By Yero S. Bah
Birds play an important role in the attraction of tourists into the Gambia, diversify the country’s biodiversity as well as serve as a source of revenue for the country and meat for the locals.
In the late 1980s, few Gambians were into birdwatching (birding) simply due to their total disinterest as they saw it as a waste of time and meaningless adventure, a scenario that is changing now amongst Gambians. Climate change and weather patterns determine the movement of birds from one part of the world to another in search of better habitats, that is according to birders.
However, someone like Wally M. Faal nicknamed (Wole), had a different mindset towards birds in those early years as he ventured into birdwatching in the 1980s as a Field Guide.
According to Wally, he was introduced to birding by some English friends who encouraged him to focus on it as a future profession. Mr. Faal shared his experience and frustrations of the current status-quo for birds in the Gambia, with Mansa Banko Online during an interview held on 11 May 2020 at Bakoteh. He said for centuries, millions of birds migrate from the Northern hemisphere to the Southern hemisphere due to climate change, and estimated that there are about 9,600 different bird species in the whole world. These birds, birder Faal continued, migrate for various reasons, key among which are harsh weather conditions in the West, especially in winter, and food scarcity. He also explained, “They leave their original countries in Europe and Americas to warmer Africa to avoid the colder climate between early October and December.”
The narrative by birdwatchers is that migrant birds always return to their native countries between April and May as the weather conditions in Africa gets hotter and unbearable for these migrant birds from Europe and the Americas. The Gambian bird expert enlightened that the feathers of the birds regulate their body temperatures but during winter time in the West, it becomes extremely unbearable for them because the Western hemisphere gets colder and snowy. So, the only option for these flying creatures is to migrate to the “breadbasket” of the world–as per Faal’s description of Africa.
“The birds know that Africa is the breadbasket for them,” he told this online medium, adding the African continent is the number one migration destination for birds. This is possible because of the perfect climatic and weather conditions that birds do enjoy on the continent, he advanced. Faal noted that each year, migrant birds travel over 20,000 miles away from their native lands in search of better weather conditions and better food.
“Food scarcity and harsh climatic conditions are two primary reasons for birds’ migration,” he disclosed.
Acclaiming the precision and skills that birds employ whilst travelling thousands of miles with agility and focus, the Gambian expert in bird issues, argued that the brain of the bird is so accurate that no military university could train its flying captains with such accuracy and precision.
In his explanations, “birds can see 2000 times” sharper than the human eye; that they could spot on the smallest of objects or insects on the ground whilst flying high above the skies. Faal said birds measure time by considering the shorter and longer days or night to estimate their periods of migration either in winter or summer, from both sides of the poles. He reported also that migration of birds is triggered by the changes of the day and night. The birdwatcher went on to say most birds are engaged in Palearctic migration, and that migrating birds don’t actually mate with native birds in the Gambia.
Faal’s reasons: Because these alien birds are strangers to the local Gambian birds, as well as alien to the weather conditions which usually gets humid in the months of April and May as these migrant birds normal return to their native lands in the West such as Europe and the Americas. “Migrant birds are not ready to build families with Gambian native birds so they don’t mate,” he added. He highlighted that birds such as the swallowers, the white crested helmet, white heralds and many other species of birds do migrate into Africa and the Gambia in particular, during winter and return to the West during summer for nesting.
“Human tourists imitate these birds in many ways as birds too don’t fly directly but make some few stopovers,” Birder Faal stated. He, however, explained that the swallowers could fly continuously for seven days, non-stop; it covers its head into the winks whilst flying with precision at night.
Meantime, Faal deplores the rate at which disforestation is ongoing in the Gambia, as he frowned at it as a “calamity” for the environment and the birds in the country. He disclosed that deforestation causes birds to migrate to other areas that are conducive for them, stressing “birds will leave if their habits are destroyed”.
Faal chided that because of human greed, major local and global forests such as the Abuko Nature Reserve as well as the Amazon had been destroyed, and now some birds are becoming extinct creatures or aliens in certain parts of the world and the Gambia is not an exception. “This planet is for human beings and other creatures.”
The bird Field Guide pointed out that, the first stopover for these migrating birds from the West to Africa is a place called Jud in St. Louis, Senegal where millions of these birds converged before heading to different destinations on the African continent such as The Gambia, Ghana, Senegal and other countries. He claimed that the willow-wobblers always find their way to the Gambia and not any other African country. Faal further said there are three types of birds, namely the Sahel, Savanna and Tropical birds, adding each of these birds had special habitats but most of those habitats are now under human threats. He pointed to real estate and mining companies as key contributors to these threats. He decried that, “Birds that were in the Gambia in 1980s are no longer around as they are either extinct or [had] migrated to safer zones.”
Wally historically recollects that, his friends tried to discourage him from birding, as he claimed that they used to look low upon him whilst rhetorically questioning him on the importance of birdwatching. He admitted that when he started birdwatching, it was tough but by being focused, he was able to excel in it, which forced him to read extensively. Stressing that education is very important in the field, he told Mansa Banko Online, “At times I used to get timid in the bush alone with my binocular and map reading book.”
The birdwatcher further refreshed his memory to 1987, when he got his first trip to Basse with some Swedish friends. During that trip, as he told us, he hired his friend who used to belittle him in his new adventure; and he claimed to have paid him (his friend) D4000. He also opined most Gambian birdwatchers (birders) as fewer as they were at that time, were pocket-birders instead of concentrating on learning the profession.
The birder went on to recollect that, as birdwatchers they started facing police harassments back in 1988 which prompted them to form the Gambia Bird Watchers Association to eliminate such obstacles for the future birdwatchers in the country. But the association was formally licensed in 2005.
Faal noted that Seleti, Faraba Bantang, Giboro and George Town (JanJanbureh) were paradise for birds as one could find over 250 different species of birds in those areas in yesteryears, but not anymore. He reported that birds that are found in the Gambia are up to 568 species, 450 of which are permanently resident in the country, notably the black Heralds and White Seagulls. Noting that over 40-60% of the tourism revenue come from birding activities, he therefore posited that, government should designate certain areas as birds’ sanctuaries; with “No tree felling or human encroachments.”
The experienced birdwatcher in lamenting that some Gambian birds are migrating to other countries because their habitats had been destroyed mostly by Real Estate companies, however disclosed that their association is involved into mangrove planting in order to help replenish the fish stocks so that birds could have reasons to stay in the Gambia.
Faal called on the Gambia government to encourage forest parks, discourage bush burning, and limit real estate agencies’ encroachments into the environment. The erstwhile globe-trotter maintained that birds are no longer protected in the Gambia, while in Europe and the West, in general, “birds are highly protected”.
Wole as he is fondly called, did his education in Sierra Leone at the English Grammar School in Freetown, before becoming a sailor with some merchant vessels that took him across the globe such as USA, China, Europe and Brazil, before returning to the Gambia, and eventually took up birding as his life work.
