Gambia - Day 3

Another pick up and journey to another birding area called Sotokoi which is a mixed habitat of woods, scrub and adjoining fields.

After my first couple of days I was wondering a little why we should come here as, at first glance, it seemed very similar to where we had been before.

I should not have doubted my guide!

Within two minutes of being there we saw a Pearl Spotted Owlet resting in a tree.

Whilst taking a quick photo I realised that the adjoining bushes and trees were stuffed full of tiny birds though most we had seen. However, Orange Cheeked Waxbill was a pretty, new bird.

Walking a bit further into the wood I asked Modhu if there was something particularly special about the area and he said the reason he wanted us to visit was that it was one of the few areas you may get Brown Necked Parrot. This is a rarity and he pointed out that he had only seen once before this year and once the year before but always likes to give it a go.

Well, as if by magic, we had walked no more than another 20 yards when one appeared in a tree a bit of a distance away. Still it stayed long enough for me to get a couple of record shots.

I noticed in a very distant tree some sort of falcon and Modhu identified this as a Shikra and whilst watching this a pair of Lanner Falcons flew over.

Once again, I was blown away by the sheer diversity of birds!

Next up was another speciality - Vitelline Masked Weaver which is similar to the much more common Masked Weaver but has a red eye. A female duly obliged!

It is difficult when every bird is new, to be any more wowed by one bird than another. We do not appreciate the rarity value quite as a regular bird watcher does. Whilst watching another new bird, Yellow Fronted Canary (first below) Modhu starting poking me in earnest to look at the next bush where another yellow looking bird was bobbing about. This was a Yellow Penduline Tit which he said was a super bird and rarely seen.

Two of the prettiest birds were the stunning Scarlet Chested Sunbird and its shiny cousin the Copper Sunbird which both gave decent views.

Black Rumped Waxbill beat the camera before Pallid Swift and a glorious Yellow Billed Stork flew over before the final two birds of this area. One - another rarity called a Brubru (a type of shrike) just beat me to a photo before a pair of distant Viellots Barbet were captured by a quick record shot.

A short drive to us to our last destination of the day and was called Pirang Forest.

On the forest edge there is a little bar called the Jungle Bar (tin hut with three types of soft drink so hardly Chicagos) and here we met a young man who I am sure was called Snatch but was too embarrassed to ask again!

Modhu said that for the price of a Coke (50p) he would show us a few rarities as he knew the forest intimately.

This was the nearest I saw to true jungle with Vervet and Red Columbus monkeys swinging through the trees Tarzan style and cut away paths with local woman walking with pots on their heads. It was humid and beautiful.

First new bird was Palm Nut Vulture which seemed to be hiding behind branches then just as we got a decent view, flew off!

However, perhaps my favourite bird of the day was to come next.

Snatch(?) pointed high into a tree and a huge Veirreux Eagle Owl was half dozing. They are easily identified as they have the most obvious pink eyelids!

Numerous small birds came and went but in such dense shrubs they were too hard to photograph - Snowy Crowned Robin Chat, Green Crombec, Common WattleEye, Yellow Breasted Apalis, Green Hylia, Collared Sunbird, Pad Bellied Paradise Flycatcher and Melodious Warbler before a Buff Spotted Woodpecker and Violet Turaco were added sitting next to each other but again for just a split second.

However, the second Turaco found in Gambia - Green Turaco - was distant but obliging!

With the forest so dark, photos were a problem as birds were often some way away and there was little light. An African Pied Hornbill and ready to pounce Lizard Buzzard show just record shots below.

Last bird of the jungle itself was yet another owl - African Brown Wood Owl which again gave a half decent view.

Back to the Jungle Bar and it was time to buy Snatch his Coke and I bought us a drink too and we sat on wooden benches watching a few bowls of water put out for birds.

Even these added three new birds in Blue Spotted Wood Dove, Green Bulbul and Red Cheeked Cordon Blew which was badly taken but too pretty not to show.

Yet another breathtaking day and we agreed to just to meet up the next day for a couple of hours of local wandering before my flight home. Even that was worthwhile so see day 4!