South Dublin Branch Recent Trips

Gambia

I recently returned from a marvellous two-week trip to the tiny West African country of Gambia. Like other Birdwatch members who have gone there, I found the birding to be superb! Although only one seventh the size of Ireland, Gambia holds over 550 species of birds, plus monkeys, antelopes, warthogs, hyenas, lizards, crocodiles and various species of snake (including some very large pythons).

Many spectacular birds such as the Hooded Vulture, Red-billed Hornbill, Cordonbleu and Yellow-crowned Gonolek can be seen in the hotel gardens of the Atlantic coast area. We even saw an African Harrier Hawk in a hotel garden! In this area are a number of smallish national parks, where such delights as Violet Turaco, Giant Kingfisher, Little BeeEater and Green Wood Hoopoe can be found. In the nearby wetlands were many species of herons and waders, including the Black Egret, which has a stunning way of feeding. This bird forms a complete “parasol” by opening its wings and bringing them in front of its head, all the better to see the little creatures it wants to devour. Other birds easily seen here were Palm Nut Vulture (the world’s only vegetarian raptor), Lizard Buzzard, Senegal Thick-Knee and White-faced Whistling Duck.

The only drawback to this part of the country is the thoroughly depressing tourist scene at the hotels, where sun worshippers from Europe (mainly the UK) bake themselves lobster red, while drinking all day and listening to the likes of Boyzone. This in turn turns the locals into supplicants and beggars, and it can be un-nerving to try to walk around outside the hotels, due to the constant hustling by “bumsters”. One way to escape this foolishness is to venture “up-country”, i.e., upriver. The wide Gambia River really defines the country, and the further up one goes, the more primitive become the conditions. Here there is no electricity grid, and the “road” is a series of bathtub-sized craters and ditches. However, the people are warm and helpful, and the birding is absolutely amazing. We saw Bateleur Eagle, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (length: 1 metre!), Goliath Heron, African Fish Eagle and other amazing creatures too numerous to mention. Some of the Gambian birds have wonderful names, such as Western Gray Plantain Eater, or how about the Lesser Blue-eared Glossy Starling (not to be confused with the Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling). The Gambia, which has a per capita income of less than €300, has managed to set aside about 5% of its national territory as national parks and protected areas. Despite its high population density and poverty, there seems to be a high degree of awareness of the value of protecting wildlife and habitat. Why then cannot Ireland, one of the world’s richest countries, do likewise and protect a reasonable amount of the country, thus eliminating the national embarrassment of having to pay fines to the EU for our non-compliance with directives to do so? Perhaps some Gambian officials would agree to send some aid-workers here to show us how to conserve our flora and fauna, as this is obviously not a priority for the Irish state.

I would recommend Gambia as a place to see amazing birds, but one should be aware that it is not an easy place to visit. For those planning on going, I would be willing to offer some specific advice.

- Michael Murphy

|Recent Branch Trips|