Birding Checklist in Semuliki National Park
Birding Checklist in Semuliki National Park : Semuliki National Park is a truly birding paradise located along the Uganda bordering Democratic Republic of Congo ‘’DRC’’ within the western arm of the Rift Valley. The park was established in 1993 and encompasses 219 square kilometer of East Africa’s only lowland tropical rainforest. Furthermore, Semuliki is one of the richest areas with diversity of floral and faunal species in Africa and also rich in birds and butterfly species . Fact, the Semuliki National Park is managed by the ‘’UWA’’ Uganda Wildlife Authority.
The park lies in a flat to undulating landform that ranges from 670 to 760 meter above sea level. It also experiences an average rainfall of 1,250mm, with peaks in rainfall from the month of March to May and from September to December.
The temperature at the park ranges from 18 to 30 degrees Celsius, with relatively small daily variations.
Semuliki National Park has two hot springs which acts as the main attractions besides the birdlife , one of the springs is named Mumbuga Spring that resembles a geyser by forming a 0.5 meter high fountain and they attracts numerous shorebirds and provide salt licks for range of animals.
The park is home to more than 400 bird species including; lyre-tailed honey guide, Piping Hornbill, white-bellied Kingfisher, spot-breasted Ibis, Long-tailed Hawk, Nkulengu Rail, Western Bronzo -napped Pigeon among others. Semuliki National Park is also home to over 60 mammal species, including hippopotamus, mona monkey, water chevrotain, African civet, African buffalo, leopard, hippopotamus, bush babies, Sitatunga, White-bellied Duiker, Beecroft’s Anomalure, African elephants and Pygmy scaly-tailed flying squirrel many more. More so, the park has eight primate’s species, nocturnal primates include Pottos and Galago’s and about 460 butterfly species, Birding Checklist in Semuliki National Park.
In general, Semuliki National Park has wide number of predominantly Central African species which cannot be seen elsewhere in East Africa and these include; the Long-tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, Lyre -tailed Honeyguide, Nkulengu rail ,Black-wattled Hornbill .There is unconfirmed report of the globally threatened Lesser Kestrel. Although, the area does not quality for the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome but it attracts six species of biome like extreme south of their range such as Red-throated Bee-eater, Piapiac and Purple Glossy-starling. More sixteen bird species of the Guinea Congo Forests biome which commonly seen in the wildlife Wild life reserve same as four species of the Lake Victoria Basin biome.
Other bird species in Semuliki National Park which best spotted in Ituri forests includes ;Blue Swallow ,Swamp Palm Bulbul, White-throated Blue Swallow ,Spotted Greenbul ,Snowy-headed Robin-Chat ,Blue-shouldered Robon-Chat ,Red- eyed Puffback, Capped Wheatear ,Common Stonechat, Blue-shouldered Robin-chat ,Northern Bearded Scrib-Robin ,Abyssinian Ground-Thrush ,Grey Ground-Thrush ,Little Grey Greenbul, Toro Olive Greenbul Mountain Greenbul, Little Grey Greenbul, Western Nicator ,Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike ,petite’s Cickoo-shrike, Sparrowhawk ,Goshawk ,Grant’s Bluebill, Red-thighed sparrowhawk ,Swamp Nightjar ,Cassin Spine tail ,Bate’s Nightjar, Blue-headed Coucal ,Afep pigeon ,White-bellied Kingfisher ,Shining -blue kingfisher ,Gabon woodpecker ,Hairy-breasted Barbet ,Yellow billed Barbet ,Double -toothed Barbet ,Black -billed Barbet few mentioned.
The park stuns with over 46 species of butterfly of forest swallowtails and Charaxes ‘’75%of Uganda’s total’’ and at least 235 species of moths which have been classified here. It is also 305 species of tree recorded and about 125 bird species are Albertine species.
On visit to Semuliki National Park, you can engage in pygmy visit ‘’Batwa people’’ who resides close the Ntandi some years ago, visit other people around the park like Bwamba, Bakonzo, Babwitsi, Batooro and Babutoku.
Accessibility; Travelers can access Semuliki National Park – traveling from Kampala – Fort portal via Mubende which lasts 5 to 6hours drive. or You can use Kampala – Fort portal via Masaka, Mbarara and Kasese, it’s quite long traveling journey that lasts 7 to 8 hours’ drive.
