A thunderstorm in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau's slightly surreal capital city. The thunderstorm started quite suddenly but went on for two hours - and the rain has only just stopped, seven hours after it started. We left the sound recorder running under an aw

We spent several evenings sitting on the jetty at Tendaba Camp on the south bank of the River Gambia, listening to the sounds of the river at dusk. In this soundscape, waves are slapping against the jetty while, in the background, a tree-full of weaver bi

This soundscape was recorded at dawn in a derelict old camp near Bessi, not too far from the southern bank of The Gambia River in The Gambia. A lot of the former hotels and camps we came across on the south side of the river have been reclaimed by nature

Giant Eagle Owls are wonderful creatures; they have huge, lidded eyes that make them look a little like gremlins, and they sound a bit like pigs. We were lucky enough to enjoy the presence of two (wild) Giant Eagle Owls at Le Thiossane camp in Senegal, an

In this soundscape, recorded just after dawn at Le Thiossane camp near Mbodiene, Senegal, you can hear the insects and birds living around the saltwater lagoon coming to life. We spent a lot of mornings and evenings listening to and watching the life of t

As we've mentioned, it's rainy season in Senegal. Outside our hut in Le Thiossane, Senegal, was a vase-shaped water collector, covered by a metal plate to keep out the leaves. When the rain fell on the plate, it made a wonderful drumming sound. We recorde

While we were in the Bandia Reserve, our guide, Mamadou, stopped the vehicle and went off on foot to follow some large tracks. Fifteen minutes later, he came back and told us to follow him, on foot. He led us to a wooded copse, where the Bandia Reserve's

This flock of Village Weavers was busy building nests in a tree just across from the restaurant in the Bandia Reserve. Every now and then the whole flock would suddenly go quiet for one or two seconds before starting up again. In this recording, taken jus

Pirogues are small, wooden fishing boats common in this part of Africa. We took this pirogue from Fadhiout in Senegal to visit the nearby Ile aux Coquillages, or Island of Shells. As you'll hear, this pirogue was punted by a wooden pole, although some pir

The area around Mbodiene, Senegal, was an ornithologist's dream: giant eagle owls, pelicans, weavers, terns, gonoleks, bulbuls, and lots and lots of long-tailed starlings, who often carried on singing through the night. We recorded this group of long-tail