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The small west African state of GAMBIA was selected for our eighth international photographic trip.  It is a modest-priced location and very convenient, with direct flights from a number of UK airports.  We visited Gambia at the beginning of the dry season, but midday temperatures were well in excess of 30°C which meant carrying heavy camera gear was very hard and sweaty work.  Dehydration is not to be taken lightly, and we soon learnt to take plenty of water at any opportunity.  We had no rain during our stay, but several days were marred by a thin veil of high cloud which meant that flight photography suffered from grey backdrops.  The flights and accommodation for the first week were organised through Gambia Experience, whilst the itinerary, transport, logistics and accommodation up-river during second week were well organised by Yaya Barry.

 For the first week we were based at the Kombo Beach Hotel, which proved a very good choice because of its proximity to Kotu Creek and Ponds.   Several traditionally excellent sites e.g. Aboku Nature Reserve and Tendaba proved to be non-productive, with very few birds, whilst other sites e.g. Bund Road were advised against on safety grounds.  Yaya suggested that this was due to a longer than normal wet season which meant that there was plenty of pools of water about and consequently the birds were not concentrated into a few sites.  Rather alarmingly, Yaya did tell us that since his time as a guide, he had noticed that bird numbers generally were declining.

The first week was spent around the coastal sites, but quite quickly, we found that the best sites photographically in order  were Kotu Creek and Ponds, Pirang, Lamin Rice Fields, Bijol Island and the gardens of the Senegambia Hotel.  Kotu Creek and Ponds held an excellent selection of waders, Whistling Ducks, kingfishers, Little Bee-eaters, herons, egrets, Sacred Ibis, Little Grebe, various raptors and woodland birds.  One of the ponds was covered in green duck weed and made a very attractive location for photographing waders and ducks.  Whilst, the very attractive Little Bee-eater was quite common  and approachable at Kotu Creek.  Excellent opportunities presented themselves for shots of individual or groups of birds feeding and flying.  The Lamin Rice Fields also proved productive with egrets, herons, kingfishers, Jacana and doves.

The Gambian people are very friendly and inquisitive, and personally I felt we did not suffer any undue 'pestering' that some people had complained of.  Transport between the various locations was expertly managed by Yaya who made sure we had a ready supply of cold drinks following a photographic session.  As suggested above, we found the best way to get results was to  persevere  with a few sites, sit quietly and allow the birds to relax and come to you.  Nevertheless, I found that often I needed to use the Canon 500mm plus the 2.0 converter, which since I used the EOS 10D throughout the trip, meant an equivalent focal length of 1600mm.  Image stabilisation ensured sharp results when shooting with this combination.  Pirang was one the sites we visited most frequently and offered good possibilities for waders, kingfishers, cranes, nightjars, herons and raptors.  One of the main attractions here was a pair of Black Crowned Cranes, which were very wary but proved to be more approachable as the temperature built up during the morning.  Unfortunately, this was accompanied by the build up of a heat haze and using the lens combination described resulted in none of my photographs being bitingly sharp.  This is the first time that I had encountered this problem, and what a shame, because some of my best shots from the trip were ruined.  Nevertheless, good photographs were obtained of Pied and Malachite Kingfisher, Spoonbill, Western Reef Heron, Crested Lark, Thicknees, Spur-winged Plovers and swallows feeding young.

Because the nesting season had finished it was possible for us to visit Bijol Island which was a great experience.  This island is home to large flocks of waders, gulls and terns.  Unfortunately, none of which, except the Grey-Headed Gull, proved to be very approachable.  However, good shots were obtained of birds in flight, either individuals or flocks.  In hindsight, this location was worthy of a second visit, although it is tide dependent.  At the beginning of the second week we moved up-river into the heart of Gambia staying at Tendaba and Georgetown.  The accommodation was basic, but clean and the food good.  Tendaba, one of the classic Gambian sites, lacked birds and photographic opportunities.  Surprisingly, boat trips at both Tendaba and Georgetown were disappointing, with the few birds present proving to be wary of the boats.

 Nevertheless, three locations at Kau-ur Wetlands, Bansang and Basse proved excellent and we obtained great images of Egyptian Plovers, Red-Throated Bee-eaters and Hooded,White Backed and Ruppel's Vultures.  Gambia offers excellent opportunities for bird photography, but it is not easy, you have to work selected sites hard and long focal length lenses are a must.  Whilst there were disappointments, I felt I came away with a selection of good images.  Some of which can be viewed at the GAMBIAN GALLERY SECTION.  Finally, a very big thank you to Yaya, Ebrima and Habiba.