BEARC Trail : Birding Kibale Uganda
The BEARC trail is a birding trail located in Bigodi, Kamwenge district in western Uganda. The birding trail is a community run initiative that offers incredible birding opportunities to birders visiting Kibale National Park. Located 15 minutes away from Kibale National Park, the BEARC trail serves is a great less known trail that is usually added to Kibale birding tours. So ideally you would bird in Kibale National Park and then head to the BEARC trail for some more birding.
BEARC stands for Bigodi Eco-tourism and Research Centre, the centre is a community focused initiative with offices in Bigodi trading centre. The centre has an office with a community library, a small parking area and a reception. The centre offers guided nature walks, swamp walks and community experiences. The BEARC trail is managed and maintained by the centre. Most commonly visited for birding but also offers opportunities for plant identification, butterfly watching and tree identification.
Birding BEARC TRAIL
Birding the BEARC trail offers one an opportunity to look out for species that like to forage in woodlands, farm bush, in gardens and species that prefer canopy. The trail can be accessed from BEARC office or from Kibale Forest Lodge however the commonly used route is the one that begins just near Kibale Forest Lodge, goes through the gardens then to the main trail, through the swamp before ending just near the BEARC office.
BEARC Trail
The bird species that you can look out for while birding this trail include;
Red-headed Malimbe
African Harrier-Hawk
Green Crombec
Green-backed Camaroptera
Green Hylia
Green-white eye
Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill
Angola Swallow
Lesser striped Swallow
Scarlet-chested Sunbird
Great Blue Turaco
Gray Parrot
Nubian Woodpecker
Dusky-blue Flycatcher
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
Green-headed Sunbird
Baglafecht Weaver
Olive-bellied Sunbird
Spectacled Weaver
African Thrush
Bronze Sunbird
Black-necked Weaver
Bronze Mannikin
Vieillot’s Black Weaver
Common Bulbul
Gray-capped Warbler
Gray-green Bushrike
Brown-crowned Tchagra
Tropical Boubou
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Red-eyed Dove
Luhder’s Bushrike
Double-toothed Barbet
African Goshawk
Hadada Ibis
Klaas’s Cuckoo
Yellow-throated Tinkerbird
Eastern Plantain-eater
Tambourine Dove
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove
African Green-Pigeon
Crowned Hornbill
Woodland Kingfisher
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird
African Blue Flycatcher
Little Greenbul
Red-faced Cisticola
Collared Sunbird
Village Weaver
Gray-headed Nigrita
Village Indigobird
Barn Swallow
Gray Tit-Flycatcher
African Firefinch
White-browed Robin-Chat
Olive Sunbird
Slender-billed Greenbul
African Harrier-Hawk seen while birding BEARC Trail
Best time to bird BEARC Trail
The BEARC trail is best for birding early in the morning and late evening. The morning offers opportunity to look out for birds as they start their day while evening offers opportunity to look out for birds as they end their day. Birding is great and rewarding throughout the year however the best time for bird watching in Uganda is from late May to September.
BEARC Trail Location
BEARC trail is located in Bigodi, Kamwenge district in western Ugandan. It is located 5 hours away from Kampala, the capital city of Uganda. If connecting from Fort Portal, the journey by road will take you between 40 minutes – 1 hour. The trail is located near Kibale National Park and Bigodi Wetland Sanctuary
