Our grateful thanks go to everyone at Halcyon for making this the best birding holiday we have had since traveling together since 1999. This Gambian based company normally take no more than six customers at a time and were initially concerned if they could cater for 10 - they did brilliantly and in a very friendly and professional way and its heartening to see the efforts they put in to the local community. Well done.
Richard Mays, Dave Cox, Dave Ludlow, Dave and Cym Basealy, Paul Cashmore, Andy Hale, Sara Hain, Colin Potter, Terry Southgate
Day one
Four of us wined and dined in London while the remaining six traveled overnight meeting at Gatwick for an early morning flight to Gambia. Good tail winds helped us to arrive early at Yundum Airport mid-day and we were met by Claire and some of the Halcyon Gambia staff who soon had us on our way to the Halcyon Gambia compound at Bijilo watching Speckled Pigeons, Hooded Vultures and a Shrika go by. Met by our leader Phil, his parents and the rest of the Halcyon staff then allocated our very spacious rooms. Once refreshed we spent the rest of the day being served drinks, food and enjoying the hospitality, heat, sunshine and exploring the compounds garden, its feeders and drinking pools notching up 35 species, a few butterflies and gecko’s so a great introduction to Gambian wildlife. Evening meal was had outside with Phil going over the week’s agenda and me holding a log call while Gambian Fruit Bats were drinking from the swimming pool in the background.
Highlights were Hooded Vulture, Shrika perched, Mottled, African Palm and Little Swift, Green Wood-Hoopoe, Yellow-billed Shrike, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Laughing, Red-eyed, African Mourning and Vinaceous Dove, Variable, Splendid and Beautiful Sunbird, Red-billed Fire-finch Bronze Mannakin, Purple and Long-tailed Starling and Black-necked Weaver amongst the more common Village Weavers and as this is my second visit to Gambia the only new bird for me so far but very welcome.
Hooded Vulture by Terry Southgate
Red-billed Fire-finch by Dave Ludlow
Day two
After breakfast the morning was spent at a leisurely pace around the Koto Creek, Casino Cycle Track, Lily Ponds and Koto Sewage Farm enjoying a good mixture of habitat. Some of the birds were familiar such as egrets and waders and others easily recognizable from the homework we had done. In the first hour from Koto Creek we notched 40 species with out moving 20 yards from our coach before working the other sites mentioned and all in walking distance so many of the group were ticking lifers all the way helped along by Phil and Mustapha our local guide whose identification and observation skills were second to none
Highlights were Palm-nut Vulture, Senegal Thicknee, Northern Crombec, Blue-breasted and Pied Kingfisher, Western Grey Plantain-eater, Black Egret, Senegal Parrot, Black Crake, African Jacana, White-faced Whistling Duck, Sacred Ibis, Little Bee-Eater, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Spur-winged and Yellow Wattled Plover just to mention a few. Amongst the more familiar birds we found Western Sub-Alpine and OlivaciousWarbler but we failed to identify the grayish warbler with a double wing bar that showed for a few seconds back at Koto Creek. Red-chested Swallow was a tick for me but the bird of the morning has to be the White faced Scops Owl that Mustapha found
Returned to the Halcyon compound for lunch and then out again later to walk the Bund Road and Camaloo Corner. The weather was pleasantly warm and Bund Rd very busy with home bound traffic so you needed your wits about you but the birding terrific with a mixture of estuary, sea, and mangrove birds while Camaloo Corner was on the edge of the mangroves with muddy creeks and scrub.
Highlights were Pink-backed Pelican Grey-headed and Slender-billed Gull, Caspian, Royal and Lesser Crested Tern along the bund Road and Senegal Coucal, Abyssinian Roller, Brown Babbler, Black-shouldered Kite and Giant Kingfisher at Camaloo Corner.
A White Faced Scops Owl was calling after dinner at the Halcyon Compound but could not be seen. 120 species seen today – no ticks for me but I am having a ball.
Blue-bellied Roller by Terry Southgate
Day three
Out early and we were soon parked up by the side of the road looking at Grey Kestrel and Grey Woodpecker before moving on to our destination of Lamin Rice Fields. In a couple of hours we added to our growing list: - Fork-tailed Drongo, Double-spurred Francolin, Northern Black Flycatcher, Black-billed Dove, Vieillots Barbet, African Harrier Hawk, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Hammerkop and Painted Snipe from the 52 species seen. It was then “all aboard the skylark” as Mustapha would say and off to one of Gambia’s best known nature reserves Abuko. The reserve is a mature riverine forest holding some of Gambia’s sought after birds. The crocodile pool has a viewing area.
We managed nearly 70 species adding Green and Violet Turaco, Lesser Honey guide, Little Greenbulul, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Black-rumped Waxbill, Wire-tailed swallow, Fanti Saw-wing, Bearded Barbet, Booted Eagle, Swallow Tailed Bee-eater to the list including four I needed Grey Headed Bristle Bill, Western Bluebill, Yellow-breasted Apalis and Pied Swallow. It was certainly an experience needing sharp eyes and patience so dinner at nearby Lamin Lodge was welcome where on leaving I managed another lifer in the form of Plain-backed Pipit.
Our next stop was Brutfut where Mustapha stunned us in to silence when he vanished only to signal to come quietly in pairs and showed us a roosting Long-tailed Nightjar he had found among the leaf litter. Don’t know how the boy did it? I’m starring at it just feet away and still needed directions to get on to it. Osprey, Dark-chanting Goshawk, Yellow-billed Oxpecker also seen plus a melanstic Gabar Goshawk – a tick. We certainly enjoyed Lamin our chefs cooking and the beers flowed after such a cracking day. Not often I get 7 ticks in a day. Group has now seen well over 140 species since we arrived.
Day four
Out at first light to Bonto Radio Station for Yellow White-eye and Grey-backed Camaroptera and African Green Pigeon in Pirang village before visiting Pirang Shrimp farm which though now closed down use to hold plenty of water but the owners have purposely drained it to keep the birders away so nothing like its former self. Rest of morning spent at Faraba Banta birding in well grown scrub coming up with a White-breasted Cuckoo Shrike and Brown-backed Woodpecker for my world list. Other goodies included Rufous-bellied Roller and Bronze-tailed Glossy Starling. The coach broke down on the way back to our compound so arrived late for lunch then it was out again to visit the coast at Tanji where at long last I finally ticked Kelp Gull.
Black-necked Weaver
For me the next stop was the highlight of the holiday.
We drove to Tujering and walked an area of burnt scrub with new growth and in just 500 yards I had six lifers. Black-crowned Chagra, Red-winged Warbler, Rufous Cisticola, Brown-rumped Bunting, White Fronted Black-chat and Klass Cuckoo plus Senegal Batis, Bru Bru, Singing Cisticola and Copper Sunbird amongst the many species present. Back to the Halycon Compound where we packed for trip up country tomorrow.
Looking for the Cuckoo-shrike
Day five
It was a very early breakfast while the coach was being loaded then a short journey to the capital Banjul to catch the ferry to Barra. This was the first part of what turned out to be a stunning journey and a long day as we transferred up country to Tendaba for a two night stay 150k inland. Tendaba itself is on the south side of the River Gambia so by taking the better roads on the north side we could visit a number of key sites before crossing back over on another ferry at Bambatenda. The harbor was a hive of activity and once loaded the crossing did not take long and added Pomarine Skua to our list.
On leaving Barra we came across our first military stop and advised not to have bins or cameras on display but that went out the window when I spotted a Northern Ant-eater Chat perch on wires by the coach. As we continued inland we were picking up familiar species until passing the village of Minti Kunda where we spotted some vulture’s thermalling and could not have planned it better with Griffon, White-backed and Ruppells Vulture over our heads. Continued on till we reached the Bao Balong Creek where a walk along the causeway produced Purple Heron, Spur Winged Goose, White-winged Black Tern and Yellow-billed Stork amongst many other species. After buying fruit (we had already demolished Lamin & Claire’s baguettes) at Farafenni we continued to Kaur Wetlands with road side stop for Brown Snake Eagle and Exclamatury Paradise Whydah (both ticks for me). At Kaur Wetlands we saw Marabu stork, Spoonbill, African Spoonbill, Knob-billed Duck and two stunning Chestnut backed Sparrow-larks (tick again) before a mis communication meant we left pronto not knowing why.
All was revealed when we stopped at a pool at Njau and as we checked the shoreline Andy’s shout of “EGYPTIAN PLOVER” had everyone running. Four stunning birds and it turned out Phil and Mustapha had received a tip off they were present hence the rush but did not want to say in case they flew and we were disappointed. This Gambian gem was on everyone’s must see list. Smiles all-round. Plenty of birds coming to drink and I added Bush Petronia, Cut-throat Finch and Greater Honey Guide to my ever growing world list.
Egyptian Plover by Dave Ludlow
We returned the way we came re-visiting Kaur Wetlands and Mustapha has eyes like a hawk – spotted 3 Black-crowned Cranes 3 miles away – lousy views but they took off and flew towards us and landed a couple of hundred yards opposite us – another Gambian gem and boy do we have some luck. We also found a Kittlitz Plover among the wader species present.
Arrived at Bambatenda as daylight faded in time for the 7 30pm crossing only to find out when we boarded that the captain was delaying it for 90 minutes so just had to go with the flow. Took the advantage of a enjoying the stars and bats before it clouded over.
Once back on the south side we had 40k of bad roads to get to Tendaba but there is rough and there is gob smacking bum hurting rough. Our driver who has been a hero so far on the trip did everything humanly possible to avoid the ruts and pot holes but one or two had us jumping out of our seat. Arrived at Tendaba two hours late, shattered with our meal ready to be served, so it was grub, beer and bed. To tired for log call but it turned out we had 156 species today and I needed six of them.
Day six
Once we were up, refreshed and raring to go we spent the day in the Tendaba area notching up 115 species – first walking behind the camp near the school looking for coursers then back on the Skylark checking various places in the Kinga West Park while late afternoon we visited Tendaba Airfield and the nearby savanna scrub.
Apart from the courser, two species of Nightjar, a sandgrouse the day was excellent for birds of prey managing 17 species including the one bird I have always wanted to see.
Bronzed Winged Courser by Dave Ludlow
Highlights were Bronzed-winged Courser (tick for me), Short-toed, Tawny, African Fish, African Hawk and Whalbergs Eagle, Four Banded Sandgrouse found by buddy Dave. Two birds that really caught our attention were the Bateleur that I took Terry’s head off for in my frantic rush to get off the coach (tick for me after dipping in 92 and 06) and in the late evening after failing to see Abyssinian Grounded Hornbill we had just got off the coach when Terry shouts “I have a bird being mobbed by two other’s”. He had found a stunning Standard-winged Nightjar (tick) performing towards us where the standards bounced above and behind the body – a very impressive sight and one that gave Phil a thrill. We ended up seeing two males and a female with a male Long-winged Nightjar nearby as we were leaving. We tried for Verreaux’s Eagle Owl but our disappointment was forgotten as we enjoyed the spectacular sight of trillions of stars. Visibility was so good you could put your scope on the sword of Orion and see the gigantic nebular of gas and dust. Stunning.
Day Seven
Another walk around the school with Phil while Mustapha had a well deserved lay in seeing the Bronzed-winged Courser again and a perched eagle that was videoed and identified later as a Western banded Snake.
Rest of the morning spent on a boat trip exploring the balons on the north shore and rewarded with African Darter, Mouse Brown Sunbird, Malachite Kingfisher, White-throated Bee-eater, Goliath Heron (it’s big) and two specialties for the area White-crowned Night Heron and the holy grail of Gambian birding Finfoot.
Unfortunately we were late leaving the camp for the journey back to Bijilo due the camp taking two hours to serve our lunch so Phil had a word with them. Well I think he had several.
African Finfoot by Dave Ludlow
The journey back was dusty and on rough roads but Dave managed to spot Fine-spotted Woodpecker and a few more Bateleur were seen. Made an emergency stop at Bajana for Dave who ran off in to the scrub with the toilet roll while we enjoyed the beautiful sight of a female and 6 male Pintail Snipe. Arrived back at the Halcyon Compound tired and dusty but Claire’s welcoming smile, good food and beer soon put us right. The log call revealed that we had seen 269 species over the last seven days which is very good going and down to the excellent set up Halcyon have to offer and ten birders willing to learn not only about Gambian birds but also its culture.
Day eight
Chilled out in the morning enjoying the compound garden and saying our good byes before our afternoon flight to Gatwick.
Weavers
Richard
No comments:
Post a Comment