The Gambia: stalker's paradise

There's stalking and stalking, there's pulling a bird on a beach and finding an extraordinary bird on a beach.

I did some stalking of my own during our recent trip to the Gambia. As usual, the victim objected; as usual, I persisted in my stalking.

The setting was a particularly wonderful area of the beach, where the waters of a creek flowed across it into the sea.

The bird in question was a glorious white Egret who liked to hang around this place, taking the sun, enjoying the calm and, presumably, occasionally swallowing the unwary fish (it turns out she was a bit of a stalker too).

Because I liked the place so much I kept going down to this favourite spot of hers and giving her a bad time. I have the photos to prove it.


‘Oh God, not you again… You were here yesterday’

Her body language was clear. ‘Go away,’ she was saying, ‘I don't know what you're after, and whatever it is, I'm not selling it. Leave me in peace.’ But I was persistent.

‘Look, I’m moving away. Don't follow me. Stay where you are.’

But not even the clearest of signals could put me off. I kept right on stalking until she was forced to resort to her last option, flight.

‘That’s it, I’ve had enough, I’m out of here’

To be fair, Danielle too had her infatuations. And of course she takes better photos. So here’s one of a bird that she took a shine to and then forced to take flight, just as I did with mine.

‘Crawl away and die somewhere, why don't you, if you want me to show an interest?’

Good picture, isn’t it? Fine creature, too. But a vulture? Doesn’t quite have the the grace of my Egret, does it? I mean she was special.

If she even was a she.