Just been to Gambia for a weeks family holiday, 11-18th March. We stayed at the Bakotu Hotel which comes highly recommended by Chris Packham no less. Lovely place with clean rooms, nice gardens and an excellent restaurant. The jewel in the crown, however, is the hotel viewing platform which backs on to Kotu Creek across from Kotu Bridge. The adjacent Fajara Golf Course is also accessible from a back gate next to the viewing platform and the cycle track, another good birding area, is only a short walk away.

I tended to bird for an hour and a half each morning either from the viewing platform, the golf course, Kotu Creek or a combination of all three, together with another hour or so each late afternoon. In addition, I hired a guide for a day trip to Tambi Rice Fields, Abuko Nature Reserve, the cycle track area, plus a half day to Brufut Woods. The bird guide is Malick Suso, who again is recommended by Chris Packham, very knowledgable and undoubtedly one of the best guides around.

The weather was sunny and hot throughout, 42 deg c when we arrived but generally around 36 deg, thankfully a dry heat, rather than humid.

Trip list :-

White-faced Whistling Duck
Double-spurred Francolin
Little Grebe
White Stork
Yellow-billed Stork
Long-tailed Cormorant
Pink-backed Pelican
Hamerkop
Little Bittern
Grey Heron
Black-headed Heron
Great Egret
Intermediate Egret
Little Egret
Western Reef-Heron
Black Heron
Cattle Egret
Squacco Heron
Striated Heron
Black-crowned Night-Heron
Sacred Ibis
Hadada Ibis
African Spoonbill
African Harrier-Hawk
Palm-nut Vulture
Hooded Vulture
Lizard Buzzard
Gabar Goshawk
Shikra
Black Kite & Yellow-billed Kite
Black Crake
Senegal Thick-knee
Black-winged Stilt
Black-bellied Plover
Spur-winged Lapwing
Wattled Lapwing
Ringed Plover
Little Ringed Plover
Greater Painted Snipe
African Jacana
Whimbrel
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Greenshank
Marsh Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Redshank
Grey-hooded Gull
Gull-billed Tern
Caspian Tern
Whiskered Tern
Speckled Pigeon
Mourning Collared-Dove
Red-eyed Dove
Vinaceous Dove
Laughing Dove
Black-billed Wood-Dove
African Green Pigeon
Guinea Turaco
Western Plantain-eater
Senegal Coucal
Klaas's Cuckoo
Northern White-faced Owl
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Long-tailed Nightjar
Mottled Spinetail
African Palm-Swift
Green Woodhoopoe
Black Scimitarbill
African Pied Hornbill
African Grey Hornbill
Western Red-billed Hornbill
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Giant Kingfisher
Pied Kingfisher
Little Bee-eater
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
White-throated Bee-eater
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Abyssinian Roller
Rufous-crowned Roller
Blue-bellied Roller
Broad-billed Roller
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
Bearded Barbet
Greater Honeyguide
Buff-spotted Woodpecker
African Grey Woodpecker
Grey Kestrel
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Senegal Parrot
Brown-throated Wattle-eye
Northern Puffback
Yellow-crowned Gonolek
Yellow-billed Shrike
Fork-tailed Drongo
Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher
African Paradise Flycatcher
Piapiac
Pied Crow
Barn Swallow
Red-chested Swallow
Wire-tailed Swallow
Fanti Sawwing
Yellow-throated Greenbul
Little Greenbul
Common Bulbul
Northern Crombec
Chiffchaff
Western Bonelli's Warbler
Reed Warbler
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Zitting Cisticola
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Subalpine Warbler
Brown Babbler
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
White-crowned Robin-Chat
African Thrush
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Beautiful Sunbird
Splendid Sunbird
Copper Sunbird
Yellow-fronted Canary
House Sparrow
White-billed Buffalo-Weaver
Black-necked Weaver
Village Weaver
Northern Red Bishop
Black-winged Bishop
Yellow-crowned Bishop
Lavender Waxbill
Orange-cheeked Waxbill
Western Bluebill
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu
Red-billed Firefinch
Bronze Mannikin

Photographs below of Long-tailed Nightjar, Little Bee-eater, Hamerkop, Blue-bellied Roller, Wire-tailed Swallow.

Our last birding trip in The Gambia was a two site morning visit to Abuku Gardens and Abuku Reserve with Tamba the hotel bird guide, the gardens is more of a farming/allotment style and the reserve is well known for its bird life. The highlights of this trip are endless but I have to start somewhere so; my favourite name for a bird the Fanti Saw-wing was here, Violet Turaco, a crocodile having a go at a Great White Egret but thankfully missed, a pair of Pied Hornbills eating a Chameleon, a Giant Kingfisher and Pygmy Kingfisher at the same pond.
A, Golden Oriole
A, Harrier Hawk
A, Jacana
A, Pygmy Kingfisher
A, Spoonbill
Bar-breasted Firefinch
Beautiful Sunbird
Black Crake
Black Egret
Black Kite
Black-backed Heron
Black-capped Babbler
Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-headed Heron
Black-necked Weaver
Blue-bellied Roller
Blue-spotted Wood Dove
Broad-billed Roller
Brown Babbler
Cattle Egret
Common Wattle Eye
Fanti Saw-wing
Fork-tailed Drongo
Giant Kingfisher
Great White Egret
Green Turaco
Green Wood Hoopoe
Grey Heron
Grey Plantain Eater
Grey Woodpecker
Grey-backed Camaroptera
Grey-headed Bristle-bill
Hammerkop
Little Greenbul
Lizard Buzzard
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Northern Black Flycatcher
Northern Crombec
Palm Nut Vulture
Paradise Flycatcher
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Pied Hornbill
Pied Kingfisher
Pink-backed Pelican
Red-billed Hornbill
Scaly-fronted Prinia
Senegal Coucal
Shikra
Snowy-crowned Robin Chat
Spur-winged Plover
Squacco Heron
Violet Turaco
Wattled Plover
Western Reef Heron
White-crowned Robin Chat
White-face Whistling Duck
White-billed Buffalo Weaver
White-crested Hammer Shrike
Yellow-billed Shrike
Yellow-breasted Apalis
Yellow-crowned Gonolek
Yellow-fronted Canary

We went to Lamin Lodge, the lodge is a characterful ramshackle affair built on stilts in the Mangroves. The local Vervet monkeys soon found that the windowless lodge is easy pickings for a smash and grab breakfast and raid the lodge every day, you have to have eyes in the back of your head or your breakfast is gone !! We arrived at dawn and watched the last of the giant fruit bats heading home to roost, loaded up in canoes and set off through the mangrove channels stopping off and landing at various points.
Although we had already seen the beautiful Blue-bellied Roller at Koto our best views were here, other highlights were the huge Hammaerkop nest and White-faced Scops Owl
The list for Lamin Lodge area :-
A, Green Pigeon
A, Grey Hornbill
A, Harrier Hawk
Bearded Barbet
Black Kite
Black-headed Heron
Blue-bellied Roller
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Caspian Tern
Cattle Egret
Forbes Plover
Grey Plantain Eater
Hooded Vulture
Lanner Falcon
Laughing Dove
Little Bee-eater
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Mouse-brown Sunbird
Palm Swift
Piapiac
Pied Kingfisher
Pink-backed Pelican
Pygmy Sunbird
Red-billed Hornbill
Red-chested Swallow
Red-eyed Dove
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Rufus-crowned Roller
Senegal Parrot
Shikra
Speckled Pigeon
Splendid Sunbird
Striated Heron
Village Weaver
Whimbrel
White-faced Scops Owl
White-billed Buffalo Weaver

The Senegambia Hotel hosts its own birdwatching guide, the regular guide was convalescing at home following an operation so his apprentice Tamba took over the reins, and very good he was too. We booked a trip to Koto Creeks with him which took us through the Creeks on foot and up to the sewage works drying beds. One of the things I most wanted to see on the Gambia trip was a Black Egret fishing and Bearded Barbet I wasn't disappointed.
The List :-
A, Jacana
A, Mourning Dove
A, Spoonbill
Bearded Barbet
Beautiful Sunbird
Black Crake
Black Egret
Black Kite
Black-headed Heron
Black-winged Stilt
Blue-bellied Roller
Bronze Mannikin
Caspian Tern
Cattle Egret
Common Bulbul
Fine-spotted Woodpecker
Fork-tailed Drongo
Glossy Ibis
Green Wood Hoopoe
Grey Plantain Eater
Grey Woodpecker
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Hooded Vulture
Intermediate Egret
Little Bee-eater
Little Egret
Little Grebe
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Marsh Sandpiper
Northern Crombec
Oriole Warbler
Painted Snipe
Pied Crow
Red-billed Hornbill
Redshank
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Sacred Ibis
Senegal Coucal
Senegal Thick-knee
Spur-winged Plover
Squacco Heron
Tawny-flanked Prinia
Village Weaver
Western Reef Heron
Whimbrel
White-faced Scops Owl
White-billed Buffalo Weaver
Wood Sandpiper
Yellow-billed Shrike



-- Edited by Tony Mario on Saturday 4th of December 2010 11:13:18 AM

A short walk down the beach was Bijilo Forest Park known locally as Monkey Park, it is a little steep to call it a forest in this country we'd call it a woods. Not a great deal of bird life in there, though we did miss Violet Turaco and a White-throated Bee-eater there apparently, but good for Red Colobus and Vervet Monkeys. Most notable was the clouds of mosquitos rising off the paths as you walked in early mornings. The list for Bijilo :-

A, Grey Hornbill
Black Kite
Blue-spotted Wood Dove
Common Bulbul
Green Wood Hoopoe
Hooded Vulture
Lauging Dove
Little Bee-eater
Red-billed Hornbill
Senegal Coucal
White-backed Vulture
White-crowned Robin Chat
Yellow-crowned Gonolek

Thought I might insert a few report posts on a trip we made to The Gambia in 2006. As the wife has fixed holidays we had to go in early April which isn't the very best time of year birding wise but we still had a great time and saw a lot of birds. We stayed at the Senegambia Hotel, Kololi. The hotel has extensive gardens which were extremely bird rich in themselves, the gardens also have thier own hide even if it was mosquito infested. The rooms are placed in blocks situated in the gardens usually around a pool or pond under high palms. Birding the garden alone gave us highlights of African Harrier Hawk roosting in palms by day and Pearl Spotted Owlet by night in front of our room, and very trusting Red-billed Hornbill and Senegal Coucal. The dawn chorus made it impossible not to get out there binos in hand, the list for the gardens reads:- A, Grey Hornbill A, Harrier Hawk A, Thrush Bar-breasted Firefinch Bearded Barbet Beautiful Sunbird Black Kite Black-capped Babler Black-necked Weaver Blue-breasted Kingfisher Broad-billed Roller Bronze Mannikin Bronze-tail Starling Brown Babler Cattle Egret Common Bulbul Green Wood Hoopoe Grey Plantain Eater Grey Woodpecker Grey-headed Sparrow Hooded Vulture Laughing Dove Lavender Waxbill Little Egret Long-tailed Glossy Starling Northern Black Flycatcher Pearl-spotted Owlet Pied Crow Purple Glossy Starling Red-billed Firefinch Red-billed Hornbill Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu Red-eyed Dove Scaly-fronted Prinia Senegal Coucal Shikra Snowy-crowned Robin Chat Speckled Pigeon Village Weaver White-crowned Robin Chat Yellow-billed Shrike Yellow-crowned Gonolek