Gambia Pt2 March 2014.

Gambia March 19th-29th 2014.

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Going back to Gambia and using up my remaining holidays before April seemed a good idea.
I wanted to pick up a few birds I had missed in December and also to improve my photography.
My accommodation was The Badala Park hotel a friendly place that needs a lick of paint and some cosmetic upgrading. Though the food was good and the atmosphere was better than the Palm beach hotel. It was a cheap and cheerful place to stay for a budget hotel. The rooms are clean and the beds are comfy also the showers worked well, the staff are a friendly and they had a Pearl spotted owlet somewhere in the gardens that sounded like it was sat on my balcony most mornings around 4am.
Arriving early afternoon I walked over towards the water treatment ponds and bird watchers garden to see Matty and Lamin. The ponds had the usual Egrets,Stilts and Sandpipers around.
Lamin was the guide that I used this time, proving that I had made a good choice throughout my stay. Matty is the best cook in Gambia and works for Lamin at the garden.

Matty the best cook in Gambia.

20th March. I was due to visit Farasuto and Faraba Banta with Njogu Bah  but he sent his brother Moses instead 45 minutes late. Hence the deision to use Lamin for the more serious bird watching trips later. The morning out was ok but Moses was no help as a guide though he is a nice guy and did his best. We picked up Harrier hawk, Shikra, Grey kestrel, Red cheeked Cordon Bleu along with Plantain Eaters, various Sunbirds and a female Whinchat.

 Later in the afternoon I had a walk with Matty along the cycle path behind the hotel. I had been told where we may catch some Painted snipe and Matty was keen to try and photograph them. We found them in good numbers well hidden away.  Other birds of note that afternoon were African Hobby, Little Bee Eater, Greenshank, Black Crake.
21st March saw us off to Abuko nature reserve, the day was red hot and by noon I was flagging with the heat. Sightings of Palm nut vulture, Long tailed glossy starlings and Giant kingfisher pleased us. Green vervet and Red colobus monkeys fed in the trees around us. Malachite and Pygmy kingfishers gave us good views, and the bird of the day was a beautiful male African paradise flycatcher that posed for awhile. Other birds of note at Abuko were, Green wood
Hoopoe, Yellow fronted leaflove, and Grey hornbill. On our way back to the taxi the heat was so intense that the soles of my shoes had become hot and after a quick look across the road at some Hadada Ibis I was glad to be on my way back towards the hotel. The rest of the day was spent avoiding the heat and relaxing at the hotel.

22nd March was a day around the hotel area. After breakfast I walked around the gardens. The Pearl Spotted Owlet had woken me briefly again at 4am and I was hoping to find it roosting. Plenty of birds flew around the trees at the car park and those of note were Bearded Barbet, Rose ringed Parakeets, Senegal Parrots, Red billed Hornbill, Broad billed Roller and a surprising immature African Harrier Hawk landed briefly in front of me.
Matty joined me at the hotel around 10am for a walk and we decided to try the large pond just at the side of hotel. Sacred Ibis, Pied Kingfisher, African Spoonbill and Western reef heron graced the edges. Further along we picked up Wood and Green Sandpiper, Black headed Heron, White faced whistling ducks and African Jacana . Later after refreshments at the poolside we headed towards the bridge and rice fields near the golf course. We tried to sneak close towards a Dwarf Bittern but with no luck of a photograph, but we did notice 3 Yellow wagtails one was later noted as a Blue headed yellow wagtail by Gary Waddington from the photograph. Thanks Gary.... Take a look at his blog it is full of good stuff.  http://garysbirdingblog.blogspot.co.uk/     click link.

Along the paths we spotted Purple Gallinule, a single Painted snipe, Senegal Coucal, Whimbrel, Black egret and the old German flag orYellow crowned Gonolek. Walking the edge of the golf course we had a single Osprey overhead and 2 passing Lanner falcons. Hornbills hopped along the ground ahead of us and before turning back we had a small group of Piapiac stealing rides on the backs of the local pigs. At the bridge we took shots at Wattled Plovers and Wire tailed Swallows before heading back to the hotel. Once at the hotel after a cool fruit cocktail we went to freshen up. Walking to the room along the path I looked up and what was sat out in the open looking down at us  , Bold as brass at 4.30 in the afternoon..my unwanted early morning alarm clock...The Pearl Spotted Owlet. I grabbed 5 shots at it before it flew away laughing at me I am sure...Damn thing.

23rd March was my first outing with Lamin and a bit more serious birding. We headed for Cape point and the Bund road area. Lamin is quite well known as a good guide but he lacks a bit in people skills, but he does work hard for you and is very direct and straight to the point. I found him to be very good overall and very knowledgeable....I will use him again before any other guide.
We started looking for  Yellow throated Longclaw in a open area that Lamin knew, he called  to them over and over but we only managed scoped views. Further on we watched Caspian Terns hover and dive for their breakfast, whilst Pink backed Pelicans sat upon the water in numbers. Long tailed and Great Cormorants perched nearby. Pied and Yellow Wagtails ran up and down the edges of the mud and Pied Kingfishers numbers passed 20 on the telegraph wires above us.
We looked at a patch behind a factory that you would never of glanced at twice but Lamin produced some decent birds here, more distant Longclaws, Swallow tailed Bee Eaters and a Osprey perched  a long way off. On the Bund road he wanted flamingo but they seemed absent today, he search hard for everything getting Blue bellied and Abyssinian Rollers as we walked towards better light away from the road.  Glancing back towards our taxi  Lamin picked up a very distant Goliath heron and adviced me on how we would get closer without disturbing this shy bird. I followed his lead and we soon had chance of a record shot that I took but we had a large patch of water between us and the bird.

 Lamin told me to take my shoes off and get in the water using the bushes on a small island to my far left as cover, this made me nervous but I did it. I halved the distance and got some detail of the heron in the photograph that pleased me  before nervously wading back through the water and mud and onto drier land. Washing my feet at a well and recovering from the effort  Lamin found a Grey headed woodpecker behind us. Back on the Bund road we noted Blue cheeked bee eaters and  Purple heron. We spent a long time trying to get good photos of a Striated heron that I found but to no avail. We did catch Malachite kingfisher and Osprey again before setting off back. 100 yards down the road we halted the taxi quickly, a single Yellow billed sStork gave us superb views from the taxi  windows only yards away. These large comical looking birds never fail to please me, with bright yellow bills and red faces contrasting with the stark white body and long red legs  I was chuffed that I was able to click away at it feeding....brilliant !

Along the road back towards the hotel we had a nice Shikra pose for us along with Lizzard buzzard and one of a few Grasshopper Buzzards that I saw.

24th March most of the day was taken up with a visit to Serekunda market and lunch with Matty and her family. The meal was prepared and made by Matty and was called "Streams" or as we call them here Bloody big prawns served with a fried rice and spices. It was the best thing I have tasted in Gambia without doubt.  The home was basic but spotless with a homely feel to it. They had two large bedrooms a large living room and a bathroom with shower and wc. Also a small veranda and a yard outside. Creature comforts included large TV, DVD, some sort of satellite box and the essential ceiling fans. The walls had pictures of the family all over them and the sofa and chairs were comfortable. It was a nice experience to be invited into a typical African home to eat though I suspect this was much better than a lot of homes in Gambia.
Later we went back towards the Painted snipe site for another look, we picked up African Hobby again and Lizard buzzard along with Fork tailed Drongo, Pied crows, Common Sandpiper and Namaqua dove.
25th March was not a success, we visited Bijilo nature reserve but failed to find anything of note. We hired a taxi to the reserve and took a local guide from the entrance with us. This is the best and cheapest way around these places and is what we had done at Abuko. We had a Lanner falcon and Abyssinian roller and several Little bee eaters. A Northern black flycatcher was a good find and Common Wattle Eye are nice birds as well. The visit was ok but we found nothing that we hadn't seen before and we came away a little disappointed....but that is birding for you.

26th March, I was at breakfast early and picked up a White Crowned Robin Chat in the car park along with a Shikra flying high over the hotel before Lamin arrived. We headed for Tujereng and the surrounding areas. As soon as we had  parked up and walked five yards from the taxi  we spotted Black headed Plover and a few minutes later Lamin pointed out a White fronted black Chat perched on a dead tree, 60-70 yards away I took a record shot and crept closer. Gaining ground I stood still focusing on the bird and it flew from view..Damn.

Almost immediately a Dark chanting goshawk landed where the chat had been, two for the price of one I thought....taking a few decent shots I backed off smiling at Lamin. We walked awhile following a Senegal Batis and then a White Souldered Black Tit both good birds.

 Soon we were lucky to stumble on a Black bellied Bustard that kept its distance from us throughout the morning. Lamin wanted to go towards a single fig tree that had fruit for Barbets and Turacos. On our way through the scrub I witnessed one of the most spectacular things that I have ever seen. As we walked we flushed two rabbits from under our feet, speeding away from us they broke cover and ran across a open patch just yards in front of us ...then, Quicker than a bolt from the blue, a Long crested Eagle pounced with lightening speed, flying low and hard from our blind side grabbing one poor rabbit with ease. The squeal was a horrible sound to hear but the way the Eagle took it's quarry was to be admired. The bird must of been able to see Lamin and myself less than 50 yards away and it used whatever sparse cover there was to stay undetected from both us and the rabbits. The speed was epic and the  final few feet of attack was timed to shear perfection.  
Grabbing the rabbit fast and hard around the torso with both sets of talons hardly slowed the huge bird down, gaining height immediately showed us how powerful this bird was. The bird flew to a tall tree far to our left but flew off again as we made our way over to photograph it...damn bird . We stood and watched the Eagle with it's quarry fly someway into the distance.  Lamin suggested we walked the way the bird had flown just in case we managed to get lucky and find it again. Ten minutes later we spotted it and noted that by now it was engrossed in tearing the poor rabbit apart. We used the nearby cover well and came away with some good  photographs...Quality Stuff.

  Moving over towards the fig tree we had sightings of Violet Turaco and
Vieillot's Barbet both feeding on figs and both good birds to see...it was turning into a epic day.

Views of both male and female Whinchat pleased me and made me wonder if they would be in England soon. Adding to the days tally we had Bru Bru Shrike and then Woodchat Shrike, Chestnut backed sparrow weaver along with Black crowned Tchagra and Greater blue eared glossy starling . A Pearl spotted owlet gave us brief views as we moved towards a site that Lamin thought may hold Coursers. At first nothing was evident we walked the open area for quite sometime before we saw any movement on the ground...we had a pair of Temminck's Coursers. We approached them slowly but had no real cover so "Stealth stalking" was the order of the day. Walking slowly and trying not to show them any interest was the only way we could get closer, it worked to some degree but sitting down and hoping they came closer was just as effective....these are not easy birds to photograph. The one thing that did work was to watch where they looked likely to be heading and then get in front of them and wait...tricky birds  these.

Though I think I did fairly well with them. We left soon after because the heat was now unbearable. What a full and rewarding half day we had.  
27th March, Woken again by the Pearl spotted owlet at 4.30am I was lucky I fell asleep again. The day was spent relaxing with a leisurely breakfast and a walk around the gardens. Hooded vultures and Yellow billed kites patrol the skies and are abundant.   Rose ringed parakeets made a racket around the hotel car park and a Bearded barbet squabbled with a Plantain eater in a nearby fig tree. Senegal parrots and Red billed hornbills gathered fruits and a group of Brown Babblers fought amongst themselves in the bushes. A Shikra circled over the hotel again and  Beautiful sunbirds flitted around the palms.

A trip to the bank was eventful with the cash machine out of order,finding another bank was no easy task either. Mid morning I went towards the bird watchers garden for a cool drink before looking for the Dwarf Bittern again only to glance it at distance before it vanished. Moving towards the bridge I spotted Whimbrel, Purple Swamphen, Painted snipe and Blue breasted kingfisher. At the bridge a male Giant Kingfisher and Broad billed roller showed along with Grey and Black headed gulls numbering into the hundreds on the baking mud along the creek.
Behind the bird guides office a single Oriole warbler showed briefly just outside the hide.
After lunch we walked around the cycle path and nearby ponds finding more waders such as Greenshank, Wood Green and Common sandpipers. The local Black crake was not in a photographic frame of mind today and a deadly Shikra struck at small unidentified wader without luck as we walked along.
Making our way towards a small hidden pond we noted two unusual things, first was a pair of Thicknees that looked taller,cleaner and crisper than all the other Thicknees around. They also seemed calm by our presence unlike the others. The obvious grey wing panel was
the first point of interest and the obvious difference in behaviour was more interesting. I have looked at the photographs many times now and I am still not 100% convinced on these birds being either Senegal or Water Thicknees.

 Around the pond we had had Black egret and 15 Painted snipe and a small wader that stood out that was a lovely Grey Plover.
Looking for African Hobby later in the day became impossible as the wind was strong and gusty.
28th March and a long half day with Lamin was very productive. Heading towards Bunto rice fields and forest. Mandina Ba area was our first stop. A small village on the main route, we parked behind some houses and walked through some farmland. The first birds we came across were a large flock of Orange cheeked waxbills and a single male Red billed Firefich feeding along the pathway, one bird did stand out amongst the flock. A female Pin-tailed Whydah, she joined the feeding group on the ground but kept herself to herself, being a little more nervous than the waxbills. Next we had a Violet Turaco land upon a leafless tree behind us, offering only a brief opportunity of a few shots before flying off. Walking away from the lifeless tree I glanced back to see a African Harrier Hawk land where the Turaco had been...Typical. The old German flag ( Yellow crowned Gonolek ) and Grey Hornbill showed themselves before we moved towards Farasuto Forest. We walked along with a local guide at Farasuto who pointed out a distant White throated Bee Eater, we approached slowly keeping what cover we could find between us and the bird. A large pond was on our left and little was to be seen upon or around it, cautiously we crept along towards a tall bush shortening the space between myself and the bird, then all of a sudden from the edge of the pond a White backed night Heron flew up and away from us, surprising us all . Landing in a large palm tree I ran back a few yards and took some pictures, watching as it slowly creep into the thickness of the palm.... what a bonus.

 Getting back to Lamin and the guide we managed some fairly average shots of the White throated bee Eater before I notice a Melanistic Senegal Thicknee shading itself on the edge of the pond. The bird did not pose well for me though I did get some record shots and had to settle for that. Walking back towards the enterance we did get better shots of the some other White throated Bee Eaters.

Lamin was asking the guide about the possibility of seeing a African wood Owl and the guide walked us over towards the edge of the forest. He stopped and waved us over, we knew had found something so we positioned ourselves just behind him...as he pointed up towards the middle of the tree the owl flew out and away...a split second view of a obvious owl flying away was not a happy moment for me. Lamin looked like I felt.... totally gutted.
We had a cool drink at the enterance and watched the water bowls that the birds used for drinking . Picking up Lesser Honeyguide, White crowned Robin chat and Red cheeked Cordon Bleu. A Shikra landed in the canopy right above our heads in the dense cover of the canopy. Moving on our way towards Bunto rice fields another Long crested Eagle and a pair of Whinchat showed.
Bunto rice fields was hard work, the heat was rising and the ground was baking hot. We came across a pair of Yellow billed Oxpeckers upon a donkey and venturing onto the rice fields I noticed that the Yellow throated Longclaws  really didn't like me, once again  they kept well out of range of the camera. On a more positive note a Plain backed Pipit did allow me to approach ever closer and was very obliging for the camera. We spent about a hour in the heat before giving up on the Longclaws and making our way towards Bunto Forest, only catching sight of Grey Kestrels and Pied Crows.

Inside Bunto Forest we met a guide at the enterance that I remembered from December, he was young and was sat with a bunch of friends making green tea. Lamin asked him about the African Wood owl and he replied that with a little luck we may see one. Lamin stayed with the group and I sat off with the guide. The forest is dense in places and we walked for 20 minutes or so into it. He slowed down and started to glance upwards at one large tree for a minute, but then shook his head and walked on. A few minutes later he stopped again looking upwards into the dark canopy...nothing. Moving on further he slowed down again and walked around the base of a tree looking up for the owl, my heart sank when he shook his head again. A few minutes later we were back on the path and walking back towards the entrance. He explained that the owl had been seen over the past couple of weeks but they did seem to disappear for a couple of weeks before being spotted again in the area.  Halfway down the track he turned left back into the thickness of the forest and weaved through the trees. After a few minutes he stopped and looked up, the canopy was darker. He bent down slightly and pointed towards the middle of the tree, I could see it's outline but I knew the camera would struggle to focus in this light so I cranked the ISO setting to over 2000 before taking a few test shots.  Glancing at the camera screen I had captured this bird almost perfect....what a find and what stroke of luck it was after our failure at Farasuto. Back with Lamin and the group we claimed that we had seen nothing and said the bird was not to be found. Lamin looked disappointed whilst drinking his green tea. I grabbed a cool drink  before sitting down next to him and sighed heavily my face was glum and I could see the cogs in Lamins head turning as he was thinking. After a few minutes I asked Lamin if he could identify a bird I had photographed whilst on the walk with guide...he glanced at the camera and the African Wood owl photograph on the screen...  his face lit up as he reached out and across for my throat, laughing with the broadest grin in Africa. The young guide had stayed silent as I had asked him. After studying the photographs Lamin told me they were amongst the best photographs he had ever seen of this bird...a real compliment I feel.

I have now visited Bunto forest 3 times, the first time I Photographed a Western Little Sparrowhawk, the 2nd time I saw a White-spotted Flufftail and the 3rd time a beautiful African Wood Owl...not bad going !
We moved towards Faraba Banta it was now somewhere around 40 degrees and as we approached Faraba Banta Lamin spoke to a man that he obviously knew well. We had planned to make our way towards a hide that Lamin knew of but the man he spoke with advised him that a swarm of Killer Bees had settled near the water hole in front of the hide...we took another route away from them. Parking the taxi I slid the side door open and stepped out into what felt  like a oven, the heat hit me square on, it was now beyond a joke. The air was hot, the sun was huge and right above us and I was now suffering and feeling faint. The heat haze rose from the ground wherever you looked and my feet burnt inside my walking shoes. We didn't stay long because I think Lamin was also feeling the heat, but we did manage to hide in the shade for awhile and pick up Klaas's Cuckoo a pair of African Golden Oriole along with Bearded Barbet and various sunbirds. The last birds we found before heading off pleased me because I found them both... White Crested Helmet Shrike and a Brown backed Woodpecker.
My last day birding in Gambia and probably our best day.

We made our way along the road stopping for ice cold drinks at the first opportunity.
29th March...home today and a quick round of goodbyes...it had been a superb holiday with many good moments and some memorable birds.

I would like to thank : Matty for her help with lots of everyday things like Choosing better taxis for us, showing me around the markets and stalls in Serekunda, keeping bumsters and con artists at bay, and showing me a little of true African life. Lamin for his help finding some great birds and showing me places that I would never of found myself, and also for being patient with me at times.
Gary Waddington for advice and tips and places to visit again.

In total we found 206 birds this time and loved every minute of my stay .