Photo Gallery
James Lidster and David Fisher (df)
We will start our tour with several visits to the famous canopy walkway…
…where species such as Chocolate-backed Kingfisher are always popular … (DF)
…and the gull like calls of Congo Serpent Eagle will hopefully lead us to this spectacular raptor.
Yellowbill is usually easier to see
Although we will have to make a special effort to see THE bird of the trip, these overhanging caves playing host to a species….
…that will hopefully make us smile as much as the local village children…
…the Yellow-headed Picathartes (or Rockfowl), (DF)
More forest birding should produce Yellow-browed Camaroptera…
…Yellow-billed Turaco…
…Sabine’s Puffback…
…and Rufous-sided Broadbill, a species famed for it’s comical display flight. (DF)
The dense forest of Ankassa is like stepping back in time…
…with Upper Guinea endemics such as this Yellow-bearded Greenbul…
…Black Dwarf Hornbill…
…and hopefully Rosy Bee-eater, a species more famous for rarely perching for long (!)…
…unlike White-throated Bee-eater…
…or Black Bee-eater.
The forests are also full of interesting butterflies…
…and nearby we will search for Preuss’s Swallow…
…and Red-vented Malimbe.
The pace of life changes as we head to the drier north…
…arriving in time for a cold drink overlooking a watering hole at Mole…
…where Bateleurs drift overhead.
We’ll return in the morning for a cup of coffee and another day of great birding…
…making sure that the local residents don’t try and steal our breakfast…
…although if they send in the heavy mob it’s probably best not to argue!
In the evening the local lawn mowers come into action…
In some years we also see African Elephant…
…while Scarlet-chested Sunbirds dash around our hotel.
Walking in the bush may produce a huge Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.
A coastal lagoon will provide a nice selection of shorebirds…
…and maybe an ‘umbrella’ bird (Black Egret)…
…and rough grassland plays home to the elusive Black-bellied Bustard.
Other species we may see range from the intricate nest building Orange Weaver…
…and the outrageously long-tailed Pin-tailed Whydah…
…which beats even Long-tailed Hawk in the ‘longest’ tail battle…
,,,while whilst Malachite Kingfisher can compete with…
…Violet Turaco in the color sweepstakes!