Entebbe

Entebbe explodes with sound in the morning.  The chittering of Red Chested Sunbirds, the guffaws of the Black and White Casqued Hornbills and the calls of dozens of other birds I haven’t identified yet.  When I wake up early and sit on the perch of the upper porch here, I am blessed with these sounds, and these sounds alone.  The 8 a.m. morning commuters with their motos, cars, trucks and boats have not yet begun their day, so I can enjoy the sounds of Uganda’s nature. 

Lake Victoria awakens with a tickle of sparkling ripples reflecting the bright, but cool African sun.  Distant islands define themselves in silhouettes, and an occasional fisherman slices the water silently in his pirogue.  Other fisherman are out as well.  Pied Kingfishers chase each other through the sky to take up their morning stations and wait so patiently to bring in that morning’s catch.  There are birds of prey that own these skies.   Each morning I sit on my porch perch, and gaze across the electric wires to the Lizard Buzzard sitting on his same perch like a sentry; such perfect posture, such a watchful eye.  Occasionally he swoops down, grasps a lizard and flies to a different perch to eat.  But he always returns to the same place on the wire for his hunting.  Yesterday he sat out there through a downpour.  The lizards had all run for cover, but hope sprang eternal with him.  He’s a cute fellow, looking more like a falcon than a buzzard (in fact his scientific name is kaupifalco monogrammicus).  Various Eagles ride the thermals overhead.  The most beautiful of them is the African Fish Eagle. 

Steve spotted a treetop so full of weavers that it looked as if it had suddenly burst out in a bright yellow blossom.  I’ve watched a pair of Hadada Ibis collecting nesting materials each morning.  My favorite of all sightings have been the Great Blue Turaco.  We see them in groups of 7 ot 8 in the evening hours.  You can hear their  call, like hollow wooden rattles, before they take off in flight from one particular tree to another distant location.  With their bright blue color, crested heads, and 30 inch wingspan, they are splendid birds that evoke excitement and a sense of blessing at just being able to see and hear them in the midst of their evening travel.

Steve and I are here for a couple of days R&R.  We are staying at the Bethany House, a small Catholic retreat center. It sits on a hillside lane overlooking the shores of Lake Victoria   During the summer months, when Father Emmanuel Kotongole is not teaching at Duke University, the center is bustling with visitors and activity.  But when he returns to Duke in the Fall, it becomes a much quieter place.  We are here with just the gardener and house administrator, and what a haven of relaxation it is!

Next door to us is the Jane Goodall Foundation.  Ever since I saw Jane interviewed on the Bill Moyer Journal, she has been one of my heroes.  Such a serene woman, and such a champion for African nature.  I must admit I’ve viewed activities at that house through my field glasses as well, but have had no sighting of any chimps nor of Jane.  Down the road to the right is the Ugandan Wildlife Education Center, lots of animal noises waft up here during various times of the day.

For my friends who are birders, I am going to list the other birds (aside from those mentioned above) we have sighted here in Entebbe:  Hammerkop; Marabou Stork (this scavenger is found in every corner of this country!  Very ugly birds with scruffy hairy heads);  Eastern Gray Plantain-eater; Blue-breasted Kingfisher; Common Bulbul; Yellow White-eye; Velvet Mantled Drongo; Pied Crow.

Imagine what a true birder could find here!