Quoting from the recent press release concerning vulture

conservation in Guinea and on The Foutta

'Recent surveys confirming the seriousness of the regional decline

have also located a few rare relict vulture populations

in , and , whose numbers are also dwindling'. 

Concerning The Gambia:

''Alongside the abundant Hooded Vulture N. monachus the larger Gyps

 species generally begin to appear in conspicuous numbers at about the

 100km east mark south of the Gambia River around Kampant (13⁰14^’N, 16⁰05^’).

 Albeit anecdotal, based on the experience of several round country visits

 per annum made over a period of 22 years of residence in The Gambia

 (when until very recently only species presence has been noted and counts not made);

 I would argue that Gambian vulture populations have not ‘crashed’ similarly

to those being reported elsewhere in West Africa. Immense numbers of vultures

 in The Gambia have never been quoted in the literature and a certain degree

of stability in The Gambia seems to be a possibility. A healthy number of active

 and successful African White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus nests were

monitored along the river from February to April, 2005. Similar numbers

of Ruppell’s Griffon Gyps rueppellii observed in the 1980’s still attend domestic

 animal carcasses in recent years in Central River and Upper River Divisions.

Ruppell’s Griffon are seen in a number of age classes ranging from immature to

aged adults. Eurasian Griffon Vulture G. fulvus numbers are apparently

increasing in URD in the east of the country, with a congregation of 49 being

reliably reported in February 2005. Up to and including 1997 the largest

count was eight from CRD in May 1993, this spp now has records here in

all but two months during the heavy rains. Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis

is a common resident and regular breeder at the coast and is plentiful along

the Gambia River . Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus and White-headed Vulture

Trigonoceps occipitalis persevere in their historically low numbers.

First year birds of the latter have been seen and photographed on a number

of occasions since 2000, but no nest has been found in recent years. 

Egyptian Vulture has a handful of records only, and remains a rare visitor to The Gambia''. 

On visits to Mali, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau & Nigeria amongst other W African

countries I have recorded nothing like the vulture numbers that I am familiar

with in The Gambia and some parts of Senegal - only plentiful specimens in the

fetish markets and bird traders in the former two !!

Any visitors to The Gambia may wish to comment.

Can anyone comment on current trends in Sierra Leone and Liberia ?

best wishes

Clive R Barlow

Banjul

The Gambia

cc Dept of Wildlife and Parks Management