Photos with this report (click to enlarge) | |||
PALM NUT VULTURE |
MARSH SANDPIPER |
RED EYED DOVE |
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WESTERN GREY PLANTAIN EATER |
KEBBA SOSSEH |
An album of 70 odd of the photos is here: /albums/index.php?cat=10298
I made a trip alone between February 23rd and March 2nd 2006 to try and photograph birds, something it is quite difficult to do in company unless with another photographer. It was also a test to see how I could survive the inevitable hassle in an African tourist resort, especially as I find the assistance of bird guides very disturbing. I flew with First Choice and stayed in a hotel between the Senegambia and Kotu Bridge. I would have preferred the Senegambia but they were had no single rooms available by the time I came to book.
Hassle took a myriad forms, not surprising as it is a way to earn a living or at least scrape enough money together to survive. Emergence from the hotel was fraught with approaches by all and sundry and especially bothersome were birdguides whose only attribute appeared to be a pair of binoculars. It is very difficult to check these guys out without actually hiring them but much advice is available in other reports. You can see someone else’s ideas here: /trip_report.php?id=1013
An early arrival at the taxi rank means that you meet drivers trying to avoid the taxi boss for whatever reason, another place to take care. Walking anywhere in the resort means that people feel free to approach you and make an offer. No matter how gentle and subtle the approach is, it always boils down to giving them money for a service or their pregnant sister or whatever. The biggest question is can you deal with it, can’t say I found it very easy at all, especially when trying to photograph a bird at the same time.
The only completely safe haven was inside the Senegambia Hotel, a fantastic site in its own right with gardens resembling forest/scrub and therefore attracting a large range of birds. I spent two and a half days here in a very relaxed atmosphere. New birds are continually coming in, especially to the dripping taps.
My next trip was to Bijilo forest park where the wardens tried to get me to hire a guide and told me it was not safe without one. As far as I know no one has been attacked in there and it made me very watchful for a long time before I relaxed. I met a lot of people wandering alone later in the day albeit without lots of expensive equipment around their necks. I returned to the Senegambia for the end of the day and took a taxi back to my hotel. It is definitely unadvisable to move around after dark alone especially with expensive equipment.
I then took a trip with Kebba Sosseh [ (220) 7778859, ksosseh@yahoo.com]who had approached me outside the Senegambia. He had his own vehicle and took me to Kloro, Pirang shrimp farm and onto the beginning of the Faraba Banta Bush Track. He is a very nice fellow and knows his birds. We passed a lot of hours in pleasant conversation about a wide range of subjects. I would not hesitate to recommend him to those on a normal birdwatching trip. We saw some nice birds but I found I had photographed far fewer species than the days I was alone. For me it was not necessary to go off into the interior, there was so much to do at the coast.
Next day I decided to try my luck just walking around and only went from the Palma Rima Hotel to the sewage works. It was fantastic for the range of birds available for photography but was also the day with the most trouble from people. The only time I felt threatened was beside Kotu Creek when I saw, out of the corner of my eye, a very dubious looking character trying to sneak up on me. Fortunately, when I turned and looked directly at him, he smiled and turned away. This is unusual as people normally keep coming even when you tell them you don’t want anything. As a result of all this hassle, I spent the next day tucked up inside the Senegambia gardens, no loss I assure you.
What to do next, I found a nice young man, Babacarr Benji Jarfu (7730110), at the taxi rank early next morning and he took me to Abuko. He waited outside while I walked to the pool and a very short distance beyond. Again, the guides were very unhappy that I did not hire one of them. They felt quite sure I was missing out. On the contrary I felt I saw more standing by the lake because I did not have to pay attention to someone constantly talking to me. On returning to the hotel I decided to ask Babacarr to accompany me around Kotu in the afternoon, keeping a discreet distance from me and waylaying any disturbances. This worked reasonably well except for one bird guide who was obviously not going to listen to a mere taxi driver and insisted on disturbing me. This is a new twist on the Gambian friend system used by ordinary tourists where a person accompanies you whenever you go out, except mine is a touch less sociable.
During the week I saw 130 species exactly. That’s pretty pathetic except that I photographed many of them very well. I was more than satisfied with my haul of pictures. In the hassle stakes I was very disturbed by some of the things that happened, including some of the things I said and did. I would sum this place up as difficult to work alone but with tremendous rewards. Many of my pictures are posted on the surfbirds website as a photo gallery.
Please remember this is a report on the situation in a tourist resort. The situation inland has been reported to me as far more peaceful. The people of Gambia are, overall, thoroughly pleasant and it is not my wish to put anyone off. This is an easy trip to make, especially if you are time limited and the availability of package deals is very convenient. The birds are also very much easier to photograph then those in Europe.