Simon was born in Africa and visited The Gambia in 2009 with our colleague, Solomon Jallow, when he was following Scottish ospreys on their 3,000 mile migration to West Africa as part of the BBC's popular Autumnwatch TV series. On that occasion, however, he did not get the opportunity to travel beyond the coastal area.

The Gambia river is one of Africa's major waterways and of vital importance to over 540 species of birds, about a third of which are paleacrtic migrants. The further up-river you travel, the more interesting it becomes... Once you reach the freshwater habitat, approx 200 miles up-river, the vegetation changes radically and rare species can be found such as the gloriously patterned Egyptian Plover a.k.a crocodile bird which is perched just above Simon's shoulder! Hippos languish in the shoals whilst monkeys, baboons and chimpanzees cavort in the verdant canopy of the River Gambia National Park.

So why not follow the ospreys' example and fly to The Gambia this winter? Click here to watch an introductory video about The Gambia, read more about how you can Discover the Gambia River or start planning your wildlife holiday to The Gambia.