1 DAY LUTEMBE BAY BIRDING TOUR

Lutembe bay is located in Wakiso district, Uganda, and is among the critical wetland systems in the Lake Victoria basin. It was designated as a Ramsar site in 2006 based on its importance as a habitat for migratory birds and seven globally threatened bird species including Papyrus Yellow Warbler, Papyrus Gonolek Shoebill, African Skimmer, Pallid Harrier, Great Snipe, and Madagascar Squacco Heron.

Lutembe is blessed with both water and savannah birds, the area is ideal for bird watching is the Lutembe bay, and the area around the beach plus a boat ride towards the Rose bird flower gardens which gives us exposure to the water birds. Regular waterfowl counts since 1993 show a total of 108 waterbird species at the site, of which 26 are Palearctic migrants, and its ability to regularly support thousands of roosting water birds, qualified it both an IBA and a Ramsar Site.

It has a record of eight of the twelve species of the Lake Victoria Basin biome that occur in Uganda. Occasional records of the Shoebill Stork, Tawny Pipit, and the Madagascar Squacco Heron also exist. The Purple Starling, House Sparrow, Brown Twinspot, Fawn-breasted Waxbill, Black-necked Weaver, Holub’s Golden Weaver, Speckle-breasted Woodpecker, Africa-Pygmy Kingfisher, Scaly Francolin, Black Kite, Grey-backed Fiscal, Black-headed Gonolek, Black-crowned Waxbill, Barn Swallow, Helmeted Guineafowl, Wire-tailed Swallow, Brimstone and the Yellow-fronted Canaries, Little Ringed Plover, Collared Pratincole, Splendid Sterling, Blue-spotted Wood-dove, Pin-tailed Whydah, Yellow-browed Camaroptera, Common Waxbill, Marico Sunbird, Tree Pipit, Grosbeak Weaver, Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Cape Wagtail, Africa Wattled Lapwing, Senegal Lapwing, Yellow-throated Longclaw, White-headed Saw-wing, Broad-billed Roller, White-browed, and the Brown-backed Scrub-robins, Whiskered Tern, Lead-coloured Flycatcher, African Green Pigeon, Sooty Chat, Plain-backed Pipit, Tropical Boubou, just to mention but a few have been recorded here.