The Gambia 1998

THE GAMBIA
November 1998

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Once again another trip based on a package holiday. This one was organised through Thomson Holidays and was based for two weeks in the well known Senegambia Beach hotel. Although I intended to do a fair amount of birding in the two weeks I had here, I didn't intend to travel day in and day out as I also intended to relax as well. Therefore, my trip was confined to the coastal strip near the main hotels.
The hotel grounds of the Senegambia are an ideal starting point for getting to know the more common birds of West Africa and can turn up almost anything. The extensive grounds which run down to the sandy beach attract many species from the diminutive Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu's up to the much larger Harrier-Hawk and Hooded Vulture. The beach can also be good for an early morning sea watch, particularly during the first weeks of November when terns are passing in good numbers.

The weather during my stay was hot and sunny throughout and during the first week incredibly humid. Apparently this happens most years and the humidity tends to drop after the first week or so of November.

One of the biggest draw backs I encountered was the amount of hassle you immediately get on stepping foot outside your hotel. People are either after you to rent out their services as bird guides, some of whom are decidedly unqualified to do so, or to take a taxi ride. The best thing to do is just ignore them and to carry on walking. If you do need a bird guide then the Senegambia has its own "bird man"; a character called Mass Cham. He certainly knows his stuff but definitely check out some of his identifications as he can be, lets say, less than accurate on the odd occasion.
ITINERARY

3 November London Gatwick to Banjul

4 November Grounds of Senegambia hotel and beach

5 November Grounds of Senegambia hotel and beach

6 November Grounds of Senegambia and scrub behind Palma Rima hotel for Nightjars in the evening.

7 November Grounds of Senegambia, Bijilo forest afternoon

8 November Bijilo forest morning, grounds of Senegambia pm

9 November Rice fields and Abuko am, grounds of Senegambia pm

10 November Grounds of Senegambia

11 November Grounds of Senegambia, Crocodile pool & mangroves pm

12 November Grounds of Senegambia, Bund road pm

13 November Bijilo forest am, grounds of Senegambia pm

14 November Grounds of Senegambia

15 November Kotu creek, Fajara Golf course and sewage ponds am, grounds of Senegambia pm

16 November Grounds of Senegambia am, Bijilo forest pm

17 November Grounds of Senegambia am, flight home

SITE LIST
Senegambia hotel grounds
As mentioned above, this hotel has fairly extensive grounds that run down a long sandy beach. The gardens well looked after and have a mixture of flower borders and small groves of trees. Naturally enough, they attract a number of the more common West African birds but particular specialities here are the Gonolek or Barbary Shrike and the White-crowned Robin-chat. The rubbish dump in the grounds is also a good spot to stand and wait as it always attracts small flocks of finches.
Bijilo Forest park
This forest park is only a short walk, 4-500 metres, from the Senegambia and is primarily forested with Rhun palm. The guide books tend to say that it is not worth visiting in the afternoons and is better in the morning. I beg to differ as I found it productive both early morning AND late afternoon. The lower part of the park tends to produce more birds where the wooded area is more open with coastal scrub.

Abuko nature reserve
A small enclosed area of mature gallery forest. This is one of the few remaining strands of such forest in The Gambia and Abuko provides the most easily accessible example. The forest surrounds a small pool that acts as a magnet to the birds of the forest and is over looked by a large public hide. The bird life in the reserve and it is easy to spend a long day here, although it does tend to get rather busy during the middle of the day with coach parties. However, well worth a visit.

The Bund road
This road passes a series of lagoons, tidal mud flats, mangroves, canals, ditches and some cultivation. Naturally enough this area offers some good bird watching and one of the best view points is the old pump station where you can climb up onto the roof and get good views over the whole area. The area is particularly good for water birds and is well worth spending time checking the river area.

Kotu Creek
This is a small tidal creek, fringed by mangroves and bordered by the Fajara Golf course to the north and rice fields and oil palms to the south. It is easily accessible and is good for herons, and waders. The western end of the creek is crossed by a small road bridge and is usually populated by locals looking to offer their services as bird guides.

Fajara Golf course
This course occupies an area of land that forms a small hill between the coast on its northern side and Kotu Creek on its south side. The course itself is probably the best place to find Black-headed Plover where they are common. A walk round the area can produce a variety of bee-eaters, shrikes, babblers and sunbirds.

Kotu Sewage ponds
This has got to be one of the few sewage farms in the world to be marketed as a tourist attraction. The bird life is abundant here as well as varied. The ponds are particularly good for waders and also a resident flock of White-faced Whistling-ducks. The surrounding trees and shrubs also contain woodpeckers and barbets.

For further site information please view the site list on my web page which covers my visit in April 2003 to The Gambia .

SYSTEMATIC LIST

Little Grebe 1 Sewage ponds 15/11

Great White Pelican 1 over Senegambia 5/11, 15 Bund road 12/11

Pink Backed Pelican 2 near Abuko 9/11, 20 Bund road 12/11

Hammerkop 2 Abuko 9/11, 4 Bund road 12/11, 4 Kotu Creek 15/11

Long Tailed Cormorant
Frequent

African Darter 1 Bund road 12/11

Night Heron 4 Abuko 9/11

Cattle Egret Common

Squacco Heron 2 rice fields 9/11, 1 Kotu creek 15/11

Green Backed Heron 1 Bund road 12/11, 1 Kotu creek 15/11

Black Heron 1 mangroves 11/11, 2 Bund road 12/11

Intermediate Egret Frequent near creeks and rivers

Western Reef Heron Frequent

Little Egret Frequent near creeks and rivers

Great White Egret Frequent near creeks and rivers

Black Headed Heron Frequent near creeks and rivers

Grey Heron Frequent near creeks and rivers

Purple Heron 1 Abuko 9/11

White-faced Whistling-Duck 4 over Senegambia 4/11, 5 Bund road 12/11, 10 Sewage ponds 15/11

Sacred Ibis 1 over Senegambia 5/11, 3 Bund road 12/11

Osprey Frequent on coast

African Harrier Hawk Nesting in grounds of Senegambia

Palm Nut Vulture 1 Bijilo 7/11

Pied Crow Common

Hooded Vulture Common

Short Toed Eagle 1 nr Crocodile pool 11/11

Black Kite Frequent

Black Shouldered Kite Singles mangroves 11/11, Bund road 12/11

African Cuckoo Hawk 1 Fajara golf course 15/11

Marsh Harrier Along beach 13/11

Gabar Goshawk 1 Bijilo forest 13/11

Shikra Singles Senegambia 6/11 and Bijilo forest 7, 13 & 16/11

Lizard Buzzard Singles mangroves 11/11, Fajara golf course 15/11, Bijilo forest 16/11

Lanner Falcon 2 Senegambia 7/11, 1 mangroves 11/11

Grey Kestrel Singles Bijilo forest 8 & 13/11, Senegambia 14/11, Fajara golf course 15/11

Kestrel 1 mangroves 11/11

Double Spurred Francolin 4 mangroves 11/11, 6 Fajara golf course 15/11

Ahanta Francolin 1 Bijilo forest 13/11

Stone Partridge 1 Bijilo forest 7/11

Black Crake 2 Abuko 9/11

Jacana 3 Abuko 9/11

Senegal Thicknee 2 Kotu creek 15/11

Black Headed Plover Frequent on Fajara golf course

Spur Winged Plover Frequent

Wattled Plover Common

Grey Plover 3 along beach 15/11

Little Ringed Plover 8 Kotu creek 15/11

Ringed Plover Singles on beach 10, 12 & 14/11

Whimbrel Frequent

Black Tailed Godwit 1 beach 6/11, 10 Bund road 12/11, 4 Kotu creek 15/11

Greenshank Frequent

Redshank 2 rice fields 9/11, 3 Kotu creek 15/11

Marsh Sandpiper 1 Kotu creek 15/11

Common Sandpiper Singles rice fields 9/11, Bund road 12/11, 4 Sewage ponds 15/11

Green Sandpiper 2 sewage ponds 15/11

Wood Sandpiper Frequent

Black Winged Stilt 4 mangroves 11/11, 10 Bund road 12/11, 18 sewage ponds 15/11

Ruff 6 Bund road 12/11

Turnstone 2 Bund road 12/11, 4 Kotu creek 15/11

Little Stint 6 on beach 13/11

Curlew Sandpiper 10 Bund road 12/11

Great Skua 1 along beach 5/11

Grey Headed Gull Common

Slender Billed Gull 2 Kotu creek 15/11

Lesser Black Backed Gull 2 along beach 8/11

Caspian Tern Frequent

Royal Tern Singles along beach 11-12/11

Lesser Crested Tern 3 along beach 4/11, 1 on 12/11

Sandwich Tern Common

Gull Billed Tern Frequent along beach

Roseate Tern 4 along beach 11/11

Little Tern 6 mangroves 11/11

Black Tern 10 sewage ponds 15/11

Laughing Dove Common

Blue Spotted Wood Dove Frequent

Black Billed Wood Dove 2 Abuko 9/11, 1 Bijilo 13/11

Speckled Pigeon Common

Red Eyed Dove Common

Mourning Dove Singles Senegambia 4 & 12/11

Vinaceous Dove Common

Piapiac Common

Senegal Coucal Frequent

Levaillant's Cuckoo 1 Senegambia 7/11

Klaas's Cuckoo 1 Crocodile pool 11/11

Barn Owl Nesting in Senegambia grounds

White Faced Scops Owl 1 Senegambia 15 & 16/11

Pearl Spotted Owlet Singles Senegambia 8 & 10/11

Long Tailed Nightjar 1 behind Palma Rima 6/11

Black Shouldered Nightjar 1 behind Palma Rima 6/11

Plain Nightjar 4 behind Palma Rima 6/11

Pallid Swift 2 Bund road 12/11, 1 Sewage ponds 15/11

Common Swift 12 Sewage ponds 15/11

Little Swift Frequent

Mottled Spinetail 4 Bijilo forest 7/11

Palm Swift Common

Black Wood Hoopoe 1 Abuko 9/11

Green Wood Hoopoe 2 Bijilo forest 13/11, 2 Kotu creek 15/11

Woodland Kingfisher Common

Blue Breasted Kingfisher 2 Kotu creek 15/11

Pied kingfisher Frequent near fresh water

Pygmy Kingfisher 1 Senegambia 9/11

Malachite Kingfisher Frequent near fresh water

Broad Billed Roller Common

Blue Bellied Roller Frequent

Abyssinian Roller 1 Bund road 12/11

Swallow Tailed Bee Eater 2 Bijilo forest 7/11

Little Bee Eater Frequent

Ring Necked Parakeet Frequent

Senegal Parrot Nesting in Sengambia grounds

Violet Turaco 1 Abuko 9/11

Green Turaco 3 Abuko 9/11

Western Grey Plantain Eater Common

Bearded Barbet Frequent

Red Billed Hornbill Common

Grey Hornbill Common

Abyssinian Ground Hornbill A pair Bijilo forest 16/11

Grey Woodpecker Common

Fine Spotted Woodpecker Singles Senegambia 4 & 15/11

Lesser Honeyguide 1 Abuko 9/11

Red Throated Pipit Singles Senegambia 4 & 6/11

Fanti Saw Wing Frequent in Bijilo forest

Wire Tailed Swallow 4 Bund road 12/11, 10 Kotu creek 15/11

Mosque Swallow Frequent

Barn Swallow 200+ Rice fields 9/11

Red Chested Swallow Frequent near fresh water

African Golden Oriole Frequent

Fork Tailed Drongo 1 Kotu creek 15/11

Square Tailed Drongo Common

Yellow Wagtail 10 bund road 12/11

White Wagtail 2 Bund road 12/11

Common Bulbul Common

Little Greenbul 2 Abuko 9/11

Oriole Warbler Frequent

Blackcap Babbler Common

Brown Babbler Common

White Crowned Robin Chat Common

Snowy Crowned Robin Chat Frequent in Bijilo

Redstart Singles Senegambia 5, 7 &10/11

African Thrush Common

Reed Warbler 1 Senegambia 5/11

Olivaceous Warbler Frequent

Melodious Warbler 1 Senegambia 14/11

Blackcap Singles Sengambia 5/11, Abuko 9/11, Fajara golf course 15/11

Garden Warbler 1 Senegambia 4/11

Willow Warbler Singles Bijilo forest 8/11 and Senegambia 10/11

Bonelli's Warbler 1 Senegambia 4/11

Fan Tailed Warbler 2 Mangroves 11/11, 8 Bund road 12/11

Tawny Flanked Prinia Frequent in Bijilo forest

Grey Backed Camaroptera Frequent in Bijilo forest

Pied Flycatcher 2 Senegambia 4/11

Pale Flycatcher 1 Abuko 9/11

Common Wattle Eye 2 Abuko 9/11

Northern Black Flycatcher Common

African Paradise Flycatcher 1 Bijilo forest 16/11

Red Bellied Paradise Flycatcher 1 Senegambia 5/11, 2 Abuko 9/11, 1 Crocodile pool 11/11

Shrike Flycatcher 2 Abuko 9/11

Olive Sunbird 1 Kotu creek 15/11

Variable Sunbird Singles Senegambia 5, 6 & 14/11

Splendid Sunbird Frequent

Beautiful Sunbird Common

Green Headed Sunbird 1 Bijilo forest 16/11

Copper Sunbird 1 Senegambia 5/11

Black Headed Tchagra 1 Bijilo forest 13/11

Yellow Billed Shrike Frequent

Gonolek Common in Senegambia grounds

White Crested Helmet Shrike 2 Abuko

Greater Blue Eared Glossy Starling Small flock Senegambia 6, 8 & 15/11

Lesser Blue Eared Glossy Starling Common

Long Tailed Glossy Starling Common

House Sparrow Frequent

Grey Headed Sparrow Common

White Billed Buffalo Weaver 25+ Kotu creek 15/11

Northern Red Bishop 1 Bijilo forest 8/11, 2 Mangroves 11/11, 2 Fajara golf course 15/11

Village Weaver Common

Black Necked Weaver 5 Bijilo forest 7/11, 10 Bijilo forest 16/11

Orange Cheeked Waxbill Singles Senegambia 9 & 14/11

Lavender Waxbill Common

Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu Common

Red Billed Firefinch Common

Silverbill 4 Senegambia beach

Bronze Mannikin Common

Village Indigobird Singles Senegambia 6, 12 & 14/11

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