Best Time for birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth Park
The best time for birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth National Park is that time of the year when birdwatchers can have a great birding experience within the park. Every birder that is intending to have a safari in Queen Elizabeth National Park must know when it’s the most appropriate time to visit the park so that they get to have a good birding experience. Well, today we are going to look at different months of the year when birders should visit Queen Elizabeth National Park and have a great time within the park. The national park is open for bird watching at any time of the year but there are seasons that are good for the activity.
Queen Elizabeth National Park has the dry season which happens from June to September and December to February and it has a lot gotten the rainy season which happens from March to May and October to November. These seasons are all good because birds will still be seen in the park. The dry season is good because it has no rainfall, the vegetation is short and dry, and birding trails are dry at the same time the rainy season is good because there are so many bird species in the park including the migratory ones because of plenty of food since it’s always the fruiting season.
What makes the dry season good for bird watching is little or no rainfall, short vegetation cover, and dry walking trails. The rainy season might not be good because the trails are muddy and slippery, vegetation is tall and the rainy fall is much but tourists do get discounted accommodation facilities. The lodges reduce prices to attract a few tourists that are within the park and this will reduce the safari budget.
The birdwatching seasons in the Park
Dry season
One of the best time for birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth National Park is from late May to September and this is because there is little or no rainfall in the park and the food is plenty. The temperature in the park is warm and the birding trails are dry and easily passable. During the dry season, the weather is very good with good sightings, and photography is very clear so you will be able to take good pictures of the birds.
During the dry season, the vegetation is very short in that birds that are very far away can still be seen using a pair of binoculars. There are few or no migratory birds within the park but there are over 600 birds that good birders will be able to see in the different birding spots within the park.
During the dry season, when there is little to no rainfall, short vegetation, and dry trekking trails, is the best time of year for birdwatchers who plan to visit Queen Elizabeth National Park for bird watching and other activities.
Those who enjoy bird watching and other activities should consider visiting Queen Elizabeth National Park during the dry season when there is little to no rainfall, minimal vegetation, and dry, navigable trails.
Wet season- Best Time for birdwatching in Queen Elizabeth Park
Although the wet season is not ideal for birdwatching at Queen Elizabeth National Park, November through April are excellent months. These are rainy months with a lot of precipitation, which makes the birding trails muddy and slick. The heavy vegetation makes it difficult to see distant birds, but having migrating species in the park makes these months ideal for birdwatching.
Since there are more bird species in the park when migrating birds are present, you may view both the daily visitors and the birds that travel great distances. Birds that migrate to Queen Elizabeth National Park from Europe and Asia to avoid the harsh winters include flamingos, raptors, black terns, storks, waders, and passerines, among others.
The birding activity in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Armed ranger guides lead visitors to various parts of Queen Elizabeth National Park for the guided activity of bird watching. In Queen Elizabeth National Park, sites include the Kasenyi plains, Katunguru bridge, Lake Kikorongo, Katwe area, Ishasha, Kyambura gorge, Maramagambo woodland, and Kazinga channel are among the places where people go bird viewing.
Since different bird species inhabit different parts of the park, you will be able to see as many of them as possible when taking nature walks. To view distant bird species, bird enthusiasts are asked to move with the camera, binoculars, and sounder recorders. If you are an experienced birder, you can see the majority of the species by visiting three or more birding locations.
Birds of Queen Elizabeth National Park
About 600 birds seek refugee in Queen Elizabeth National Park, including Squacco Heron, Scarce Swift, Africa Pygmy Goose, African Palm Swift, Shoebill Stork, Yellow-billed stork, Pennant Winged Nightjar, Comb Duck, yellow-throated cuckoo, Greater flamingo, Freckled Nightjar, Senegal Coucal, Klaas’s cuckoo, little bittern, African Darter, Mozambique Nightjar, little swift, rufous billed heron, striated heron, Nubian Nightjar, Mottled spine-tailed swift, Diederik cuckoo, and Black Cuckoo.
Abidim’s stork, white-rumped swift, Allen’s gallinule, African crake, lesser moorhen, common swift, black-crowned night heron, red-chested cuckoo, African swift, mottle swift, African cuckoo, plain night jar, African rail, European white stork, water thick-knee, slender-tailed nightjar, African finfoot, woolly-necked stork, sabine-tailed swift, and African sacred ibis are among the other birds found in Queen Elizabeth National Park.
Great blue turaco, Madagascar Pond Heron common moorhen, Eurasian spoonbill, little ringed plover, dusky long-tailed cuckoo, common quail, great cormorant, white-fronted plover, nahan’s francolin, grey heron, swamp nightjar, African black coucal, kittlitz plover, black-billed bustard, Senegal thick-knee, yellow bill, hadada ibis, marabou stork, spotted thick-knee, glossy ibis, white-spotted fluff tail, and little egret.
Caspian plover, red-chested fluff tail black crake, intermediate egret, helmeted guinea fowl, horus swift, Jacobin cuckoo, purple heron, ross’s turaco, cattle egret, saddle-billed stork, eastern plantain eater, little grebe, great egret goliath heron, African open bill, Fraser’s plover, black-headed lapwing, levaillant’s cuckoo, grey plover, three-banded plover, blue-headed coucal, and great spotted cuckoo.
Black Billed Turaco, Spur-winged lapwing, long-tailed cormorant, African spoonbill, white-brown coucal, great white pelican, hamerkop, black heron, dwarf bittern, Denham’s bustard, white crested tiger, buff-spotted fuff tail, pacific golden plover, Black-winged stilt, alpine swift, hilderbrandt’s francolin, bare-faced go-away bird, fiery necked nightjar, pied avocet, white crested turaco, common ringed plover, and the Grey Crowned Crane.
Long-toed Lapwing, Caspian plover, red chested fluff tail, intermediate egret, helmeted guinea fowl, horus swift, Jacobin cuckoo, purple heron, ross’s turaco, cattle egret, saddle-billed stork, little grebe, goliath heron, Forbes plover, black-headed lapwing, black crake, levaillant’s cuckoo, grey plover, three-banded plover, black-headed heron, great egret, blue-headed coucal, great spotted cuckoo, eastern plantain eater, and African open bill.
