Rwanda Birding Club (I am a member), on 15th February has had the 1^st birding excursion around Muhazi Lake. The birding started around 8am at Jambo Beach bar where the cars were parked.

     The Rwanda Birding Club is a group of people interested in birding and environmental conservation. The club It is a ?not for profit? volunteer organisation with little or no costs involved. Its mission is to promote birding as a leisure activity, improving knowledge of bird ecology and promoting bird and habitat conservation. As objectives we have: to provide a club where birders can meet, learn and share ideas to collect information on bird distribution and ecology to promote birding tourism in Rwanda to provide assistance in training bird guides and to encourage the creation of local birding groups. Mr. Claudien Nsabagasani is the chairman and Mr. James Hogg is the coordinator of the club.

    Common bards have been seen on the one shore of Muhazi including Pied Kingfisher, Yellow-backed Weaver, etc. Participants then turned around Seeds of Peace garden always keeping along the lake. In total, 45 species were recorded (List below):

1. Cattle Egret
2. Hadad Ibis
3. Black Kite
4. African Fish Eagle
5. Lizard Buzzard
6. Gabar Goshawk (Confused with the picture by Max)
7. African Harrier Hawk
8. Augur Buzzard
9. Red-necked Spurfowl
10. Grey Crowned Crane (Confiscated at Jambo Beach Bar)
11. Blue-spotted Wood Dove
12. Ted-eyed Dove
13. Red-chested Cuckoo
14. speckled Mousebird
15. Pied Kingfisher
16. Cinnamon-chested Bee-eater
17. Honeyguide (seen by Tilla but she didn't identify the species)
18. Cardinal Woodpecker
19. Golden-tailed Woodpecker
20. Grey Woodpecker (seen on my way back home, in Kayonza)
21. Angola Swallow
22. African Pied Wagtail
23. Common Bulbul
24. white-browed Robin-chat
25. Olive Thrush
26. Chubb's Cisticola
27. Grey-backe Camaroptera
28. Swamp Flycatcher
29. Browen-throated Wattle-eye
30. African Paradise Flycatcher
31. Arrow Marked Babbler
32. Yellow white-eye
33. Willow Warbler (Migrant)
34. Grey-caped Warbler
35. Bronze Sunbird
36. Marico Sunbird
37. Coulored Sunbird
38. Tropical Boubou
39. Fork-tailed Drongo
40. Pied Crow
41. Grey-headed Sparrow
42. Black-necked Weaver
43. Grosbeak Weaver
44. Yellow-backed Weaver
45. Southern-Red Bishop

     After birding members shared a soft drink and had brief discussion at Jamabo. The next Birding trip will be at Mashoza remnant forest on 15^th March. This is one of conservation volunteering initiatives within the country.

     For more information about the club don?t hesitate to contact:

Claudien Nsabagasani

Senior Advisor and Bird Guide

Birding and Educational Tours LTD (Rwanda)

Tel +25(0) 788754615

www.birdingrwanda.com