Cruising the backwaters of the River Gambia.
14th January 2024
A cruise along the many back-waters of the River Gambia is special, of that there is no doubt. Many birds can be seen by travelling in a small boat and the habitat viewed doing this is really unusual and somewhat diverse.
https://youtu.be/FXvyWvBfKy8
One area in particular looked like a huge field of watercress, inhabited mostly by herons and storks. The storks allowed very close approach.
Yellow-billed Stork
The herons, however, were typically wary. The ground looked almost solid enough to walk on but the boatman assured us it was most definitely not, and was also quite dangerous to attempt.
He said the herons and storks were obviously harmless and the ground was quite solid in places. However! What can be lurking in the damp vegetation could present a problem. I asked him to elaborate and he pointed to an innocuous area of vegetation and said ’look closer’.
I could now see what he meant!
West African Crocodile
https://youtu.be/FXvyWvBfKy8
One area in particular looked like a huge field of watercress, inhabited mostly by herons and storks. The storks allowed very close approach.
Yellow-billed Stork
The herons, however, were typically wary. The ground looked almost solid enough to walk on but the boatman assured us it was most definitely not, and was also quite dangerous to attempt.
He said the herons and storks were obviously harmless and the ground was quite solid in places. However! What can be lurking in the damp vegetation could present a problem. I asked him to elaborate and he pointed to an innocuous area of vegetation and said ’look closer’.
I could now see what he meant!
West African Crocodile