While immigrating birds fly over Sahara first water on their way is river Senegal. City of Saint Louis is partly an island on the river and at the edge of the city fishermen villages touch the Atlantic Ocean. Perfect conditions for birds to meet culture!
Pelican enters the house and a man follows him. After some time they come out, man is holding pelican’s beak. He is feeding the bird with fish. In the middle of the street the horse carriage is passing by the pelican. A man on the carriage throws a fish and the bird catches it. On the beach pelican is browsing through the trash. I realise he is tied with a leg to a metal pillar. There is no line between a wild animal and a pet sometimes. I loved to record faces of people on the street showing they don’t really trust pelicans.
Although there are over 350 bird species in Djoudj and Langue De Barbarie natural parks in this photo story I focus on pelican. For me, the most important are random meetings with them on sandy streets. We also visited their crowded nesting colony, where young gray pelicans are gliding on the water.
Let’s look at the birds from another perspective now. A man with a live cockerel enters in the front of the taxi. Taxi driver asks him for permission and starts pulling feathers followed by whistling sounds of the bird. After peeling off the feather while holding the wheel the driver puts it in his mouth to clean his teeth. He finishes his hygienic venture with a feather in his ear. I believe it is necessary to prepare all senses to dive into the bird culture.
Text & photo: Uroš