Shoebill

© Lee Whittam

Published: July 19, 2010

Lee Whittam of Western Cape, South Africa, photographed this Shoebill on Lake Albert in Uganda in May 2010. “I photographed the bird from a boat as we drifted toward the bird and it moved along the shoreline in a thick bed of water vegetation,” he says. “High on the list of many birders and photographers, this bird was the reason for me visiting this part of Uganda.

“The Shoebill occurs throughout central Africa in marshlands from Sudan to Zambia. The oversized bill is used for literally smashing and stunning fish, lung fish in particular, and the exaggerated hook on the end of the bill aids with holding onto its prey. The Shoebill will also eat small crocodiles, small mammals, and basically anything it deems possible to be swallowed. Threatened by hunting, egg collection, habitat loss, and bush fires the Shoebill’s future is not a great one, but certainly something we should try our best to help by preserving the habitats and protecting the bird as far as possible.”
 
Lee used a Canon 40D and a 300mm f/2.8 L series lens.

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