Sunday 19 August 2018

Around Kigali

July 17th was my first full day in Kigali. I birded self-found Remera Valley early in the morning followed by a short taxi ride to "City Park" for the rest of the day's birding.


  • I found Remera vally birding was at least as good as that at a know city hotspot called "City Park".
  • City Park is birders' name for the undeveloped valley next to the city's main golf course. It has as very small wetland and lake as well a grassland and trees.
  • Remera Valley is more cultivated but the two were complementary in terms of the types of species present.
  • Two lifers were seen in Remera Valley: augur buzzard and angola swallow
  • Two lifers were also seen at City Park: McKinnon's shrike and Cinnamon-chested bee-eater.


Remera valley birds

white-browed robin-chat

top end of Remera Valley

augur buzzard

I know nothing about the diet of augur buzzard but it was sitting just below a bee hive.

bees hive above the buzzard

distance village indigobird

yellow fronted canary

red-cheeked cordonbleu

close-up of village indigobird

This village indigobird was fearless. The shadow over it was me. It also walked up to my feet.

wire-tailed swallow

northern grey headed sparrow

City Park birds

common bulbul (dark capped)

palm nut vulture

bronze mannikin

cinnamon-chested bee-eater

MacKinnon's fiscal 

MacKinnon's fiscal is separated from grey-backed fiscal by it white outer tail and its lack of white wing patch.

MacKinnon's fiscal 2

immature black-headed heron

bronze sunbird

malachite kingfisher

village weaver

Remera district, Kigali, Ville de Kigali, RW
17-Jul-2018 07:30 - 09:15
20 species
Red-eyed Dove  
Yellow-billed Stork  
Black-headed Heron  
African Goshawk  
Black Kite (Yellow-billed)  
Augur Buzzard  
Speckled Mousebird  
African Paradise-Flycatcher  
Pied Crow  
Angola Swallow  
Wire-tailed Swallow  
Common Bulbul (Dark-capped)  
White-browed Robin-Chat  
African Thrush  
Yellow-fronted Canary  
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow  
Baglafecht Weaver  
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu  
Red-billed Firefinch  
Village Indigobird  

Nyarutarama Lake and Golf Course, Ville de Kigali, RW a.k.a "city park"
17-Jul-2018 10:15 - 12:15
16 species
Hamerkop  
Black-headed Heron  
Palm-nut Vulture  
Black Kite (Yellow-billed)  
Malachite Kingfisher (Mainland)  
Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater  
Mackinnon's Shrike  
African Paradise-Flycatcher  
Common Bulbul (Dark-capped)  
Bronze Sunbird  
Yellow-fronted Canary  
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow 
Village Weaver (Black-headed)  
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu  
Red-billed Firefinch  
Bronze Mannikin  


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