold beers, sodas, local gin tots and snacks are available at extra cost.
Please note: access to the nature trails is strictly only available to visitors who are accompanied by our site guides and who have booked and paid in advance. Be aware that you are not allowed to enter Kibale National Park from Sunbird Hill.
Discounts are available to members of NatureUganda, NatureKenya, East African Natural History Society, Explorers’ Club, Lepidoptera Club of Africa & African Bird Club. (Proof of membership required). “We want you naturalists here!” Says Julia.
Directions. How to get to Sunbird Hill
Sunbird Hill is 3 km from Kanyanchu Tourist Centre, Kibale National Park and is 3.5 km from Bigodi off the Fort Portal-Kamwenge Road.
Keep up to date with Sunbird Hill via their Facebook page or WhatsApp +256 (0)701 577784 to make an enquiry. Booking in advance is essential.
Diary of a Muzungu adds:
Sunbird Hill is a favourite destination of mine. If you love nature and are looking for an authentic experience, in a relaxed homestay environment, this is it. Sunbird Hill isn’t run as a lodge so isn’t for your mainstream tourist. Early mornings are filled with splendid forest birdsong. At night you often hear the PANT HOOTS of chimps from the forest. It’s magical! In fact, it is the biggest inspiration behind the East Africa Travel Podcast. (And if you’re serious about birding then you can’t miss a trip to this lovely corner of western Uganda).
