Best birding Uganda Safaris, Birds Uganda Tours. Mabamba is located west of Lake Victoria Entebbe one of the most Best birding Uganda Safaris and important sites to see the shoebill for birding tourists. The swamp stretches through an extensive mash in a narrow bay entangled with papyrus, mabamba is a ramsar site which was declared in 2006 to protect the endangered shoebill from fishermen.it is home to a variety of bird species the wetland hosts more than 300 bird species, birding is done from a motorized wooden boat ridding through the thick marshes of papyrus.
The Shoebill Stork is a rare bird found in Uganda with outstanding looks compared to other bird species, it has a broad shoe shaped bill, usually weighs up to 14 pounds and 150cm tall in fact one could call the shoe bill a ‘flying shoe because of its bill. The shoebill is a solitary bird with a lifespan of about 50 or more years, amazingly it forms monogamous relationships during the mating season which falls between April and June. They nest on the ground and the female lay two eggs, both birds participate in the incubation. It survives on a diet of mainly lung fish supplemented with frogs, puddle fish, baby crocodiles and water snakes. The nature of its bill gives it survival skills to feed in the swamp, shoe bills are sluggish on the ground but good in the air.
Where can one find a Shoebill in Uganda?
The shoebill stocks tend to be nocturnal, they don’t have a webbed foot although primarily water birds, they are mostly solitary birds and have got territories, Despite the shoe bill being famous at mabamba swamp, there are other bird species that can be seen while birding for example swamp fly catcher, African purple swamp hen, African water Vail, pallid harrier, African gym goose, white faced whistling duck among others.
We can allocate shoebill in various places in Uganda National park, you can spot shoebill in Murchison falls national Park along the Victoria Nile, Semiliki National Park The bird is easily seen in the morning while they stalk their prey but may be spotted all day. Safaris to see the shoebill at mabamba start at 7:30 am or at your preferred time of the day it is by boat across Lake Victoria to the swamps.it enables you have a great view of Entebbe airport and the beaches. The best time to tour is morning and evening hours.
Mabamba can be reached by a number of routes from Kampala or Entebbe via nakiwogo landing site.it takes an hour’s drive on dirt roads from Entebbe to mabamba swamp. The swamp can be accessed in local fishing boats/canoes with a local guide. There is abundant accommodation in Entebbe for instance The Boma hotel, lake heights hotel Entebbe, African roots guest house among others.
Best birding Uganda Safaris tell us about shoe bill stork that can be found in national parks like queen Elizabeth national park, lake mburo national park, Murchison falls national park, semiliki national park and the ziwa rhino sanctuary.