Birdblog #1: Hadada Ibis

Uganda has an unbelievable 1061 recognised species of bird (compared to the UK which has 596, and has a similar surface area) and so we thought we'd use the blog to reveal a few of our favourites (i.e. the ones we've managed to catch on camera).

Hadada Ibis

The first is the Hadada Ibis, which announced itself to us on our very first morning in Mbarara. The bird has an extremely loud call (you can hear it here) which was impossible to ignore, even in our comatose jet-lagged state. Since then we've grown used to seeing them foraging for nest-building materials in the grassy areas around our flat, and waking us at 5am with their alarming squawk.

I was sure I'd heard their piercing racket somewhere before, but couldn't work it out until I stumbled on an old YouTube video...

If the Hadada Ibis were a celebrity, it would be Ricky Gervais.