Banjul, Gambia 3

Waking up early in the morning in Banjul is like waking up in Ibadan or Port Harcourt in Nigeria in the 1970s. The bird morning chorus is exactly the same as it used to be in Nigeria. In 2025, in Banjul, you will still likely hear a variety of birds including common species like the pied crow, laughing dove, and red-eyed dove, as well as others such as the common bulbul, African thrush, and the village weaver. You might also hear birds of prey, like the black kite, and other common garden birds depending on your specific location.

Nowadays Nigeria has changed significantly from what it used to be. In urban spaces most trees have been cut down, areas previously reserved for nature have been sand-filled or concreted over, and built on. There's hardly any nature left anymore, and the same change is occurring even in non-urban areas, albeit at a less rapid pace.

I enjoy the dawn chorus. It's the highlight of my early morning. Listening to the birds this morning took me straight back to 1970s Nigeria. I realised then that I had not heard this in Nigeria for a long time, this distinctive 'koo koo, kukukuku' of the red-eyed dove in this clip.