Uganda is in central Africa, known as the “Pearl of Africa.” One branch of the Rift Valley runs down the western part and creates a series of lakes and high mountains. The White Nile begins in those mountains, flows north, eventually joining the Blue Nile, and empties into the Mediterranean.
Lake Victoria, where Kampala lies, is at 3,700 feet, and one night, we would stay above 7,000 feet in the habitat of Mountain Gorillas. In March 2023, three friends and I flew into Kampala for a ten-day trip around the country’s southern half. We headed southwest from the capital, doing a clockwise loop, returning to the capital to fly home—habitats varied from open, dry savannahs to lush tropical and montane forests. The country had wildlife, birds, butterflies, and beautiful plants. People were friendly everywhere we went. The food was delicious.
Our problem was our fascination with everything from butterflies to elephants. It slowed us down everywhere as one or another of us would spot something to investigate. Our guide, Nelson, was a fantastic person. His knowledge is vast, his patience tremendous, and his ability to show us things impressive. He knew all the places to stop, the unique little back road jewels, and had lined up local guides who added more to our experience. We laughed, joked, and were overwhelmed by the diversity and remarkableness of the country. Days were long, nights too short, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat.
Over the next year, I will write a series of blogs showing photographs and sharing our experiences in the “Pearl of Africa.”
The Shoebill Balaeniceps rex
I attended graduate school at the University of South Florida. Glen Woolfenden, my major professor, was an ornithologist working on the breeding biology of the Florida Scrub Jay. He had done a lot of morphological studies earlier in his career and built an extensive museum collection of bones by working closely with Bush Gardens, a local zoo. One day, I was going through boxes of disarticulated skeletons when I opened a box that contained a large head with an even larger boat-like bill. The outside of the box said Balaeniceps rex. This name is derived from the bill’s shape, like the front end of a boot. The skull and loose bones were my first shoebill, which fascinated me.
In 2019, several friends and I went on a trip through Kenya, but unfortunately, this African species is not in that country. While planning that trip, I discovered another friend had moved to Nairobi, so I contacted her for a visit. Over cocktails on her deck, looking out over a small pond where giraffes came for a drink, I mention wanting to see a shoebill. She said to contact her when I was ready, and she could hook me up with an excellent guide in Uganda.
In 2022, I began to plan my expedition to find a Shoebill.
Mabamba Swamp
We’d found the bird standing in the marsh. Its yellow eyes pierced right through me. The long, broad-bill, hefty body and long legs were prehistoric. Watching this guy, it wasn’t hard to imagine that birds evolved from dinosaurs. Suddenly, it flexed its legs, opened its wings, and shot into the air. Those broad, mighty wings pulled down with each stroke, and the shoebill zipped over the marsh right past us. Our boat guide revved his small outboard motor and turned our canoe to follow.
Shoebills are in a family by themselves. In my graduate school years, they were thought to be related to storks because of their looks and feeding behaviors. More recent genetic analyses show that not to be true. It turns out pelicans, as is a strange-looking African bird known as the Hamerkop, are their closest relatives.
Our individual flew several hundred yards and landed beside another shoebill, where it immediately began begging. It reached up with that massive bill and nibbled at the adult’s bill. This was a recent fledgling from that year’s nesting attempt. Its browner plumage should have given that away. The adult could have been either the mother or father; they look similar, and both help raise the young. The parent kept resisting, holding its head high, stretching its neck out, and moving to face a different direction, but it didn’t fly. Shoebills’ principal food is Lungfish, although they will take other fish, frogs, snakes, small birds, and anything else they can catch. Lungfish, now there is another animal I’d love to see.
Lungfish are a group of fish, but not like all the fish you probably know. This fish is another entire evolutionary line. These gulp in air, breathing some that way, and have heavier front and hind fins, allowing them to crawl across the mud. They occur in Africa, South America, and Australia. Back 400 million years ago, the lungfish ancestor was also the ancestor of tetrapods. We, humans, are part of that tetrapod line.
The young shoebill kept at it, and I imagined I could hear, “Feed me, feed me, please, Mum, I’m hungry.” Then, the adult seemed to bulge its neck, lower its head into the vegetation, and open its mouth, and we got to witness the adult regurgitate a lungfish and the young grabbed it, gulping at it twice or thrice before it went down. The young started pestering the parent again, but the adult took off this time and flew away.
#Ugandabirds #UgandaWildlife #Ugandaphotography #Ugandasafari #shoebill
I took a group to Uganda a few years ago and had similar wonderful experiences. Your Shoebill pics are first rate! I look forward to reading future essays. Cheers, Walt
Thanks, Walt. Aren’t Shoebills just amazing. I so wanted to find one. We actually saw several. Uganda is a beautiful country. Cheers, Tom
Fantastic photos! Thanks!
Dj
Mazama
Thanks so much!