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The Beginner's Guide to Birding in Akagera!

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Rich in biodiversity with jaw-dropping landscapes, Akagera National Park is one of Africa's best kept secrets. With lions reintroduced in 2015 and plans for the return of highly endangered black rhino, the Rwandan government are working hard at bringing back the area's big-five status.

Ornithologists and bird enthusiasts have long known about Rwanda's abundance of birds. The country boasts 728 species, with at least 525 of those residing in and around the lakes, woodlands, and savannas of Akagera.

Of that astounding number, there are a wide-variety of birds that come in all different colours, shapes, and sizes.  In this article, I have highlighted some of the most common species you might see on a one-day safari in Akagera. There are certainly other species -not least the highly elusive and prehistoric looking shoebill - that are equally if not more impressive than those on this list. But I've attempted to compile a guide to the species that the average tourist safari-goer has a 50% or greater chance of spotting.

African Fish Eagle

With its contrasting white/brown plumage, the African Fish Eagle is similar in appearance to the American Bald Eagle. This spectacular and aggressive fishing bird is perhaps the most commonly spotted eagle in Africa . The chances of observing this beautiful raptor are very high and expect to find pairs nesting close to water sources. They also have a very distinct call.

Village Weaver

Of all the birds on this list, the Village Weaver is the one species you're guaranteed to see. That's because you'll find many of these birds nesting in the trees in and around the visitor centre (where you will need to sign-in before entering the main park). Easily identified by their bright yellow colour, big red eyes, and black hood.

Lilac-breasted Roller

One of Akagera's most vibrantly coloured birds, the Lilac-breasted Roller will not go unnoticed. Despite its name, the Lilac-breasted Roller is most identifiable for the electric blue plumage it possesses on its under parts. Bold and beautiful, they drop onto ground prey from prominent perches such as roadside poles. This species, like all rollers, is renowned for its rolling flight display.

African Jacana

Widespread and common residents of freshwater ponds and lakes, the African Jacana is a long-legged, long-toed waterbird which walks and feeds on floating vegetation, especially water-lilies. Also known as the "Jesus Bird" for its seeming ability to walk on water, the African Jacana has a striking chestnut and white plumage with a powder-blue bill and frontal shield.

White-browed Coucal

Bulky, with a dark crown and face separated by a long white eyebrow with pale streaking extending onto a brown-rufous back. Often found around water in a wide range of rank vegetation, thickets, bushed and wooded grassland. A conspicuous bird and a cuckoo relative (though non-parasitic), the White-browed Coucal also has a variety of harsh kak notes.

Fork-tailed Drongo

A small and inconspicuous glossy-black bird with bright orange eyes. Best distinguished for its forked tail, this species of drongo is common and widespread at forest edge, open-wooded country, and semi-arid bush. As featured in David Attenborough's Africa series, the Fork-tailed Drongo has been made famous for its mischievous ability to mimic other animals including large birds of prey and meerkats.

Saddle-billed Stork

In contrast to the other stork on this list, one of the more aesthetically pleasing birds. The Saddle-billed Stork is a very large black and white wader with a long tri-coloured bill. The yellow part of the bill resembles a saddle, hence the name. Often solitary but sometimes found in pairs, this beautiful bird can be found mostly around Akagera's wetlands.

African Grey Hornbill

The most commonly spotted of all the hornbill family in Akagera. Pairs and groups are widespread and common residents in woodland, bushed and wooded grassland. Like most hornbill species, they exhibit dramatic courtship displays in which they rock on perches, point their bills skywards, and flick open their wings. Females have a purplish-red tip to their long curved bill.

Long-crested Eagle

Possibly the second most commonly spotted eagle in Akagera (after the African Fish Eagle), this bird is easily identified for its bright yellow eyes and long crest of feathers, which often wave around in the wind. You'll most likely spot the Long-crested Eagle perched at the top of roadside poles and trees, waiting to swoop on unsuspecting rodents.

White-faced Whistling Duck

A long-legged, long-necked duck that is well-named since they frequently attract attention with their loud far-carrying whistling. They appear largely dark in flight but it is easy to spot the chestnut coloured neck and distinct white face at a closer glance. The White-faced Whistling Duck is a gregarious species with small to large flocks gathering around Akagera's great lakes.

Woodland Kingfisher

A beautiful little bird with dove-grey, black, and bright blue plumage in addition to a striking red and black bill. Contrary to the latter part of its name, the Woodland Kingfisher is often found well away from water, frequenting wooded areas where it preys upon insects, lizards, and, on occasion, smaller birds. Singles and pairs are widespread and common.

Palm-nut Vulture

Along with the African Fish Eagle and Osprey, the Palm-nut Vulture is one of three fish-eating raptors that can be found in close proximity to Akagera's lakes. Very different in shape to other vulture species with a bold black and white plumage, it will often perch on tree branches with a hunched appearance. They have long bills for fishing and a large area of bare-pinkish skin around the eyes.

Cattle Egret

Not everyone's favourite but an interesting bird nonetheless. A short-legged heron with mostly white plumage and a buff-orange wash on the head, back and breast. The Cattle Egret is a classic game-hugging bird that is often seen hunting for small animals flushed out of the ground by larger mammals including elephant, hippopotamus, and buffalo. It is not uncommon to see one of these birds perched upon their symbiotic companions.

Little Bee-eater

Pretty little birds with mostly green plumage and a yellow throat. Little Bee-eaters have a short, narrow blue stripe just above the black eyemask and again over the throat patch. When perched, they sit in a fairly upright position with slowly wagging tail. They prey mostly on insects, snapping them up with an audible click. Pairs or family groups are common in bushed and wooded grassland.

Marabou Stork

Enormous stork and commonly thought of as the ugliest bird species not just in Rwanda, or Africa even, but the world! They're easily identified for their naked pink-reddish head and neck with scabby black spots. The Marabou Stork is massive in flight with one of the largest wingspans of all birds. They'll also eat just about anything from small mammals to carrion.

Grey-crowned Crane

An attractive and very conspicuous bird, the Grey Crowned Crane is the national bird of Uganda. This species is mostly grey with dark-chestnut, black and white wings, but is most notable for the bristly golden crown on its head. While this large crane will range well away from wetter areas to feed, the best chances of observing this impressive bird are around lakes and inundated grasslands.

Helmeted Guineafowl

The Helmeted Guineafowl is a distinctive spotted gamebird easily identified by an upright bony casque on top of the head with electric blue face and red-tipped wattles. This comical species has been known to stop traffic, with its stubbornness over making way for vehicles. Commonly spotted on the ground and in large flocks, they frequent a wide range of grassland, bush country and woodland.

Bare-faced Go-away Bird

These charismatic birds are the open country relatives of the vibrant turacos. The Bare-faced Go-away-bird is so named for its loud onomatopoeic calls. Quite slender with black face, white neck and breast and a tall grey crest, they are commonly found in pairs and often confide in open woodland and bush country. 

Goliath Heron

At 152cm (60") high, this is the world's largest heron and is a common resident of Akagera. Aside from its massive size, this leggy bird is easily recognizable for its spear like bill and warm chestnut head and hindneck. Singles and rarely small groups are widespread. Despite their size, they can remain relatively unnoticed to the inattentive eye.

Spur-winged Goose

Spur-winged Geese frequent mostly around freshwater sources and are easily distinguished by size and plumage. A large long-necked goose, but not particularly attractive with a bare warty red face. In their slow and laboured flight, they display a long white bar along the leading edge of the wing. Their flight call is a repeated variably rapid double wheezy note, almost like a hiccup.

Other commonly spotted species:

  • African Darter

  • African Wattled Lapwing

  • Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

  • Common Squacco Heron

  • Crowned Lapwing

  • Eastern Grey Plantain-eater

  • Great Egret

  • Grey-backed Fiscal

  • Hamerkop

  • Lappet-faced Vulture

  • Little Egret

  • Long-tailed Cormorant

  • Osprey

  • Pin-tailed Whydah

  • Red-billed Firefinch

  • White-backed Vulture

 

Big thanks to Shelly Anne Rosen and Paul Karemera of Intore Expeditions for sharing some of their beautiful photos for this blog post. Those without watermark are Copyright © Leigh Woods 2017 with all rights reserved.

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How to Be a Responsible Wildlife Tourist

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Gorilla Trekking Responsible Tourism

I'm often left frustrated by the plethora of images cropping up on social media that display clear acts of animal abuse and exploitation. With the inception of the "selfie" era, many find the opportunity to pose with captive animals too alluring.

It begs the question, do people understand the magnitude of suffering inflicted in order to support some of these wildlife attractions? I have many friends who have participated in unethical wildlife tourism. I know them to be sensible, emotionally intelligent and compassionate people, so I'm frequently left bewildered by the lack of thought and judgement that ensues when engaging in such cruel activities.

To avoid confusion, most animal rights activists consider any animal excluding dogs or cats to be undomesticated. Birds unquestionably don't belong in cages, and common pets like rodents, reptiles and fish would surely prefer a life of freedom over the confinements we increasingly impose upon them.

It has been scientifically proven that many animals - not just limited to primates and other large mammals - exhibit traits similar to that of humans. Some are considered to be highly sentient, demonstrating familiar characteristics including self-awareness, self-consciousness, and even empathy. Many species have also been well documented for their capacity to form highly complex social structures. In fact, most, if not all animals that are pressed into service for the "entertainment" of humans possess these exceptional cognitive abilities.

Contrary to apparent belief, a four-tonne Asian elephant would rather spend time foraging with its family in the rainforest than trudge around each day with tourists strapped to its back. Lion and tiger mothers prefer not to be parted with their one-month old cubs for the sake of tourists receiving a few extra Facebook likes.

Practicing responsible wildlife tourism is actually quite easy. All you have to do is ask yourself one simple question. Given the choice, is it likely that the animal would comply with the activity? If the answer is yes, you are probably petting a dog or cat. If the answer is no, then ask yourself if the short-lived experience and social media attention is worth the animal's lifetime of suffering.

As an animal enthusiast and professionally certified safari guide, I can assure you that nothing trumps a purely authentic encounter with wildlife. Observing animals where they belong is a far more rewarding experience, not least because they are behaving and interacting with their environment as nature intended them to.

The following are among the cruellest, yet most popular wildlife attractions one must avoid to consider themselves a responsible tourist.

Elephant Riding

As young as four years old, infant elephants are separated from their mothers to undergo a severe, almost humiliating taming process. The young calf is confined into a small space and held tightly in place using constricting ropes and chains. The procedure involves physical torture including poking and prodding with sharp implements such as knives, bullhooks, and bamboo sticks with nails embedded in the end. Other methods include food, water, and sleep deprivation. The elephant must endure this until the persecutor senses that it has become submissive enough to work with humans.

Almost all domesticated elephants – whether rode whilst trekking, performing tricks or street begging – must endure this gruelling ritual. It’s an unpleasant reality unbeknown to the majority of tourists who arrive in countries such as Thailand, India, and Malaysia. 

The elephants may seem at peace, but that's only because their spirit has been broken. When given a break from their arduous duties, their physical and psychological wellbeing is further crushed by unfavourable living conditions and limited social interactions with one another.

Lion Walking

Lion cubs are purposefully bred for this growing industry and are typically taken away from their highly distressed mothers within a month of birth.

Most walking with lions experiences are available to tourists holidaying in South Africa. Visitors can also expect to handle young cubs for hours on end, with the opportunity to pose with them for souvenir snaps. Many providers encourage their clients to smack the cubs if they display aggressive or any other form of unwanted behaviour.

When they become too old to tame, the lions face either a miserable lifetime in captivity or they are handed over to the canned hunting industry. For those who are unaware, canned hunting is similar to trophy hunting, only the victim is barbarically confined into a smaller area to ensure 100% kill rates.

Tiger Selfies

Thankfully, this industry has recently been exposed for the vile practices that ensued at Tiger Temple in Thailand.

Many of these centres misleadingly pose as wildlife sanctuaries, but have been discovered covertly acting as tiger farms. Large profits are made from illegally selling tigers or tiger parts used in traditional Chinese medicine or as status symbols.

Similar to the walking with lions industry, tiger cubs are parted from their mothers and reluctantly made to pose with tourists for "selfies". It is widely believed that many, if not all tigers are heavily sedated to reduce risks of attack, and any animals acting unfavourably are often disciplined with physical assault.

If that weren't enough, the animals are constricted by short chains or confined in very small enclosures with hard concrete floors.

Dolphinariums

Another highly unethical industry that has been exposed mostly thanks to the incredible animal rights documentary, Blackfish.

Millions of tourists flock to destinations like Sea World and Discovery Cove each year. Most are entirely unaware of the abuse inflicted on these highly intelligent and socially complex creatures.

The animals are often captured from the wild where they are chased down by boats and then hauled on board. The stress induced by this traumatic event is often too much for the animals to endure, and consequently they perish during transit to their intended destinations.

Those selected to be kept in dolphinariums are subjected to a lifetime of suffering. The area in which they have to swim is barely larger than a swimming pool, which is far smaller than their natural sea environment. Furthermore, the pools where they are held captive are regularly treated with chlorine which can lead to painful skin problems and eye irritations. Other health concerns include sunburn and stress-related illnesses including heart attacks and gastric ulcers.

Zoos

In an animal activists ideal world, all wild creatures would be left to live happily in the natural environments they have evolved perfectly well to survive in.

Zoos are a topic of hot debate which I will be writing a future article on. To be brief, some zoos are what I'd call "tolerable", with others being outright evil.

A "tolerable" zoo is one that serves more as a non-profit educational sanctuary. They exhibit vulnerable and endangered species which serve as ambassadors to help promote and support conservation. I use the word "tolerable" because these animals can still suffer from relentless boredom, loneliness, and in some cases, "zoochosis".

If you've ever been to a zoo, wildlife park, or drive-through safari, you may have noticed animals rocking, swaying, or pacing endlessly. Some may even resort to self-abuse, chewing on their own body parts and removing fur or feathers. These are classic signs of "zoochosis" which is caused by the deprivation of diversity and freedom endured whilst living in zoos.

Bad zoos exist entirely for profit. They are located mostly in poorer countries, with animals often kept in tiny enclosures with horrendous conditions. They'll often be terribly malnourished and have contracted diseases or other illnesses that go untreated to limit costs.

Bullfighting

The cruelty administered in this "sport" is merciless and in a so-called civilised age, culture is absolutely no excuse. Every year, thousands of bulls are brutally slaughtered to the cheers of olé in arenas spanning across Spain and South America.

From the very moment the bull enters the ring, they don't stand a chance. Even before the fight they may be weakened by savage beatings. Some will even have petroleum jelly rubbed into their eyes in order to impair their vision.

Typically, when the animals enter the ring they are approached by picadors (men on horses) who drive lances into the bull's back and neck muscles. The banderilleros then enter on foot and proceed to plunge banderillas (brightly coloured sticks with harpoons on their ends) into the bull's back. Finally, the matador appears and tries to kill the disorientated animal with a sword following a few exhausted charges.

The animals rarely receive a clean death, resulting in further mutilation and suffering. If the matador is unsuccessful, an executioner is called in to stab the bull through the spinal cord, and, eventually to death. Even this stroke can be blundered, however, leaving the bull conscious but paralysed as he is chained by the horns and dragged unceremoniously away from the arena.

Rodeo

Countless animals have lost their lives to this "sport". Calf roping, bull riding, steer wrestling, and bronc riding make rodeos nothing more than western-themed cowboy circuses.

Cattle and horses are often zapped with electric shots to encourage them to bolt out from the chute. Young calves' necks are frequently twisted and even broken as they're violently clotheslined and body slammed into the ground.

Fatal injuries including heart attacks, broken bones, and aneurysms are all fairly commonplace, and those who live to see another day are afforded little time to rest or recuperate. They are then hauled off to the next event and repeatedly forced to participate against their will.

When animals are considered too old or worn for rodeo, their next stop is nearly always a one-way trip to the slaughterhouse.

Horse-drawn Carriages

Commonplace in many busy cities including New York, Paris, and Prague, the horse-drawn carriage is just another cruel yet popular tourist attraction that seems to have gone under the radar.

Despite their intimidating size, horses are very sensitive and skittish animals. They are forced to dodge traffic and road accidents have occurred in almost every city in which horse-drawn carriages operate.

With exhaust fumes polluting the city, respiratory ailments aren't out of the ordinary, and debilitating leg problems are often suffered on account of the hard surfaces they're made to toil.

Furthermore, horses are made to pull oversized loads in all manner of weather extremes, and have even been witnessed dropping dead due to heatstroke.

Others Wildlife Attractions to Avoid:

  • Street Begging and Entertainment

  • Photo Props

  • Snake Charmers

  • Bear Parks

  • Crocodile Farms

  • Sea Turtle Handling

  • Circuses

  • Racing

  • Civet Coffee Plantations

Always remember to conduct research and use responsible and trusted tour operators. Never support the use of animals for photographic props and avoid any venues that display captive animals or offer exotic animals on the menu. Lastly, be wary of any attraction where animals exhibit humanised behaviour such as dancing, painting, or other tricks. There are so many ways in which to enjoy wildlife, including safaris, scuba diving, trekking, and much more!

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A Safari Guide's Guide to Guiding

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In 2013, I packed up the comforts of a corporate lifestyle and enrolled on a course with FGASA (Field Guide's Association of Southern Africa) with an end goal of achieving a professional safari guiding license. The intensive course entailed spending several months living and training on a beautiful big-five game reserve in South Africa's eastern cape.

As anyone in the safari industry will tell you, in order to become a successful guide simply “knowing your stuff” just won’t cut the mustard. During training, aspiring guides must become skilled in a number of disciplines before obtaining their certification. Off-road driving, first aid, rifle handling, and wildlife tracking are just some of the skills to be mastered.

However, the most essential characteristic of any guide worth their salt is undoubtedly strong interpersonal skills. Excellent knowledge of wildlife combined with infectious charisma is certainly the winning formula, but since obtaining my license I've witnessed many guides lead thoroughly entertaining game drives purely for their ability to understand and charm an audience.

Am I tremendously experienced in guiding? No. Have I still got a lot to learn? Absolutely. But I've been through a rigorous training program and have led numerous successful safaris across southern and eastern Africa. I have also been afforded many opportunities to play the role of client. Throughout these experiences, I've witnessed well-seasoned guides make some pretty basic yet easy to eliminate errors. Below, I offer some pointers for those looking to up their safari guiding game.

Getting Acquainted

Learn the names of everyone in your game viewer. It makes the whole experience seem far more personal if you offer your clients this simple yet crucial courtesy. Additionally, before setting off for the day ask each client if there are any particular species they wish to see, and make the effort to find them.

If your clients are desperate to see highly elusive or difficult to locate species such as leopard, try to look for tracks or other signs of the animal's presence and use them to tell a story. It won't be the same as witnessing the animal in the flesh, but you'd be amazed at how contented a person can feel just by visualizing. This simple practice can make a big difference and will go a long way toward proving you are continuously considering your client's requests.

Stay Interesting

Avoid listing off boring facts. People don't generally want to know the average weight, life span, and gestation period of every single animal unless they specifically ask. To learn and memorize all of these facts and figures is indeed impressive, but you're going to send your clients to sleep if you reel off the same old details time and again. Instead, increase your overall awareness by observing the surrounding environment and the animal's behavioral reactions. Let's use an example. It's a windy day and you spot a group of giraffe feeding on acacia; gradually moving from one tree to the next in a direction that goes against the breeze. Now let's look at two different guiding presentation options.

Option 1: "Here's some Giraffe. The collective name for giraffe is called a tower or a journey. Their average life expectancy is 25 years and the gestation period is 13-15 months. Giraffes can weigh up to 1.5 tonnes and sleep for only around 20 minutes per day. Their tongues can grow up to 20-inches long."

Just like a sleep-deprived giraffe, everyone in the game viewer is yawning (actually giraffe are considered by some scientists to be the only living vertebrate that doesn't yawn, but that's beside the point). You can get away with using some of these facts every now and again, especially if they happen to be surprising. But let's look at another option.

Option 2: "Here we see a journey of giraffe. As you’ll observe, they are feeding upon these acacia trees and using their incredibly flexible 20-inch long tongues to strip the leaves from the plant's protective thorns. Interestingly, many plant species use a number of defense mechanisms besides thorns. You may have noticed that the giraffe are moving against the wind. This behavior has a clever and deliberate purpose because, believe it or not, it's a counter move against the trees which are effectively talking to one another! Some trees like these acacias produce bad tasting, mouth-drying tannins when under attack. Not only do the trees produce tannins, but they emit a gas called ethylene that sends warning signals to other trees around them. The surrounding trees then produce tannins themselves, before coming under attack by the hungry giraffe. Therefore, the giraffe move against the wind toward the acacias which aren't producing tannins."

I think most would agree that Option 2 is far more interesting and allows you as a guide to speak in a more enthusiastic and engaging manner.

Never Busk!

If a client asks an obscure question which you don't know the answer to, the worst thing you can possibly do is make something up. You'll get found out eventually, which could seriously harm your reputation and cause your client to consider whether all of the facts you presented were false. I once sat with an experienced guide who was asked by a client to list off all the cat species living in the reserve. He started off well by listing lion, leopard, caracal, and serval, but then ruined it by adding genet and civet. The guide may have genuinely believed genet and civet were cat species, and thus seemed convincing to clients who were evidently not suspicious. It's when guides blatantly don't know the answer and make something up that gets them into a sticky spot. Instead, concede to your clients that you don't know the answer and make an educated guess. If you wish to go the extra mile, do some investigating after the game drive and use it as a topic of conversation perhaps later around the camp fire.

Visual Aids and Storytelling

Despite all of your hard work and preparation, there will always be those days where the animals just don't seem to cooperate. Having field guide books at the ready for such occasions can really make a difference. Sometimes, only a few of your clients manage to spot an animal before it has quickly concealed itself behind thick vegetation. This can make those who didn't see the animal feel left out, but showing them pictures in your book can help to slightly alleviate their woes. Field guide books also come in handy on occasions where the subject of your attention is too far in the distance for clear viewing. This can be a very common problem with birds.

Furthermore, if animals don't much feel like making an appearance, make sure to have a few good wildlife related stories to tell and use the surrounding environment to your advantage. There are endless things to talk about, including the history of the area, geology, climate, plant life, and for night drives, astronomy.

Bino-power

Following on from the last point, don't underestimate the power a good set of binoculars has in transforming an ordinary safari into a spectacular one. Always offer your binoculars to clients when pointing out smaller animals or those situated far from the vehicle. They can make or break a game drive, especially when the animals don't want to play ball.

Unspoiled Viewing

Switch off your engine! This common mistake is without question the most frustrating of all. Unless you have some grumpy or startled elephants in close proximity, there is no reason for you to leave the engine running. Not only are you disturbing the animals (resulting in them distancing themselves from the raucous), but you're also denying your clients the rare opportunity to spend a peaceful moment among unspoiled nature. Furthermore, any photographers on board will want nice clean shots of their subjects, and a rumbling engine will result in blurred images!

Attention to Detail

Position your vehicle wisely. When considering how and where to situate your game viewer, the well-being of the animals and plant life should always take priority. Next, you need to think about how you will ensure that everyone in the vehicle will have an unobstructed view. Where possible, try to position the vehicle so that the sun is behind you. It works better for those wishing to take pictures and photographers will thank you for your attentiveness. At sunrise and sunset your clients may actually prefer to face the sun in order to achieve the classic silhouetted images. Even if none of your clients have expensive DSLR cameras, always try to act as if they do. Those with basic point-and-shoot or even smart phone cameras will come away from the safari far more satisfied if they were able to capture amazing shots thanks to your savvy driving skills.

Contagious Passion

Always be enthusiastic! Yes, you've seen an elephant a million times before, but your clients have likely traveled thousands of miles and parted with their hard earned cash for this first time experience! Don't sit with your back turned acting unimpressed. The more zealous you are about your job and the surrounding wildlife, the more likely it'll rub off on your clients. A safari experience should never feel contrived, however, so if your guiding lacks gusto, it's time to find another job!

Wildlife Ambassador

As a guide, it is your duty to advocate for the wildlife that essentially provides you with a living. Talk to guests about current conservation issues. People tend to be more appreciative and empathetic toward wildlife when they're out in the bush. There's surely no better time to encourage support for amazing wildlife protection organisations like the WWF, WCS and Panthera than when your guests are gazing at some of Earth's most magnificent creations.  

Happy Guiding!