My Third Day in the Gambia: Marakissa River Camp

Morning Birdwatching

This morning, I woke early to start the day birdwatching in the garden. Most of what I saw was similar to the days prior, many Village Weavers and Common Bulbuls, as well as some new species – Yellow-Crowned Gonolek, Lavender Waxbill, and a third species I photographed but couldn’t identify at the time. I’ve grown very fond of these morning birdwatching sessions, preparing me for the rest of the day.

Visit to Kulukochi Community Pre-School

After I had finished my breakfast, I met with Brendan and a few of the other guests to walk to Kulukochi Community Pre-School. It took us perhaps 20 minutes to walk there from the Gunjur Project, passing many friendly people on the way. On arrival, Brendan introduced me to Botto, the Headteacher of Kulukochi, who kindly showed me around and explained its significance. He shared how years ago, the closest school was a long way away, creating a significant barrier for young children to access education. Mothers had to choose between their work (like the women I met yesterday in the gardens) or their children’s education, and given how valuable their work was to their families, education often took a backseat. Botto and some other locals wanted to change this and secured land from a local landowner. They then sought funding, having little luck until they connected with the Gunjur Project, which provided the funds to build the school through its sponsors. This support has continued, helping to fund teacher training, staff salaries, and even the construction of a child-safe kitchen. It was clear from speaking with Botto how passionate he was about the work he was doing; the school was (and is) in excellent hands.

Exploring Marakissa River Camp

When we left the school, we were joined by Sulayman, and together set off toward Marakissa River Camp. On arrival, we first walked along some beautiful wetland habitats, watching for the incredible species that called it home. Highlights for me included my first Giant Kingfisher (many more were to come, unbeknownst to me!), as well as African Jacana and Black Heron. Afterwards, we returned to the River Camp to meet Adama, our host, who provided us with a delicious lunch.We had time to look through my sightings of the morning, including the mystery bird I had found difficult to identify. Much to my pleasure (and Brendan's, so it seemed), Sulayman identified it as a Western Bluebill, a bird that is apparently quite rare in the Gambia and one Brendan had never recorded in the garden at the Gunjur Project since it's construction; I had gotten very lucky indeed!

Nearly Missing the Greater Honeyguide

While we sat at the Camp, Brendan explained that this area was well known to birders travelling in the region as a hotspot for the rare Honeyguide birds. While watching for them, another species caught my eye – the Purple Glossy Starling, shimmering in the light with its stunning iridescence. I was so taken aback that I nearly missed the Greater Honeyguide that had just landed behind it – thank goodness for Sulayman’s exclamation!

Canoe Trip on the River

The plan after lunch was to head out onto the river in canoes for a different perspective on the wildlife. Unfortunately, our way was blocked by a crocodile sat on the walkway to the boats. Luckily for us, Adama regularly feeds the local crocodiles and was comfortable ‘persuading’ it to move—first tempting it with food, and when that failed, resorting to giving it a firm smack until it retreated into the water. With the path clear, we stepped into the canoe. My nerves kicked in—not because of the crocodiles, ironically, but because of my clumsiness and the real fear that I might capsize the boat (and take Brendan with me!).

Seeing the wildlife from the water was incredible, and it wasn’t long before we started spotting many kingfishers—mainly Giant and Pied, with one Malachite Kingfisher burying itself deep into the bushes to eat its fresh catch. I had been so excited to see just one Giant Kingfisher earlier in the day, and now they seemed to be everywhere along the river! I tried to contain my excitement, knowing that even small movements could make the canoe rock more than I was comfortable with.

Being on the river allowed us to get much closer to the birds without disturbing them. I was absolutely chuffed to get photos of a Great White Egret just metres away, as well as a Long-Tailed Cormorant that remained within touching distance (untested) as we drifted past. After completing the canoe trip, we thanked Adama and set off back to Gunjur Project for some much-needed rest.

Night-time Spider Hunting

Feeling refreshed after dinner and a Goldfinch lager (a Gambian-brewed beer), I decided to test my new spider-finding technique, shown to me by Brendan the night before. This time, I explored the Project Gardens instead of Bolongfenyo. It was a brilliant success—I found many spiders using the night to wait on unsuspecting prey. Some sat still in the open, while others had created small holes in the ground as lairs. I’m looking forward to trying this when I get back to the UK next week—a really exciting way to end the day.

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