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 

The Uganda Meander

The Murchison National park is suited in the northern part of Albertine Rift Valley. A place where the massive Bunyoro escarpment amalgamate into the enormous plains of Acholi land. It’s well known to be one of Uganda’s ancient conservation areas. In 1926, it was known as a game reserve set up to protect the savannah grassland that was talked about by Winston Church chill in 1907.

Uganda Meander by Corne Schalkwyk 

I wanted to ensure that I get a photo that reflects these vast grasslands that the area is known for, and this buffalo made for a great accent to show the wildlife as well. 

 

Ground level Lizard

Photography can become a great adventure at times. This was one of those adventures along the Kazinga channel in Queen Elizabeth national park in Uganda.

I spotted this Nile monitor also referred to as a water leguaan from the boat as we passed an enclave on the banks of the channel, and hopped off into the shallow water to get a closer look. I decided that this would be a great opportunity to use a smaller lens and get up close and personal. The lizard had incredible colouration and patterning on its skin and I wanted to bring that out.

Nile monitor by Corne Schalkwyk

This in turn meant getting closer that I would normally do in the wild, especially since the water was full of crocks, undeterred I sneaked up (basically crawled) up to the monitor lizard, that surprised me by holding his position. I’m very happy with this photo that really brings out the colour and skin texture as I played around with focus points. 

If you want to visit the area contact Premier Safaris at reservations@premiersafaris.com or have a look at the western wonderland trip on their website at www.premiersafaris.com   

First Sight of the “hairy People”

This photo of the black back of the Mubare Family has become one of my favourite photos. In part its due to the fact that it was taken on my first ever encounter with a Mountain gorilla family. But its more than that.

We had a very difficult trip up the mountain to reach this family and I really had to work for this one. The photo also shows the difficulty in photographing these critically endangered animals or “hairy people” as I love to call them in the wild.

First sight by Corne Schalkwyk 

 The photo achieved international acclaim that is ongoing and was featured in different magazine articles and will also be part of DHL’s calendar of 2014.

It’s become the face of Premier Safaris gorilla focused Safaris and – you can also see more of the photos and my account in the official magazine for the Bidvest Lounges at the airports in Southern Africa (Interestingly also called Premier Magazine) 

http://www.premiersafaris.com/sites/default/files/files/blog/gorillas.pdf 

www.premiersafaris.com if you wanted to see these animals up close and personal 

The misty covered mountains

Bwindi Impenetrable National Park lies in south-western region of  Uganda on the edge of the Rift Valley. Its mist-covered hillsides are blanketed by one of Uganda's oldest and most biologically diverse rain-forests, which dates back over 25,000 years and contains almost 400 species of plants. More famously, this “impenetrable forest” also protects an estimated 320 mountain gorillas – roughly half of the world’s population, including several habituated groups, which can be tracked.

Misty covered hills on route to the rain forests  by  Corne Schalkwyk 

 This biologically diverse region also provides shelter to a further 120 mammals, including several primate species such as baboons and chimpanzees, as well as elephants and antelopes. There are around 350 species of birds hosted in this forest, including 23 Albertine Rift endemics.