Hen Harrier flying over the savannah in Senegal

by Hans Hut

Grey harriers winter in Senegal. They primarily hunt large grasshoppers there.
Grasshoppers can be quite troublesome for the locals.
Thus, they can cause crops to fail in a short period of time during their raids.
Not only grey harriers but also other species of harriers winter in Sahel countries.
The openness and the presence of prey animals are good opportunities for these birds.
People have created a grassy plain here by cutting down the forest that originally stood here told our driver who had felled it himself.
Peanuts are now grown in a lot of these areas.
At the moment, the somewhat smaller birds and grasshoppers have a free hand here.
In the distance we can still see some baobabs and the grass still being harvested by locals.
So these plains are actually used for wintering. Harriers sleep on the ground somewhere hidden in the tall grass at night.
The horse and cart drive through them on their way to their homes and a harrier hunts for food there.