Julian Papay
Member
Having been to Ghana to do a rainforest bird study as a student in 1989, I've always wanted to go back. I finally managed it this summer - a friend and I booked a private tour with Ashanti African Tours. It was amazing - the guide we had (James Ntakor) was exceptional, and with a driver and that local knowledge I saw 25% more species (including nearly 150 lifers) in 17 days of birding this year, as opposed to 10 weeks in the country 28 years ago.
Dwarf Crocodile and Pel's Anomalure were other highlights, along with so much more other wildlife, as well as birds. I've put together a trip report with a selection of photos. I can't see how to upload a pdf here, but if anyone wants to see it, it is at:
https://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport/repository/BRANSCOMBE_Ghana_0708_2017.pdf
I can really recommend the country. It is a tough place for people & wildlife - the pressures from bushmeat and Grey Parrot trapping to habitat loss are severe. The NGO conservation movement has taken off since I was there last time, and I made sure I had an extra day meeting a few folk from conservation bodies in the country, who I am keeping in touch with and I might be able to help out with some of my time in fundraising. I was particularly impressed by the new school for Bonkro and Breku which Ashanti African Tours are building (through their Rainforest Rescue Ghana spin-off charity) at the Yellow-headed Picathartes site that everyone visits these days. Great to see somewhere where the prospects of people and wildlife are better through being linked.
What with nearly 400 species of birds, a huge range of other wildlife, and excellent guide & driver, and some glimmers of conservation hope, it was my best holiday ever.
Julian
Dwarf Crocodile and Pel's Anomalure were other highlights, along with so much more other wildlife, as well as birds. I've put together a trip report with a selection of photos. I can't see how to upload a pdf here, but if anyone wants to see it, it is at:
https://www.cloudbirders.com/tripreport/repository/BRANSCOMBE_Ghana_0708_2017.pdf
I can really recommend the country. It is a tough place for people & wildlife - the pressures from bushmeat and Grey Parrot trapping to habitat loss are severe. The NGO conservation movement has taken off since I was there last time, and I made sure I had an extra day meeting a few folk from conservation bodies in the country, who I am keeping in touch with and I might be able to help out with some of my time in fundraising. I was particularly impressed by the new school for Bonkro and Breku which Ashanti African Tours are building (through their Rainforest Rescue Ghana spin-off charity) at the Yellow-headed Picathartes site that everyone visits these days. Great to see somewhere where the prospects of people and wildlife are better through being linked.
What with nearly 400 species of birds, a huge range of other wildlife, and excellent guide & driver, and some glimmers of conservation hope, it was my best holiday ever.
Julian
