Day 1. Saturday. Kotu.
Its 8am and i am sat in the bar at Manchester airport downing a vodka and coke awaiting my flight, we took of an hour late but took a short cut cutting across Senegal and The Gambia, as we started to make our descent to Banjul airport i got great views of the river Gambia snaking its way to the ocean and the surrounding mangroves, by cutting across country we had made up time and landed only 10 Min's late. I got a taxi down to the hotel i stayed in during my last visit. The Badala Park. Chucked my bag in my room, got out the bins and had an hour walking around the Kotu pond area seeing a fair few of the birds i saw last time i was here. I changed £100.00 Sterling into Dalasis at the money changers next to the hotel and got a fistful of notes i was going to change £300.00 but the amount of notes i would have received would have filled up my bag. My reason for wanting to change the larger amount was i had no info if Sterling is accepted up country as the trip progressed i paid in Sterling at Tendaba bush camp and found money changers at Georgetown and Wassu. Back at the hotel i enjoy a few Julbrews by the pool and an old favourite omelet and chips.
Day 2. Sunday. Tendaba bush camp.
Up early and enjoy a breakfast that was exactly the same as it was 3 years ago, check out then up to the main road for a shared yellow taxi to Serakunda, then a bush taxi to Brikama. At the Brikama bush taxi station i have a 2 hour wait till the bush taxi has enough customers to begin the journey as it will not leave till it is dangerously overloaded with people i counted 27 of us in a minibus designed to carry 12 safely. Whilst waiting i see my first new bird Red Chested Swallow hawking insects above the bus station. Also here i saw the pitiful sight of a man with a deformed leg dressed in filthy rags eating garbage then just lying in the dirt as people walked around him a sobering moment and made me realise just how easy life is for all of us in the UK.
Bush taxi to Tendaba
Off we go and a bum numbing 2 hours later i have arrived at Kwinella the
dropping of point on the South bank road for Tendaba. Its about 3pm and is roasting hot i buy a tin of sardines and get a bottle of water and sit down in the shade and eat a late lunch.
Kwinela to Tendaba
Eventually i reach Tendaba bush camp as i enter 3 women are sat just inside the camp one of them says to me extras and wiggles her tongue around suggestively which makes me wonder what kind of bush camp i have arrived in. I walked on to the dining area and met a guy called Mo who runs the camp and as i found out can sort out anything you want to do in the area a top bloke. He shows me to my room which is OK a bit spartan only a bed with a mosquito net a chair and on suite, but it suited my needs and i enjoyed staying here. I ask him about taking a boat trip over to the mangroves on the other side of the river he says he will sort it. I relax on my veranda with a few Julbrews then freshen up with a cold water shower the first of many. Back at the dining room area Mo has sorted out a boat trip for me tomorrow with 2 Belgium birders and there Gambian bird guide Modu Colley. I join them for some more Julbrews and a fantastic 3 course evening meal. Some folks on Tripadvisor suggest Tendaba is run down my take on this is they are affluent birdwatchers visiting from the Senegambia hotel down on the coast and there expectations are to high.
Day 3. Monday. Tendaba bush camp.
Slept well a really comfy bed, the bed base is made up of breeze blocks then covered in mortar then painted, with a mattress on top as i found out later wooden bed bases are very expensive and don't last long as the Termites chew them up. Down at the dining room area i join my shipmates for breakfast, then its off we go to the jetty to take our boat trip over to the Bao Bolon Wetland Reserve on the other side of the river.
We all manage to get in the boat with no mishaps and off we go heading for the far bank
As we floated around the mangroves. Modu called out the birds, new species to me were. Wooly Necked Storks, Mouse Brown Sunbirds zipping about, a Bruces Green Pigeon siting in a tree, flyover Spur Winged Geese, a flock of Red Billed Quela some still in breeding plumage. Green Backed Herons. White Throated Bee Eaters, overwintering European Bee Eaters and Little Stints. Also saw a Crocodile basking in the sun on a mud bank. The trip will always be memorable to me its truly a special place and maybe one day i will return.
Safely back at Tendaba. 3 Great blokes.
In the afternoon i ventured out of the camp and climed the hill behind it through Tendaba village to make my way to the bird photo hide that is signposted in the village after a good 2 hours of looking around i can not find it and my patience is wearing thin as i am roasting hot, its a good job i have factor 50 sun cream on. I come across a British birder who is sheltering under a tree from the intense heat and he points me in the right direction. He has also done the boat trip this morning in another craft but is bitterly disappointed in the birds seen. I make no comment but i can understand his disappointment he has come up from the coast with a group and local bird guide paid a fair whack no doubt and his expectations have not been met. But that is birding you can chuck all the money you have into trips but it guarantees nothing.
I walk on and still don't find the photo hide but i do find a well out in the bush behind a school with a few birds coming down to the well to drink. Most birds are looking to drink just behind the well in the reeds, i go and see if any water is flowing and it is bone dry so i operate the wells handle and after 6/7 pumps of the handle water gushes out and fills the trough i retreat to a shaded area under a tree and watch as Cut Throat Finches, Lavender Waxbills, Bush Petronias a superb Black Winged Bishop still in breeding plumage comes down to drink, then an equally superb Exclamatory Paradise Whydah with a full tale comes to drink. Overhead a Dark Chanting Goshawk patrolls the sky, and i see my first Bonellis Warbler in a tree. Now would that be Western or Eastern Bonellis Warbler for me i do not go with the East/West split of various warblers a Bonellis Warbler is a Bonellis Warbler end of.
I walk on and eventually find the bird photo hide, which is no great shakes and the well area was a far betting setting, further on i see a Black Crowned Tcharga in the woodland, a lot of the ground in this area has been burnt maybe to attract Sandgrouse and i did flush a few birds that could have been them but the views of them were very brief. As i walk back to Tendaba village i see a very power full raptor flying in and landing on the large communication mast that is above the village a Lanner Falcon going to roost.
Up early and down to the dining room area for breakfast i am off to Tendaba airfield this morning so i don't linger at breakfast as i want to get there before it gets to hot and the bird life lulls through the heat of the day. I make my way out of Tendaba village and onto the road leading back to Kwinella the temperature is still cool, its probably around 20 degrees as it gets up to between 35 to 40 degrees in the middle of the day this lower temperature feels cool, on the walk to the airfield i see a few Zitting Cisticolas in the grasses and Greater Blue Eared Starlings.
A typical house in Tendaba village
After a pleasant 30 Min's walk i have arrived at Tendaba airfield terminal 1
As i look around i do not think any planes have landed here for quite some time
I go for a wander around and get fantastic views of a perched Grey Kestrel, a little bit further along i note 2 birds sitting in a low bush that at first i cannot ID then it comes to me 2 Plain Backed Pipits a major spot.
I leave my footprint on the Tendaba airfield and as you can see from the shot below i have rubbed the skin of my big toe by not wearing socks and now i have to walk at an odd angle most of us would not last more than a few days in the African bush.
I wander back to the bush camp and as i get there a party of birders have just arrived with a Gambian female bird guide a tall slim good looking women, l spend some time during the heat of the day resting at the camp and taking a few photos. Whilst at the camp i note i am a bit under dressed as a birder nearly everyone else has a spotting scope on a tripod slung over there shoulder like they are carrying an RPG and a sidearm of a camera with long less dangling to one side of them i like to travel light.
My hut at Tendaba bush camp
I have no idea as to why they are not available
I go and see Mo and ask him if he can organise a trip to the Kiang West national park for me tomorrow a phone call later and it is arranged, its cooling down a bit now and i take a walk through the village and over to some rice paddies near an area of mangroves and enjoy watching Red Rumped Swallows hawking insects and landing in the muddy pools, i wander up the hill behind the village then past the water pump to the burnt ground area were i walk very carefully and try to make no sound and i am rewarded with close up views of 6 Four Banded Sandgrouse and a pair of Double Spurred Francolins superb and to cap it off a pair of Chestnut Backed Sparrow Larks.
Above Tendaba village
2 photos of Tendaba village from the hill
Back at camp i enjoy a buffet style evening meal with all the other guests in the dining room area, the lady Gambian bird guide puts in an appearance dressed in high heels short skirt and low slung top wow she is a stunner.
The Kiang West national park is the destination this morning and after a good breakfast i am ready to go. Mo introduces me to the guy who will take me there and pick me up around about 12 ish, this guy can bird guide but i like to spot my own birds so really i only need a lift there and back, there's only one problem we are going there on a motorbike and i hate going on motorbikes which i explain to him and he agrees to drive slowly and carefully which he did and we had a safe journey there and back with no drama.
After about 20 Min's of siting on the back of the motorbike above we arrive at the entrance to Kiang West and off i go up a trial leading into the bush within 5 Min's i have heard and spotted Pygmy Sunbird shortly followed by Scarlet Chested Sunbird which for me is a fantastic looking bird then Lesser Blue Eared Starlings, as i walk on i note many fly's around me that i have not seen before, then i feel a sharp stab of pain on my back these are Tsetse flys and they can bite through clothing like T shirts, they can leave a nasty wound that does not heal for Months or worse give you sleeping sickness which can be fatal. As i walk on i come across what is known as a mixed species folk and see Male and Female Senegal Batis, on the way back to the start point i see something in the grass i do not recognise it looks like a tail stuck up in the air moving away from me, then a Wart Hog and baby Wart Hog come running over the track and join the stuck up tail a family party of Wart Hogs
Bush trail in Kiang West
Back at Tendaba i go to a local shop to buy a bottle of water one Gambian kid accompany me thinking i am going to buy him some sweets and word gets around quickly even though i have not said i am going to buy any sweets and before i know it i have over 20 kids around me all wanting sweets i buy a bottle of water and give the shopkeeper an extra 75p to give the kids some sweets and leave him to it then wander off up the hill behind Tendaba, on the way up i come across this goat who has just given birth to 2 kids seconds before my arrival the one on the left looks stillborn and i give them some space.
I wander on and get close up views of a Olivaceous Warbler at the water pump area then later see the Lanner Falcon going to roost on the Telecommunication's mast again. On the way down i see the Goat again and i am wrong both Kids are well.
Day 6. Thursday Georgetown
Yesterday evening i had settled up my bill with Mo a very reasonable £85.00 for 4 nights bed breakfast evening meal and beers also Mo has arranged for the motorbike rider to pick me up and drop me of at Kwinella, i was expecting some difficulty getting out of Kwinella towards Soma as the only report i had read was that they had to wait for hours for a place in a bush taxi, at Kwinella it is market day and everyone is in Town a police officer joins me for a chat and to find out where i am going and with his assistance i did not wait 5 Min's for a bush taxi to Soma.
Market Day Kwinella
As we near Soma i am asked something in Gambian that i do not understand and make the reply Georgetown and with a bit of sign language and another word which was Basse i work out that the bush taxi i am in will pass very close to Georgetown and i pay up the extra fare and sit back and enjoy the view, we stop briefly in a village and i note maybe 4 Marabou Storks standing upright on the top of a dead tree. Within i would say 2 hours i am being dropped off at the road junction to Georgetown, a policeman reckons Georgetown is only a Km away so i decide to walk there but by my reckoning i would say it is about 8kms and it was a long hot sweaty walk, however i did see a flock of White Storks a Long Crested Eagle flying towards me and a soaring Wahlbergs Eagle and a few other raptors which i could not ID. Also an old lady approached me begging for food and i gave her some Dalasis. As i approached Georgetown i came across the building in the photo below, it looks like they have got fed up with trying to chop the tree down and decided to just build the building around it.
In Georgetown i find this camp Dream Bird and decide it will do as i am fried and tired i take a rest for a while then in the afternoon i take a walk through Georgetown towards Bird Safari camp, in town i meet a few bumsters who stick out like sore thumbs with there overly exaggerated friendliness towards me and boat trips to see the Hippos seems to be the reason i am here, its a fair walk out of town till i get into the bush, and i wander around for a while till i reach a swampy area with rice paddies and find a superb Grey Headed Kingfisher. I turn back to an open grassland area and see some grazing cows and find Yellow Billed Oxpeckers riding on there backs.
As i make my way back to Georgetown a solider approaches me and after a few pleasantry's informs me he needs a smart phone so he can access the Internet in private and not have to go to the Internet cafe and would i have said smart phone with me that i could give him. Back in town its more Hippo boat trip talk, at the Dream Bird 2 bumsters are waiting for me to return and are very happy to see me, these young 20 odd year old Gambian guys somehow reckon that a 55 plus year old well travelled English man is somehow going to be outfoxed by them and there charm and they will accompany me around town during my stay and help me spend my money, i ask them to leave me in peace, there response is i am unfriendly and that is not the Gambian way and feign outrage that someone could behave in such a manner, a classic manipulation technique, i tell them to fuck off and leave me alone, which sends them into overdrive of outrage but they have lost the battle of minds and they know it, there is only one way for them to go and i am left in peace, have i behaved in a unfriendly manner to these 2, yes i have. But i am not visiting Gambia to spend time with 2 young male bumsters who if they get there way will be e mailing me 6 months down the line with tales of woe that i can sort out via Western Union.
You need to be able to stand firm and stay focused on what it is that has brought you here the upside of this is word gets about quick, i was never bothered by another bumster during my time in Georgetown nor asked about going on a Hippo boat trip.
During the evening i chat with Amy who is managing the Dream Bird which is her fathers camp but unfortunately he has gone blind. Amy and her sister take turns travelling up from the Kombos to run the camp.
I Slept OK in my new hut at Dream Bird camp, the hut is a bit more basic than the one i had at Tendaba there is no washbasin in the shower and the toilet leaks but it does have a few frogs to keep me company, at the dining area. Amy organises some breakfast for me an omelet with onions inside, bread and tea to drink, a good start to the day and very nicely presented.
I have decided to re visit were i was yesterday and push on further to at least Bird Safari camp. Potentially you are wondering why a birdwatcher is not staying at a place named Bird Safari camp the answer is. I would be if it was in operation, but sadly it has been closed for many years and as i saw later in the day derelict and run down. As mentioned earlier its a fair walk out of town to reach the bush trail but once there i am rewarded with a Greater Honeyguide sat in a tree. I cross the grassland area which in the past was used as burial site for people stationed here during the British rule of the country.
I reach the swampy area then head on into the bush
Bush trail at Georgetown
I walk on for an hour or so and see a few Yellow Fronted Canary's, i pass Bird Safari camp and onwards to the end of the Island. Which is maybe something i should have mentioned earlier. Georgetown is an Island surrounded by the river Gambia also the river is still tidal even though it is maybe 100 miles from the sea, and you can clearly see which way the river is flowing. I have reached the spot in the photo below where the local Gambian bloke makes his living rowing passengers back and forth from the surrounding villages.
I find another trial and end up here a peaceful spot
I turn back towards Georgetown and come across a lone Black Stork circling in the sky low down, then a Tawny Eagle appears fantastic, i can hear a boat's engine noise out on the river and they must have flushed a African Fish Eagle as he flys about calling above the river. In some bushes i come across a small flock of Little Green Bee Eaters a superbly colourful bird.
As i make my way to Georgetown i come across a group of boys playing football when they spot me they come racing over the fields to ask for a football i point out to them that they have a football but apparently the football in question is only for the big boys and the small boys need one and as you can see in the shot one of the big boys is throwing the football away trying to hide it from me. I took the photo below as one of the small boys is wearing a Celtic top which was one of the football teams i used to support.
Not long after meeting the boys above i meet 2 teenagers on the path one of them carrying a machete, they also want a football after a while the conversation went, me do you understand the word no them yes, give me money for football me do you understand the word no them yes, give me money for football. Eventually these 2 realised there is no money for a football, they both walked off to what they must have felt was a safe distance from me, then verbally abused me cursing me in strong English swear words.
Georgetown looking at the ferry to the North bank
Back in Georgetown, i have already noted that i have not been approached by any Bird guides which i am surprised about as i thought there would be a few around, i need to find out how to get to the Bansang quarry and the Kunkilling forest park. Which i have mentioned to Amy in the morning at the Dream Bird camp. I buy a baguette and some cheese triangles and head back to the camp. Back at the camp Amy informs me that she has spoken with someone who cannot bird guide but does know how to get to the Bansang quarry and he will be at the camp later on in the evening.
I freshen up and enjoy a cold Julbrew at the dining area, another guest has arrived an elderly English guy who works for a charity that designs wells for the villages in the area and he provides his technical knowledge an interesting bloke. Amy appears with my evening meal. Chicken and chips fantastic. Then the guys arrives who knows how to get to the Bansang quarry, he cannot stop talking and changes his story frequently. Firstly its one price to go to the quarry, then he changes it to another, then its without fuel costs, then it is with fuel costs. I lose any faith i have in him and ask him how much Ganja have you smoked today? Which he does not answer but he clearly has and i leave it at that.
Later another Gambian guy appears at the camp who has spent time living in Finland, now he imports clothes from Europe and sells them in The Gambia and he likes a beer we chat till late over Julbrews a top bloke.
Overnight i have decided to try and find the Bansang quarry today, it may be difficult as already said there appears to be no bird guides in town to ask directions from or hire them for some hours, nor are there any yellow shared taxis around never mind a green tourist taxi. After a nice breakfast i wander down Georgetown's main st to were the bush taxis stop and ask around for a lift to Bansang. Soon i am off the Island, back on the South bank road heading towards Bansang within 10 Min's of the journey i spot a road sign saying Kunkilling forest park whay hey i have found another place of interest for me to visit tomorrow. We leave the main road and head down a really rough old track and i find that i have arrived in down town Bansang here there are many taxis, why there is non in Georgetown i have no idea, maybe there is no need for them? I go and speak to a group of taxi drivers and try to explain to them that i want to go to the Bansang quarry, i show them my binoculars and bird identification field guide and remarkably someone reckons he knows what it is i want, he wants 200 Dalasis to take me there, no problem lets go, we drive back down the same rough track i entered on, then take a left up a hill back onto the South bank road, at the top of the hill we turned right onto a track and arrive at a sand quarry is it the right quarry? I have no idea but i will find out soon.
Never mind if it is the right quarry a bird which was drinking fly's up and lands on the top of the quarry wall a superb Red Chested Cuckoo totally unexpected he sits there for 2/3 Min's before flying off a major spot.
I head off to the left of the picture above and within a few more minutes i am certain that i am in the right place as i see a over dozen Red Throated Bee Eaters.
I wander off to the right of the first shot as there is a tree there that i can shelter under from the sun. As i get there a young Gambian bloke arrives out of nowhere takes a leak then comes over and wants to shake my hand. I decline his open hand and explain why, he informs me he is out checking his land and that last week a man from Finland purchased some land from him, earlier in the month a man from England also purchased land from him. The warning bells are ringing in my head another bullshitter. I ignore him and scan the area for birds seeing many Cinnamon Breasted Rock Buntings, more Red Throated Bee Eaters and great close up views of Mottled Spinetails zooming in for a drink in the pool. My new found Gambian friend is still standing near me i rudely ask him what are you waiting for? He has no answer and wanders off. Yes i have been rude again to someone, but i do not feel bad about it, sometimes you have to be rude or you going to end up in a situation that you do not want to be in.
A Brown Snake Eagle flys just over my head an African Harrier Hawk puts in an appearance followed by a Grasshopper Buzzard. High up in the sky i can make out African White Backed Vultures gliding on the thermals. In a bush 10 foot away are 2 Chestnut Crowned Sparrow Weavers.
As i make my way to the main road i come across this house, then flag down a bush taxi and soon i am back at Georgetown.
I am dining out tonight at Mariama's Restaurant
Back at the Dream bird camp i take a shower and rest for a while then head out late afternoon for Fula Bantang to see the Marabou Storks. At Fula Bantang i cannot find any storks and decide to press on to Jakhaly.
Fula Bantang.
At Fula Bantang i waited a long time for a bush taxi to appear and then it is only going some miles down the road to some unknown village, so i have a wander around as it is market day.
Back to Georgetown with a goat on the roof of the bush taxi
Back at Georgetown i am Mariama's restaurant sat in the dark as there is no streetlights eating my beef meal, which was tough as old boots chewing and chewing and chewing. At the Dream bird camp i have a few julbrews and chat with Amy for a while.
There's no Sunday lie in today i am up and about early eager to get going, and after another nice breakfast. I am sat in a bush taxi on my way to the Kunkilling forest park i exit the bush taxi and head out onto a bush trial.
After about 30 Min's i come across a Yellow Bellied Hyliota in a tree superb and one of the main reasons to visit this area. A local Gambian guy appears on his motorbike which was about the last thing i wanted to see as potentially he has flushed all the birds further down the trial also he is slowing down and looks like he is going to stop and talk to me. After we exchange good mornings to one another he produces a leaflet titled. Kunkilling Forest Park & Tankandama Community Forest Eco trials and asks me to ring him if i need his services. I carry on down the trial to a grassland area where a party of Baboons race across the track in front me, the Alpha Male Baboon stands on his back legs to reveal his full height a very imposing figure, its a good job they are scared of humans because no body would stand a chance in a fight with this guy, at this point i am not ashamed to say that i hurried along to put some distance between myself and the Baboons. I come to the end of the trial and now could go left or right, i go right then turn into a derelict building with a cleared area then find another trial and carry on, after some minutes i spot a large stocky raptor sat out in the open on a dead branch a Western Banded Snake Eagle fantastic.
From the shot above i walked on till i arrived at a pool area with rice paddy fields around where i flushed a Marabou Stork and watched as he flew around in circles beating his huge wings to try and gain altitude.
At this point i cannot find another trial to take so turn back towards the derelict building, then take a left by now it is getting very hot and i shelter under a tree were a Yellow Bellied Hyliota just happens to also be there, i am no more than 10 feet away from him. I go back to the derelict building and sit in the shade, take my shoes off and while away the intense heat of the middle of the day watching Sunbirds and Bee Eaters
Around about 4pm i made a long walk back to the South bank road seeing another Marabou Stork and a Cinnamon Breasted Rock Bunting. Back at Georgetown i saw this goat stuck on a roof on the main st
Below is Georgetown's main bicycle repair shop
Day 10. Georgetown/Kuntaur
My last day in Georgetown and early in the morning i visit the river near the Dream bird camp to take the shot below and i find a Oriole Warbler out in the open on the river bank a smart looking bird when seen well.
I take a shot of my hut before i leave, that was mine at the back under the tree and the lady just in the shot is Amy.
I made my way down to the ferry that will take me over the river to the North bank then a short bush taxi ride to Wassu.
At the ferry i saw this sign a reminder of the recent past
At Wassu i take a taxi down to Kuntaur to the Kairoh Gardens camp and as i found out is a really nice relaxing place. Its a bit warm by the time i have arrived here but i decide to go and bird watch over the other side of the river and take this boat to the far bank.
Once on the far bank i realise i am now in rural Gambia, there is no shared taxis, no cars, a few motorbikes, push bikes and donkey drawn carts to get around on people hail me with a Bonjour. I walk on past the rice fields stretching into the distance then to a wooded area.
I turn back and make my way to the river, i have no way of contacting the Kairoh Gardens to come and pick me up so i wait for the local ferry to arrive, whilst waiting i ate a few of these
Waiting for the local ferry to get back to Kairoh Gardens
Back at the Kairoh i fancy a Julbrew, but i find out they do not have any, if you want a beer at this place you need to order it early in the day or go and get it yourself, i do without and settle for a soft drink followed later by a lovely plate of chicken and chips.
Up early and awaiting breakfast, i take a look at the river and see a flock of Spur Winged Geese flying by. Breakfast arrives and so do the other guests 4 Dutch tourists, we are all going to visit the Wassu stone circles this morning guided by the guy who runs the camp.
View of the river from the Kairoh Gardens
Our guide reckons its only a 20 minute walk up to the stone circles, we gather together and make our way through the village of Kuntuar then onto the low lying area of land that is used for growing rice, where i see a superb Long Crested Eagle perched out in the open. As we walk our guide tells me he would like to be a bird guide but does not have any knowledge of the birds names and points behind and ask me to name the bird that is metres away walking across the track a fantastic Black Crake
We reach the main road turn right then head off onto a trial by now we have walked for over 1 hour and it is getting rather warm but are destination is in sight when we come across this sign
At the visitors reception centre our guide informs up that a local guide with knowledge of the stones will show us around and that his fee is not set but that you should pay him whatever you like, but it should be done from the heart, we first visit a indoor area with pictures on the wall and models of the stones where our guide informs us about the history of the stones. Then onwards to the see the stones.
The stones were nice to see but really could not beat the flock of African Silverbills i spotted feeding in the grasses. Back at the visitors reception area i shook the guides hand and passed him some Dalasis i also got directions of him for the Wassu sand quarry which was my next destination and i said my goodbyes to the Dutch tourists.
By now its past 11am and beginning to get rather hot as i walk through Wassu town and onwards to the sand quarry. Eventually i arrive and see a few Northern Anteater Chats sat out on the sand banks and many Red Throated Bee Eaters, i retreat to the shade of a tree, sit down and rest away the heat of the day watching the many finches Namaqua Doves and Village Indiogbirds flying around and drinking out of the pool which is in front of me. A few Hooded Vultures glide in for a drink, then a larger vulture glides in followed by 6 more African White Backed Vultures accompanied by a lone Ruppell's Griffon Vulture a fantastic sight
Wassu sand quarry
After a while a herd of cows arrive and flush the vultures and i get great views of these enormous birds taking off
I linger at the sand quarry all afternoon as it is a fair old walk back to camp and i prefer to sit in the shade than slog it out in the intense heat. Around about 5pm i start back for the camp seeing a Grasshopper Buzzard on the way. Back at Kuntuar village i visit a ramshackle shop and get 6 Julbrews i need some beer. I negotiate at least 50 kids wanting something and arrive back at Kairoh gardens which for me was the nicest camp i stayed in during my up country adventure. 2 of the 4 Dutch tourists are still at the camp and after a nice shower i join them for supper more chicken and chips.
Day 12. Kuntaur
Today i am going to Kaur which is a wetland area some hours down the North bank road. Breakfast was a bit frugal only bread, jams and tea but if that's all there is then that's all there is no point moaning about it, i head up to the North bank road to get a bush taxi, on the way the 2 Dutch tourists pass by in a taxi and ask me if i need a lift which i accept. At Wassu they have hired a 7 seater to take them to the Kombos and i can get a lift if i want to Kaur. Off we go and within 1 hour i am being dropped of at the outskirts of Kaur just before the road crosses the wetland area on an embankment. I make my way to the raised road and within 5 minutes of walking an Egyptian Plover is there right in the road in front of me, he fly's up and lands behind me no more than 20 foot away what a superb bird and not only a major spot but THE reason to make an upcountry trip fan fan fantastic. I walk on, next bird seen 3 Kittlitz's Plovers followed by 2 Marsh Sandpipers both major spots what a place. I wander along the embankment and note Spur Winged Geese on the water which was a nice find as i have only seen them in flight up to now, a few Purple Herons flying around and Woolly Necked Storks.
It took quite a while to get back to Wassu as the bush taxi from Kaur broke down in the middle of nowhere, everyone got out and broke a twig of a bush striped of the leafs and started sucking on the twig, well when in Rome. Eventually another bush taxi passed by and we transferred vehicles and made it to Wassu.
Back at Wassu i am rather hungry and visit a road side building selling food, i order an omelet with onions and half a baguette and a cup of tea. Now i am ready for the long walk back to the Kairoh Gardens on the way i take a break on a bridge over a small river and see a Swamp Flycatcher just below me what a great days birding. I get a load more Julbrews at the ramshackle shop and have a booze up to celebrate a great day.
After another frugal breakfast i headed up to the Wassu sand quarry on my last day off my up country trip. At the swamp area past Kuntaur i note a Greater Swamp Warbler out in the open singing away a major spot. As i reach the small bridge i peer over and see 2 Swamp Flycatchers one on either bank. As i reach the sand quarry i walk on some more and find myself back at the river, by my reckoning it would have been quicker certainly easier to reach the sand quarry via boat than walk.
As i return to the sand quarry panic sets in amongst the small birds as a Gabar Goshawk comes flying in from nowhere. I rest in the shade at the quarry under a tree and some time later a mini bus arrives with a bird guide and 6 to 7 British birders, the bird guide is astonished to find i have no bird guide and that i have made my own way around. The British birders say i am a hard core birder which i take as a compliment. None of my solo trip has been in anyway to save money its my holiday my preference and i felt justified in my reasoning when within 15 Min's the birders and mini bus have gone elsewhere. I like to find my own birds, my own areas and linger if i want. A tight scheduled on a bird trip tour does not suit me. As i sat under the tree i started to reflect on my adventure over the last few weeks i am actually exhausted covered in Mosquitoes bites, Testes fly bites, bed bug bites and unknown bites which the Doctor could not confirm back in the UK and put me on a week long course of antibiotics to kiĺl any infection.
I head back to Wassu to find a taxi but none are operating as it is a religious holiday, so i make the long walk back to Kuntaur in the heat of the day.
As i get to the rice fields i get a great sight a Long Crested Eagle and a Brown Snake Eagle perched on top off bushes metres away from one another.
At the ramshackle shop i get 6 Julbrews and head for camp.
I take a few shots of Kuntaur camp and have a booze up
Ive drunk my Julbrews so head out again to the shop for 6 more, on the way the usual kids want me to buy them everything a seed gets sown in my head and at the shop i buy 50 pencils as well as the Julbrews. The kids went mad for the pencils and they where gone in a few minutes.
Day 14 Kuntaur/Kombos
I settled up my bill around about £60.00 for 4 nights very reasonable. Today i am heading for the coast. I wait for a pre arranged taxi to show up but again it is a religious holiday today and no body arrives, i get a lift to Wassu on the back of a motorbike taxi. At Wassu many people are hoping to travel somewhere but transport is very light no 7 seaters to Barra, few bush taxis on the road and certainly no shared yellow taxis.
The deserted bus station at Wassu
I wait at Wassu a long time and realise i may not make it to the coast today. I wander over to the police checkpoint which is in every village and there the bush taxis have to slow down before they can pass and shortly i find my way onto Farafeni a major stopping point up country.
At Farafeni i take a taxi with a few locals and end up at another bus station, were a guy is looking for customers to travel to Barra. He needs a few more to fill his 7 seater and within the hour i am on my way to the coast. At Barra i follow my fellow passengers and we cut through the market selling food, one guy is selling liver and onions in a baguette, it was fantastic.
Its a mad scram to get a ticket onto the ferry, many people are making a living out of buying 20/30 tickets or more then selling them to those who do not want to queue, and you have to stand your ground here our you are going to be pushed aside welcome back to big city living.
On the ferry i headed for the upper deck and found some shade many tourists are on the ferry and one particular red haired women stuck out she is sat out in the full glare of the sun clearly uncomfortable as we made our way across the river she got more uncomfortable as it was baking hot i was sweating buckets in the shade, all those out on the deck were getting more and more uncomfortable with the heat, the red haired lady eventually lowered her head to try and escape the heat, why do they put themselves through this agony, just move to the shade.
I have arrived and the sign says Welcome to Banjul
At Banjul i negotiate a town trip in a yellow taxi back to Kotu in a clean Mercedes Benz with air con and reggae music luxury travel. I check back into the Badala park hotel, then head out to what feels like my old stomping grounds the Kotu ponds area. I head down to the Kotu bridge and note a small wooden boat with 2 overweight tubabs in it, it moors up next to the bridge and the overweight lady gets out, then the bloke heads for the shore he misjudges his step and ends up tilting the boat at a dangerous angle which then throws him off balance and he falls over in the boat and lands to one side of the boat which tilts over and the water comes rushing in soaking him from head to foot. One of the reasons for the boat trips around the mangroves of Kotu is that an African finfoot is in the area, which was casually tossed my way by one of the local bird guides then more extraordinary a Golden tailed woodpecker was seen just this very afternoon on the same boat trip. For those not in the know those 2 birds mentioned are very difficult birds to find in Gambia, but lo and behold they are both here within walking distance of most of the major tourist hotels.
Is there a finfoot out there?
A Shrika flys in and perches meters away in a bush to one side of the bridge, whilst i admire the Shrika i weigh up the odds, a boat trip tomorrow 2 major spots or a boat trip tomorrow and no spots. Gambians do not try and take your money by force or aggressive actions they use mind games they like fishing they cast out there bait and wait for you to bite, i mull it over then decide to head back to the Badala for a luxury warm water shower and an evening sat outside by the pool drinking Julbrews with not a mosquito in sight.
Day 15. Kotu
My last day and i decided during the evening i would not be going on a wild goose chase looking for a finfoot but instead would visit Abuko and have arranged with a guy last night who has a jeep to pick me up to take me there today, after breakfast i check out and off we go and go and go we are driving in between garages looking for fuel eventually we find a garage that has got fuel i pay him some of his fare and off we go to complete the journey to Abuko. I pay my entrance fee and i am informed i need a guide as as i am entering a dangerous jungle, i wander off into the park and bump into a group of birders at the Darwin hide, in the hide is one of the birders as i peer out of the hide the other 5 are stood on the bank of the pool so they can observe what ever it is they are looking at easier. If they did this at a RSPB nature reserve they would be frowned upon by other birders as the idea of a hide is that you can watch the birds without disturbing them.
The group of birders wander off with there guide who i note does not have binoculars but as he is one of the top bird guides he does not need them in this terrain he knows all the bird calls and were to find them and can imitate the calls to try and make them show themselves, for a visitor like me you need patience and a bit of luck. I come across the same birders down the trial and the bird guide informs me they have just seen a grey woodpecker and for me his statement was said in a way to suggest that if i was in his group then so would i have seen said woodpecker but unknown to him i have already listed that bird i linger in this area for a while then move on and again catch up with the birders one of the group is chatty and every time i have seen him he engages me in conversation the others remain aloof i put them onto a wattleye which i point out to everyone, me and the chatty guy swap story's for a bit and after a while his bird guide reappears to hurry him along and rejoin the group. When you hire a bird guide you are paying for knowledge and expertise he/she will do there best to find you all the species they can within a certain time frame you have paid for, there's not much time in it for the unexpected. I come across a fork in the track and take a right guessing that the birders went left and note a fair bit of bird activity just ahead were i reckon is some water attracting birds i see a Blue Spotted Wood Dove in this area and many other birds now familiar to me. I wander on for a bit but find myself going into more open forest area which i do not want to be in as it is warming up and i prefer to keep in the shade of the forest so turn back and linger in the deepest area of the forest here i see Black Necked Weavers then suddenly a bird i do not recognise up in the canopy its a superb Buff Spotted Woodpecker a major spot and a fitting end to a fantastic 2 week trip.
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