Gambia November 28 - December 5, 2003

A Birdseekers organised tour led by Nick Bray, Tim Marlow, and local guide Soloman. From their brochure...

A trip to this beautiful, yet tiny country provides the perfect introduction to African birdwatching. Situated on the coast of west Africa it is surrounded by Senegal, and as a narrow finger of land it follows the Gambia river for some 200 miles.A former British colony it is a very safe and friendly country to visit. We will be based on the coast in the Senegambia Beach hotel, one of the best hotels in The Gambia, with its own beach, swimming pool, and attractive large gardens that host a huge variety of colourful and confiding birds. From here we will take daily excursions to a rich variety of habitats including sandy beaches, coastal lagoons, mangroves, savannah and dry forest. We will also visit several nature reserves including Abuko which is probably The Gambia's most famous birdwatching spot. A highlight of this tour will be trip inland to Tendaba, from where we will take a boat and explore the mangroves, as well as visit a wetland where we can see the much sought after and mythical Egyptian Plover.

Weather
Hot throughout, but rarely to hot to stop birding. Overnight rain on 29th-30th.
Egyptian Plover
Senegal Thick-knee
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Little Bee-eater

Itinerary
28/11 Flight from London Gatwick to Banjul; bus to Senegambia Hotel
29/11 Kotu sewage ponds; Kotu Creek; Fajana golf course; Yundum
30/11 Abuko
1/12 Ferry from Banjul to Bara; drive to Kaur Wetlands; ferry from Fara Fenni and drive to Tendabi (where spent night)
2/12 Kiang Crawl Creek; Kiang West National Park; drive to Senegambia Hotel
3/12 Mankissa; Darsilami; Tanji
4/12 Mandinah rice fields; Pirang; Faraba-Banta bush track; Seleti water holes (Senegal)
5/12 Brufut; bus to Banjul for flight to London Gatwick

Birds (271 species, 166 ticks)
Species 28/11 29/11 30/11 01/12 02/12 03/12 04/12 05/12
Little Grebe   c.20            
Long-tailed Cormorant        
African Darter         4 5 c.10  
White Pelican             2  
Pink-backed Pelican       c.30 c.50 3 c.100  
Black Heron         3 1    
Little Egret   5     1  
Western Reef Heron      
Grey Heron   2 5    
Black-headed Heron   2 7    
Goliath Heron         1      
Purple Heron     2 2        
Great White Egret       c.30 c.10    
Intermediate Egret      
Cattle Egret
Squacco Heron   1     7 5    
Striated Heron         3      
Black-crowned Night Heron   2 3   c.30      
White-backed Night Heron         3      
Hammerkop      
Yellow-billed Stork       c.20      
Woolly-necked Stork         10      
Sacred Ibis       4        
African Spoonbill             1  
Greater Flamingo             1  
White-faced Whistling Duck   c.50            
Spur-winged Goose       1 c.20      
Comb Duck         c.20      
Black-shouldered Kite   2 1 1   1    
Black Kite1
African Fish Eagle         1      
Palm-nut Vulture 1   1 1 1 1    
Hooded Vulture
African White-backed Vulture       5 10      
Eurasian Griffon Vulture       9        
Lappet Faced Vulture       imm.        
White-headed Vulture         imm.      
Brown Snake Eagle       1 1      
Banded Snake Eagle             1  
Bateleur         2      
Marsh Harrier     ♂ ♂ 1 1 ♂  
Pallid Harrier       imm./♀        
Montagu's Harrier       imm./♀        
Gymnogene
Lizard Buzzard   1     1 1    
Dark Chanting Goshawk   4 2   2
Gabar Goshawk   1     2 2    
Shikra   4 1       2  
Grasshopper Buzzard       3     3  
Tawny Eagle   ad.     1 2 2  
Wahlberg's Eagle           1 1  
African Hawk Eagle         3      
Booted Eagle         1      
Long-crested Eagle         2      
Osprey   4 1     5    
Common Kestrel       2        
Grey Kestrel   2       2 2  
Red-necked Falcon   4            
Eurasian Hobby   1            
African Hobby         3 2    
Lanner Falcon       2 2      
Ahanta Francolin           heard    
Double-spurred Francolin   2       heard heard  
Stone Partridge   1         5  
Black Crake   ad.+juv            
Black Crowned-crane             2  
Savile's Bustard       1        
African Jacanna   3 2 1        
Greater Painted Snipe   ♂            
Eurasian Oystercatcher       7   4    
Black-winged Stilt      
Pied Avocet     2  
Senegal Thick-knee   4   10   3 2  
Spotted Thick-knee       1        
Egyptian Plover       2        
Temminck's Courser       5        
Collared Pratincole       2        
Grey Plover   1   1   2    
Ringed Plover       c.20 10      
Kittlitz's Plover       2        
Spur-winged Plover    
Black-headed Lapwing   4        
Wattled Lapwing   4 2      
Common Snipe         2      
Black-tailed Godwit          
Bar-tailed Godwit           1    
Whimbrel   3 1 c.50 1  
Curlew         2 1    
Redshank   1            
Marsh Sandpiper       2        
Greenshank   7   3 2  
Green Sandpiper   c.10   5        
Wood Sandpiper   c.10          
Common Sandpiper   c.10   5    
Turnstone       7        
Little Stint       c.50        
Curlew Sandpiper       c.30        
Pomeraine Skua   4+       1    
Arctic Skua   4+   2   2    
Kelp Gull       2   2    
Lesser Black-backed Gull2   2        
Grey-headed Gull        
Black-headed Gull       1        
Slender-billed Gull           2    
Gull-billed Tern       100+ 1 1    
Caspian Tern   1   10 1    
Royal Tern   2   4      
Lesser Crested Tern       2      
Sandwich Tern   30+ 8 5      
Little Tern       2   2    
Four-banded Sandgrouse           1 5  
Feral Pigeon  
Speckled Dove
Turtle Dove               1
Laughing Dove
African Morning Dove         1 1 heard 4
Vinaceous Dove
Red-eyed Dove      
Black-billed Wood Dove   4       5    
Blue-spotted Wood Dove     c.10 c.10        
Namaqua Dove       7        
Bruce's Green Pigeon       1 1      
African Green Pigeon           c.10    
Senegal Parrot   2   1   1   2
Ring-necked Parakeet      
Green Turaco     4          
Violet Turaco     1       1 1
Wester Grey Plantain-eater  
Levaillant's Cuckoo   pair           1
African Cuckoo             1  
Klaas' Cuckoo               1
Didric Cuckoo   4            
Senegal Coucal    
White-faced Scops Owl             1  
Verreaux's Eagle Owl     1          
Pearl-spotted Owlet   2         heard heard
Standard-winged Nightjar         8      
Mottled Spinetail       10     1 3
African Palm-swift  
Pallid Swift   10+       c.10  
Little Swift
Malachite Kingfisher         4      
African Pygmy Kingfisher     3          
Grey-headed Kingfisher         1      
Woodland Kingfisher           1    
Blue-breasted Kingfisher         20      
Striped Kingfisher             1 1
Giant Kingfisher   2 4     2    
Pied Kingfisher   3 1 2  
Little Bee-eater   10 2 2 c.30 3   5
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater   1 7     3   c.10
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater     4   1      
European Bee-eater           2    
Abyssinian Roller   1   1 3 1 2  
Rufous-crowned Roller     1 1 1   1  
Blue-bellied Roller   3 1     5 1  
Broad-billed Roller c.20
Eurasian Hoopoe       1        
Green Wood Hoopoe   4 10   10+ 10+ 4  
Black Wood Hoopoe         1 1    
Red-billed Hornbill
African Pied Hornbill           2   2
African Grey Hornbill   2 3 2 3 5 1 2
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird   1            
Bearded Barbet   1            
Vieillot's Barbet 1 3 1 1     7  
Spotted Honeyguide           1    
Greater Honeyguide             2 imm. 1 imm.
Fine-spotted Woodpecker   2       1    
Buff-spotted Woodpecker     2          
Grey Woodpecker 1 3     1      
Brown-backed Woodpecker   1            
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark       2        
Crested Lark           1 3  
Red-chested Swallow   10+  
Wire-tailed Swallow   c.20
Pied-winged Swallow   7         c.10 5
Rufous-chested Swallow       c.10        
Mosque Swallow       1     2  
Red-rumped Swallow           5
House Martin       2   2    
Fanti Sawwing   c.20 4 1       3
Plain-backed Pipit             1  
White Wagtail       1        
Yellow Wagtail3       1     1  
Common Bulbul
Little Greenbul     3          
Yellow-throated Leaflove   2            
Grey-headed Bristlebill     3          
Nightingale               heard
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat     4          
White-crowned Robin-Chat 3   2       3 3
Common Redstart         1      
Northern Anteater-Chat       1        
African Thrush   7 c.20       1 3
Singing Cisticola   1           1
Whistling Cisticola   1            
Winding Cisticola       1        
Siffling Cisticola   1            
Zitting Cisticola       3 1   1  
Tawny-flanked Prinia   4         3  
Red-winged Warbler             3  
Yellow-breasted Apalis     2       3  
Oriole Warbler 1              
Grey-backed Camaroptera   1 1   1 1    
Melodious Warbler   1     heard 1   1
Green-backed Eremomela         heard 3    
Northern Crombec   1       2    
Green Hylia     1          
Chiffchaff   1            
Northern Black-Flycatcher   1       1 1 1
Swamp Flycatcher         ?      
African Blue-Flycatcher         1      
Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher     4          
African Paradise-Flycatcher     4          
Blackcap Babbler 4           2 2
Brown Babbler 20+        
Yellow Penduline-Tit     1          
Mouse-brown Sunbird     1   1      
Collared Sunbird     4          
Pygmy Sunbird       2        
Scarlet-chested Sunbird             1 1
Variable Sunbird   4 1 1     1  
Copper Sunbird             pair  
Splendid Sunbird   2 1     1   2
Beautiful Sunbird 2 2           2
African Golden Oriole         1 1    
Brubru         1 1    
Northern Puffback         1      
Black-crowned Tchagra   1     4 4   1
Common Gonolek    
Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike           1 heard  
Grey-headed Bushshrike             1  
White Helmetshrike             6  
Senegal Batis   2         4  
Brown-throated Wattle-eye     2          
Yellow-billed Shrike   10            
Fork-tailed Drongo   2 4   1 2 1 2
Piapiac 1 1      
Pied Crow
Purple Glossy-Starling   ?   1 3 2 1 2
Bronze-tailed Glossy-Starling        
Greater Blue-eared Glossy-Starling       2 1      
Lesser Blue-eared Glossy-Starling 3       1     1
Long-tailed Glossy-Starling  
Chestnut-bellied Starling       c.10        
Yellow-billed Oxpecker       1        
House Sparrow               4
Grey-headed Sparrow  
Bush Petronia         2 2
White-billed Buffalo-Weaver   c.10       1  
Little Weaver   1     1   1  
Black-necked Weaver     c.10          
Vitelline Masked-Weaver       1        
Village Weaver  
Black-headed Weaver       1        
Black-winged Bishop   1            
Northern Red Bishop   2   6   2   1
Western Bluebill     ♀          
Red-billed Firefinch    
Red-cheeked Cordonbleu   5        
Lavender Waxbill   3 c.20       3  
Orange-cheeked Waxbill     c.20       3 5
Black-rumped Waxbill       1        
African Quailfinch           3 3  
Bronze Mannikin       c..20  
Cut-throat       1        
Village Indigobird       c.20 1   2  
Pin-tailed Whydah               ♀
Long-tailed Paradise-Whydah       2     1  
White-rumped Seedeater       c.20      
Yellow-fronted Canary   2 2      
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting       2        
1Resident parasiticus (Yellow-billed) and migrant migrans (Black) Kite noted
2fuscus and graellsii noted
3nominate flava

Other Wildlife
Nile Crocodile - Two at Abuko
Nile Monitor Lizard - several, as well as several small Monitor Lizard (different sp.?)
Puff Adder - after dark near Tendabi
Fiddler Crab - common around the coast
African Monarch - the only butterfly positively identified; there were numerous butterflies, but seemingly mostly of about five different species; on 29th, an obvious migration of millions of white butterflies heading south began in the late morning before suddenly turning into just just a trickle in comparison in the early afternoon
Gambian Sun Squirrel - seen most days
Fruit Bat sp. - seen in evenings
Red Colebus Monkey
Green Vervet Monkey
Red Patas Monkey