Ghana 2019 - Day 6

Our day started as usual at 6 am for breakfast.   This morning we sat outside the hotel.   As the light increased over 80 pied crow came out of roost, 14 whistling duck and 3 cattle egret flew over.    We also saw African pied wagtail feeding in the car park with grey-headed sparrow and little swift also putting in an appearance.

Back in the forest

Robert and Eric had decided that we could get the bus further along the track than yesterday, so we returned to try to continue where we ended yesterday.    This gave us a slightly easier walk and enabled us to try the wood cutter trail which  we had seen the previous day.  It looked like a stream might flow here in the rainy season, and as we walked along there were stranded fish and water beetles in small pools, presumably the water was protected from complete evaporation by the cool shade of the forest.

We reached the end of the trail and rested on some rocks, listening for birds, and discussing the plans for the next few days and how we could add to our knowledge of the area.

Re-tracing our steps we found some lovely butterflies including.    At one point I got so excited I tripped in a stone and landed flat on my face in belly-flop fashion on the ground.   I had also managed to land on my binoculars and relatively new camera.   Thank goodness all three survived intact, with dust and dirt everywhere but no bruises.

Oh, and I did see the glider which caused all the fuss!

As both Peter and Roger had found butterflies with their names, I decided i had to create my own wish list.   As Sue, Susan or Healey didn’t seem to appear on the checklist.    I went for "waggle wing", the smallest butterfly you ever saw, and lucky me - we found one later in the day.     They almost look like a small bud in a delicate plant, but as they sit they waggle their wings from side to side - delightful!

Setting into a pattern, lunch was followed by a trip to try to find another access to the forest but after much driving around, asking locals, who are helpful but never seem to agree with each other, we managed to find another area of old gold mining on the other side of the town.   It looked like it would be nearer to better quality forest, but our old enemy ‘access’ threw a rather large wet spanner in the work.   The path was totally flooded and too deep to walk without wellies.   The good news is that we had great views of two children falling off their bikes - both unharmed I hasten to add - and a guineafowl butterfly.   Added to which, in drier times this did seem to have potential for access in the future.

White-throated Bee-eater

We returned to the larger wetlands mining area from the previous day, but accessing from the road we used to get to the forest.   This brought us along what appeared to be a main access for workers to and from farms and tree felling areas.   There were people moving in both directions the whole time we were there, bringing their produce off the lower slopes of the forest and plantations, and returning to collect more.

All this is done on a small scale, with everything brought back to the village for sale or trading.   Huge loads are carried by men women and children all on their heads, the strength and poise required to keep these heavy loads would be impossible without a lifetime of experience.   I would barely lift it off the ground let alone carry it on my head!

We ventured into the area and wandered along the access paths left by the miners as they moved from area to area.   Their panning machines gobbling up the soil and holding any gold found.   Whilst an initial distance  sighting was quite depressing - a river which had been destroyed by mining and left looking a mess to most people - we held the firm belief that nature would persist and when we got there it would be a different story.   

Its not all birds!

As we had hoped grasses, reeds and sedges were colonising the pools and surrounding areas.   Bee-eater and swallow were drinking from the pools and feeding overhead on insects brought to this wetlands area.   Several kingfisher were present so there must be fish in some of the more mature pools.   Winding cisticola greeted us, we saw common sandpiper and green sandpiper - thoughts of home which is pretty chilly at the moment came to mind. 

The afternoon warmth brought us back to the job in hand and more butterflies and birds were seen as we wandered along.

Soon we neared the end of the more formal track, but there was still a small path leading ahead.   This seemed to be where all the workers were going to, gaining access to the forest - maybe this was our answer as the forest looked a lot closer from here that the end of this morning’s trail. 

There were also farmers and wood cutters bringing out their produce, everyone smiled and shouted in greeting as we passed, some wanted to talk about why we were here, others wanted their photograph taken with one or other of team.   Robert spoke to each one of them asking for information about access to the older forest, but the answers were so conflicting, we knew we just had to keep trying out tracks and potential old logging roads ourselves.

White-faced Whistling-Duck flying to evening roost

Some firewood was stacked by the road ready to be brought out by motorcycle-taxis and trailers.   Many of these are completely over-burdened.   No wonder motor bikes provide the highest proportion of road accidents in Ghana!