Second attempt to locate Cousteau in Senegal. Chapter 2.

Tuesday, 13 February 2018 10:31

-URDAIBAI RESERVE-

Sunday 19 November

Knowing that procedures are often lengthy at the border crossing into Gambia, I arrived at the Karang checkpoint first thing in the morning. I then made my way to Barra to catch the ferry which would take me across the mouth of the River Gambia and on to the capital, Banjul. I was planning a quick journey to Jiboro, a checkpoint next to the Senegalese region of Casamance. Despite the fact that there are only 100km between the two points, I was obliged to stop at 8 different police controls. To my surprise, I was only asked for “a financial contribution to the police” at one of them. My previous experiences had required numerous donations!

Foto1 Ferry
 At the mouth of Gambia River


Having crossed the border, I headed south on the road to Ziguinchor in Casamance.  The area had been in the headlines of late, as four Spanish tourists had been attacked there. This is highly unusual as the area is generally calm and peaceful.  It is, however, under the strict control of the Senegalese army.

Foto2 Mezquita

 Mosque next to the road

Foto3. Bus

 Access road to Koubalan

I soon reached Baila, a small village next to a vast area which is flooded by the River Casamance. Roy Dennis had informed me that an adult osprey, Azul DF, had frequented the area but that its satellite device had stopped emitting a signal. Acting on Roy´s request, I tried to locate this individual. Exploring the zone, I did spot an osprey in the distance but I was unable to see whether it was ringed or carried a device due to the intense heat shimmer. The temperature was around 35º.

Foto7 Paisaje

 The wintering area of Cousteau

Having had no luck locating Azul DF, I continued my journey south. I had set my heart on finding Cousteau and I was going to start my search in the area which had been indicated by the Argos satellite. After passing through Bignona, I drove down an extremely bumpy dirt track, which, much to my surprise, was full of small buses laden with people and goods. The track ran through a wetland which was surrounded by a wooded landscape.  On the way I had the pleasure of photographing a sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) which was fishing and some hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus) which had been attracted by carrion.

Foto4 Ibis

 African sacred ibis

Foto5 Alimoches Sombrios

 Hooded vulture

I finally arrived in Koubalan, a village situated on the edge of the marsh. It was there that I hoped to locate Cousteau. I parked the car and took a look around.

Foto6 Koubalan

 Koubalan


In the evening light the landscape was spectacular. The huge intertidal zone was dotted with mangroves and several dry trees. Around it were palms and other larger trees. As there was no sign of any ospreys, I crossed the marsh by car and then I ventured further in on foot, walking along a dyke. This dyke isolated the rice fields from the tidal flow and created an excellent habitat for waders, heron and other water birds. Of particular interest were the demoiselle crane (Balearica pavonina) and a flock of spur-winged geese (Plectropterus gambensis).  The sun was going down, which made it difficult to see but I could just make out an osprey perched on a trunk on the other bank.

Foto8 Grulla damisela

 Black crowned crane

Foto9 Paisaje con Gansos

 Spur-winged goose and Ruffs next to the rice field

My heart skipped a beat! Even in the poor light I could see that the ring it wore was surely yellow! Time was running out. Soon it would be dark. In the distance, drums began to sound. I drove back to Koubalan in order to get to the nearest part of the riverbank as quickly as possible. However, this was a serious mistake. As soon as I got out of the car I was surrounded by a swarm of children shouting “Lulu” (“White man” in the Diola language). By the time I managed escape from them and get down to the water´s edge, the ringed osprey had disappeared. It was getting late so I decided to take the main road back to Ziguinchor and look for accommodation. There my luck took a turn for the better. On my arrival, I attended a local dance performance which was led by the Naisse, one of the three masked dancers in the Diola culture.

 

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