Gambia: 1st birding expedition

I never thought I’d enjoy “birding.” I have a friend who told me how much she enjoys it, but this friend also loves doing calligraphy and learning Farsi for no particular reason—so I assumed we just have different tastes. Now, after dipping my toes into the world of birding, I’m not so sure anymore. In fact, I might have to try calligraphy pretty soon because… who knows!

It started with a Golden Eagle

The appeal of birding is arguably low and just like long distance running seems like a tedious, boring activity. Still, anyone who visits The Gambia might be tempted to look at birds because there is a lot of diversity here and easy access. I thought I might give it a try as a form of mediation and relaxation. To get away from all the screens. And because I heard the sound of birds makes people happy. Also: there seem to be bird reserves and hot spots everywhere here so it takes minimal effort to go on a tour. The one I went on today started 2km from my house.

But it all began with a Golden Eagle. A few weeks before moving to The Gambia I stayed in Northeast Oregon by a lake. I was hiking around a little bit and about to cross a stream, when a majestic golden eagle just happened to be sitting there, looking at me. I looked back for a long time, admiringly, until a small crowd gathered to take pictures and the spell was broken. I felt this was a sign.

Pokemon hunting

Few people might appreciate the comparison, but I feel like spotting birds is a little like hunting Pokemon. It’s an entirely useless activity but it gets you out the door and can be unexpectedly exciting when you find something rare. I mean, in a way everyone should be able to understand it. After all, most people enjoy a stroll in nature, and plenty of people love collecting things, whether that’s baseball cards, passport stamps, or shot glasses. It’s never really about the item itself but about the experience and thrill of growing your collection.

And it’s not even just about birds. When you’re looking for birds, you naturally look at everything else too. Just roaming around a beautiful area called Kotu for three hours taught me a lot about the types of people that live there and work in tourism, fishing, and farming. I learned about the crops they plant, the impact of the rain and the tides, the state of the local infrastructure, and the purpose of various buildings. I pass this area almost every day so I really like getting to know it better. Going around with a guide has so many benefits—they tend to have the answer to just about any question, bird related or otherwise, and they’re usually great people.

The birds

Did I see any spectacular birds today? Kind of! I saw 30 different species in most colors of the rainbow (blue, green, red, yellow), parakeets, ducks, and birds of prey. I’d seen almost half of them already but barely had any good photos, so that was a bonus. Besides, I learned a lot about how they migrate to Europe and Central Africa and how they change their looks during mating season.

The tour started off great with a giant kingfisher sitting on a power line, patiently allowing us take photos. Later, we saw a woodland and a pied kingfisher too. I love kingfishers. They’re colorful in a sophisticated way, and easy to identify.

We saw a bunch of shorebirds: lapwings, sandpipers and a whimbrel who was not shy at all. We saw a hamerkop, named by some Dutch folk who felt his head looks like a hammer (it does somewhat). A whole bunch of different herons, some with very tall necks and some without any neck.

The pigeons and doves were hard to get excited about. Even if they’re speckled, African-collared, red-eyed, vinaceous or laughing. In my mind, they’re not far from vermin when they’re in big cities shitting everywhere and going after your French fries. I’m not a huge fan of vultures or kites either (we saw many hooded vultures, one shikra, and a few black kites today). They just look so mean.

Some birds are almost too small to fully appreciate. Cordon bleus, bee-eaters, village weavers, fire-finches and sunbirds look beautiful and exotic on photos, but are difficult to admire live because they’re tiny and move fast.

As a novice, I guess I appreciate birds that are brightly colored and easy to find. Like the glossy starlings, who seem to be everywhere, and the yellow-crowned gonoleks, with their bright red bellies. I also like the western plantain eaters who are unique to this area and easy to hear because they’re often very loud.

Wimbrel