andrevondeling

Shoebill Stork, Mabamba Swamp

With only about 5000 individuals left in the world the Shoebill Stork is one of the more threatened species in Africa. Most of the population live in war torn S...
Read more

With only about 5000 individuals left in the world the Shoebill Stork is one of the more threatened species in Africa. Most of the population live in war torn Southern Sudan. And not only are they threatened by that but also by the desertification of the swamps it needs. So I thought to honour it with a little series..

www.vondelingphotography.com for more information on my work and activities
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NIKON D500

settings

Aperture 8/1 ISO 200 Shutter 1/640 Focal Length 7000/10

upload_date

Nov, 2016

Views

833

Likes

+163

Awards

Winner in Endangered Species Photo Challenge

Peer Award

+52

Absolute Masterpiece

+13

Magnificent Capture

+10

Top Choice

Superb Composition

All Star

Genius

Emotions

Impressed

Top Ranks

Top 20 rank

Top 10 rank week 3

Top 10 rank week 2

Top 10 rank week 1

Categories

Platinum

Stunning - We had one this year in Akagera NP - Rwanda for the first time in about a decade. I was not able to get this close. They are fantastic.

Awesome story and image! Thanks for sharin g.

thank you so much!

Awesome picture, thanks for sharing the story. You did honour it with this beautiful photo

Platinum

Wonderful capture!

PRO+

Stunning !

Platinum

What a Wonderful Image and Story. I have never seen an image of a Shoebill Stork or new thew existed. Thanks for Sharing. Russell

That's an excellent shot of one one I've never seen or even heard of ,well done

Platinum

An amazing photo of this bird and I love your narrative, .

Platinum

Prehistoric-looking beauty!

Absolutely stunning! You have captured this amazing bird beautifully.

PRO+

Love this photo Since I was a kid I am intrigued by these birds!!

Same here and I am so glad I was able to spend a day or 2 with them!

Very beautiful, great shot and nice bird!

Wow! Stunning image! How sad that they're endangered. I voted for it. I hope you are the Bird Portrait Challenge winner!

Congratulations on winning the Endangered Species Challenge!

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Behind The Lens

Location

This image was taken in the Mabamba swamps on the (Ugandan) northern shores of Lake Victoria.

Time

This must have been around 14:00 on a hot afternoon

Lighting

Being almost on the equator and in the middel of the day this was hard light. Luckily it was a bit of an overcast day so the sun was a bit blocked.

Equipment

We where in a canoe with 2 guides so difficult conditions. I was working from a tripod as I had my Nikon D-500, Nikon AF 5.6 200/500mm with a 1.4 extender.

Inspiration

I have always been fascinated by the Shoebills, these crossovers between pelicans and storks are extremely threatened and when I heard they where often spotted in Uganda I dedicated 2 day in a canoe on finding and spotting them. Sadly they are extremely threatened by both hunting (perceived threat by local fishermen) the wars in the Sudan and habitat loss. They are only found in the reed fields along the banks of the Nile. And with desertification going on in the pace it is today the future of the Shoebill Stork is not very bright. On top of that they are extremely slow breeders and often asian egg collectors raid the nests in the Mabamba swamps. Luckily this very poor area of Uganda discovered the touristic value of the species and are now protecting the colony (10 to 15 individuals in 2016) and do seem to have set up a very good canoe safari system there.

Editing

Only automatic correction in photoshop.

In my camera bag

When I am on international trips I am limited by the airline rulings in the amount of equipment I can bring. So on this trip 2 Nikon D-500 bodies, Nikon f5.6 200-500 mm, Sigma f 2.8 100-200, Nikon 50 mm, Sigma f 2.8 10-20 mm and a Sigma f 2.8 30-85 mm. triple set of batteries, 8 32 gig memory cards, 1.4 extender, 1 terabyte external drive and a laptop. Of course a tripod, beanbag, battery loaders and cleaning equipment.

Feedback

The same advise I always give: go out there, study your subjects, try to get closer with out disturbing, use local knowledge as much as you can and enjoy what you are doing. Remember that everything has been done in nature photography besides your view on the world!

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andrevondeling

andrevondeling

Shoebill Stork, Mabamba Swamp

With only about 5000 individuals left in the world the Shoebill Stork is one of the more threatened species in Africa. Most of the population live in war torn S... Read more

Behind The Lens

See more amazing photos, follow andrevondeling

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With only about 5000 individuals left in the world the Shoebill Stork is one of the more threatened species in Africa. Most of the population live in war torn S...
Read more

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Earn coins, get amazing rewards. Join for free.