Searching for the Shoebill in the Swamp

Whilst many of you would spend your Saturday afternoons traipsing around crowded shopping centres, I (Ruth) spent last Saturday afternoon with my buddy Helen paddling around a papyrus swamp.

We were in search of a 'shoebill stork', which is a bird which is generally accompanied by the descriptions 'shy' and 'elusive'. As such, I wasn't holding out much hope of seeing it and thought I would have to be content with having seen the 'zoobill' (as Helen calls it) - its captive brother at Entebbe Wildlife Centre.

Mabamba Swamp is about an hour and a half outside Kampala and not the easiest place to find. As is the case with many places in Uganda, it's a case of knowing which mango tree to turn off at, bumping along a red, dusty potholed road and asking for assistance (using a mixture of English and Luganda) from smiling, bike-riding villagers along the way until you reach your destination.

Much as this swamp is noted for its birdlife, don't think in terms of an RSPB reserve with wooden walkways, children's nature trails and a tea shop. This was more of a case of finding a man with a pair of binoculars, finding a man with a boat and a paddle, negotiating a price and off we go. Even the pit latrines were not in operation and toilet facilities consisted of a bush - I'm sure I had a concealed audience of giggling children when I went to spend a penny. Oh well, whatever makes them happy!

Whether or not you are interested in birds, it is hard not to be impressed by Uganda's birdlife - over 1000 species and very few 'little brown jobbies' - many have the most spectacular colours and others are just plain bizarre - maybe God was trying out his most wacky designs here.

Well, we did indeed eventually spy the shoebill stork (as pictured), a rather large 4 feet tall and so named as its bill looks just like a shoe (I appreciate I may be stating the obvious). It was quite exciting as these birds are notoriously difficult to find.

However, if you are more of a city dweller and find it hard to appreciate such rapture over a bird, at least you can appreciate that your home is probably slightly more substantial than this one - built in the middle of the swamp out of sticks and straw, with a family of at least 5 living in it. Judging by the children we saw, they don't eat too well either.

Uganda continues to challenge us with its immense beauty and abundance on the one hand but with pervasive poverty on the other. It may sound trite but we really have learned to count our blessings and acknowledge that some of the things we take for granted - somewhere safe to live, regular meals, education and access to healthcare - put us in the top 5% of the world's population. Did you realise that?