Gorilla Tracking

Mountain Gorilla in Uganda - Bwindi forest 

This is a strenuous activity and one should be physically fit to enjoy gorilla trekking.  Professional guides from UWA (Uganda wildlife authority) will accompany groups of no more than 8 but porters are available to carry personal belongings. 

While possession of a gorilla permit is a guarantee of joining a trek, its not however a guarantee that you will be able to find or view gorillas. Nature and animals are unpredictable and unforeseen circumstances could lead to difficult or unsuccessful trips (Its a rare occurrence but a remote possibility). 

The permits allow for one hour with the gorillas (thus from the time you allocate the family in the rain-forests in Uganda) 

No flash photography is allowed and fast film is therefore recommended (minimum 400-1600 ASA). Personal DVD recorders are allowed. Special arrangements need to be made for professional film makers, and filming permits are required for commercial photography and filming.

We strongly recommend a breathable and lightweight rain jacket or poncho, a warm jacket or fleece for overcast days and evening, long-sleeved shirt and trousers, sturdy waterproof walking boots (seasoned or well worn footwear - don't try out those new shoes you just had to have, you will regret this), leather gardening-type or lightweight gloves, sunscreen, cap or sun hat, sunglasses, insect repellent, comfortable day pack for carrying water and minimum amount of personal items. 

Its all in the eyes of this great Ape - Mountain Gorilla in Uganda 

 Keep the following in mind if you want to visit the mountain gorillas in Uganda:

Minimum age is fifteen years to qualify for a Gorilla trekking permit. Anyone with signs of communicable disease like a cough or runny nose will not be allowed to trek. (This is to protect the mountain gorillas from transmittal of disease) 

Chimps and gorillas are highly susceptible to human diseases and it is therefore essential that you declare all illnesses and seek our advice if you are unsure. National Park Authorities reserve the right to deny access to individuals they consider unfit to accompany any activity.

Swing over to Uganda and make your dreams come true 

For more information you can contact Premier Safaris based in Uganda - they specialize in primate Safaris in Uganda and Rwanda. www.premiersafaris.com enquiries@premiersafaris.com  

Some great examples of those bucket-list Safaris we always dream about when we think of the tropical rain forest in Africa. 

The ultimate Uganda and Rwanda 

http://www.premiersafaris.com/ultimate-uganda-and-rwanda.html

The intimate gorilla by Premier Safaris that also made the CNN travel list of must do "Bucket-list" trips for 2015. 

http://www.premiersafaris.com/dr-gladys-intimate-gorilla-experience.html 

Sh*t happens!

Every organism has its role in nature but perhaps none are more important than the much loved dung beetle.  Its role as the bush sanitation engineer has raised its lowly profile to gargantuan proportions and every safari goer gleans as much pleasure from watching their ball rolling antics as they do from seeing the mighty elephant. 

Dung Beetle by Corne Schalkwyk while on Safari with PremierSafaris 

If you want to learn the intricacies of nature or just emerge yourself in true wilderness areas make sure to speak to the bush guys at www.ecotraining.co.za 

Great link to grow your knowledge of the humble, yet hardworking beetle 

http://ecotrainingblog.blogspot.com/2015/02/sht-happens-dung-beetles-role-in-nature.html

Calling all “Birders”

The date is set, and the microcosm of Africa is fluffing its feathers to showcase its birding. 

Pied Kingfisher by Corne Schalkwyk 

Uganda’s “Big Birding Day” for 2014 is upon us. Make sure to incorporate this great event annually into your birding dairy. Its sure to become part of the bucket list of every birder internationally.

Africa's best birding destination for birders and other nature enthusiasts. 

With more bird species per square kilometre than any other country in Africa. The country boasts an impressive national birds’ list of about 1060 species in a space of approximately 236,000sqm. This figure represents nearly half the bird species that can be found in the whole of Africa. With this number of bird species mainly in protected areas, a birding trip around Uganda is the most rewarding in the east and central tropical birding destinations.

Speckled mouse bird by C.T Schalkwyk

The bird counting exercise is conducted annually across hot birding spots in the country from mid-night to mid-night i.e. 24 hours. Participants look for and listen out for different species which they then include in their list of birds seen or heard. This year, all groups will be led by a professional bird guide to authenticate and confirm the records. It’s a great way to “up” your birding to a new level and learn from the local guides.

The Big Birding Day 2014 will be celebrated on 29th of November 2014 under the theme; “Birds & People, Friends for Life”. They will have a flag off & public lecture event on 27th November and the results will be announced on 6th December 2014 at the Uganda Museum.

Egrets on the bank of the White Nile in Uganda - Photo by Corne Schalkwyk.

This year’s “Big Birding Day” Exercise will be graced by renowned international birders from the United Kingdom and the United States of America which are the two biggest bird watchers’ source markets worldwide. 

The invited international birders have a wide following of their fellow birders all over the world and Uganda believes that by them experiencing birding in Uganda, they will be able to spread the Uganda birding experience worldwide. The country expects an influx of birders as a result of this exercise in addition to the normal Safari tourists and Gorilla trekking Safari clients.

For more information please contact: Tel: 0414 342 196/7 Email: utb@tourismuganda.info

Grey crowned or crested crane nesting , Uganda's National bird by Corne Schalkwyk

Premier Safaris will also lead specialist Birding tours to incorporate the birding day within their Uganda Meaner Safaris 

Children of the Kazinga Channel

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and we felt as if we were returning one of their own. Smiling faces and loud greetings are exchanged as we disembark to explore the village and its people. 

Below are some of the images taken along the Kazinga channel in Uganda while we visited the fishing village. 

Running along the waters edge by Corne Schalkwyk 

Faces of the children along the channel by Corne Schalkwyk 

Young girl at the fishing village by Corne Schalkwyk

For the full story please read the travel blog: http://travelcorne.blogspot.com/2014/09/the-fishing-village.html 

Social media links @cornepremier and FB https://www.facebook.com/pages/CT-Schalkwyk-Photography/161674203990102 

Capture the essence of birds

Getting that shot!

Fish Eagle taking flight along the Kazinga Channel by Corne Schalkwyk 

Surely, the most celebrated technical challenge in bird photography must be that of capturing crisp images of birds in flight. Though I personally find static portrait shots of birds at rest to be just as pleasing aesthetically, there is no doubting the dynamic power of a well-executed flight shot in the mind of the typical viewer. 

Birds are, after all, the dominant flying vertebrates, so in some sense the flight shot might be said to more fully capture the essence of the living bird.

Although still a novice at this, spending countless hours trying to capture this elusive “essence”, I can state it doesn't come your way without some hard work on the ground.

Bird photography is regarded by many as the most challenging branch of wildlife photography, and taking pictures of birds in flight is certainly the most difficult type of bird photography. With the right techniques, though, your hit rate for flight shots can be dramatically improved, making it possible to capture birds at their most spectacular.

African skimmers over the Kazinga channel by Corne Schalkwyk 

 What I have learned: Photographing birds in flight poses a real challenge for cameras and lenses. They have to be able to focus on rapidly-moving targets and stay locked on to them long enough to enable images to be captured, even if the bird flies in front of ‘distracting’ backgrounds. They have to be able to automatically set a correct exposure in fast-changing scenes and operate with shutter speeds fast enough to freeze the action. Finally, to give you a reasonable chance of getting a shot with the bird’s wings in a decent position, they need to be able to capture a burst of images in rapid succession.

Female Pied Kingfisher ready to dive by Corne Schalkwyk 

Flight shots are possible with most DSLR/lens combinations but, again, there are restrictions on the types of flight shots that can be handled by budget to mid-range gear. Almost all DSLRs can use shutter speeds of 1/4000th second or faster, which is fast enough to freeze virtually all flight action. They can also rattle off three or more frames per second, which will give you a reasonable burst of well-timed shots. Where budget models struggle, though, is with autofocus ability, making it very difficult to lock on to and track your subject.

This doesn’t mean you can’t get decent flight shots with this gear, but does mean that you will need to work hard on your technique and your hit rate may still be low but its possible (These photos were taken with a very basic Nikon D3100 that made it easy for me to carry and handle on a relatively small boat on the Kazinga channel)

Weaver bird landing at my breakfast at Mweya Safari lodge Uganda By Corne Schalkwyk 

For Safaris in Uganda including boat Safaris on the Nile and the Kazinga channel contact Premier Safaris. Website: www.premiersafaris.com (They have great specialist for birding Safaris as well) 

One of the best itineraries to use is the Uganda meander – 11 days of the best of Uganda.

For accommodation in these areas contact Marasa Africa who have great lodges in in the best locations within the national parks of East Africa: www.marasa.net 

Landing by Corne Schalkwyk 

African buffalo in Kenya #wildlifewednesday

#wildlifewednesday

This large African bovine is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, and its ancestry remains.

Due in large to its unpredictable nature, which makes it highly dangerous to humans; the African buffalo has never been domesticated unlike its Asian counterpart, the Asian buffalo.

Kenya Buffalo by Corne Schalkwyk 

The horns of African buffalo are very peculiar. A characteristic feature of them is the adult bull’s horns have fused bases, forming a continuous bone shield referred to as a “boss’, which cannot always be penetrated even by a rifle bullet. From the base, the horns diverge, then bend down, and then smoothly curve upwards and outwards.

When a herd member is attacked, others will rush to its defense. Collectively a number of buffalo are more than capable to stave off an attack by an entire pride of lions. A wounded buffalo bull is regarded as most dangerous by hunters, and is one of the reasons why this animal is included into the so-called ‘big five’. This trait is the origin of many hunting adventures, myths and legends.

Buffalo mud bath by Corne Schalkwyk - Queen Elizabeth National park Uganda 

I have always had a fascination with Buffalo and will always make time to get a good photo of a buffalo while on Safari. 

The below photo is part of Premier Safari's offering referred to as the Uganda Meander. I took the photo while travelling with Premier to explore Murchison falls National park in Uganda. 

Uganda Meander Premier Safaris

We stayed at Paraa and Chobe Safari lodges (both owned by Marasa Africa lodges based in East Africa) 

Premier Safaris website: www.premiersafaris.com 

Marasa Africa Lodges: www.marasa.net 

The “ugly ducklings” of the bird family

Let’s face it, most people are not smitten by vultures but despite your opinion of these birds, they are vitally important scavengers.

Lappet-faced vultures in Uganda by Corne Schalkwyk 

Research in East Africa has shown that carcasses decompose almost twice as fast when vultures forage at carcasses as opposed to carcasses where vultures are not present. If vultures were to go extinct, carcasses may persist longer in the environment and this could have a number of consequences for the health of wildlife, livestock and humans.

Did you know that Rüppell's & Lappet-faced vultures are the only two species of vultures that can open up carcasses?

Lappet-faced vulture flying over Queen Elizabeth National park by Corne Schalkwyk 

Lappet-faced Vulture uses its strong bill to tear up skin and tendons. It also steals food to other raptors feeding close to him. It often feeds first, because it is the most adapted to tear up the skin and starting the feast. The strong, large bill easily tears up the flesh, and thanks to the bare head and neck, it is able to dig about into the carcasses without blood on its feathers.    

 If you are a birder and would like to do a birding Safari in East Africa contact Premier Safaris or visit their website at www.premiersafaris.com

For the best Safaris in Uganda and Rwanda make sure to speak to Premier Safaris. Also have a look at the Uganda Meander “Best of Uganda Safari” 

http://www.premiersafaris.com/itineraries/uganda-meander-11-days-best-uganda 

#BirdingUganda #PremierSafari