Where to See Shoebill Storks in Uganda
Where to See Shoebill Storks in Uganda , Shoebill storks are among the intriguing avian species that attract numerous birdwatchers to Uganda’s premier birding destinations. Uganda hosts over 1,057 bird species, rendering it an optimal destination for birdwatching and a favored site for shoebill stork photography in Africa. Uganda has 50% of Africa’s bird species and 11% of the global bird species total, establishing it as the premier birding destination in East Africa, Africa, and the world due to its extensive diversity of bird species, including a significant number of endemics.
Where to see shoebill stork in Uganda , Shoebill storks are among the distinctive and endangered species of birds in Africa and each year attract photographers, bird lovers, filmmakers and production companies from across the world. Uganda serves as a bastion for shoebill storks in East Africa, predominantly flourishing in diverse environments such as lakes, rivers, and swamps. In addition to shoebill storks, Uganda is home to many species of storks, including open-billed storks, saddle-billed storks, yellow-billed storks, and marabou storks, which filmmakers can feature during bird photography and filming safaris in Uganda, known as The Pearl of Africa.
What are the locations in Uganda for photographing, filming, and seeing shoebill storks?
Uganda Wildlife Education Centre
Located near Entebbe, the Uganda animal Education Center (UWEC) is home to a variety of animal and bird species that are endemic or threatening to get extinct including shoebill storks. This renders it an optimal location for capturing images and video the rare shoebill storks in Uganda. The distance from Entebbe Airport to UWEC is a 15-minute drive, rendering it one of the most accessible spots for photographing and filming shoebills. Furthermore, filmmakers or companies may capture diverse species, and it is essential to obtain media certification, among other requirements.
Makanaga Swamp Bay
Where to see shoebill stork in Uganda , Makanaga Swamp Bay is a newly discovered location for the elusive shoebill stork, situated on Lake Victoria, Africa’s freshwater lake, which hosts a sizable population of shoebill storks in Uganda. The swamp bay can be accessed from Kampala or Entebbe via a canoe or boat ride, or by driving along the Kampala-Masaka highway. From Entebbe or Kampala, one can divert at Kamengo in Mpigi, which requires over one hour to one and a half hours of travel, depending on traffic conditions. Upon arrival at the swamp, a canoe is necessary to navigate the area. It provides magnificent shoebill stork views, plus a variety of other water types of birds worth recording and photographing. The Shoebill journey to Makanaga Swamp commences in the early morning aboard a vessel with a knowledgeable guide.
Murchison Falls National Park
Where to see shoebill stork in Uganda , The largest national park in Uganda is inhabited by a substantial population of big game, as well as a notable number of shoebill storks and over 450 species of birds, including both aquatic and savanna species. Majority of the shoebills at Murchison Falls National Park range in the Albert Delta with incredible spectacles accessible from January, February to March.
Murchison Falls National Park hosts 450 bird species, making it an excellent choice for photographing and filming shoebills, as well as a variety of other avian species. The park safeguards various notable avian species, including Abyssinian ground hornbills, red-throated bee-eaters, papyrus gonoleks, grey crowned cranes, giant kingfishers, northern red bishops, swamp flycatchers, squacco herons, goliath herons, secretary birds, African fish eagles, African pied kingfishers, and malachite kingfishers.
In addition to avifauna, the 3840 square kilometer national park harbors diverse wildlife, including solitary Cape buffaloes, African elephants, Nile crocodiles, leopards, lions, warthogs, Rothschild giraffes, hippopotamuses, and primates such as chimpanzees, blue monkeys, baboons, red-tailed monkeys, colobus monkeys, among others.
Semuliki National Park
Semuliki National Park, located in the far western region of Uganda, harbors approximately 442 bird species and is renowned as a true birdwatcher’s paradise, particularly for shoebill storks, establishing it as one of the premier shoebill birding locations in the Pearl of Africa. While photographing and filming shoebills in Semuliki National Park, filmmakers and production companies have the opportunity to capture various other avian species, including the piping hornbill, swamp palm bulbul, black dwarf hornbill, great black casqued wattled hornbill, Ross’s turaco, red-billed dwarf, and African piculet.
Additionally, several species such leaf lovebirds, white-throated blue swallows, Bates’s nightjars, white-tailed robin chats, Sabine’s spinetail, piping hornbills, white-crested hornbills, blue-billed malimbes, red-thighed sparrowhawks, yellow-throated nicators, among others.
Mabamba Wetlands
Where to see shoebill stork in Uganda: Mabamba is one of the premier locations in Uganda for photographing and filming the shoebill stork. The expansive marsh is situated on Lake Victoria and can be reached from Entebbe by a canoe excursion. The shoebill storks are the focal point of your filming expedition at Mabamba Swamp Wetland, aided by your birding equipment. Mabamba Wetlands is home to 320 bird species, including 7 vulnerable species and 12 species limited to the Lake Victoria biome.
While filming a safari at Mabamba Wetlands, additional avian species to capture alongside shoebills include pied kingfishers, black-billed turacos, dusky long-tailed cuckoos, hairy-breasted barbets, black-headed herons, African open-billed storks, malachite kingfishers, grey parrots, papyrus gonoleks, swamp flycatchers, among others.
Queen Elizabeth National Park
Queen Elizabeth National Park is renowned not just for its tree-climbing lions but also for its elusive shoebill storks and a diverse array of bird species, totaling over 600. Queen Elizabeth National Park is Uganda’s second-largest park, making it an optimal location for shoebill filming. The park also hosts and allows filming of various notable birds, including swamp flycatchers, grey-headed kingfishers, white-winged terns, pied kingfishers, slender-tailed nightjars, African skimmers, black-headed gonoleks, and Verreaux’s eagle owl, among others.
Lake Mburo National Park
Located in western Uganda, Lake Mburo National Park is notably one of the premier locations for shoebill photography. The park is home to 351 bird species, including shoebill storks, emerald-spotted wood doves, trilling cisticolas, red-necked spurfowls, and Nubian woodpeckers, among others.
The best time for seeing and filming shoebills in Uganda
Shoebill filming and shooting in Uganda is open all year-round, however the traditional finest months or time of the year is during the wet season. This is the period when several migratory bird species can be observed, coinciding with the mating season for the majority of avian species. The wet or rainy season goes from March to May and October to November. Nonetheless, there is a significant likelihood of undertaking a shoebill safari even during the dry season, namely from June to September and December to February.