Gambia out and about

This is a series of holiday snaps taken when I was out and about with family, just as I saw them so its a bit of a mismatch of items but interesting nonetheless, I think.
A day out planned by the in-laws took us back to Lamin Lodge for another trip around the mangroves, yes it was the same thing but with birding every day is a little different.

 

sandwich tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis)

The Gambia has a significant number of seabirds, obvious I suppose given the majority of it is pretty close to the sea.  I noticed this group of Sandwich Terns with their black bill with a tiny tip of yellow.  These guys are in non breeding uniform but a little later will have a black head and shaggy crown.

 

whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

Wherever the is wading to be done the Whimbrel is to be found here at this time of year.  Spent a delightful 10 minutes or so watching this one bathing before I took the photo, he had a proper scub up, underarms, behind the ears, the works :).

spur-winged lapwing or spur-winged plover (Vanellus spinosus)

At the opposite side of the sandbank was the Spur Winged Lapwig (or Plover).  We get these guys in small numbers around Riyadh wherever there is a good water source, a very handsome bird.

whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) and western reef heron (Egretta gularis)

This is just a little happy snap of a Western Reef Heron (Dark Morph, in case you hadn't noticed) and a Whimbrel Feeding.

 

Across the inlet from where we were standing were a couple of local fishermen, they use a for of seine netting where they spread the net in a semicircle towards the shore then pull it together taking any fish that may be in that area. Hard work for not a huge reward as those nets are bloody heavy when wet.

common redshank (Tringa totanus)

A Common Redhank spent a good deal of time hunting by the shoreline while we were there, there were no huge numbers of any of the birds we saw at this site but that's perhaps because there are so many places around here for them to feed.

 ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula)

A lone Common Ringed Plover was wandering about on the sandy mud too looking for tasty morsels to eat.  These guys will be heading north pretty soon I would imagine.

greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

A Common Greenshank was also enjoying the bounty of the shallows.

pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

OK I have put up some pics of Pied Kingfisher before and will again but I liked this one as managed to catch it right at the start of dinner!!  This caused consternation on the boat, funny how our modern world leaves some people with the impression that all food comes from packets!!

grey-headed gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

A small collection of Grey Headed Gulls  squabbling over a morsel of food someone threw off a passing boat.

lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus)

This guy was at a bit of a distance so the photo is not brilliant but I have pretty much convinced myself that it a Lesser Black Backed Gull, any other opinions? On a postcard please ... ;)

common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

A Common Sandpiper looking for breakfast.

ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

and a Ruddy Turnstone doing the same!

red-necked falcon or red-headed merlin (Falco chicquera)

This is a Musa special, we were heading out on our first mornings outing and literally travelling along the road when he shouts, Red-Necked Falcon, look, look.  At this stage I have to say I was still asleep but popped out of the car camera and bins flying all over the place to see this guy perched happily on a large road sign right beside the early morning traffic.  A great first spot.

 

yellow-billed shrike (Corvinella corvina) Juv.

As with all of my reports to date, there is one which I have yet to identify, for this report this is is.  Will get back to you on this one. -- well getting back, It is a young Yellow Billed Shrike or Long tailed Shrike (thanks Musa for the help).

As you can see this place is a goldmine for birders.  More reports to come, have not got to the really exciting stuff yet!!

The Gambia Part 2

Birding around the hotel is all very well but for a wider selection you need to get out and about and in this is what we did the middle of the first week with a trip to Lamin Lodge.  This trip was not with Musa as my inlaws arranged it at the hotel but it was a good morning's birding taking in the tidal area around the mangroves and the rice fields behind.

African golden oriole (Oriolus auratus)

Early in the morning we spotted the African Golden Oriole sitting on a branch, I don't think it had quite woken up yet. 

western reef heron (Egretta gularis)

In the rice fields we encountered a number of members of the Heron family including the Western Reef Heron

intermediate egret, (Mesophoyx intermedia)

also this guy which I am fairly sure is an Intermediate Egret mainly because I think its gape is about level with its eye but I could be wrong.

black heron (Egretta ardesiaca)

Next along the line, yes it almost was a line of these guys, was the Black Heron, or the canopy feeder, so called because of the way it uses its wings while feeding;

black heron (Egretta ardesiaca) Fishing

In effect it creates a canopy with its wings  and it is thought that the fish seek the shade of it and are taken by the Heron.  I am not so sure that is totally correct as this bird was not standing patiently as herons often do but making its way along the stream repeatedly creating a canopy, looking and then moving on.

grey heron (Ardea cinerea)

A little further on her was the ubiquitous Grey Heron.  I have always been delighted to see these birds wherever I go as they have a kind of majesty about them.  Have felt that since I stalked one, very unsuccessfully, along the Broad Meadow river near my home in Dublin.  Dads camera in hand and no chance of getting anywhere near the bird.  Well my lens is a bit stronger now but there was a touch of frustration about this shot too as there was a Sacred Ibis only a few feet from this chap which I could not get a shot of at all.  The joys of birding!

purple heron (Ardea purpurea)

Out on the mangroves was this guy perched on the top of the bushes.  The purple Heron is pretty common around these parts and they like to sit on top of bushes in the early morning to catch the early morning sun.

grey-headed gull (Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus)

Along the Gambia River almost every perch was occupied by hoards of the Grey Headed Gull which are common around the coast here.

pied kingfisher (Ceryle rudis)

Further along the little inlet was a Pied Kingfisher which are very common around here at the minute.  This one was very tame and almost allowed the boat to berth alongside.  The other fairly common Kingfisher here is the Malachite Kingfisher, which we did see, but always zipping off into the mangroves so no picture I'm afraid.  Also in these swamps is the African Pygmy Kingfisher but maybe next time for that one.

Long Tailed Cormorant (Phalacrocorax africanus)

Perched close by on a branch was a Long Tailed Cormorant watching us closely.

whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

And at the edge of the mangrove was a lone Whimbril resting.  There were quite a few of these about although usually not quite so easily seen.

 We left the boat behind and headed into the fields for a look around.  Even at this early hour the ladies were out in the fields working but that sis not appear to bother the birds very much, in fact in many instances they were close by to grab anything the workers dug up.

little bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

The Little Bee Eater is the smallest of the bee eaters and very common in the Gambia.  They were all over during our walk buisily keeping the bug numbers down.

double-spurred francolin (Pternistis bicalcaratus)

In the distance we noticed something moving and I got my first view of a Double Spurred Francolin a relative of our own Phesant.  These are quite common in the Gambia according to my Helm Giuide and I saw two while in this area.

mourning collared dove (Streptopelia decipiens)

The Pigeon family were represented as ever with the African Mourning Dove in reasonable numbers feeding on the recently turned soil.  The red orbital ring on the eye is very evident even at a dstance.

Senegal parrot (Poicephalus senegalus)

These two guys flew overhead while we were falling along in a phoughed field but they alighted in a tree about 50m away and I managed to get one shot before theyflew off again, the Senegal Parrot, colourful and very noisy like all parrots.

bearded barbet (Lybius dubius)

In a  bush a bit further into the fields we encountered a pair of Bearded Barbet all puffed up against the cool breeze.

Violet Turaco (Musophaga violacea)

A pair of Violet Turaco were spotted in a tree, this is the best shot I could get as they kept hiding in the branches, beautiful bird to watch when flying.

western plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator)

The Western Grey Plantain Eater was reasonably common in the area, I think I saw about 6 ot 7 as we wandered about the area.

grey kestrel (Falco ardosiaceus)

At one point we saw this silouette among the trees and having spent some time trying to get into position we discovered it was a Grey Kestrel.  I got a few pictures but it was difficult to get one that was easy to identify. 

Namaqua dove (Oena capensis)

A familiar friend from the Saudi birding world is the Namaqua Dove which is fairly common all over the area, still the cutest of the dove family in my opinion.

red-cheeked cordonbleu (Uraeginthus bengalus)

A bit further along the hedgerow we spotted this little guy, about the size of a sparrow but far more colourful.  It goes by the rather strange name of a Red-Cheeked Cordon-Bleu, there were quite a few about mainly foraging on the ground for seeds etc but I got a better shot at the one in the tree.  Wonder where that name came from, something to do with cookery perhaps?

woodchat shrike (Lanius senator)

Another friend from my adopted home is the Woodchat Shrike which apparently is quite common around the Gambia.  The can be seen in Saudi but they are not especially common there.

blue-bellied roller (Coracias cyanogaster)

Also fairly common in the Hedges around Lamin Lodge was the Blue Bellied Roller.  While in the area we saw three of these one pretty close up though most were not so accomodating.

village weaver (Ploceus cucullatus)

Ok this one I am not certain of but I think its a Village Weaver whic are apparently very common in the area.  Il will check on it and change if needs be but I think the red eye makes it one of a small number of possibilities

Northern Red Bishop (Euplectes franciscanus)

This I think is a Northern Red Bishop, clearly not red yet as its in non breeding pumage.  Again very common in the area

common bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)

The Common Bulbul, a melodious and common resident in the area.  They have to be one of the most vocal of all the small birds

 

Not too sure about this one yet, TBC!!!!!

Well as you can see even a fairly leisurely trip with relatives around a small area in the Gambia throws up all sorts of interesting birds.  For the listers out there, I have only detailed the ones I got photos of but that only represents a small sample of what is there.  At the risk of sounding like a broken record at this poit, Gambia for birders is a must do!

The Gambia Part 1

On January 13th my wife and I flew to Banjul in the Gambia for 10 days R&R.  While there two years ago I discovered that this is a top notch place to go birding so I "negotiated" a couple of days birding for me while Mrs B soaked up the sun by the pool.  To be fair she does not bird and I do not do long stretches on pool loungers so it kinda works out well.

In the week before I went I contacted a local guide I met on my last trip and who, in my humble opinion, is one of the best there is and loves his birding.  Musa Jatta has been guiding bird trips in Gambia and Senegal for 16 years and is a remarkably easy going and knowledgeable man, I will not go on and on but I highly recommend him and will put the details of his website and email at the bottom of the page and in the News Items Tab.  I prefer to use local guides rather than the tour company excursions mainly because the cash goes to the local people instead of paying bonuses to high flying executives.

We did two formal sessions in total and a third short trip with another friend but the Gambia is such an amazing spot for birding that you can also do a good days birding just walking around the hotel gardens.  In out case there was everything from Hooded Vulture, Yellow Billed Kite, Purple Glossy Starling, Hornbill, numerous types of pigeon and dove but more of that anon.   I have separated this into two blogs, both quite large, the first is of birds from around the hotel grounds, the second from out and about.

Would I go back, well yes, I think Mrs B has already booked but one thing, your cards are redundant there, cash is king.

Anyhow trip advisor apart we arrived late in the evening and it was getting dark as we made or way to the hotel room.  The noise of the birds was still all around and the excitement levels began to grow straight off.

Virtually every day the Red-billed Hornbill and his mate were chattering away in the trees.  Every now and again they would drop to the floor and explore in the grass or undergrowth.



Add caption

and they were often joined by little groups of the Common Bulbul making me feel right at home as their song is very similar to that of the White Cheeked Bulbul back in Saudi.



common bulbul (Pycnonotus barbatus)

This chap used to spend every evening foraging in the grass outside our bedroom window.  The Senegal Coucal is pretty common all over the area but we never did get to understand why everything else flew off when it arrived.  A little research required there I think.



Senegal coucal (Centropus senegalensis)

I took lots of photos of the Cattle Egrets in the hotel grounds, decided to post this one as it shows how tame they were, they casually march up the poolside and pose, then drink before flying to the trees for a casual preen.

cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)

However, by far the loudest of all the birds in the din was the group of Purple Glossy Starling



 purple glossy starling (Lamprotornis purpureus),

and not forgetting, of course, their long tailed cousins, the long tailed glossy starling.



long-tailed glossy starling (Lamprotornis caudatus)

The hotel does a daily bird feeding session for the carnivores in the area and this usually attracts a couple of different meat eaters.  The Hooded Vultures appear to have decided to hand around the area all the time now as its easier than seeking out food at the local dump.


hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus)

This guy was just hanging about waiting for meals on wheels!

Joining them were significant numbers of Yellow Billed Kites which did not hang round much after feeding but certainly arrived in large numbers bang on cue.  At one session I spotted over 30 and unlike the vultures they never landed to eat, always catching food in the air.


yellow-billed kite (Milvus aegyptius)

All around the area there were small family groups of Brown Babbers hopping about among the trees and bushes.



brown babbler (Turdoides plebejus)

I spotted this couple preening each other, which I thought a bit strange as I have not seen other birds do that, one of the benefits of family living I expect.



brown babbler (Turdoides plebejus)

The Yellow Crowned Gonolek did not appear until the end of our stay but once he arrived he stayed for a few days.  They have this wonderful deep call that once heard you will never forget.



yellow-crowned gonolek (Laniarius barbarus)

The most common member of the crow family in this area is the Pied Crow, like their relatives these are quite large and pretty aggressive towards other birds.

pied crow (Corvus albus)

The White Crowned Robin Chat was also about in good numbers in the hotel grounds, there are two types of Robin Chat in the Gambia, more on the other in the next report.



white-crowned robin-chat (Cossypha albicapilla)

One bird I had not expected to see in the hotel grounds was the Broad Billed Roller, this one was perched above the swimming pool for a while, see sometimes lounging by the pool can be good too.


cinnamon / broad billed roller (Eurystomus glaucurus)

 Pigeons and Doves were there in abundance with my old friend the Laughing Dove of Saudi being fairly common.  However also very common were the Speckled Pigeon and a couple of other types, of which more later.

speckled pigeon (Columba guinea)

Across the country there are a number of members of the collared dove fraternity.  These guys were outside the bedroom every day attracted by the peanuts put their by the German bloke across the garden.



vinaceous dove (Streptopelia vinacea)

Pretty common around the hotel though a little more secretive were the African Thrush, their liking for the dense trees and grey colour made them a little less evident than some of the more brightly coloured birds.

African thrush (Turdus pelios)

Anyhow, much as I enjoyed my birding around the hotel gardens and seeing the Blue Breasted Kingfisher which was way too fast for me to get a picture of there were other forms of life about

This 3 ft Monitor was sitting in the storm drains right by a bedroom block, what can you say, some folk were fascinated, others petrified, I don't think it cares one way or another lol.



green velvet monkey

Also present were two troops of monkey, the grey lot were very brazen and would fight you for your beer at the pool side, ok a bit of an exaggeration, but they were naughty.



red colobus monkeys

The red guys were much more docile and essentially never bothered anyone, except of course when they came crashing through the trees overhead. Sometimes sounded like the whole tree would come down.

This little chap just walked up the wall opposite us in the bar.  Calm as you like.  Just a taste of the birding around the Gambia, I have to say it is the most acceptable birding I have done for a while, most was done strolling around the Hotel Gardens or simply sitting outside our room, torture!! More anon.

Guide Contact Musa Jatta.  www.Turacobirding.com. Email turacobirding@gmail.com