Bird ID Challenge: Final Installment
 

I have been very impressed by the discussions among this group in connection with my various unidentified bird pictures, and I've now put up the final gallery of pictures from our recent trip. The gallery covers southwestern Uganda, from Kisoro to Buhoma. There are a few unidentified birds in the gallery (and a bunch of really cute kids too). Here are the birds, and as always, any assistance the group can provide in identification with the birds would be greatly appreciated:

(1) small, energetic birds taken at the guest house at Ruhija, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park:
http://www.pbase.com/cwillis/image/73881543

(2) These two look like some kind of weaver, and were taken at the Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge in Buhoma, just outside the park gate and on the edge of the forest at an elevation of roughly 4500 feet.
http://www.pbase.com/cwillis/image/73881547
http://www.pbase.com/cwillis/image/73881549

(3) This small blue bird was taken in the same place:
http://www.pbase.com/cwillis/image/73881548

(4) This dark, iridescent bird had a very curved beak. Also taken at the Volcanoes Bwindi Lodge.
http://www.pbase.com/cwillis/image/73881550

Thanks to everyone for their help.

Chris

Chris
Seeing as a sheep station is not at risk I will have a "wild" guess
1. Angolan Swallow
2. Baglafecht weaver Stuhlmanni race
3. sub adult African Blue flycatcher
(pity we cannot see the tail properly)
4. Bronzed sunbird

Agree with #1, no experience of the rest, but damn I'm getting tempted to visit this area.

Thanks you two. Matt, it is a really great area with lots to do. You obviously can go gorilla trekking, which was our primary objective. There is birding, trekking, and mountain climbing. In Mgahinga you can visit golden monkeys and there is a huge cave you can visit as well. And the whole area is very scenic -- lush, green hills everywhere and the volcanoes if you are as far south as Mgahinga.
Chris

More challenges! Here are my guesses or questions. Geelong, you are an excellent birder!

1. These look to be young swallows. Geelong and napamatt, how do you differentiate between the young of Angola and Barn?

2. Agree with Geelong...I think the first is male, second female.

3. Agree it's a Blue-flycatcher. Geelong, how do you tell it's an African and not a White-tailed without being able to see the tail? Also, how do you tell it's subadult?

4. Yup, I think it's a Bronze Sunbird too.

1) Ivory Billed Woodpecker
2) Passenger Pigeon
3) Carolina Parakeet
4) Moa

Just kidding -- great photos, but I'm stumped. This website may be helpful http://birduganda.com/gallery/index.php

I was looking at the very weak black under the red, in the barn swallow that is a more pronounced feature. My Newman doesn't show juvenile's so I'm hoping there is no significant difference, but off to check Roberts.

Thank you all once again. I have now updated the picture captions to reflect your identifications, and updated the main gallery page to thank you for your help.

Now that all the pictures from this trip are dealt with, it's time to settle in to write the trip report. It'll be coming soon.

Chris

Chris
sorry I am late in replying my wife took my power cord God knows why
but a) diference between young in Barn and Angolan hard only by observing the adults.
See what adults they are hanging around with Angolan has small tail spots, Barn has slightly elongated outer tail feathers but never gotten close enough
b) white tailed blue flycatcher is more greyer blue instead of the caerulean blue of the African Blue.
The white tailed is greyer across the breast and more grey blue elsewhere, (especialy chest as would be in this front view in the picture)

now why a sub adult?????
guesswork not sure just does not seem to have as much blue on the chest as an adult

http://www.fieldguides.com/2004weblists/uga04LIST.pdf

This is the birdlist from Field Guides 2004 trip to Uganda -- in my opinion, they run the very best birding expeditions (unfortunately, that opinion is only based on friends' reports; I'm not a birder and haven't been on any of their trips, although I find their website helpful in planning itineraries).