Weavers in Entebbe, 9-16 July 2017

Entebbe probably has the highest diversity of weaver species anywhere on the planet. I joined Dayo Osinubi in a trip to Entebbe. Dayo is working on intra-African migrants, particularly some kingfishers and cuckoos, and i wanted to ring some weavers. We stayed at UWEC, the Uganda Wildlife Education Centre, previously called the Entebbe Zoo. Bird ringing was conducted at UWEC (10-11 July), Entebbe Botanic Gardens (12 July), Hairy Lemon island near Jinja (trip report, 13 July), Kajjansi Fish Farm (14 July), Mabamba swamp (15 July), and UWEC (15 July).

Weavers ringed

Spectacled Weaver	Village Weaver
Slender-billed Weaver male	Slender-billed Weaver female
Black-necked Weaver female	Orange Weaver male
Orange Weaver female	Orange Weaver juvenile
Northern Brown-throated Weaver male	Northern Brown-throated Weaver female
Golden-backed Weaver male	Golden-backed Weaver female
Black-headed (Yellow-backed) Weaver male	Black-headed (Yellow-backed) Weaver female
Entebbe Weaver Ploceus victoriae male	Entebbe Weaver, retrap few days later

Ringing totals

Species	English	Latin	n
161	Little Banded Goshawk (Shikra)	Accipiter badius	1
390	Speckled Mousebird	Colius striatus	1
394	Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis	1
397	Malachite Kingfisher	Alcedo cristata	1
437	Yellow-fronted Tinker Barbet	Pogoniulus chrysoconus	1
545	Dark-capped (Black-eyed) Bulbul	Pycnonotus barbatus	3
628	Grey-backed Camaroptera	Camaroptera brevicaudata	1
771	Collared Sunbird	Anthreptes collaris	1
777	Yellow White-eye	Zosterops senegalensis	1
781	Entebbe Weaver	Ploceus victoriae	1
791	Spectacled Weaver	Ploceus ocularis	6
797	Village Weaver	Ploceus cucullatus	14
835	Jameson's Firefinch	Lagonosticta rhodopareia	1
1065	Slender-billed Weaver	Ploceus pelzelni	57
1117	Olive-bellied Sunbird	Nectarinia [Cinnyris] chloropygia [chloropygius]	1
1165	Red-bellied (Black-headed) Paradise-Flycatcher	Terpsiphone rufiventer	1
1168	African Thrush	Turdus pelios	2
1187	Black-necked Weaver	Ploceus nigricollis	1
1422	Double-toothed Barbet	Lybius bidentatus	2
2574	Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat	Cossypha niveicapilla	1
2608	Northern (Western) Black-Flycatcher	Melaenornis edolioides	1
3170	Grey-capped Warbler	Eminia lepida	3
3638	Red-chested Sunbird	Nectarinia [Cinnyris] erythrocerca [erythrocercus]	3
3888	Orange Weaver	Ploceus aurantius	15
3904	Northern Brown-throated Weaver	Ploceus castanops	5
3916	Golden-backed Weaver	Ploceus jacksoni	8
3922	Black-headed (Yellow-backed) Weaver	Ploceus melanocephalus	14
4082	Western Citril	Serinus [citrinelloides] frontalis	1
	TOTALS		148

Dayo also ringed several kigfishers and cuckoos.

Weaver colonies

Most weavers had recently completed breeding by July. In the Entebbe Botanic Gardens there was an active mixed colony of Orange and Slender-billed Weavers.

Orange Weaver in colony

Slender-billed Weaver in colony

At Mabamba swamp the well-known Weyns's Weavers were seen, feeding on fruit in flocks. Breeding was completed, but many old nests were present which the guide said belonged to this species.

Weyns's Weaver male

Weyns's Weaver nests

Acknowledgements

Thanks to UWEC for hosting us!