Cousteau in the wintering area

-URDAIBAI RESERVE- Cousteau, the Basque-Scottish osprey that left Urdaibai at the beginning of September, is still in his wintering quarters in the south of Senegal.

His movements have been carefully monitored from the Urdaibai Bird Center since August, when he was marked with a satellite transmitter. Recently there have been few changes to report.

Some weeks ago Cousteau travelled about 30 km to the southwest. He currently frequents the northern bank of the Casamance River, a few kilometers from Ziguinchor, the region's capital. It is a flood zone which is largely occupied by mangrove swamps and rice fields. There is an abundance of fish in the area. Cousteau shares the different habitats and fish with numerous storks that nest in the same city of Ziguinchor.

This area is about 60 km from the border with Gambia, a country that is going through a serious political crisis. This crisis arose when the former President of Gambia refused to step down after having lost the election. Yesterday the president-elect was sworn in at his country's embassy in Dakar (Senegal) where he is in exile. A few hours ago ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) troops entered the country to intervene and restore constitutional order. The BBC reports that more than 25,000 Gambians have crossed the border in the direction of Senegal due to the threat of armed confrontation. Let us hope that the crisis ends in the best possible way for the good of the whole population and especially for our friends in Gambia and Senegal.