The Hairy Birders: Gambia

I went to reception at the agreed 7.15 time and was not met by my guide but a Senegalese driver and car called Ngong. He said we would pick Modhu up on the way. Once we collected him, we made our way to Tujareng.

This was a quite different habitat of sandy scrub and bushes.

However, the day was the same as yesterday with bird after bird being found.

Within 10 minutes I had added a pair of flyover African Spoonbills, Tawny Flanked Prinia, Black Scrub Robin, African Palm Swift and African Thrush before I could even take my lens cap off!

We made our way through the bush and spotted Grey Headed Sparrow, Double Spurred Francolin, Agrican Green Pigeon and this stunning Rufous Crowned Roller.

Once again though the birds were coming so fast I was struggling to keep up! I asked Modhu if we could just stay in one place for a few minutes so that I could update my list.

No sooner had we done this but more new birds came into view. The first was African Grey Hornbill and the next a singing Red Winged Warbler.

As we started to walk again we had a flyover Osprey, Whistling and Singing Cisticola, Black Headed Lapwing, Senegal Batis and this confiding Yellow Bellied Eremomela.

Northern Crombec, Woodchat Shrike and Mosque Swallow were briefly enjoyed before we had great views of the prettiest of African Doves - Namaqua Dove.

Each bush seemed to contain birds and one held both a Northern Black Flycatcher and the beautiful Yellow Crowned Gonolek.

Literally, the next bush and we added Chestnut Crowned Sparrow Weaver and White Fronted Blackchat.

There was more to come - Cardinal Woodpecker stopped briefly, Purple Glossy Starlings, Hoopoe, Winchat, Temminks Courser, Barn Swallow, Common Wattleye and zooming Mottled Spinetail flwe over.

Another pretty bird, Lavender Waxbill, stopped long enough for me to get a photo and a breather!

Modhu then got really excited (first time he had not been matter of fact) when he spotted a White Sided Black Tit. It was not particularly striking but he assured me that it was the first he had seen for a number of years and many regular Gambian birders had not seen at all! It was too far away for great photos but my record shot below.

We had been out less than two hours and still had two more great birds before moving on. A distant Lizard Buzzard and the gorgeous Swallow Tailed Bee Easter.

Back to the car and to our next destination known as Tanji Beach which is good for Gulls and Terns.

He was right!

The most prolific were the Grey Headed Gulls but there were a decent number of Sandwich Terns, Royal Terns and the Lesser Crested Tern which looks very similar to a Sandwich Tern but stands lower to the ground. (see nearest bird in first photo below).

I find it hard to enthuse about gulls but the immature Kelp Gull below is a rarity and Slender Billed Gull was great to see.

We also added Turnstone, Crested Lark, Lesser Black Backed Gull, Audouins Gull and distant Great White and Pinked Back Pelicans.

Our final destination of the day was Brofut Woods.

This is a deciduous woodland, quite similar to our own but at the edge of the woods they have put some water trays fashioned out of old containers which the birds use in the extreme heat of the day.

Simply by watching we had Lesser and Greater Honeyguide (shown), Chiffchaff, and also shown a Yellow Throated Leaflove.

We moved into the woods with a view to stopping again on the way back as Modhu said we would definitely get more if he topped up the containers with fresh water.

First bird in the wood was a tiny African Pygmy Kingfisher which is surprisingly a woodland bird! Above were Fanti Saw-Wings (a blackish type of swallow) and African Hen Harrier. However, the speciality of the wood was Long Tailed Nightjar which is hard to find but Modhu managed this particularly well disguised individual.