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