2011 Tour Narrative
Once again I had forgotten just how brilliant the Gambia is for birding…..in fact it seems to surprise me every tour, and this was already my 9th! It started the minute we walked out of the terminal with the Hooded Vultures, Yellow-billed Kites. A Yellow-billed Shrike sat on the fence next to us, and by the time we had reached our hotel (after stopping at Kotu bridge) we had already recorded 61 species! From then on it was just bird after bird, without ever feeling rushed or pressured, and we saw many species on multiple occasions.
Based at one hotel on the coast for most of the week meant that on many days we had just a short drive to our mornings’ birding, where the roadside wires were dotted with Blue-bellied and Rufous-crowned Rollers, Red-billed Hornbills, Lizard Buzzards, Piapiacs and Long-tailed Starlings. Once in the field we visited a broad selection of habitats starting at the gallery forest of Abuko. A morning walk here produced many hoped for targets including Giant Kingfisher, Oriole Warbler, Snowy-crowned Robin-chat, Green Crombec, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Little Greenbul. After lunch we visited the rice fields with Blue-cheeked and Little Bee-eaters, Bruce’s Green Pigeons, African Mourning and Black-billed Wood Doves, a close by Wahlberg’s Eagle, Senegal Parrots and Hamerkops.
The next day we started at Tanji where Kelp Gulls, African Royal Terns, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Western Reef Herons, Black-shouldered Kite, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Pied-winged Swallow, Bearded and Vieillot’s Barbets and Black-crowned Tchagra all made it into our notebooks before a relaxed lunch in the shade of the Paradise Inn. In the afternoon some opted for a relaxing afternoon back at the hotel while the rest of us explored Brufut, having exceptional views of Red-necked Falcon, Lanner and Grey Kestrel as well as Sulphur-breasted Bush-shrike and Black Scimitarbill. We even managed brief looks at Ahanta Francolins and our sunbird list increased with Copper, Variable and Splendid being added to the Collared and Beautiful that we had already seen.
By the Monday morning it was time to head upriver, firstly crossing the river mouth on the first ferry with Bottle-nosed Dolphins, Pomarine Skuas and hundreds of egrets for company. Once on the north shore the birding steps up another gear with Chestnut-bellied Starling and Northern Ant-eater Chat typifying the change in habitat. A stop for coffee didn’t mean that we stopped birding, as both Grey-headed Bush-shrike and African Golden Oriole provided their best views of the trip.
Back into open country the raptor list started to build, with African White-backed, Rüppell’s and Eurasian Griffon Vultures joining Dark Chanting Goshawk, Short-toed Snake-eagle, Grasshopper Buzzard and a point blank adult Martial Eagle all being seen by lunch time. Shortly after lunch we added African Hawk Eagle and yet more Wahlberg’s Eagles. Our final raptor total during the tour was 31 species. Incredible!
Other highlights of our drive inland included high-flying Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, Woolly-necked Storks, singing Savile’s Bustards, three Common Quails, lots of Collared Pratincoles, Knob-billed Duck, Spur-winged Geese, Pygmy Sunbird, Black-winged Quailfinch, White-rumped Swift, Kittlitz’s Plovers, Purple Swamphen, Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns, Slender-billed Gulls……oh and before I forget there was also the small matter of Egyptian Plover! Firstly the pressure was on as farmers were working the favoured area, but then Sering gave the shout ‘Egyptian Plover on the road!’, and there it was, such an exquisite bird, the photos and field guides not doing justice to the soft pastel blue and cream combination, sharply contrasting with the black crown and mantle feathers. It doesn’t matter how many times I see this species, it will always be special. We saw at least two and then it was time to head back to Farafeni for our ferry to the south shore. There was just time to stop at Sering’s waterhole, which was manic! In half an hour we notched up a great list of almost all the dry country species we were looking for including Pin-tailed and Exclamatory Paradise Whydahs, Cinnamon-breasted Buntings, Cut-throat Finch, Sudan Golden Sparrows, African Silverbill and Chestnut-backed Sparrow-lark.
The ferry crossing was eventful….firstly we drove to the front of the queue, feeling both guilty and smug it seemed almost wrong that it was so easy, and then the captain began to lose control of the ferry and drove it into the mangroves! After some scary minutes wondering if the trees were going to crash down on the ferry (and the leader wondering how late dinner would be!) we finally regained power and edged our way to the shoreline. This created another problem in that the vehicles couldn’t get off. It didn’t take long to sort it, and we were at dinner just after 8pm, to be greeted with nearly 200 other people staying at the peaceful Tendaba camp!
Not put off by our ferry experience we were all eager to get back on the water the following morning and the perfect tonic to the bumpy roads of yesterday was a potter through the creeks. The birding was great as ever, seeing Woodland, Grey-headed and Malachite Kingfishers, White-throated Bee-eaters, Beaudouin’s Snake-eagle, Brown Sunbird (despite the name and all its gaudy rivals still a great bird), White-backed Night Heron, Goliath Heron, hundreds of egrets and other herons, and stacks of wintering shorebirds including Ruff and Common Greenshank. In the afternoon we saw more Martial Eagles, Black Scimitarbill, African Yellow White-eye, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-weaver, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Senegal Batis, Four-banded Sandgrouse, African Hobby, African Fish Eagle, Long-crested Eagle and ended with brilliant views of an African Scops Owl under a star-filled night sky.
A final morning near Tendaba produced our only Brown Snake-eagle, Yellow Penduline Tit, Brubru and yet more raptors. Heading back to the coast we picked up another local guide who impressed us all by showing us two roosting Greyish Eagle Owls. The same site held singing Red-winged Warblers. A little earlier we had connected with White-headed Vulture, White-shouldered Black Tits and an amazing Yellow-bellied Hyliota.
This left a day and a half back on the coast where we ‘targeted’ certain species and succeeded in seeing Green Hylia, Yellowbill, Pied Hornbill, Buff-spotted Woodpecker, White-crowned Robin-chat, White-fronted Plover, Rufous-chested and Mosque Swallows. Also, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Northern White-faced Owl, African Green Pigeon, White-fronted Black Chat, Northern Black Flycatcher and even chanced upon a Black-bellied Bustard!
Quite simply one of my favourite weeks birding to yet another of my favourite destinations.
We were expertly driven, very well looked after by our driver and our guides—who were sharp birders all! How one found a certain species from Chestnut-bellied Starling, Bruce’s Green Pigeon and African Pygmy Kingfisher to identifying so many perched raptors with the naked eye, correctly, is still beyond me! Add infectious personalities, unending knowledge and beaming smiles; it would be hard not to enjoy a week here. James Lidster
Updated: January 2012