Judith Mirembe
Judith is a bird guide and researcher. She is chairperson of the Uganda Women Birders club and founder of non-profit organisation Shoebill
Watch Uganda. Judith is a Zoological Society of London EDGE of Existence Fellowship alumni, having carried out research on Shoebill. She works with local communities at Mabamba wetland, where she has trained local guides to monitor Shoebill and the threats facing it.
“At a young age, I was told stories and myths about common birds, which captured my interest. I was raised by a guardian who was a bird guide and runs a safari company, Bird Uganda Safaris. I started birding aged 12 with the Uganda Young Birders club. When I went to university in 2013, I was offered an undergraduate course in environmental science, and I could relate what I saw while out birding in the field to what I studied in class.
“In my second year at university, I was offered an internship at Nature Uganda, a BirdLife International partner, and in 2016 I was offered employment there. I started working on the bird population monitoring programmes that have shaped my research career.
“Today I am a passionate bird guide and researcher. My research work focuses on the conservation of Shoebill, a globally threatened species and a source of livelihood to the local communities and to myself as a bird guide. Shoebill is top of every birder’s ‘wanted’ list and tourists flock to Uganda to see one.
“Being a woman birder in a maledominated society and profession is tough. Where I live, women are considered the weaker sex and unable to perform certain tasks such as driving a manual car. This has led to me missing out on opportunities, and I have friends who have dropped out of birding because of this. My friends and I have few role models within birding, and this limits our growth. Most of the facilities, for example accommodation, are not gender sensitive and often we must share with male counterparts, creating embarrassing and uncomfortable situations.”
❝ Being a woman birder in a maledominated society and profession is tough ❞