birding...

Barbary Shrike [or Gonolek] Laniarius barbarus ©Jim Rose http://mysite.freeserve.com/birdingtrips/trip_report_2003.htm

The following introduction has been extracted from: Birding in Burkina Faso - more than just birdwatching. by PORTIER, LUNGREN & OUEDA [2002] in Dutch Birding. 24, n°3, pp 127-141. [It has been submitted by Bruno Portier, one of the authors, and is reproduced here with his permission].

Burkina Faso has been called the honest men`s land, and is one of the easiest and safest countries in Western Africa. Coupled with an impressive list of birds (over 500 species, thanks to its location between Sahelian, in the north, and tropical forest habitats, in the south) and a fantastic and well preserved variety of game and mammals make Burkina, formerly called Upper Volta, a must-visit location for pioneer birders.

Burkina Faso is a land locked country in the West African Sahel region located north of Ghana, sandwiched between the Sahara desert and the Gulf of Guinea, within the loop of Niger River. It covers 240,000 sq km and shares borders with Mali, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Togo, Benin, and Niger. It is located on a plateau that rises gently from an elevation of 800 feet in the southwest to 1150 feet in the northeast. The country is essentially a fairly flat plain dissected by three main branches of the Volta River that drain southwards to Ghana. The drainage system of the largest branch, the Mouhoun (formerly Black Volta) covers half of the country. The country has poor soil with many areas being infertile semi-desert. The climate is hot and dry, with average temperature of 18.1 °C in January and 38.4°C in April. The average annual rainfall ranges from 650 to 1200 mm, but is less to 250 mm in the north. Water is therefore scarce in many parts of the country, and where it is available, infestations of river blindness or sleeping sickness prevented its use for agriculture during centuries. There are three distinct seasons: warm and dry from November to March, very hot and dry from March to May and hot and wet from June to October.

Burkina Faso is home to 60 different ethnics groups but is dominated by Voltaic group which include the Mossi, who make 52 per cent of the population. Burkina Faso is also one of the more densely populated countries in the Sahel (over 36 people/km²) with an estimated population of just over 10 million, three quarters of whom live in the rural area. Small-scale agricultural and animal husbandry occupies 90% of the population and provides 45% of the GNP. Principle exports are cotton fibre, gold, cattle and small ruminants, and to a lesser degree yams, beans and mangoes. There are two major urban areas: Ouagadougou, the capital (population 1,000,000) and Bobo-Dioulasso (400,000). French is the official language and most of the plethora of tribal languages belong to the Sudanic family.

Birding in Burkina is pioneering birding, you`ll have to travel with this in mind. Tourism is developed and game ranches, national parks or wildlife reserves are usual destinations for visitors. You won`t have trouble finding 4-wheel drive vehicles and guides but as birding is an unusual activity, you may need to explain your wishes. Although some parks may be open throughout the entire year (excepted Arly NP); the rainy season frequently transforms the paths and tracks into impracticable muddy swamps, while the green sea of high tropical grasses can complicate the viewing of the wildlife. For these reasons, the best period for visiting Burkina Faso is from (mid-October) November to June or mid-July.

Burkina Faso lies within three bioclimatic zones (Sahelian, Sudanian, and Sudano-Guinean) with distinct ecological conditions.

Sahelian sector: This sector, lying in the north of the country, has less than 400 mm of uncertain rainfall per year, and the climate is characterised by a dry season lasting 8 to 10 months. The vegetation is classed as shrub and wooded steppes dominated by Acacia species, with patches of tiger bush alternating with dense thickets of Balanites. This area has numerous seasonal lakes and several tributaries of the Niger that seasonally receive large numbers of migratory Palaearctic birds. Large wild mammals are today reduced to sporadic populations. See top spots below: Oursi – Darkoye Lakes, Sahel Partial Reserve, Beli River, Partial Wildlife Reserve.

Sudan sector: This sector is characterised by rainfall of less than 900 mm and a dry season of 7-8 months. It mainly occupies the Central Mossi Plateau, including the capital Ouagadougou, and supports the highest human population densities of the country. Heavily influenced by human activities, the vegetation is dominated with cultivation. See top spots below: Sourou Lake (unprotected); Ouagadougou Classified Forest and Gonsée Classified Forest.

Sudano-Guinean Sector: This sector which lies in the western and southern centre of the country has an essentially southern Soudanian climate characterised by annual rainfall of about 1000 mm with 5-6 months of dry season. The vegetation of the sector is dominated by the tree and the woodland savannas of Isoberlinia doka, Afzelia africana, Anogeissus leiocarpus, etc. Patches of riparian forests are common along the major drainage lines. See top spots below: Nazinga Game Ranch, Mare aux hippopotames, Kompienga Lake, W – Arli – Singou complex, Comoé-Léraba and Bérégadougou Hill and Banfora Cliffs

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