My Fifth Day in the Gambia: Bedframes and Bee-Eaters

An Unexpected Wake-Up Call

As I was to be joining the ringing group this morning, I had gone to bed last night prepared for an early start. I was not prepared, however, to wake up in the early hours to a large 'BANG' in my room. I jolted awake, as is the protocol for such an occasion, looking around my room to find the culprit - unfortunately the culprit in question was me. Looking under the bed revealed the source of the noise; a spilt supporting beam lying broken on the floor. It was clearly a showcase of my immense strength* even while in slumber. I was, of course, mortified and (at an appropriate time) leant my sincerest apologies to Colin and Binta which were well received.

*Commonly translated to "larger than average belly" - something I'm determined to lose while training for my upcoming marathon which you can support here.

Morning Bird Ringing

After this wonderfully effective alarm clock, I was quite awake and set about sifting through my pictures from the past few days. At 6:30am I left my room to join the team, about to set off to start ringing. It was fantastic to see the local species up close - species I now knew well like Common Bulbul and Village Weaver, but also birds I had yet to see during my time here or just had fleeting sightings - notably Yellow-Fronted Tinkerbird and Red-Bellied Firefinch; a species I hadn't realised was quite so tiny.

Breakfast and a Taste of Wanjo

When the ringing session was concluded and everything was packed away, we travelled back to the Observatory before walking to the market to purchase breakfast - it was here that I was introduced to Wanjo by Emmanuel. Wanjo is a traditional Gambian drink, made primarily from hibiscus flowers - it was delicious, and Emmanuel suggested he might send me the recipe so I can try and replicate it back home.

One Last Walk

Fuelled up and ready for a trek, I was joined by Emmanuel and Naffie for my last walk at Kartong (at least this visit). We talked about Emmanuel's trip to the UK last year, and Naffie's trip to come, and the excitement and nerves that come with that. We saw some fantastic species, like Sacred Ibis, Spur-Winged Goose and Wattled Lapwing and others, all of which I had been taking pictures of. Unbeknownst to me, I had left my camera's SD card in my laptop, so when I tried to upload my pictures, I ended up having to take photos of my camera screen instead—what a plonker!

We walked all the way to the beach before stopping for refreshments and a short rest. When we decided it was time to head back, Emmanuel grabbed my attention and pointed me in the direction of a bird I have long wanted to see; a Hoopoe! It didn't disappoint; it was magnificent, and I was overjoyed to see it. These are the moments I am grateful for the lack of passers by, as I'm sure they'd have considered me some sort of raving lunatic!

Saying Goodbye to Kartong

When we returned to the Observatory, I said my goodbyes, and thanked Binta and Colin for their wonderful hospitality as well as an additional apology for damages caused. Michael very kindly provided me with a lift back to the Gunjur Project, and it finally started to dawn on me that my time in The Gambia was soon coming to an end.

An Evening of Music

After the early morning start, I used the late afternoon and evening to rest, catching up with the other guests at the project. This evening there was to be live music performed by Jack's Academy Band who were playing on Djembes. The atmosphere was fantastic, and it was lovely to see other guests taking part, dancing and having a wonderful time. I also had a wonderful time, but refrained from the dancing - a sight I'm quite certain is best left to the imagination.

Tomorrow, I'll be joining Brendan for some of his classroom work, teaching local kids about wildlife. I’m looking forward to seeing how it's similar and different from the Osprey Leaders sessions back home.

My visit to The Gambia has been supported by The Osprey Leadership Foundation. I've been working with OLF over the winter months to support the delivery of their training and education programmes and I'm an active member of their Evolving Leaders Programme. While I'm here, I'm spending time with their partners The Gunjur Project and the Kartong Bird Observatory to learn more about the impact OLF's support is having here and I will hopefully have the opportunity to meet other participants of OLF's programmes.

A massive thank you to the amazing donors who help fund the OLF's work and helped make this trip possible. If you would like to support the work of OLF, you can join as a Friend of the Foundation here