Entebbe

Lutembe bay wetland – a birding hotspot near Entebbe and Kampala

Lutembe bay wetland is a Ramsar site and Important Bird Area (IBA) on Lake Victoria located about 4 km off the Kampala – Entebbe highway from Namulanda. Lutembe wetland is not a popular Uganda birding destination receiving many birders, at least not as popular as the Mabamba Swamp another Lake Victoria Ramsar site famous for the Shoebill sightings. But it is a destination that will give you a wonderful check list of many species including some of the hard to find ones.

Lutembe bay being a wetland on Lake Victoria is home to lots of water and wetland associated birds, however the site extends beyond the papyrus filled lake shore to cover more wooded grasslands, thickets and gardens which contribute to a high diversity and volume of birds in Lutembe area. Lutembe area has more than 200 species of birds. The wetland is home to 8 of the 12 Lake Victoria biome species in Uganda. From September to March is perhaps the best time for birding and recording a big list at Lutembe as during this time there are many Palearctic visitors, about 26 species notably White-winged Terns, Slender-billed Gulls, Gull-billed Terns, Madagascar Squacco Heron, Greater Cormorants, and Black Heron. In addition the Paleartic visitors Lutembe hosts a number of intra-African migrants.

Establishing your Birding trail to Lutembe:

The most birding in Lutembe bay is done around/near the “New Lutembe Beach” and therefore your birding trail will lead towards the New Lutembe Beach after branching off the Kampala – Entebbe highway at Namulanda or from anywhere in-between Kajjansi and Namulanda as lots of the dirt roads off the highway can still lead you to Lutembe. You can start your birding right after branching off the Kampala-Entebbe highway and you can spot birds in trees & shrubs by the roadside, in bushes, marshlands, on wall fences of houses and electric wires as you travel through settlements and along various habitats. You may however find the passing cars, speeding boda-bodas (motorcycle taxis), curious onlookers, and other human activities quite inconveniencing hence you can instead drive/ride/travel for about 3.5km to Lutembe trading center/town and from here can begin a more comfortable walk and birding to the wetland which is now a few meters ahead.

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