Today was the day we made the long drive north from Kumasi to Mole NP so it was mainly travelling day. That isn't to say we did no birding - we stopped at 2 sites, one of which was rather memorable!
The first stop was at the much degraded Opra Forest, a site by the main road north. Here we nevertheless saw a few bits and bobs of interest - Tambourine Dove, 2 Double-toothed Barbets, 2 Lizard Buzzards, Grasshopper Buzzard, 3 Green Wood Hoopoes, 4 Northern Puffbacks, Chestnut-backed Weaver, 2 Black and White Mannikins and lovely views of 3 Western Bluebills which are always stunning.
The other stop was much later in the day and involved a bit of a race against the light. It involved a detour of an hour each way to the banks of the White Volta River at Daboya. Just before we reached Daboya 4 Northern Red-billed Hornbills were my only tick of the day but the main attraction of the site is Egyptian Plover. We duly saw 2 birds while standing in a human latrine on a hill overlooking the river. Being careful where we stood we got some great views with the distant birds even responding to playback and flying much closer. Also there was a Malachite Kingfisher, 3 Pied Kingfishers, c30 Speckled Pigeons, Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, 2 Vinaceous Doves, a swift fly-through Red-necked Falcon and herons flying to roost including hundreds of Cattle Egrets, Squacco Heron and 2 Black-crowned Night Herons.
After leaving there it was still quite a drive to Mole where we eventually checked into the Mole Motel for the start of a 3 night stay and had a rather late dinner!
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