Hi Vlad I think that your choice of D500 and 200-500mm lens is perfect. With the cropped sensor it should give you something like a 750mm equivalent. I have the same lens paired with a second-hand D800 and it has been terrific. The one thing that you’ll notice moving from the P900 is the weight. I think the lens is nearly three kgs so if you’re carrying it around all day you’ll feel it. Having said that it is much lighter than some of Huw’s lenses... I also looked at the 300mm phase fresnel lens. Smaller, lighter, f4 ... I think it would make an excellent travel lens but for normal birding I feel that 300mm is too short. You’d probably be cropping heavily all the time. You could add a teleconverter but it would reduce your aperture. I got the 200-500 and have no regrets. Actually Nikon have come out with a 500mm PF prime lens which looks good ... about a kilo lighter than the 200-500 and a bit more compact but unfortunately well over twice the price. If money was no object I would buy it because I find myself shooting almost exclusively at 500mm. Regarding the other lens brands like Tamron or Sigma... l’m sure they would be fine too but I’ve not tried them so can’t comment. Regarding the Nikon/Canon debate: I don’t think that there’s any difference between them. Most birders seem to have Canon DSLR with the 100-400mm lens. I’ve seen a lot of photos taken with this lens (versions 1 and 2) and it seems to be ideal. So that would be another option to think about. Anyway good luck and let us know what you go for. If you want to have a go with my 200-500 then don’t hesitate to get in touch, I will be in Abu Dhabi until the 9th Aug. Tim

Hi Simon, here are a couple of shots... As I recall they are of the same bird. Also on the eBird list.

Thanks Tommy! I just shared the list with UAE Birdbase on eBird

Hi Bob. I'm sure if you keep a bottle of water in a backpack and take a discreet swig or two whenever you need to then you'll be fine.

Yeah not sure what happened but it's working now. Terrific video!

Hi Tommy, congrats on this mega! For some reason I can't see the photo though... (Atlas Flycatcher photos are OK). In any case I had a look on eBird and saw some shots Karim had taken :-) Awesome bird!

Will have to sit this one out. 1. Huw Roberts 2. Oscar Campbell 3. Simon Lloyd 4. Jacky Judas 5. Stewart Kirkcaldy 6. Bob Davies 7. 8. 9. 10.

Ahhhhh! Thanks Mark.

White-Throated Robin?

Terrific shot Bob

@keith birch Hi Keith, looking forward to seeing more photos.

@keith birch Hi Keith, looking forward to seeing more photos.

Hi Keith, I think that this is a Little Green Bee-Eater. The Blue-Cheeked has a rusty red throat patch. This is a photo I got last year in Mushrif Palace Gardens. Not a great photo but you can see the difference. The first time that I saw a Little Green Bee-Eater I had exactly the same reaction given the amount of blue on the head.

Merci beacoup Peter! All credit to the others for picking out these little critters for me to photograph!

Day 4 was just a drive back to Entebbe, but at a Shell garage on the way we stopped for fuel. I had a look at the swamp area behind it and to my delight there were a couple of Grey Crowned Cranes! So I'll sign off with a couple of (distant) snaps of Uganda's national bird! All in all it was a great trip, and I'm itching to go back. I managed around 160 species over the 4 days and I feel that I could have added a lot more if I'd've put a bit more time into studying the birds first. So definitely a sense of unfinished business! Anyway needless to say this is one of the best places to go birding on the planet and I would highly recommend a trip. Tim

Day 3: Lake Mburo. After an overnight at Rwakobo Rocks I had a morning bird-walk in an acacia-scrub-type area not far from the entrance with a ranger but unfortunately he wasn't that knowledgeable and I felt like I missed a few species. By about 10am the guide signaled that the walk was over, but by this time some of the big eagles and vultures had started to appear in the sky, so with Abdul we hung around for a little bit to get a few snaps. I had trouble separating the commoner White-Backed Vultures from the Ruppell's Vultures and I couldn't definitively pick out any of the latter, even though I'm sure they were there. Much easier to spot were a couple of beautiful big Lappet-Faced Vultures. Also eagles are a bit of a problem. The one below I thought initially was Steppe but the shorter gape appears to suggest Tawny. Thoughts welcome. Plus this one is still a mystery, possibly Wahlberg's Eagle? Following lunch back at the hotel, we went back to the park for a planned boat ride on the lake. This is a good place to see African Finfoot and potentially White-Backed Night Heron.. However the boat was full of tourists and I baulked at the idea of spending a few hours with them (I'm such a snob!) so I made the tough decision to do a game drive instead. I do regret it a little... But we got some lovely birds including the amazing-looking Bare-Faced Go-Away Bird. eBird lists here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53597500 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53588321 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53588778 Then it was back to the hotel for a cold Nile Special.

Day 2: Mabamba Swamp and Mpanga Forest. By about 07h30 Abdul had got me to the boat ramp and I could start the search for the Shoebill. Note that the other swamp specialty is the Papyrus Gonolek but by all account you need to be there earlier to see that one. To cut a long story short: We saw a Shoebill. In fact, two! But the other bird of the day for me was a solitary Goliath Heron. What an incredible bird. And a couple of Saddle-Billed Storks were another highlight. Just a note on the boat ride... The boat is a little basic but it does the job. Note that lifejackets are not supplied so bear that in mind. Most of the time you're not too far from the reeds/marsh so it's OK. To the photos: Then after that it was on the road again, to stop at Mpanga forest. I met my guide Prossy at the entrance and we had a nice couple of hours walking round. We started at about 11am so by this time the birds seemed to be having a siesta and we didn't see too many birds. However I can't fault Prossy, she was excellent with a terrific knowledge of birds and calls/songs. She used playback to get some birds to come to us and just generally seemed really passionate about what she does. I can pass on her details if you message me. eBird lists here: https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53570582 https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S53563383

Terrific shot! Will have to get to the Lagoon Hide at some point.

Hi Tommy. Really nice shot. I wasn't aware they released Stone Curlews. In terms of released birds in the UAE there are all the Arabian Partridges on Jebel Hafit. The Houbara at Qudra and other places. Then I think I remember seeing on the forum various species of sandgrouse which have been released around Qudra, and also obviously all the exotic wildfowl. Any idea who would release these ESCs?

Anytime! Welcome the forum!