Bwindi, Uganda

Courtesy of the Turaco

01 / 02 · Rainforest Gym

OM-1 Mark II · OM 40-150mm F4.0

40 mmƒ6.31/1600ISO 200

The story

On the journey from Rwanda to Uganda, I get to know our guide Apollo a little better. Among other things, I discover we share a love of birdwatching. He hands me an encyclopaedia of East African birds, which I leaf through and devour.

We’ve been climbing slowly for a few hours now. The higher we get, the cooler it becomes. Rice paddies give way to tea plantations. We turn off the main road and rattle along a local dirt track. The views of rolling green hills are gone — we’ve become part of them. Slowly but surely, dense vegetation begins to close in around us. It’s clear we’ve just entered Bwindi rainforest.

After a moment, we stop. Apollo gestures at me to quietly step out of the vehicle and look left. Sitting calmly in a tree is a Great Blue Turaco — a turquoise bird with a dark blue crest, the largest of its genus. After a while of watching and shooting, I’ve had enough of the sitting poses. “Come on, fly already…” I whisper to myself. There’s no time to set up a tripod, so I keep the camera pressed to my eye, finger on the shutter, ready — but the turaco simply will not go. Sweat runs down my back, my arms ache, keeping my balance is becoming a genuine challenge. Finally.

In the end, it kept me in the “gym” holding that telephoto lens for about five minutes before majestically spreading its wings, lifting off, and landing a few trees over to rejoin the rest of the flock. I get back in the car satisfied, with a decent series of shots in the bag.

Birds work on their own schedule.

Bwindi, Uganda · February 7, 2026