Located in Mpigi District, Makanaga Wetlands are a part of Mabamba Ramsar site and an Important Bird Area (IBA), and can be accessed by road from Entebbe and Kampala.
The Makanaga Wetlands are located in Mpigi District, about an hour and a half away from Entebbe and Kampala. They are part of the Mabamba Ramsar site and an Important Bird Area (IBA).
This location is yet another area in Uganda where one can witness the renowned Shoebill.
Of course, The Mabamba wetland remains the top destination in Uganda for Shoebill watching. However, the Makanaga swamp has shown to offer fantastic, if not greater, sightings of the Shoebill and many wetland birds on the huge open mudflats and marshes.
The marshes are also home to numerous elusive birds including herons, crakes, rails, and warblers among others. A motorized canoe may easily pass Makanaga and access the wide mudflats where large flocks of wintering birds congregate from October to May.
The Shoebill Stork
It is a large Stork bird based on its body type. It’s also known as the whale-headed bird by some. The name Shoebill came about because its beak resembles a traditional Dutch clog with a sharp nail-like hook at the end.
In Africa today, this remains the most elusive and sought-after bird. It’s not one that you can just find easily.
The Shoebill has a usual height between 110 and 140 cm and a length between 100 and 140 cm. It also has a 230–260 cm-long wingspan. Surprisingly though, it ranks among the slowest birds due to its average flapping rate of 150 flaps per minute.
The large bird can fly when required, but it cannot travel very far. Shoebills consume lungfish, which is a staple meal, as well as different types of birds, young crocodiles, terrapins, terrapin frogs, small animals, and water snakes.
For many birders visiting Uganda, witnessing a shoebill catch its prey in the early morning hours is one of the highlights.
When the swamps’ intense heat causes temperatures to rise above average, the shoebill uses its big bill to bring enormous “gulps” of fresh water back to the nest. This is mostly to cool eggs or their chicks.
Other unusual methods of cooling off include urinating on their legs, just like storks do. There are usually two eggs laid by the shoebill, but only the strongest one survives to become an adult.
The Shoebill’s Reproduction
They prefer to lay their eggs in papyrus and reed beds. A shoebill may lay two or more eggs, although it rarely rears more than one chick.
Stronger chicks will pick on their weaker siblings, denying them nourishment and occasionally actually killing them. Among eagles, this cruel technique is also common. The younger chicks serve as backups if the eldest does not make it.
Birding Watching in Makanaga wetlands
Take the dirt road to the Namugobo landing site which branches off at Butoolo in the Kamengo Mpigi District. Along the way, you’ll pass fields, gardens, woodlands, and bushlands which are good places to spot birds.
This road is a good place to start your birding path because it is home to many gardens, woodland, and grassland species.
You will arrive at the Namugobo land site, where water birding starts. From there, you’ll go to Makanaga in a locally powered wooden canoe. One of the finest places to see the Papyrus Gonolek, which will reply to the call and emerge into full view for a few seconds.
After that, It disappears. This is normally where the water channel leading from the landing site passes through a dense bush of papyrus reeds.
As you travel through the papyrus marshes toward the Makanaga area, you can continue birding. Here, you will encounter enormous groups of birds on mudflats, including terns, gulls, sandpipers, stints, egrets, cormorants, ducks, and geese.
Bird species in Makanaga
In the Makanaga Wetland, the Shoebill is frequently seen, and the mudflats can offer the best views of it. The Shoebills sometimes relocate to the nearby Mabamba marsh during periods when they are infrequent in Makanaga.
The Caspian Tern is a migratory bird that frequents coastal locations from July to April. It has been seen several times and typically visits between March and April.
One of the most sought-after marsh species for many birders is the Papyrus Gonolek, an endemic to the Lake Victoria Basin ecosystem, and the wetland gives excellent chances to see it.
Another popular bird that attracts birders to the Makanaga wetland is the southern pochard.
Other Shoebill watching Spots in Uganda
For travelers interested in an Uganda birding viewing safari, Uganda is one of the top places. This is because it is home to some 1061 of the continent’s most diverse bird species.
Here, you’ll find several locations where shoebill storks can be seen on a birding safari excursion.
Among these is Murchison Falls National Park, which is located along the Nile River’s banks, particularly in the delta region. You have the option of taking a private boat excursion to the delta in the early morning and late at night.
Doing this would greatly increase your chances of seeing the bird. It is difficult to conclude your Uganda birding tour without seeing this bird, even though it is not easy to spot.
In addition to Uganda’s Murchison Falls National Park, Mabamba Swamp is a popular destination for spotting the famous Shoebill. The swamp is not far from Kampala, the country’s capital.
This location is well-known for 1 Day birding safaris in Uganda since it allows you to cross off a sizable number of birds from your list.
The Rugogo wetland in the Ziwa Rhino Sanctuary, Lake Mburo National Park, and Semuliki National Park near Lake Albert are additional locations in Uganda.
Conclusion
Rather than just hear about the elusive and extremely rare Shoebill, you should travel to the Makanaga Wetlands. You’ll get to see it for yourself. It’s humbling to see or even get a glimpse of the Shoebill Stork.
The good thing is that there are more places in Uganda where one can spot the bird. If you don’t get a chance of seeing it in the Makanaga Wetlands, then maybe Mabamba swamp or Murchison Falls National Park will offer you the chance. Otherwise, we trust that this is the best excursion for bird and nature lovers.
