Rwandan Birds

 

Biking Birder VIII - Rwanda 2025

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Biking Birder VIII - Rwanda 2025

Part Two - Birds and Reserves

One of the books I immediately bought, when I decided that Biking Birder VIII was going to be in Rwanda, as well as the two East Africa Bird Field Guides, was the superb '101 Curious Takes of East African Birds . . . 

. . . by Colin Beale.

Reading about each bird was inspirational. How many of the species in the book would I be seeing in Rwanda? How many had I already seen?

Back in 2018, I went with two fantastic Birding Clams friends; Jason Oliver and Tony Barter, to Gambia.

As well as the immense amount of fun we had, including me finding hair to remind me of when in my youthful days I had long, bum-lengthened, braided, plaited locks . . . 

. . . amazing what happens when one finds a washing line with a number of drying wigs in a small Gambian village.

Well, together Jason, Tony & I saw 205 bird species . . . 

including the Broad-billed Roller. 

One of the pages in Colin's book shows the Lilac-breasted Roller and reading the text there is the answer to the oft-asked question; are Tropical Birds more colourful than Eurasian ones?

Blue Tits, Bullfinches, Kingfishers, Jays, we have colourful birds here in Britain but are there more colourful species in Africa.

Colin references a study in Nature, Ecology & Evolution back in 2022 where it was found that "average variety of colours shown by a bird in the tropics is about 20 -30% greater than for songbirds in the temperate zone."

So to a colourful land where the birds are more colourful! Rwanda here I come.

Kigali, capital of Rwanda

https://www.arcadiasafaris.com/best-time-to-visit-rwanda-a-comprehensive-travel-guide/

Landing at 7;00 am on Tuesday, the 28th of October, I will be greeted by Mugisha, a fabulous Rwandan man I met at Global Birdfair back in July.

On the final day of the superb GLOBAL BIRDFAIR, I sat with Hilary MacBean of PLANET BIRSONG and met Mugisha. Together we talked about me coming to Rwanda.

Cutting out all the details of that conversation, a day later we met in the World's BEST city, Birmingham, UK at Ozzy the Bull in the New Street Station concourse.

A day was spent visiting the World's BEST football ground, Aston Villa and a extremely special gift was given to Mugisha, my scarf from the Aston Villa vs PSG Champion's League match! A treasured item, looks great on him . . . UP THE MIGHTY VILLA.

Mugisha was fabulous and if he is representative of the way people are in Rwanda, well then, this is going to be such a fun-filled, emotional adventure.

So . . . 

After sorting out all of the things in the suitcases and rucksack I am taking, as well as all of the things in the bike box that arrived in Kigali a few weeks ago . . .

. . . After putting my bike together, filling my panniers, placing the cuddlies who will be with me for the adventure, and after having the most brilliant time meeting Mugisha again and hopefully other Rwandans; I will be visiting at least two of the sites mentioned on eBird.

On Wednesday and Thursday, I will be visiting Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-tourism Park, which I have linked the title below to their eBird page.

Nyandungu Urban Wetland Eco-tourism Park

Image taken from this website detailing this amazing reserve 

https://una.city/nbs/kigali/nyandungu-wetland-eco-park

A couple of days ago, I used the a recent eBird checklist, made on the 11th of October, to collate a species list for the reserve, all ready to add my own data to when birding there next week.

95 bird species listed, around half of them will be LIFERS for me, birds I have never seen before, it was fantastic to go through them all and see such incredible birds!

https://ebird.org/checklist/S278477157

Imagine the delight of looking once more at the Nyandungu page and finding a more recent checklist listing 103 bird species! Yippee!!!

https://ebird.org/checklist/S281195504

Malachite Kingfisher

I had a large poster of this wonderful bird on my bedroom when I was a teenager dreaming of African birds.

On Friday and Saturday I will be visiting Umusambi Village and I am thrilled to know that I will be meeting a truly wonderful man, Dr Olivier Nsengimana! It will be a true delight, a pleasure and a privilege to meet him.

As for the bird species awaiting me there, another reserve with a lot of birds and a major centre for the rehabilitation of Grey-headed Cranes.

https://ebird.org/checklist/S274877649

Rwanda here I come!

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BIKING BIRDER VIII - RWANDA 2025

 

Biking Birder VIII - Rwanda 2025

Part One - People, people who need people.

Many years ago, a young Rwandan Green Birder, Joseph Desire Dufitumukiza - Joseph Lionceau, had photographs of a group of young Green Birders, including himself, on the Facebook Green Birding Megastars group page.

Years later, I have the opportunity to meet this incredible young birder when I travel next week to Rwanda for my next Biking Birder adventure - BBVIII - Rwanda 2025.

Joseph is now an ambassador for Rwandan birding, internationally known for his work, especially with young people.

Joseph says it better than me . . .

I'm Joseph Desire DUFITUMUKIZA(Lionceau), a keen Youth birder in Rwanda, interested in ornithology and passionate to participate development of conservation of wildlife. I have been birding since 2013 in high School. Later I got the chance to attend various birding trainings for Local Advanced Bird Guide in Rwanda and Site Bird Guide in Kivu Belt Region along The Congo Nile Trail. I have inspired a lot for conservation and wildlife photography. I am Representative of Rwanda Youth Birders and facilitator of local clubs, Rugezi Birdwatching Club and MIPC Birding Club. 

Feel free to reach out me via WA: +250783772300, 

WeChat ID: JosephLionceau or djosephdesire@hotmail.com. 

and also you can follow me here https://www.facebook.com/JosephLionceaux?mibextid=ZbWKwL 

and https://www.linkedin.com/in/josephlionceau 

https://ebird.org/profile/MTE5OTAyOA/world

Joseph is passionate about the work of the Rugezi Ornithological Center so please take a look at this excellent website detailing them. 

https://www.rugeziornithology.org/

And here is their Facebook page . . . 

https://www.facebook.com/RugeziOnithology 

It is going to be fascinating to meet Joseph in person and hear of his story. In everything Joseph does, one can see what a sunshine person he is. He has the most fantastic smile and he is making such a difference for so many people.

The charity that works with Joseph and other Rwandan birders in Rwanda is called Planet Birdsong and I will be asking all of you to, please, give a donation to Planet Birdsong so that their vital work can continue.

Here is a link to their website for you to see what they are doing helping communities in Rwanda . . .

Planet Birdsong

Please make a donation using this QR code...

Thanks everyone.

Three days to go before I fly to Rwanda, excitement level is stratospheric! My main aim of this Biking Birder adventure is to meet both the people involved in nature conservation in Rwanda and see the culture of this amazing country.

Biking Birder in Rwanda...

Adventure is out there.

Tickle my Feathers!

Part two coming up . . . 

Birds and reserves in Rwanda

BIKING BIRDER VII May 20th 2025 Patch Adams "Talk to Strangers"

 

Patch Adams favourite letter.

By ​English Wikipedia user Craigfnp, the copyright holder of this work, hereby publishes it under the following license: - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patch_Adams#Early_career, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4077735 

May 20th 2025

Beethoven's Seventh Symphony

Morning Sunshine People! xx

I love my club. Aston Villa so The Holy Trinity show to start my day.

Thanks Peter. Up the Mighty Villa and so the day starts after a fitful night's sleep.

I had left my statin tablets with the bike in Gosport so started taking them again last night, maybe the reason for the night I have just had.

Slept at 9:30 pm, in a really beautiful B & B just south of Chichester.

The Wittering B & B, Chichester.

click on above if you would like to stay there. Meet the proprietor, an ex-university lecturer, Steven, who will tell you of Love and the reason behind all of the birds images.

Life long bond pair species!

Cuddle, preen, dance, sing, exclaim . . .

LOVE

The book shelves are books on that subject.

Reason why I massively prefer individual character filled B & Bs to any sterile Travelodge type box!

Woke at 12:30 am, internet stuff and reading for an hour. Sleep.

Woke at 2:30 am, another hour awake thinking about yesterday, the amazing people met and an incredibly wonderful family from four decades ago, the Eastaughs on 'Ashma' Park, Wolverhampton. Sleep.

Now awake at 5:30 am and listening to MY HERO, Patch Adams. That is him at the top of the page!

68 years old I may be but I am allowed a hero, a role model and a person to emulate. The reason for my yellow, smiley face tie; which had a new signature placed onto it yesterday, an old lady, Norma, who chatted with me for three quarters of an hour as I ate my lunch in a Greggs, within a Tesco superstore in Havant, Hampshire.

Norma's four questions :-

Favourite piece of music

Favourite book when a child

Passion in life

My husband, Trevor, who passed away last year.

Favourite film

Casablanca, no maybe . . .

Thanks Norma (Jean).

"Start talking to strangers" Patch speaking in the film, Patch Adams with Robin Williams.

Personally as I cycle, walk through a town, sit in a cafe, whatever, I try to say hello to fifty people a day. Some reply "hello" and smile, some don't.

Some, like Norma and afterwards John, who wanted to tell me about his owl collection! John has got a Spectacled Owl as a pet, oh and six others; some want to chat. I will always give time.

John told me of all of them as I was heading towards Halfords, once again in Havant. He also said his wife was in Tescos and that he had had a heart attack two weeks ago! Two stents put in through his shoulders, John stood in front of me to prevent me moving on! LOL.

Back in 2009 I spent the summer holidays, I was still a teacher back then at Rigby Hall Special School in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, sleeping in the back of the car, travelling through Spain.

I was in Merida when I received a text from Mum.

My instructions from Mum was to text me the cricket scores of The Ashes series in England at that time. England were playing Australia at Headingly and every session my dearest Mum would text me a quick statement on the state of affairs.

The text on this occasion read . . .

"England doing terribly, Dad's had three heart attacks."

Note the order.

Dad was fine with three stents that I think went through his groin. My wonderful funny Dad lived for another 15 years but that is another story.

Watch the film, Patch Adams and then find out about the real Patch Adams.

Maybe he will become your hero too.

What a wonderful world it would be if everyone did!

By Mark Neyman / Government Press Office of Israel, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58472836

Sonnet 17 by Pablo Neruda

I do not love you as you were salt-rose or topaz,
or the arrow of carnations the fire shoots off.
I love as certain dark things are to be loved,
in secret, between the shadow and soul.

I love you as the plant that was never blooms,
but carries in itself the light of hidden flowers;
thanks to your love a certain solid fragance,
risen from the earth, lives darkly in my body.

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love because I know no other way than this.

Where I does not exist, nor you,
so close that your hand on my chest is my hand
so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep

from the book "100 Love Sonnets: Cien sonetos de amor" by Pablo Neruda

🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

Tickle My Feathers!

I want to give love with all my heart!