Kasenge Forest Resort Beach is a privately owned 60-acre tract of land that contains a natural forest (taking the largest cover), a small lake, streams, and beautiful green loans. Kasenge Forest has had an uninterrupted growth for the last 40 or so years, and given that it is situated in an area that has been heavily deforested and degraded, the forest has provided refuge for lots of birds including a good number of specials. For example it is one of the few places in Uganda you can find the African Grey Parrot.
At the moment over 200 species of birds have been recorded here and include a good portion of forest and some water species as well pulling in some garden species from the surrounding settlements.
Not only birds, but a number of other wildlife inhabit this lush natural forest and some of the common ones include vervet monkeys, butterflies, snakes, genets, and squirrels.
Kasenge Forest Resort Beach is situated in Mukono District, 30km along the Kampala – Jinja highway and 3km turning off from Mbalala.
Kasenge Forest is a great introduction to Uganda’s forest birds and offers a good spot for a quick day bird tour and an ideal starting point to your Uganda bird adventure. It is also strategically located en-route to Jinja for a number of adventures on the Nile, more birding options and a range of attractions in-between that are worth visiting after birding at Kasenge.
The dirt road branching off from the highway at Mbalala to Kasenge leads through local farmlands interspersed with bushes and thickets. Establish your trail along this road and look out for some garden species.
At Kasenge, the serene and green environment is filled with views and calls of birds – it is quite a beautiful presence! Merely standing in the loans, a few meters from the forest edge & small lake brings a number of birds in sight. The African Grey Parrot, Giant Kingfisher, Great Blue Turaco, Madagascar Bee-eater, and Common Bulbul can be sighted in the nearing trees and vantage points into the forest. Pied Kingfisher and Cattle Egrets favor points nearer to the lake. The walk through the loans along the forest edge and lake will provide you most of birds.
Finally get on to a trail leading through the forest. However given the thickness of the forest, you are likely to depend most on calls and few clear views.
Some of the other birds to look out for include: Little Sparrow Hawk, Little Buzzard, Toro Olive-green Bull, Open-billed Stork, African Pied Hornbill, Slender-billed Greenbull, Scaly Francolin, Superb Sunbird, and Yellow-mantled Weaver.
