The allure of birding

Two weeks ago, I was part of a team comprising less than 50 people, mostly young women that went birding at Kiyanja Forest behind Chakig Eco Tourism Centre (CETC), Mukono District. About five kilometres from the right turn into Namuyenje-Chakig Road on Jinja Road, the serene environment welcomes one to observe and identify birds in their respective natural surroundings.

The brief
Before setting off, Herbert Byaruhanga, the Bird Uganda Safaris Limited managing director, briefed us on what to look out for on the trail.
“Sometimes you will only need to keep quiet and pay attention to the sounds produced by the respective birds. That way, it may be easier to identify the type,” Byaruhanga says.
For first time birders like myself, Byaruhanga promised to keep updating us along the trail.
Then, every group member was lent a pair of gumboots. They were intended to shield the feet from any kind of foreign objects during the trail.
Unlike my colleagues in trousers, I wore a knee-length denim dress.
One of the members, advised that I probably wear trousers instead.
“Inside the forest are all sorts of insects including mosquitoes. One might bite and infect you with disease. Do not take risks,” she said.
I responded that I had been involved in a minor bodaboda accident that left my left knee bruised. If the wound got in contact with clothes, it would bleed. She empathised.

The trail
At 8.30am, we set off. Led by an employee of CETC as our guide, a policeman walked behind us. We would walk for a few metres, then stop to observe any of the birds in our midst. We used binoculars to see those, especially at the tree apex and at a distance.
“Do you see that bird with black and white colours, with some sort of horn on its forehead?” Byaruhanga asked.
Everyone grabbed their binoculars and tried spotting it. “What type of bird is it?” one of us asked.
“It is a black and white casqued hornbill,” responded Byaruhanga.
Another time, Byaruhanga asked the group members the name of the bird we found on the trail. A few names were guessed but all the answers were wrong.
Byaruhanga later revealed that it was a pin-tailed whydah. Among some of the other birds we identified include the village weaver, hadada ibis and purple heron.
Members occasionally shared jokes and interesting discoveries they had made along the trail. For instance, why some birds stubbornly uttered funny sounds.
“They are on heat,” a group member responded, a statement which sent others into wild laughter.
Byaruhanga later clarified that some of these birds were male, which made noises as a “display” of attracting the attention of the females.

Hunger sets in
Despite the fun, we sighed, yawned and slowed down. along the way, we met a man in the middle of the forest selling hot samosas. Later, I learnt that when some locals get to know that there are visitors on a trail on a specific day, they prepare some snacks to make a quick buck. However, these bites do not come cheap. I had to part with Shs1,500 for just one meat samosa.
One of us told the seller that his prices were unfair.
“These samosas are supposed to be Shs500 each. How can I spend Shs3,000 on two samosas that will not even satisfy me,” he grumbled and did not buy any. Other group members did not hesitate to buy the snack.
After the snack break, we soldiered on. I realised that there were no shelters along the trail. “What if it rains?” I asked the guide.
“Unfortunately, in such situations, we all get soaked,” he responded.
But the guide assured me that such an incidence has never happened because the trails are fixed depending on the weather patterns.
After about one hour, we reached the “hill” of Kiyanja Forest. This was where our journey ended before heading back to CETC.

MY LESSONS
•Carry snacks and drinks. You might get hungry or thirsty during the trail and need to re-fuel by either eating or drinking some water.
•Do not forget to carry a camera. You may sight some interesting bird species and want to take their photos.