The Gambia, Day 5 - 15 February 2011, Fajara, Kotu Ponds, Kotu Bridge and the Casino Cycle Track

This was the one day of the trip where we had no definite plans. It proved not to be a birding day but this being The Gambia I did manage a few interesting sightings.

A walk along the beach from Kotu to Fajara and then back through Fajara village yielded Broad-billed Roller, Abyssinian Roller, Striated Heron and Osprey but best of all was a splendid adult Shikra perched on wires in Fajara village and allowing close approach. Rather different from my previous experiences with the species in Kuwait!

Shikra

Speckled Pigeon

I negotiated a solo walk out in the afternoon and wandered the short distance to Koto Ponds which are basically sewage ponds containing various amounts of ‘liquid’! By far the best birds here were 2 surprise Red-necked Falcons whizzing about and showing several times. Good views of a Black Crake followed before I settled into photographing the very approachable birds on the ‘mud’. Hooded Vultures, Yellow-billed Kites, Black-winged Stilts, Spur-winged Plovers, Cattle Egrets and Sacred Ibis’s were numerous and joined by a single Glossy Ibis plus Common, Wood and Green Sandpipers. In the pondside bushes I also managed to get shots of Beautiful Sunbird and Long-tailed Glossy Starling. A brief stop at Kotu Bridge on my way back and the usual species were present, Senegal Thicknees, Wattled Plovers, Spur-winged Plovers and Red-chested Swallows but also a perched Lizard Buzzard and Long-tailed Cormorant.

Beautiful Sunbird

Black-winged Stilt

Glossy Ibis

Hooded Vulture

Hooded Vulture

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Piapiac

Pied Crow

Sacred Ibis

To round the day off we had a family walk to the Badala Park Hotel grounds where I scored with Black Heron and then along the Casino Cycle Track as dusk approached. 3 African Jacacas, 2 Senegal Coucals, c15 White-billed Buffalo Weavers and a solitary Greenshank were the highlights.

African Jacana

The Gambia, Day 4 - 14 February 2011, Brufut Woods, Tanji Beach and Bijillo Forest Park

I was back with Ebrima for the morning again today and this time Belinda decided to join us and see what all the birding fuss was about!

The aim of the morning was to give Brufut Woods a thorough going over and this great site didn’t disappoint. After a bumpy ride along the dirt tracks we parked up in the shade of a tree and quickly had White-crowned Robin-chat and Northern Black Flycatcher as Blackcap Babblers called all around. An adult Shikra stared down at us from the top of a tree and a party of 6 Brown Babblers passed noisily by. The dense woodland here was quite difficult to bird from the paths but Ebrima was able to lead us straight to a roosting White-faced Scops Owk and then even better, mega views of a Long-tailed Nightjar sat in leaf litter under saplings. Moving into more open country made things a little easier and an into an area of scrub flew 2 Four-banded Sandgrouse, moving closer to investigate we flushed them and even though I only managed to fire off one shot it captured the species very nicely. In the open savannah woodland raptors stole the show with a Dark Chanting Goshawk flying right towards us, Grey Kestrel, 2 Ospreys and an African Harrier Hawk over. We then picked up a perched Striped Kingfisher that eventually allowed close enough approach for some photos. Green Wood Hoopoe, Green-backed Eremomela, Yellow White-eye, Little Weaver, Grey-headed Sparrow, Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling and Lesser Honeyguide followed in quick succession and I eventually got onto a singing Tawny-flanked Prinia. Sunbirds were good here too with Scarlet-chested, Splendid and Variable seen. While trying to get a picture of the latter a small bird popped into view which proved to be a lovely Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird. On the walk back Ebrima had a call which made us quickly change direction and within a few minutes we were watching a marvellous roosting Verreaux’s Eagle Owl. Back at the main track Ebrima went to collect the car while we sat and had a drink at the ‘Woodland Bar’ and I busied myself photographing Fork-tailed Drongo, Village Weavers, Bronze Mannikins, Orange-cheeked and Lavender Waxbills and both Northern Red Bishops and Black-winged Red Bishops by the feeding station.  Other birds of note on the lengthy walk were Woodchat, Yellow-billed Shrike, Hoopoe, African Thrush, Black-billed Wood Dove, Black-necked Weaver and Senegal Parrot.

Black-winged Red Bishop

Bronze Mannikin

 

Dark Chanting Goshawk

Lavender Waxbill

Little Bee-eater

Fork-tailed Drongo

Four-banded Sandgrouse

Long-tailed Nightjar

Orange-cheeked Waxbill

Osprey

Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu

Red-chested Swallows

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Striped Kingfisher

Striped Kingfisher

Village Weavers & Northern Red Bishop

White-faced Scops Owl 

Tawny-flanked Prinia

A brief stop at Tanji beach after lunch revealed 2 Yellow Wagtails, White Wagtail, 2 Slender-billed Gulls, a Red-billed Firefinch, several Red-chested Swallows and 2 Bar-tailed Godwits amongst numerous Grey-headed Gulls, Lesser black-backed Gulls and Caspian Terns. To complete an excellent half day we stopped to photograph an Abyssinian Roller on roadside wires before heading back north to Kotu Beach.

Abyssinian Roller

Caspian Tern

Grey-headed Gull

Red-billed Firefinch

For our late afternoon family walk we decided to take a taxi to Bijillo Forest Park (aka Monkey Park) and rather long and hot walk here with a resident (and not very good!) guide gave me a juvenile Shikra , Lanner, several Blackcap Babblers, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Little Bee-eaters and 2 ticks in the form of Swallow-tailed Bee-eater and 3 fantastic Oriole Warblers.  Hornbills and Western Grey Plantain-eaters proved very photogenic too.

African Grey Hornbill

Red-billed Hornbill

Shikra

Snowy-crowned Robin-chat

Western Grey Plantain-eater

The Gambia, Day 3 - 13 February 2011, Banjul Docks, The River Gambia and Albreda

A non- birding day today. Instead we had a day long ‘Roots by Boat’ excursion with Tilly’s Tours. From our boat on the River Gambia I was quite surprised to pick up 2 – 3 Kelp Gulls in Banjul Harbour (where there were also hundreds of Little Swifts) and then c6 British Storm Petrels and a Manx Shearwater between Banjul and Albreda. 2 Slender-billed Gulls, several Royal Terns and 1 Gull-billed Terns were also seen from the boat.  In the village of Juffureh a pair of Village Indigobirds were on wires and a Wire-tailed Swallow hawked around the jetty.

Back in the Kotu Beach area were a Lizard Buzzard, Blue-bellied Roller and 2 Hamerkops.    

The Gambia, Day 2 - 12 February 2011, Lamin Rice Fields, Abuko NR and Fajara Golf Course

Today I was picked up at 07.00 by my birding guide for the morning Ebrima W Barry.

Our first port of call were the ricefields at Lamin just across the road from Abuko NR. This area of flooded pools, palms and allotment style small fields proved to be a very productive spot and an excellent introduction to the delights of Gambian birding.  First up was an approachable Lizard Buzzard in a roadside palm, quickly followed by Hammerkop, African Darter and the first of many Hornbills – Pied, African Grey and Red-billed. Moving further in the marshy area and several African Jacanas were obvious. An eagle-eyed Ebrima then picked up a male Painted Snipe and a Black Crake whilst Striated Heron, Western Reef Heron and White-crowned Plover were also seen. Around the palms a flock of White-billed Buffalo Weavers flitted about with Senegal Parrots, Village Weavers, Bronze Mannikins and 2 Fork-tailed Drongos for company. An elegant Palm Nut Vulture glided overhead when a shout went up for a fly-through Giant Kingfisher - birding par excellence! Distant Blue-bellied Roller and Yellow-billed Shrikes followed together with some excellent close-up views of 4 Little Bee-eaters, 2 Grey-headed Sparrows and my first African Thrushes. Senegal Coucals and Beautiful Sunbirds proved to be very common here whilst doves included African Mourning Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Vinaceous Dove, Black-billed Wood Dove and Blue-spotted Wood Dove. On the way back to the car we also picked up Grey Woodpecker.

African Thrush

Black-billed Wood Dove

Pied Hornbill

Squacco Heron

Striated Heron

Vinaceous Dove

Little Bee-eaters

Long-tailed Cormorant

Red-eyed Dove

Western Reef Heron

The Gambia, Day 1 - 11 February 2011, Banjul Airport to Kotu Beach

Arriving in the late afternoon meant no real time for birding but when in a new country loads of birds are new so even the drive from Banjul Airport to our hotel at Kotu Beach produced some good birds for the Gambian first timer –  the ubiquitous Hooded Vultures, Yellow-billed Kites, Pied Crows and Speckled Pigeons. More satisfying were Grey Kestrel, Long-tailed Glossy Starling, Western Grey Plantain-eaters and especially a White-crested Helmet-shrike.

A brief evening walk on Kotu Beach in fading light gave me loads of Grey-headed Gulls, Royal Tern and 4 Senegal Thicknees plus Western Reef Herons and a selection of commoner waders at the mouth of the creek. 

Senegal Thicknee

Whimbrel

Yellow-billed Kite