The Gambia December 2013.
14th-25th December 2013. Click any Image for a Larger view. |
| African Fish Eagle. |
This blog was created for trips like this. Two years ago I was hoping to start birding abroad but some unexpected financial problems halted that.
The Gambia is a fantastic place, we stayed at The Palm Beach Hotel. Sandy beaches on one side, paddy fields on the other side and a river creek outside the front door made it perfect for birding.
The first day out with our guide Karanta Kamara took us to Abuko nature reserve. The first half hour gave us views of Black crowned night heron, Giant kingfisher, Palm nut vulture, African paradise Flycatcher and Monitor lizard. Shortly after leaving the first hide Karanta stopped along the path and started to mimic a Pearl spotted Owlet , within a minute the trees and bushes around us had filled with small birds looking for the Owlet. This was something Karanta did quite often throughout our trip with superb results.
Later in the day we headed back towards Kotu bridge, the golf course, sewage works and the paddy fields near the hotel. All these areas are within walking distance of each other all holding good birds. We spotted many species such as Broad billed and Blue bellied rollers, Senegal thicknee, Lanner falcon, Yellow billed kite, Brown babbler, Osprey, Pied kingfisher, Greenshank, Squacco heron...they are only a fraction of what we saw.
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| Greenshank. |
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| Long Tailed Nightjar. |
Around the hotel offers some good areas to birdwatch without much effort, regular birds noted in the area Hammerkop, Black egret, Whimbrel, Western reef Heron, Broad billed Roller and passing raptors.
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| Purple Gallinule. |
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| Yellow crowned Gonolek. |
Fiddler Crabs are abundant on the banks of the dykes and Sunbirds and Warblers are numerous in the trees and bushes.
Stopping at the Birdwatchers garden along the way I chatted with Matty, she is the cook there and a new friend I have made. Sitting for awhile with her I had good views of Red cheeked Cordon Bleu, Bearded Barbet and several Sunbirds.
The next stop was the sewage works ( not as bad as it sounds) spotting Squacco Heron, Black wing Stilts, Green sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Spur winged Plover. African Jacana and a 6ft long Monitor lizard. Along with several other bird species this is a great place to check out. Next site was back behind the old Officers Mess but no Shining blue kingfisher again or Purple Gallinule, but I did spot Shikra and Lizard buzzard on my way back. On the edge of the golf course Senegal thicknee , Wattled plover, Redshank and amidst a crowd of doves a single Namaqua dove stood out. Crossing the golf course the sky was dotted with Hooded vultures and Yellow billed kites and a pair of Lanner falcons zipped past, only to be followed two minutes later by two Ospreys heading in the same direction. At Kotu bridge behind the bird guides office there is a small hide where I was lucky to spot both White crowned and Snowy Crowned Robin Chat along with African Golden Oriole and African Thrush a little later.
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| White Crowned Robin Chat. |
Walking back towards the hotel a group of Brown Bablers squabbled among themselves while two Green wood Hoopoes foraged on the floor nearby. A few yards away a Blue bellied roller sat perched and motionless...fantastic stuff !
18TH December 2013. We set off for Bunto Forest and the elusive Spotted Flufftail, a very hard bird to find and we knew the chances were very slim and that we would need
more than a little luck with locating this bird.On our drive towards Bunto we had sightings of Shikra and Grasshopper Buzzard. Turning onto the dusty road that lead towards the Forest we had sightings of a pair of African Harrier Hawks soaring and gliding around a single Acacia tree. At the visitors centre we had good views of Orange billed Waxbill, Plantain Eaters, and Black Rumped Waxbills.We set off in a small party with 3 guides and 5 birders towards the stake out area. The local guide of Bunto forest was leading the way and he lead us towards a dense overgrown patch that looked rather odd. We were told to huddle together and stay motionless whilst the guide played some calls he must of recorded onto his mobile phone. A decade passed and the group started to get restless so the guides moved us 100 metres or so into another area and we all stood together again. The guide played more calls from his mobile phone and we heard a reply in the far distance but no more than that...it was very disheartening and a long time was wasted. But Hey HO thats how birding goes sometimes ! Knowing that we were all disappointed at the failure or dip on this bird the guides moved us on quickly to build up our spirits by showing us two Verreaux's Eagle Owls and Yellow throated leaflove. Karanta and myself split from the main group and headed down a separate path where almost immediately we spotted a small raptor perched quite high in a tree a good 70-80 yards in front of us. I rattled off half a dozen shots and reached for the 2 x converter but the bird disappeared...Bugger.
18TH December 2013. We set off for Bunto Forest and the elusive Spotted Flufftail, a very hard bird to find and we knew the chances were very slim and that we would need
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| Snowy crowned Robin Chat. |
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| Western Little Sparrowhawk. |
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| Gary Waddington with camera. Armed and Diligent. |
Arriving back at the hotel mid afternoon Gary Waddington had Arrived from Gods own county, Lancashire.Gary has travelled to many places worldwide, he is a extremely good birder and he knows his stuff very well. Gary had been up since the wee small hours and was obviously jaded and quite tired after the flight. We did have a walk though around Kotu bridge, Fajara golf course, and the sewage ponds. Taking in Western reef Heron, Blue bellied Roller and most of the usual suspects ...the one bird that we were very lucky to see was a Dwarf Bittern that pleased us both. Other birds of note along the walk : African golden Oriole, Back headed Heron, Wood Sandpiper.
19TH December 2013.
Abuko nature reserve with Gary. We set off in a local taxi without a guide and decided to walk the site ourselves. At the first hide we had good views of African Jacana, and a Giant kingfisher catching a small flat fish and flying away
out of view. Also Black crowned night heron, Snowy crowned robin chat and Malachite kingfisher. Along the footpath we noted Pygmy Kingfisher and close by we had views of both male and female Paradise flycatcher. The male still holding its splendid tail feathers. As we walked we spotted Bronze manakin, Grey Hornbill, and a Palm Nut Vulture overhead. Green Vervet monkey's could be seen throughout the walk and a few had become cheeky around the site café.
Lunch at Lamin Lodge was a nice rest from the heat and we had the pleasure of Osprey with prey from our dining table. Refreshed we headed back and picked up several regular species along the road. Lamin Lodge seemed a little touristy for me and a little bit of a let down, not somewhere I was taken by.
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| African Paradise Flycatcher. |
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| White faced Scops Owl. |
20th December 2013.
A early start we set off towards Bunto Forest. We had a open backed Jeep and our guide Karanta to guide us, many birds were seen along the way including Abyssinian roller and Pallid swift before arriving at the visitors centre. At the feeders we had many Orange Billed Waxbills and Plantain Eaters.
Once in the forest we went in search of the Spotted Flufftail again. Along the tracks we picked up Green Turoco, Little green Bul Bul and Grey Hornbill before arriving at the same spot we had visited a few days earlier looking for the Flufftail. Yet again we drew a big fat blank and walked another 100 meter or so towards the other spot the guides knew about. This time we were joined by two birders that I had met near the hotel Eddie and Clare. We all stood motionless in a tightly clumped group as the guides tried to lure the bird out into a fairly overgrown area with repetitive calls and recordings. A lifetime passed before we saw some movement directly in front of us, under some overhanging bushes....The Spotted Flufftail appeared from the left and walked around searching the floor. It moved from one side and around the only open space not far from us for a minute or so before fading into some undergrowth and out of sight. A minute may seem a short time but in birding terms it is quite a long time for such a elusive creature....Wonderful stuff.
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| Brown Snake eagle. |
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| Abyssinian roller. |
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| Wahlberg's eagle. |
We stayed for a couple of hours and picked up on Bateleur eagle, Bedowins snake eagle, Black shouldered kite, and my favourite of the day a male Exclamatory Paradise Whydah in full plumage...Cracking stuff.
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| Exclamatory Paradise Whydah. |
All along the highway we had sightings of different birds from Raptors to Swifts, Storks to Rollers.Once at Tendaba we washed and then had a walk behind the camp in the evening with Karanta. It was a pleasant walk and we managed a few minutes watching a large number of Hirundines chasing insects above us. These included Sand Matrins, Little Swifts and Pallid Swift. We also had good views of Bruces green Pigeon, Village indigo bird and Bush Petronia.
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| Grasshopper Buzzard. |
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| Bruce's Green pigeon. |
I liked Tendaba camp, it was warm and friendly and the bar and restaurant area felt casual and relaxed. The accommodation was fine, not luxurious but it was more than adequate. The menu was good and hearty and breakfast was a sort of buffet that was also good. I would of liked to of stayed longer in the Tendaba area and view more of the nearby sites. The surrounding areas and sites must be worth investigating and I suspect that this area is worthy of spending a few days at in the future.
21st December 2013.
The next morning we had a wander around the camp and a look across the river picking up our 3rd African fish eagle along with Osprey, Gull billed tern and a Pink backed pelican sat upon the water. The local Pied kingfishers gave Gary and myself great photographs from close range along the jetty. Great cormorants and Spur winged geese flew past us along with Great white egret.
Laughing doves, and Long tailed glossy starlings fed within yards of our breakfast table.
We set off towards Georgetown and picked up some good sightings along the way. Speckled pigeon, Rose ringed parakeet, European bee eater and a pair of Yellow fronted canaries on the roadside edge. We stopped a couple of times at different locations en route for Karanta to test his Owlet calls and we were rewarded with Pygmy sunbird, Green backed Eremomela, Grey backed Camaroptera. We also had more sightings of Batteleur eagle, African golden Oriole and Lanner falcon.
We arrived at Soma Ferry terminal around 12.30 pm and though we had a good wait it was a real eye opener to witness how this country operates. I am sure that our guide paid one of the harbour officials to get us to the front of the mile long queue and a heated argument opened between our guide and another official when we failed to get our Jeep onto the next ferry. Around 90 minutes after we had hit the back of the queue we had boarded a ferry and we set off across the river. The 90 minutes had not been wasted though I had watched a Great white egret catching fish close to the jetty and had seen another African fish eagle perched high in a tree on the far banking, I also witnessed two Yellow billed kites battling each other above my head whilst we waited
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| Male Pygmy Sunbird. |
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| Yellow billed kites. |
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| Egyptian Plover. |
We arrived at Georgetown camp and viewed our rooms, the rooms are basic though they are en-suit. The loo had to be flushed with a bucket, the sink was not working and the shower was used to fill the bucket...if you had a hour or two to spare. The window had mesh instead of glass and the curtain was only half the width of the window. I had the luxury of a footpath just outside my en-suite room. I could of spoken with strangers walking past from the comfort of the loo if I wanted.... Luxury at its best.
We sat down for a meal of what I was told was bush pig but it could of been anything, I think it was previous birders hiking boot that had been diced up and served...but Hey Ho... I was never expecting nouvelle cuisine this far up river. At the table sat a Spanish couple who had been at Tendaba the day before and after awhile they left the table... ten minutes later they rushed back to the table excited, they had walked around the camp with a lamp and picked up a Verreaux's eagle owl sat out in a leafless tree in the darkness...panic set in as everyone rushed around to get shots as it sat there motionless, I clicked away but my shots were rubbish. I could hear cameras clicking and the bird stayed put whilst I tried to figure out what I was doing wrong. Thankfully the bird stayed long enough for me to adjust my settings and get some decent photographs....Awesome stuff !
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| Verreaux's Eagle owl. |
22nd December 2013.
The breakfast was basic but filling and could of been a lot worse. We had a boat trip planned and whilst Gary and Karanta settled the bills I picked up Bruce's green pigeon, Grey kestrel, and Brown Babler from the parking area.
Setting off across the river in a long dug out motorised canoe we soon entered the creeks and birds appeared from the left and right and overhead. African darter, Kingfishers, Sandpipers and Greenshank. As we moved through the swamps and mangroves we caught up with Marsh Harrier, Pearl spotted owlet, Hammerkop, Olivacous warbler, and Oriole warbler. We had only been in the creek 20 minutes. A little further along we had Osprey overhead and Western banded snake eagle. The birds came thick and fast. Suddenly Gary called out " Finfoot" he had spotted the bright orange legs of the bird on the banking and it had slipped into the water giving us a quick chance at a few shots. It swam up stream hiding in the foliage but also drifting back into open every couple of minutes. Superb views and not just a fleeting glance, one of the top birds we wanted. Further on through the creeks we had more good views of African fish eagle and then a small party of Red throated bee eaters. It was getting better than a wildlife documentary. Squacco herons on one side , raptors above, and a Juvenile Black crowned night heron to add to the mix. Throw in Senegal parrot, Motteled spinetail, Swamp flycatcher and hanging Fruit bat made it a epic boat
trip and very memorable one.
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| African Finfoot. |
One stop we made by the roadside was to observe a herd of cattle that had Yellow billed Oxpeckers feeding upon their backs. The cattle seemed uncomfortable with these birds picking away at them and we noticed a couple of times how the cattle shook themselves to rid themselves of these parasite feeding blighters. Close by we had also noted some Piapiac that are also known to associate around cattle but these were feeding from the ground. We approached the herd and noticed that half a dozen Carmine bee eaters were following the cattle as they marched through the grasses and disturbed insects as they made their way onwards. The Carmine bee eaters stayed close by to the cattle and swooped and turned as the insects lifted. This was magic stuff as we tried to capture some shots of these beautiful birds as they flew fast and agile around the cattle. They looked even more beautiful when the sunlight caught the colouration of the birds plumage. Yellow wagtails also graced the area.
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| Northern Carmine Bee Eater. |
23rd December 2013.
Trees line the creeks but there are open patches in between that allow alternative views. At one such place we managed to view both Marsh and Montagu's harrier and a single Osprey flew just above us. Further into the creeks we picked up Mouse brown sunbird, Caspian tern, and African spoonbill. Great white and pink backed pelicans littered the trees and sat on the water as our boat spluttered along.Both Blue cheeked and Swallow tailed bee eaters perched on nearby branches. Greenshank and Common sandpiper searched the muddy banks for food. Blue breasted and Malachite kingfishers looked downwards from their perches. Great white and Intermediate egrets graced us with good views and Great cormorants flew past as we looked on. A little further on we spotted a raptor at distance perched high in a tree we tried to get closer but only managed quite distant shots of this Gabar goshawk, a dark phased bird that kept its back to us before departing far too quickly.
The ponds were full of waders and Whistling ducks we took lots of shots of Black winged stilts, Common, Green and Wood Sandpipers as well as African Jacana, Intermediate and Little Egrets.We made our way towards the main road and met our driver Njogo. Gary had used him before and they had become friends. He took us along The Bund road and we scanned the large water and roadside bushes spotting Blue cheeked bee eaters,Beautiful Sunbird,and African Gonolek and a Sub Alpine Warbler on the roadside. At the waters edge we noted Avocet,White wagtail, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper and a fly by Gull billed tern.
All in All the entire trip was fantastic. Though I would not spread myself so thinly again over so many places. With the wonder of hindsight I would concentrate my efforts on fewer sites for longer. Gary And Karanta are superb Bird watchers and boosted my overall tally to 255 species. The boat trips were exceptional, the numbers of birds we saw breath taking !The road trips offered great views around each bend, like a lucky dip you had no idea what was going to surprise you next. The Gambian people that we met made our stay very comfortable, we had no worries and no real hassles to speak of. The weather was hot, the food was good overall. Gambia is good for many reasons and a superb destination to visit.
Tendaba camp and breakfast in the open with views of the river from our table made it a nice way to start the day. After plenty of food and coffee we headed across the river, African fish eagle was the first bird of note though at a distance. Once again we headed into the creeks and the birds appeared either side of us, African darters that were so close we could not focus on them properly, Sacred ibis along the banks with Wooly necked storks and a massive but beautiful Yellow billed stork stood proud and alone.
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| Yellow billed Stork. |
A Dark Phase Gabar Goshawk.
Moving down another creek the boat driver pulled us over to the banking a White backed night heron was sitting tight upon her nest and we took some shots without disturbing her, great sighting for us. A large monitor lizard was draped over a large branch just above our heads, sunning itself and not at all interested in us photographing it. After a couple of hours we started to move back towards the river and came across a Crocodile warming itself on the banking, it noticed us and wasn't comfortable, slipping into the murky creek water and away. At the end of the creek we had another raptor sat high to our left and the boatman let the canoe drift towards it , but it flew to our right hand side making it obvious that we had a Peregrine falcon in sight. Landing back at the jetty we had Little swifts high above us feeding in the heat of the day.
On the road again we headed back towards Kotu bridge. Making another detour Karanta stopped at a very large fig tree and whistled out his Pearl spotted Owlet calls again, drawing in Vielets barbet and pygmy sunbird. The fig tree also held, Long tailed glossy starling, Bearded barbet and African grey hornbill. Walking along further we picked up more sunbirds and searched the area for Water thicknee without any luck. We did chance upon Yellow penduline tit and another Batteleur passed over us before Karanta ushered us over towards a thicket where he had found some 4 banded sandgrouse. They blended into the foliage as well as a nightjar...a really good find Karanta. Walking back towards the jeep Grasshopper buzzards gave us good views and Abysinian roller posed nicely for me. A striped kingfisher didn't pose and flew away before I raised my camera. Bugger !
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| Four- Banded Sandgrouse. |
We continued on the road and after quite awhile Karanta told the driver to pull over quickly...Gary asked what he had seen, Karanta smiled but did not answer. " Ground hornbill" ? Gary asked ...Karanta smiled again. We piled out of the jeep and walked back along the road, there they were 2 very large Ground Hornbills walking away from us and into long grass, we managed a few shots but nothing that would win a competition before they flew off and away. Before we arrived back at the Hotel we had picked up European Bee Eater, Grey Headed Bush Shrike, Woodland Kingfisher and African Green Pigeon.
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| European Bee Eater. |
24th December 2013.
We set off for a walk around Kotu bridge and surrounding areas after our trip up river. I agreed to meet Gary near the bridge when he was ready and I chanced my luck behind the bird guides office where they have a small hide.
My luck was in, not only did I get shots of a White crowned robin chat I also caught up with a slightly harder to find White crowned robin chat. African thrush and Blackcap babler showed as well. Before leaving the hide a Blue breasted kingfisher made a appearance. I met Gary and we walked towards the Birdwatchers café and garden. After a cool drink we made our way towards the sewage ponds and a Hooded vulture lifted from the ground onto a dead tree close by. We took the opportunity to photograph the bird at close quarters before Gary noticed that we had disturbed it from eating the face off a dead dog that had curled up below another tree...Lovely stuff !
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| Mother in law. |
Moving on we arrived at Banjul ferry terminal and made our way behind some shops and onto a small beach. A large raft of Gulls sat on the water and lots of other birds flew around us. Grey headed gulls were easy to pick up and after a few minutes we had Royal Terns, Caspian Terns and Sandwich terns. We had a small handful of Kelp gulls just off the foreshore and then we noted 3 Pomerine Skuas attacking any gull that had food about them. They chased and harassed the gulls, out manoeuvring them with ease until they surrendered their catch. The Skuas would drop back and take their loot...true pirates of the sea. It was a spectacle worth watching and gave us good photo opportunities.
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| Pomerine Skua. |
We came away and had lunch at The Nefertiti bar and restaurant just off the main road.
We made our way back to Kotu and the Birdwatchers café Garden again. Matty was pleased to see us and we stayed awhile before agreeing to go with Lamin for the Painted snipe. We had a brief walk with him and though we did see them they did not show very well. We did have good views of Pygmy Kingfisher though and walking back we had Sedge warbler,European Hoopoe and a Rare Golden tailed woodpecker, though this was not confirmed until we saw it again the next morning. Cutting back through the golf course we saw Red Billed Hornbill foraging on the ground. Near the end of our walk a cracking male Lanner falcon flew onto a open branch clutching prey, we sneaked around to the side to use the better light to our advantage when the female Lanner Falcon flew in to join her mate and his prize. In the photograph it is easy to see that the female is about one third larger than the male.
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| Male and Female Lanner Falcon with Prey. |
25th December 2013.
I set off to meet Lamin and try my luck at the Painted snipe again, we cut through part of the Golf course and onto the main road. Lamin seemed very determined to find these birds for me and we did get a few brief glimpses but no real photographs. We tried another part of the same place and had 3 birds fly past us and land in thick vegetation. We stood on a raised narrow footpath that divided the rice fields and Lamin moved ahead of me. Within a few minutes he waved for me to catch him up, he had a Painted snipe just below the path and quite obscured by thick vegetation. I tried my best to manually focus on it but I was far too close. We moved to the side and the bird was away, we saw more Snipe but the photographs are poor. Walking back we had Blue bellied roller posing well and Lizard Buzzard on the telegraph wires. The European Hoopoe was in the same area as the day before and in better light we could see the Golden tailed Woodpecker a lot more clearly. Great bird !
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| Blue Bellied Roller. |
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