articles/Nature/ashtonsgambia-page6

Ashton's Gambia - part 6 of 1 2 3 4 5 6 7

by Jonathan Ashton Published 01/02/2011

The next day was better - much better, we hired an old Nissan Patrol with an open back and a tarpaulin for a roof. Travelling in the heat was much more comfortable, but the dust from the roads got everywhere. It is a good idea to carry an old towel, or something like that, to place over the camera and lens while travelling. We initially went to Kotu Bridge - a very famous location for birders. As soon as we arrived various 'guides' offered their services.

We politely declined despite their repeated attempts; their persistence was really irritating, so we went elsewhere. There is a big difference between seeing birds, watching birds and actually photographing them; this is something the bird guides do not really appreciate despite their insistence that they do.

We drove to a place called the Bund Road, a long straight road with mangroves at either side, there is also a bridge there and we had much more success. Along the road there was no hassling from bird guides, in fact there was only one other person there - a local crab fisherman. Here birds could be seen and photographed, we took shots from the vehicle and we also got out and walked with the camera and tripods - never more than 200m or so. We managed to get shots of reef herons, darters, pied kingfishers, terns, gulls, godwits, whimbrel, black-winged stilts, wire-tailed swallows and various species of plovers.

Later we went to Steam Corner (a local name - sometimes called Cameloo Corner), again many birds were photographed - including the Senegal thick knee - a bird that looks like our familiar stone curlew.

• Ashton's Gambia page 1
  
• Ashton's Gambia page 2
  
• Ashton's Gambia page 3
  
• Ashton's Gambia page 4
  
• Ashton's Gambia page 5
  
• Ashton's Gambia page 6
  
• Ashton's Gambia page 7
  

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