ชมไปกินไป: Uganda Birding DAY8

Uganda DAY8

Entebbe

Botanical Gardens🌿

“เช้านี้เรามีเวลาครึ่งวันในการเข้าเยี่ยมชม โบตานิคอลของที่นี้แบบชิลชิลเพราะอยู่ใกล้ที่พักและสนามบิน และก็ไม่ผิดหวังเรายังได้เพิ่มนกใหม่ในลิสต์อีกหลายชนิด ทั้งมีเวลาเหลือไปช๊อปของฝากก่อนขึ้นเครื่องได้อีกด้วย”

Welcome to the historical Entebbe Botanic Gardens, located at Entebbe, Uganda, East African Region.

Entebbe Botanic Gardens (EBG) was established in 1898 as Uganda’s first agricultural research unit. The Gardens occupy an area of 40.7 hectares spanning a long shore line of approximately 1.5 km of Lake Victoria. The Gardens were established for the purpose of receiving and assembling economically important agricultural commodities like cotton, rubber, cocoa, tea, coffee and spices to test their potential as key drivers of economic transformation. The Gardens currently have a total holding of over 500 plant species including both exotic and indigenous. These plants are categorized into indigenous and exotic fruits, medicinal, beverage, spices, ornamentals, timber, oils and important crop wild relatives, several of these threatened in the wild and agro-ecosystems.

EBG endeavors to promote the knowledge and appreciation of plants for scientific research, education, awareness and recreation purposes.

This Botanic Garden is the oldest national Botanic Garden in Uganda, strategically located at the 'entrance' into this country - the Entebbe International Airport. It takes only Three minutes’ drive from the international airport and you are already in a cool welcoming environment that will take away all your jetlag and initiate you into Uganda's well-known hospitability.

A wonderful bird paradise

The Entebbe Botanical gardens an exceptional bird paradise and thus suitable for birding adventures. As you stroll through the gardens, you will be welcomed by the sweet melodies from the birds around you. There are about 115 bird species that inhabit the gardens. Some of them include; red chested sun birds, black headed Gonolek, common squaco, black headed gull, swamp fly catcher, yellow billed duck, giant king fishers, pied King fishers, long tailed Cormorant, African open billed stork, black headed heron, orange weavers, the Verreaux’s eagle owl (Africa’s largest owl) and several others. As you embark on your birding adventure, it is advisable to have a pair of binoculars and an ornithology book with you for a much better experience.

The Entebbe Botanical gardens established at the turn of the 20th century – in 1898 by the first curator called Whyte, close to the shores of Lake Victoria. Furthermore, the gardens are divided into different zones. Including the rain forest zone which formed the backdrop to scenes from the Tarzan films that featured Johnny Weissmuller in the 1940s.

Additionally, they were put in place as a paradise for flowers, trees and plants, which were not only native to Uganda but also from other tropical parts of the world.

cattle egrets are found in Entebbe, Uganda, and are frequently sighted near Lake Victoria and at locations like the Entebbe Botanical Gardens. They are common birds in the area, often seen in both open, drier habitats and along water bodies.

Pied kingfisher

Holub's golden weaver (Ploceus xanthops), also known as the African golden weaver

The spectacled weaver (Ploceus ocularis) is a species of bird in the family Ploceidae. It is found widely in woodland, forest edge and gardens of central, eastern and south-eastern Africa, but is absent from the most arid regions (such as the Karoo) and dense, primary rainforest. This common species breeds in solitary pairs, and both sexes are bright yellow, have an olive-yellow back, black "spectacles" and pale eyes. The male has a black throat.

Several species of warblers can be found in the Entebbe area, particularly in habitats such as the Entebbe Botanical Garden and the nearby swamps

The amethyst sunbird, also called the black sunbird (Chalcomitra amethystina), is a species of passerine bird in the family Nectariniidae. It is native to the Afrotropics, mostly south of the equator.They are commonly found in well-watered habitats, and undertake seasonal movements to visit flowering woodlands. The demise of some woodlands have impacted their numbers locally, but their range has also expanded along with the spread of wooded gardens.

The southern black flycatcher (Melaenornis pammelaina) is a small passerine birdof the genus Melaenornis in the flycatcher family, Muscicapidae, native to open and lightly wooded areas of eastern and southern Africa.

The eastern plantain-eater (Crinifer zonurus) also known as the eastern grey plantain-eater, is a large member of the turaco family, a group of large arboreal near-passerine birds restricted to Africa.

The spectacular gardens located at the Equator line – at the shores of Lake Victoria. The second largest fresh water lake in the world, covering an area of around 2 kilometres along the shores.

The African thrush or West African thrush (Turdus pelios) is a passerine bird in the thrush family Turdidae. It is common in well-wooded areas over much of the western part of sub-Saharan Africa, it was once considered to be conspecific with the olive thrush but that species has now been split further. Populations are resident

The marabou stork (Leptoptilos crumenifer) is a large wading bird in the stork family Ciconiidae native to sub-Saharan Africa. It breeds in both wet and arid habitats, often near human habitation, especially landfill sites. It is sometimes called the "undertakerbird" due to its shape from behind: cloak-like wings and back, skinny white legs, and sometimes a large white mass of "hair".

The Egyptian goose (Alopochen aegyptiaca) is an African member of the Anatidaefamily including ducks, geese, and swans. Because of their popularity chiefly as an ornamental bird, the species has also been introduced to Europe, the United States and elsewhere outside their natural range.

The grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus), also known as the Congo grey parrot, is an African parrot in the family Psittacidae. It was previously also known as the African grey parrot until the Timneh parrot (Psittacus timneh), previously treated as a subspecies, was elevated to a full species.

The African cuckoo or African grey cuckoo (Cuculus gularis) is a species of cuckooin the family Cuculidae. It is found in Sub-Saharan Africa where it migrates within the continent, generally arriving and breeding in any one locality during the rainy season. A fairly common bird, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has rated its conservation status as being of "least concern".

The bat hawk (Macheiramphus alcinus) is a raptor found in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia to New Guinea. It is named for its diet, which consists mainly of bats.^[2] It requires open space in which to hunt, but will live anywhere from dense rainforest to semi-arid veld.

The great blue turaco (Corythaeola cristata)

The species ranges from Guinea in the west, and east across the sub-Saharan nations to the Imatong Mountains in South Sudan; it also occurs in Uganda, Tanzania and western Kenya, south to the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola. It inhabits rainforests and gallery forests. It has also adapted to areas cleared by humans and can thrive in these areas.

High light of the day

Ross's turaco or Lady Ross's turaco (Tauraco rossae) is a mainly bluish-purple African bird of the turaco family, Musophagidae.

This species expresses very little sexual dimorphism, with both males and females being the same deep shade of blue with red head crowns and flight feathers. Females can have slightly more yellow-green beaks while males always have a bright yellow, with both having a forehead shield that flares to a medium orange. Their wings are round and short, best for short bursts of powered flight. They have black legs with three forward facing toes; with a fourth toe being semi-zygodactylous, which makes them nimble canopy dwellers. Size can vary from 15 to 18 inches and weigh just under one pound. They are considered very sturdy birds that can live anywhere from 8 to 20 years. Sources on life spans tend to vary.

These birds are largely frugivorous, consuming mostly the fruits, flowers, and seeds of both wild and cultivated plants. They are known for being one of the biggest seed spreaders in the region. They will also eat small insects like termites and snails; especially around brooding season. Their family name (Musophagidae) actually means "plantain eater" which is a misnomer, because they rarely gravitate to banana or plantain trees. They actually prefer figs over most things. Due to their opportunistic feeding style, they are considered pests in most areas because they can easily destroy crops and gardens.