When you arrive at Mabamba swamp you are greeted with a
large sign that says it is Ramsar site number 1638. That should say a lot about
the place. It being a Ramsar site means that it is a wetland of international
importance. Mabamba Swamp is an
ecotourism site not far off from Kampala city. It is famous for its 200+
species of birds including the rare Shoebill stork. The 30km drive to the site
after turning off the Entebbe-Kampala highway is admittedly not very exciting. Nor is the area around the booking office. Not
until you are powering through the water channels on a bird watching trip do you
begin to appreciate the place for what it has to offer. The trip is an
adventure in itself as you go from one channel to another in a dugout canoe
searching for some rare bird species.
I was intrigued at the many bird sightings in the short time
I was there, birds that I had never seen before. I saw a couple of purple
herons and plenty of Squacco herons which were hard to photograph as they took
to the sky as soon as you got near them. I was amazed at the size of the Spur Winged
Goose as it took to the sky whenever we approached it. Our very knowledgeable guide
said it was a rare sighting. That is
another thing you will appreciate about the guides. Their experience of the
birdlife is vast. Our guide told me that he had been guiding for about 10
years. Other birds I saw included the long tailed Comorant, African Jacana and
the Malachite and Pied Kingfisher. Many of these birds can be photographed at close
range so I did not need to use my telephoto lens which when attached to the
camera is quite heavy.
A day trip safari to Mabamba swamp is well worth the time. Uganda with its many attractions is well known for hosting a large number of bird
species and I was not left in doubt of this after visiting Mabamba swamp.
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