The Gambia: Day 2: A Sense of Wonder

8^th December:

We breakfasted in the dark at 6.30am with the sound of crickets and cicadas and the breaking of gentle Atlantic waves upon the beach just a few yards away.   

Common Bulbuls were the first birds up, followed quickly by the Pied Crows and Speckled Pigeons while Yellow-billed Kites and Hooded Vultures started to drift in to search for early scraps.

With ten spare minutes before we left I collected my gear and had a quick look at the sea.  A single Sandwich Tern was offshore along with my first new bird of the day with several African Royal Terns leisurely moving through. Kites were delicately picking things from the mirror flat surface at least half a mile out and I was pleased to find a Pomarine Skua with quite a bit of tail harassing them in typical fashion. Caspian Terns headed inland overhead and a single Grey Headed Gull gave me a look at that superb wing pattern.  

Yellow-billed Kite

It was certainly going to be a full on day and I readied myself for a wealth of new birds to cram into my head. We drove west through the suburbs and morning traffic and even that added two more species with a grey headed Blue-bellied Roller on the wires amongst all the various doves and a ghostly Shikra that cut behind us as the most weakly flap flap flying accipiter I have ever seen.

The Brufut Forest was our main destination for the morning and we reached it via a random road between houses in the village, bumping down a dusty track and waving at the numerous small children with beaming smiles.

It was a forest in the true sense of the word with a collection of copses and scrubby patches interlinked by farm plots of strips of shrubbery.  We parked and I stepped out into an alien world of sounds I was unfamiliar with. The next three hours were spent on a vaguely circular walk that enabled us to often see and hear the same species several times which was vital to me from a learning point of view.

We started easy with the doves in the nearest Baobab tree – three ring-necks – three species. The aptly named Red-eyed Dove with the smoky pink front singing ‘I'm a Red-eyed Dove’, the Collared Dove-ish African Mourning Dove with the orange eyes and curious laughing song and the mini Collared Dove-like Vinaceous which is meant to say ‘Go Away’ but to be honest just says ‘Red-eyed Dove’ repeatedly at high speed!

Village and Little Weavers were seen together along with a Village Indigobird, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleus, Red-billed Firefinches and a tiny tailless Northern Crombec.  How was it possible to have six new species in one bush? 

Northern Crombec

 

Red-billed Firefinch

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu

Oh hang on let’s add an African Grey Woodpecker, stupidly long tailed Green Wood-Hoopoe and a couple of Beautiful Sunbirds.

Green Wood-Hoopoe

I seem to remember laughing in a slightly maniacal manner at this point.  We had only walked 30 yards from the bus.  A strangely familiar sqwark saw a couple of Senegal Parrots veering into view, reminding me of my own Senegal ‘Merlin’ who we rescued many years ago. Technically this was my first wild parrot and it was swiftly followed by the equally obvious sound of Ring-necked Parakeets too.

Senegal Parrot

A glance the other way and a Green Vervet Monkey was watching us from a Mango tree and Plantain Eaters trumpeted from the canopy along with dueting Grey Hornbills and a grumpy looking Senegal Coucal.

Green Vervet Monkey

Western Grey Plantain Eater

Western Grey Plantain Eater

Hooded Vulture

Grey Hornbills

Pied Crow

And breath...

And in we go again...

Singing Cisticolas did just that and a Melodious Warbler was followed swiftly by another palearctic migrant – a Western Olivaceous Warbler. Having only seen eastern birds before, I was taken aback by quite how different this species felt.

A Yellow-crowned Gonolek sang from cover but did the decent thing and popped into view in a splash of vibrant red and black and Yellow-throated Leafloves (a babbler relative) moved through in noisy groups although in no way as vociferous as the beady eyed Brown Babblers that came to check us out.   

Brown Babbler

Common Bulbul

Laughing Dove

 

Two black birds flycatching turned out to be two different species – a Fork tailed Drongo and the smaller but round tailed African Black Flycatcher while two equally similarly coloured and only vaguely related species were seen above each other while we worked our way through some sunbirds. And what great names these birds have – Grey-backed Camaroptera and Yellow-breasted Apalis.

 

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Variable Sunbird & Fork-tailed Drongo

Yellow-breasted Apalis

Grey-backed Camaroptera

Bronze Mannikins and Lavender Waxbills were added to the tiny finch list while Black-billed Wood Dove and Black-necked Weavers joined their respective tribes.

The Sunbirds were wonderfully accommodating and superb views were had a of the mesmerising long-tailed Beautiful, green, purple and white Variable, shining purple and bronze Splendid, iridescent Copper and gleaming Purple-backed.

 

male Beautiful Sunbird

male Beautiful Sunbird

 

female Beautiful Sunbird

juvenile Beautiful Sunbird

 

Beautiful Sunbird nest

male Variable Sunbird

imm male Copper Sunbird - we did see a full male too

Copper Sunbird

male Purple-backed Sunbird

A small dark bird darted through ‘Fanti Saw-wing!’ called Paul. Thankfully I had read the book and realised it was a bottle green swallow. It flew around us a few times with the wings held in more than they were out before flicking over the trees. Up above hundreds of Palm and Pallid Swifts drifted inland and squadrons of Hooded Vultures and Kites effortlessly tracked in the same direction. Lower down another Shrikra darted through and two Black-winged Kites crossed the clearing like mini male Hen Harriers. A dapper little Red-necked Falcon with a stripy belly watched us from a palm tree – even the books said ‘likes palm trees’... 

Hooded Vulture and Pallid Swifts

Hooded Vulture

 

Red-necked Falcon

By this point I was beaming uncontrollably but did feel like something was starting to seep in. A White Crowned Robin Chat was seen briefly in the understory and a Broad-billed Roller became the second species of the day.  Two Red-billed Hornbills played chase along a wall while furtive Yellow-billed Shrikes hunted from the lower branches of a tree.  An African Thrush dashed across the path with a typical Turdus cluck and a couple of Greater Blue-eared amongst some ridiculous Long-tailed Glossy Starlings were duly added along with a chunky Grey Headed Sparrow.

Red-billed Hornbill

Red-billed Hornbill

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

It was scorching hot but I really did not care. I was surrounded by new birds and new sounds and we had in fact heard several more that we did not see including Violet Turaco, Oriole Warbler, Blackcap Babbler and Double Spurred Francolin but whereas that may have previously vexed me I was simply happy to digest what I had encountered.

And it was not just birds; a Gambian Sun Squirrel with stripy tail scurried down a Baobab and there were countless butterflies and dragonflies to look at but the hot conditions and lack of blooms prevented most from landing. There were tiny blue butterflies small than a 5p ranging up through various Whites and Yellow, Monarch-types and at least two species of huge Swallowtail while Darters and Chasers zipped around at head height.

A large parasitic wasp

Darter type

Poached egg and squid ink...

Ali had the air con going in the bus but we only drove about 300 yards before stopping again. Solomon and Santos informed us that we had to be quiet as we were approaching one of their man-made drinking stations.  Unbelievably a Violet Turaco was immediately on view and we all got views of its purpleness and red and yellow head gear before it flashed out on crimson wings. Cold Cokes were supplied and we sat and watched for a while as a variety of species came down to drink from the terracotta pots wired onto the trees.   

The light was very poor for photography but I was more focused on taking in as much as I could at this stage with eye and ear.  Sunbirds came down to drink including a pair of Splendid and one male Beautiful put on a great display while an immature Green Headed was actually a new bird for any Sunbird tour of the country.  A Yellow White-eye came to visit the bowls but the Turaco and Grey Hornbills refused to come down and join the party.  
 

Beautiful Sunbird

Beautiful Sunbird

Splendid Sunbird

Green-headed Sunbird

Yellow White-eye

 

Grey Hornbill

December is a bad time to be trying to do Weavers and Bishops but a Northern Red Bishop did come down as did several red-eyed Village Weavers.  The latter are a large bird approaching juvenile Starling in size and shape. 

Village Weaver & Black-billed Wood Dove

African Thushes and three finches fed on the ground alongside Wood and Laughing Doves and an immature male African Paradise Flycatcher flicked around at the back of the clearing, sitting across upright stems before dropping down after prey. 

Red-billed Firefinch

Black-billed Wood and Laughing Doves

Laughing Dove

African Thrush

African Paradise Flycatcher

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu

A short amble through the brush in silent running mode allowed our guides to take us to within just a few feet of two roosting Nightjars and amazingly, despite being only about 20yards apart, they were of different species with both Standard-winged and Long-tailed seen. I can now tell you that the latter has longer rictal bristles!

Standard-winged Nightjar

Long-tailed Nightjar

Long-tailed Nightjar

Long-tailed Nightjar - can you see it?

Fortified by the Coke and some more superb birds we headed off once more with lunch in mind. Our repast was to be taken at the Tanji Bird Reserve on top of the dunes leading down to the sea. We sat in the shade and fed our faces on chicken, fish, rice and bananas while slurping Coke and coffee and watching the steady procession of birds coming down to the artificial pools laid out before us below the bushes. Once again the light was poor so the camera took second place to bins.

Blue Spotted Wood Doves joined the Black-billed and other regular species and amongst the now familiar finches were a couple of Orange Cheeked Waxbills and a pair of very hefty Western Bluebills decked out in black and scarlet. 

 

Blue Spotted Wood Dove

Red-eyed Doves

Laughing Dove

Bronze Mannikins

Orange Cheeked Waxbill & Bronze Mannikins

Western Bluebill

male Western Bluebill

female Western Bluebill

African Thrush

Essence of African Thrush

Three Weavers and the odd Long-tailed Glossy Starling came down along with an energetic African Thrush, Bulbuls and a male Blackcap that looked strangely big alongside the tiny finches.

Suddenly everything spooked and a big pied bird flopped to the front. The heavily streaked breast identified it as a Levaillant's Cuckoo – like a Great Spotted’s more Gothic cousin and it greedily topped up before disappearing back into the foliage.

Levaillant's Cuckoo

Levaillant's Cuckoo

A large Lantana bush actually managed to slow down some of the butterflies and I managed a few snaps while being careful to avoid the web of the enormous Orb spider situated not far above my head.

Yellow-billed Kites, Hoodies and an Osprey were seen overlooking the dunes and sea and a couple more Royal Terns fished offshore.

Yellow-billed Kite

The beach was actually our next destination on the outskirts of Tanji itself.  Piles of fish were drying in the sun and the air was a more than a little fragrant.  Down on the foreshore a large flock of Grey Headed Gulls was gathered and with them were a few Lesser Black-backed of various ages and at least two smart adult Kelp Gulls looking like slightly small Great Black-backs with greeny yellow legs.

 

Grey Headed Gulls

 

Grey Headed Gull

Kelp Gull top right

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Kelp Gull

Kelp Gull

Caspian Terns were patrolling up and down along with a few Royals and Whimbrels, Bar-tailed Godwits, Sanderling, Ringed and Grey Plovers were feeding on the plastic strewn sand while Pied Kingfishers hovered before plunging from height into the shallows. 

Caspian Tern

Caspian Tern

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Flocks of unbalanced Long-tailed Cormorants wiggled up and down the coast and Kites were picking over fish scraps on the beach.

Long-tailed Cormorants

Yellow-billed Kites

Ospreys were always on view and seemingly always carrying a freshly caught fish to an inland perch and a small lagoon held more gulls, a selection of herons and a couple of Spur-winged Plovers with Feral Pigeon, White Wagtail and House Sparrow finding their way onto the trip list back near the bus. Some African Mourning Doves showed exceptionally well.

Osprey

Cattle Egret

African Mourning Dove

African Mourning Doves

Inland of us lay a large area of protected coastal scrub and as it was easier to access from the road we were dropped off about half a mile down the road to walk in.  A circular route took us through several Gonolek territories and eventually great views were had of this emblematic bird. Tiny Little Bee-eaters (about Wheatear size) and luminous green Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters hawked from bare branches and two species of hirundine were seen with the similar to our own, Red-chested and the range restricted Pied Winged Swallows overhead along with another single Fanti Saw-wing.  Palm and Pallid Swifts were still on the move and scanning these allowed us to pick up the first Palm Nut Vulture and a party of Pink-backed Pelicans.

Pied Winged Swallow - Paul French

Pied Winged Swallow - Paul French

Gonolek

Gonolek

Little Bee-eater

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters & Village Weaver

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater

Plantain Eaters and Senegal Parrots moved noisily between the larger Mango trees and a splendid Violet Turaco perched up long enough for us to get the scope on it while a male African Golden Oriole even came and joined it in the same tree. 

Pied Crow

Pied Crow

Violet Turaco

Both Hornbills were similarly obvious and two front heavy read headed birds became a pair of Vieillot’s Barbet (another new family for me) and a Tree Pipit dropped in long enough to get the guests onto it.

Red-billed Hornbill

Vieillot’s Barbet

Tiny Darter

The day was pushing on so we began the journey back to Kotu where a stop at the bridge was must.  There was a good selection of waders once again with the Thick-knees dominating and making lots of noise but two Wattled Lapwings drifted in and onto the list along with a brief view of an Intermediate Egret being chased by Western Reefs.

Western Reef Heron

Western Reef Heron

Hamerkop

Senegal Thick-knee

The Wire-tailed Swallows were still on their favourite perches although they were having to share them with the chattering Pied Kingfishers and red-eyed Long-tailed Cormorants. 

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher and friend

Pied Kingfisher & Long-tailed Cormorant

Long-tailed Cormorants

Weeweewee Ducks headed over and the first of the evening Broad Billed Rollers were up and about and hawking like Nightjars above the trees while making curious croaking calls. 

A small pied bird caught my eye – I hadn’t a clue – ‘Northern Puffback’ said Paul. It was quite shrike-like but with red eyes. The Malachite Kingfishers were back but were dwarfed by the sheer monstrousness of the female Giant Kingfisher that took up position on the wires and proceeded to catch a huge fish and pummel it to death in front of us.  The Pieds took umbrage and ganged up to see her off in the end.

Giant Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

Giant Kingfisher

Kingfisher fest was not over as a Pied-sized Blue-breasted flew low across in front of us on turquoise wings. It dashed straight into the mangroves and was lost to view but gave us our fourth species in five minutes!

A Chiffchaff flicked in the closest mangroves and Cordon Bleus zipped around.  There was still one spot to check, right alongside our hotel and within a couple of minutes a fine White-capped Robin Chat was seen on the deck sporting the afore mentioned head gear but livid orange underparts too. Movement in the canopy above gave us one final special bird before calling it a day with the curious Oriole Warbler gleaning insects in a methodical manner with its olive and yellow plumage, black head with white crescents and thick sunbird like bill. I remember seeing it on the back of my field guide the first time I picked it up.

We walked the last 100 yards back to the hotel. I think I floated. At the log I relived the day and all the exotic names I had encountered and tried to comprehend adding about 70 birds to my paltry world list.

I needed black out curtains in my room to prevent my beaming smile keeping everyone awake at night.

A Field Cricket species