Last Tuesday (Feb 17), I went with my environment class to La Parc Nationale des Iles de la Madeleine. It is a national park with two islands (clarification for the non French speakers), but one is really small, and basically just a big rock. These islands are off the coast of Dakar, and preserved as a national park to conserve local animal and plant species. There are a lot of migratory birds that use the island, and also native species that reproduce there. We saw several different species of birds, and the bird colonies were quite large. We were able to get quite close to some birds because this is their nesting period, and the females won’t leave the nest. They build their nests in the crevices of rocks, and if the guide hadn’t shown us, I would have walked right by the nesting birds.
We also saw several different plant species, and although the island isn’t large there were two main ecosystem types. The baobab trees on this island were much shorter, and the roots were exposed and growing up out of the ground. Our guide said this was an adaptation because of the wind, and high salinity of the soil, which makes sense, but I was surprised that baobabs could look so different. Also, we saw some succulent plants that kind of looked like cacti, but I don’t remember what they’re called. I’ve learned that remembering foreign names is a lot harder because you have to learn how to pronounce the name in addition to remembering whose has that name. Whether it’s places, plants or people, names are definitely a challenge here.
I had a good time at Les Iles de la Madeleine, and it was nice to spend some time outside. I got a little sunburnt since I forgot to reapply sunscreen, but it’s already fading to tan. I would consider going back to this park, since there is a nice place to swim, but it’s expensive to get in, which is probably why we only saw toubabs there.
Love,
Mel
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