birding...

Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima ©Nigel Blake http://www.nigelblake.co.uk/

For the European tourist, The Gambia provides a first class destination for any birdwatcher. It has the advantage of being only a short flight away (about 5˝ hours) and it has a very large bird list with over 550 species recorded. It is situated close to the northern limit of the tropical rain front and The Gambia is right in the middle of the narrow transitional zone between semi dessert and tropical rain forest, consequently, the country`s bird list includes species from both of these areas with the species to be seen varying with the onset of the rainy and dry seasons. Add to the African endemic species the many European migrants that either pass through The Gambia or spend the winter there, and one can see why the bird list is so large. Because of the proximity of the rain forest to the south and the desert to the north, there is always the chance of spotting something unusual that has overshot on migration, or on a food-finding tour.

The climate is very pleasant, although it can be perhaps a little hot inland in the period just before and just after the annual summer rains. However, for many, the big attraction about birding in The Gambia is the attitude of the local population that is friendly, and, for the most part, very helpful. Unlike many other parts of Africa, it is perfectly safe to walk around alone in the bush with your camera and scope without fear of attack from persons or big game. (There are, however, some best avoided snakes; such as the Green Mamba I saw when there - Fatbirder (I have also seen quite a few, as well as the green mamba, king cobra and spitting cobra and a very large unidentified all grey job. Walk slowly, and in thicker brush, push your tripod through the underbrush ahead of you. I have found that the snakes appreciate the warning and are happy to move away. Nigel))

Hotels in The Gambia range from adequate to very good. As in all things, you get what you pay for. The Atlantic Hotel is a little out on a limb being close to the capital Banjul. However, it has its own bird garden, is close to the Bund road and has Clive Barlow, co-author of the new field guide to the Birds of the Gambia, as its resident ornithologist. There are several hotels, Kombo Beach, Bungalow Beach and the Badala Park that offer good birding just a short walk from the hotel in the Kotu area. The Senegambia has large grounds with a corresponding large bird population. The Kairaba, a little more expensive than the average is next door. Also nearby is the Kololi Beach Club, time-share, but rooms can be booked here. All these last three are close to and within easy walking distance of the small Bijilo reserve.

Almost anywhere in The Gambia is good for birds, especially if you have never been before. Don`t dismiss your hotel grounds as being too peopled either, you will often get good views of birds such as the Barbary Shrike (sorry Gonelek, showing my age) in the grounds whereas outside they are very timid and often hard to see well. The Senegambia in particular is renowned for its bird-garden; however, in Feb 2000 they were feeding the vultures and Black Kites on the lawn, which seemed to have driven some of the smaller birds away. The Atlantic Hotel too has a small but effective bird garden and I have some lovely video of a Blue Breasted Kingfisher that took up residence there for a while. The Kairaba has large grounds that attract many species including Wattled Plover, Wood Hoopoe, fine spotted woodpecker and a very tame Whimbrel. In truth, most of the hotels have some grounds around them and you will undoubtedly find birds to enjoy whichever hotel you are staying in. (I stayed at the Senegambia and saw 70 species in the grounds! - Fatbirder)

Every little patch of rough ground seems to have its own specialities like the black-shouldered kite in the rough ground between the main road to the Senegambia Hotel and the sea. A damp patch on this same piece of ground produced one morning practically every Gambian heron and egret plus spoonbills.

A good guide can be a great help, especially if you are looking for a particular bird. The problem in The Gambia is that the local enterprise culture has found that a lot of tourists come to The Gambia to watch birds and that there is money to be made as a guide. If you appear outside your hotel with binoculars around your neck, potential guides will soon surround you. Some are good and really know their stuff, but many know little about bird recognition or where best to find birds. The very best ones, do not hang about outside hotels, you will need to contact them. All the hotels run special birdwatching excursions, and if you are on your first visit to The Gambia, then for your first couple of outings you won`t regret using these as a springboard to your own travels. However, for trips up-country and away from the coastal regions until you have a little experience of the country I would always recommend a guided tour. Not for safety reasons, but because it would be just too easy to spend your valuable time searching for the best sites instead of birdwatching, which is after all, what you are thinking of visiting The Gambia for, isn`t it?

There are plenty of good sites within easy reach of the hotels. You could walk to many of them from the hotel but, apart from those that are right next to the hotel, it would mean a hot and dusty walk along busy roads. However, with taxis relatively cheap it`s not worth the hassle. Remember to bargain with your taxi driver, you will usually be able to negotiate a reasonable rate for there and back with a couple of hours waiting. But do agree the price before you start. If you are a really hard nut you can probably get your ride very cheap. I personally like to settle on a price that I think is reasonable for the journey, I get no pleasure in squeezing the last ounce out of someone who is already making do on a minimal income. (Often the driver is in a vehicle owned by someone else and has to queue - up to a week - for a fare! He may be supporting a very extended family. I hired a taxi for a week at a rate less than half the cost of a self-drive car in Europe and then gave a large, much appreciated, tip at the end of the week. It was a real bargain for me and like a lottery win for the driver - Fatbirder).

While the list of coastal sites will be enough to keep many birdwatchers happy for a fortnight`s holiday, to see the bigger raptors it is best to travel inland. Whilst the distances are not great, the poor state of the roads means that what would be a short 2-3 hour journey within Europe, will take all day in the Gambia and the follow-on from this is that you will need overnight accommodation. Therefore, I repeat my earlier statement; if you are new to The Gambia then you are better taking an organised tour to the inland sites and let someone else look after the admin.

Finally, here are a few words of advice.

Remember The Gambia is a Moslem country. Ladies, when away from the beaches, keep your thighs covered. Save the skimpy shorts for the holiday environs. There are some beggars and scroungers who hang around outside the hotels. They can be a nuisance but be firm and tell them to go away and walk away from them. They will tell you they are only trying to be friendly and why can`t you be friendly too. Don`t be fooled they will soon be asking you to donate to their school or some other project with the money undoubtedly destined for their own pocket. Having said that, the Gambians in general are really friendly people, you will undoubtedly meet many whose friendship you can savour for the rest of your life, but you probably won`t meet them just outside the hotel or on the beach and they certainly won`t thrust themselves upon you.

There is no social security in The Gambia and one cannot help but feel sorry for those with grave disabilities. However, once you begin giving you will be treated as the pot that never empties both by the needy and everyone else around. The best way to make a contribution to the local economy is to buy your souvenirs or a service from the Gambians and take with you articles that are useful for education. Hotel staff will be delighted to pass these on. (I took a large English dictionary, some pens and paper and an old pair of binoculars with me as well as some children`s T-shirts left over from an advertising promotion - the gratitude was overwhelming. Fatbirder)

Away from tourist hotels there isn`t a problem you may be asked by the children for any pen or any sweet. Once you give a child one pen or sweet you will immediately be surrounded by masses more. If you carry an inexhaustible supply of goodies, fine, otherwise…

A final finally. Caucasian tourists will be addressed as Toubab apparently a local corruption of two bob. Two bob (two shillings in old British money) was the going rate for running an errand in the days when The Gambia was a colony. If you think how inflation has changed values, you will realise that it was in fact quite a generous rate. Happy birding.

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