Gambia Part 1

It is always great when I get a chance to combine work with pleasure and I was offered a chance to take a 4 night educational visit by a Gambia specialist that has birdwatching at the heart of its activities.

After a boring 6 hour flight I arrived in Banjul at 3.15pm and was whisked away to a hotel which was chosen for its proximity to an area known as Kotu Stream.

I have to say that the Sunset Beach Hotel seemed over endowed with its 3* rating but frankly, as there is no time difference and I knew sunset was at 7ish I could quickly get into some shorts and go out birding for a couple of hours.

Temperature was in the mid 30's everyday (though dropped to a pleasant 19 degrees at night). I left my room and walked through the small gardens to the road bridge over the Kotu Stream that was close to the hotel entrance.

My first bird was a Common Bulbul sitting on a mesh fence closely followed by a Pied Crow in a nearby tree and a Laughing Dove on a tin roof. Hooded Vultures flew overhead and these four birds were extremely common seen everywhere.

Outside the hotel gates was a little hut which housed local bird guides who will take you birding for a small fee. I did not use them as I had already got a guide booked via the company for the whole of my visit.

Once on the bridge I could see huge potential.

On the posts in the water were Wire Tailed Swallows.

Around the mudflats there were some familiar and not so familiar waders - Redshank, Dunlin, Black Winged Stilts and Ringed Plover. New to me were Senegal Thick Knee, Grey Headed Gulls and Spur Winged Lapwing (shown below).

In the bushes were Red Eyed Dove (shown), Village Weaver, Vinaceous Dove and Red Billed Firefinch.

However, the stand out view belonged to a glorious Pied Kingfisher which posed perfectly for me!

Back to the room and a quick meal and early night!

The next morning I met my guide Modhu at 7.30 and he was there for 2-3 hours to show me round the local area. I planned it this way so that I found the best spots to walk myself on the rare occasions when I was not accompanied by him.

We too walked to the bridge and was much the same but he took me down a track by the side which lead to more mudflats, small pools and some allotments. We saw Little Swifts flying above and Western Reef Egret and Intermediate Egret which was the most common Heron type seen on the trip.

Modhu asked me to look carefully at reeds at the back of one pond and pointed out a local speciality which was very fertive - Greater Painted Snipe. Just as we looked a Black Crake sped across. More familiar birds around the pools were Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Whimbrel (shown), Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Caspian Terns flying over.

As we approached an area of scrub and trees we got brief views of Olivaceous Warbler, Little Weaver,  Wattled Plover, Long Tailed Glossy Starling and Green Wood Hoopoe (below)

Two other large ' black birds' were Fork Tailed Drongos and Pia Piac - one even sitting on a slouching pigs back!

I was finding it difficult to keep up as new birds were coming at me from all directions!

No sooner had I watched a pair of Sacred Ibis above along with Black Kites but I was having to put down my camera to look through my binos at the beautiful Red Billed Hornbill and Little Bee Eaters.

My list was growing by the second and Grey Woodpecker, Grey Heron, Northern Red Bishop, Bearded Barbet, Willow Warbler, all came and went before I got a chance to even use my camera again. This was for another local bird - Yellow Billed Shrike.

The paths eventually led to two large sewage pools (the non smelly kind) and I added African Jacana, African Spotted Pigeon and White Faced Whistling Duck.

We made a circular route back to the hotel but new birds kept coming!

White Billed Buffalo Weaver, Rose Ringed Parakeets and Palm Swifts flying over, Brown Babbler, Grey Kestrel, Red Billed Quilea, Yellow Wagtail and Great White Egret - all in 20 seconds!

Perhaps my favourite birds of the day were the pair of Senegal Parrots kissing in the top of a dead tree.

It was hard because just as you saw one bird more new ones came - Oriole Warbler, Variable Sunbird, Broad Billed Roller and Sedge Warbler. Another speciality - Senegal Coucal was everywhere!

As we made our way back to the bridge I noticed another bird attached to a tree and found a lovely Fine Spotted Woodpecker.

By now we were back to the bridge and across the road sitting on the wires were two of the most beautiful birds of the area - Abyssinian Roller and Blue Bellied Roller.

Finally as we approached the hotel entrance we had our last three birds of the morning. Tiny Bronze Mannikins, a female Splendid Sunbird and a Masked Weaver.

What a morning!

I had massive sensory overload so spent the next hour or so going though my Birds of Senegal and Gambia refreshing my memory and checking my photos.

I chilled out by the pool but got bored by 3pm so went for another walk to the same area - this time without the benefit of my guide. Still it was very worthwhile.

I firstly added a stunning Blue Breasted Kingfisher near the bridge.

Next and in a small flock were Grey Backed Cameroptera.

On the pools I added Grey Plover, Moorhen, Squacco Heron and the weird and wonderful Hammerkopf.

Whilst watching this strange bird a felt a shadow near me and a huge Hooded Vulture landed not more than 10 feet away!

It was baking hot and feeling the effects of the heat and the early start I decided to call it a day and have a beer (which was around £1 a pint). However, I saw a large bird of prey land in a tree and caught my first sight of a common Yellow Billed Kite.

Final bird of the day was the unusual Western Plaintain Eater.

A fantastic first day and more to come tomorrow!