We arose at 5:15 and were walked over to the main building with its open air dining area accompanied by an armed guard. We had good French toast with tinned jam and ginger tea. After I left the table, Sandra reported that a Vervet Monkey had dashed over, picked up a dish of sugar, and jumped up on the roof where she shared the contents with another!! After loading up the vehicles at seven we took off driving very slowly along the Lake Mburo Park dirt roads, picking up several species of birds and watching the various game animals.
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| Crested Francolin |
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| Hibiscus species |
We returned at 1 PM for soup and a delicious chicken salad which consisted of warm chopped chicken, HB eggs and great tomatoes, onions, and peppers which Bob and I split. We soon set off again, this time to the lake where we boarded, with other people, a large open boat that takes tourists out on the water. I was wondering how this would work with birders and tourists, but, as it is mainly a nature cruise, it was no problem and the captain was great and took a lot of trouble to point out all sorts of specialties, such as the White-backed Night Heron which Bob needed. We saw many huge and dramatic Fish Eagles perched by their nests, in addition to herds of hippos bringing their enormous heads out of the water, and wriggling their ears right next to the boat!
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| Cape Buffalo |
The boat returned to the dock at four and we set off into the park again. I saw some wonderful giraffes in the evening light and we birded, trying to fine a Red-faced Barbet which eluded us. We started back, now in the dark, and stopped to watch for nightjars, birds that come out after dark to swoop around catching insects. The Pennant-winged Nightjar circled around us trailing its long secondary feathers very dramatically!
We finally got back to our lodge at 8:15!! We were escorted back to our cabin to grab our bird lists, and I decided to skip dinner and just spend a little time organizing gear for our early exit tomorrow, take a shower, write my blog, and relax a bit!! The pace of this trip is really a lot to handle; lots of birds, wonderful scenery, and animals, but exhausting!!
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| Rothschild's Giraffe |
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| Impala |
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| Magnificent Local Cattle |
I got a knock on the door, and found that Brian, worried I would starve, had had one of the staff bring over my pizza that I had ordered for dinner!! Really nice of him!
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| Our cabin at Arcadia Cottages |
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