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
