Tuesday 16th Oct. A storm strikes

A poor morning of ringing, with only 3 birds caught, and no migrants.

Oppong and I head into town this afternoon for a few sundry items, including a dongle to attempt to get some sort of internet connection.  Whilst in the city centre, we notice several market stall holders packing things away somewhat early, and looking skywards.  Is the rain coming, I ask?  No, the wind, they reply.  Sure enough, some seconds later the wind picks up and the visibility drops, as a dust storm hits the city.  With our chores done, Oppong drives us back out of town, struggling to manage the steering at times with the strong gusts swirling around.  Folk on bicycles with large loads are having the worst of it.  We make it back to let Japheth and Roger go tracking, but then as darkness falls and they return – having got a soaking in the field – so the heavens open over Koubri. The high winds and heavy rain are short lived, but enough to cause concern over the survival chances of the tagged birds overnight.

Oppong rustles up another fine batch of red-red,  this time at a reduced cost, seeing as we did get the beans and plantain ourselves!  After those rains though, the temperature has plummeted at Denise’s cafe, and for once, I wish I were wearing another layer – most unusual for this time of year.