The Gambia                                                                        

Trip Report 27 January - 13 February, 2007 - Photos by Bill Quinn and Anne May, Tour Leader: Dermot Mc Cabe

( Look out for the next Tolka Branch Illustrated Talk on the Gambia and Senegal later in 2007. See also Bill and Heather's separate Trip Report on Senegal, 2007 on this website)

As avid readers of other people's trip reports we know that birders mainly just want to know what birds can be seen where. So for this year's report (there are two others on this website) we have rationed the webspace to give you just that.  We will, however, permit ourselves one comment. And it is this.  We continue to be enchanted by the birdlife in the Gambia, the charm of the people, the wonderful climate and not least the creature comforts that make birding in this tiny West African country easy and accessible for all. We'll be back! 

This time , in addition to taking a trip up-river to Tendaba Camp we visited new areas including, Tujering, Niumi National Park, Jinak Island and Senegal. We start our report  in the Senegambia hotel gardens and extend it according to distance from the hotel.  Some birds are mentioned only once where we first saw them.The commoner birds were, of course,  seen in many locations. 

Hotel Senegambia Gardens

Senegal Coucal, Grey Headed Sparrow, House Sparrow,Yellow-crowned Gonolek, African Thrush, Lavender Waxbill, Red-billed Firefinch, Laughing Dove, Speckled Pigeon, Pied Crow, Yellow-billed Black Kite, African Harrier Hawk, Hooded Vulture, White-crowned Robin-chat, Red-cheeked Cordonbleu, Greater and Lesser Blue-eared Glossy Starling, Longtailed Glossy Starling, Cattle Egret, Village Weaver, African Palm Swift, Northern Black Flycatcher, Olivaceous Warbler,  Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Blue-bellied Kingfisher

Bijolo Forest ( 5 minutes walk from Senegambia Hotel)

Senegal Parrot, Piapiac, Western Grey Plantain Eater, Broad-billed Roller, Green Wood Hoopoe, Little Bee-Eater, Rufous-crowned Roller, Grey-backed Camaroptera, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red-eyed Dove,Osprey, Stone Partridge, Double Spurred Francolin, Bearded Barbet, Grey Woodpecker, Yellow -billed Shrike, Beautiful Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Splendid Sunbird.

Yellow-throated Longclaw.  Anne May

The Cycle Track from Palmarina to Kotu Bridge and Waterlilly Pond (5 minutes by taxi from the Senegambia Hotel)

Sacred Ibis, African Spoonbill, Little, Intermediate Black and Great White Egret, Black-headed Heron, Western Reef Heron, Yellow-throated Longclaw, Rose Ringed Parakeet, Hammerkop, Spur-winged Plover, Squacco Heron, Wood, Marsh  and  Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, African Jacana, Black-winged Stilt, Pied Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Zitting Cisticola, Whitethroat, Barn Swallow.

Standard - winged Nightjars in the bushes at dusk on the seaward side past Dunes Casino and Hotel.

Kotu Bridge and the Fajara Golf Course (10 minutes by taxi from the Senegambia hotel)

Grey Heron, Western Reef Heron, Striated Heron, Senegal Thick-knee, Grey Plover, Black-headed Plover, Ringed Plover, Blue Breasted Kingfisher,  Palm Nut Vulture

Bund Road ( 10 minutes by Taxi) - tidal area - check the tide times!

Caspian Tern, Lesser-crested Tern, Slender-billed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, Curlew, Whimbrel, Sanderling, Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Dunlin, Grey Plover.

Banjul Port ( 15 minutes by Taxi from the Senegambia)

Arctic Skua, Pomarine Skua, Royal, Caspian and Little Tern 

Western Bluebill, Bill Quinn

Western Bluebill, Bill Quinn

Abuko Nature Reserve ( 20 Minutes by taxi)

Western Bluebill, Grey-headed Bristlebill, White-crested Helmet Shrike, 

White Crested Helmet Shrike, Bill Quinn

 Brufut ( 1 hour)

White-faced Scops Owl, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Red-Billed Quelia, Black-winged Bishop, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Northern Black Bishop, Bronze Mannikin, Black-rumped Waxbill, Yellow White-Eye, Pygmy Kingfisher, Splendid Sunbird, Blue-spotted Wood Dove

Yundum Woods ( 1 hour)

Plaintive Cisticola, Singing Cisticola, Rufous Cisticola, Gabar Goshawk, Yellow-fronted Canary,  Northern Crombec,Yellow White Eye, Little Weaver, Green-backed Eremomela, Buffalo Weaver, Pied-winged Swallow, Mottled Spinetail,Snowy-Crowned Robin-chat, Lizard Buzzard, Vinaceous Dove, Fork-tailed Drongo, Violet and Green Turaco,  Black crowned Tshagra, Hoopoe, Garden Warbler, Swallow-tailed Bee- Eater, Red-winged Warbler, Black-headed Plover, Wattled Plover, Pearl-spotted Owlet  

Mandinaba ( 1 and a half hours)

Tawney Eagle, Wahlbergs Eagle, White-backed Vulture, Black-shouldered Kite, Black-throated Weaver, Village Indigo Bird, Common Wattle Eye, Yellow Breasted Apalis, Little Greenbull, Little Swift, White-rumped Swift, Shikra, Lanner Falcon.

Wire-tailed Swallow, Anne May

Pirang ( 1and a half hours)

Sub-alpine Warbler, Yellow Wagtail,Wire-tailed Swallow, Pink-backed Pelican, African Spoonbill, White-throated Bee eater, Yellow-Billed Stork, Marsh Harrier, Yellow-crowned Bishop. 

Tujering ( 1 hour)

Vitelline Masked Weaver, Bush Petronia,Yellow- bellied Hyliota, White-shouldered Black Tit, Little Weaver, Tschagra,Senegal batis, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow Weaver, Bru Bru, Brown-backed Woodpecker, Cardinal Woodpecker, Fine-spotted Woodpecker,  Oxpecker, Striped Kingfisher, Hoopoe, Singing Cisticola, Melodious Warbler, Common Redstart, Whitethroat, Red-winged Warbler, Pied Hornbill, Siffling Cisticola, Whistling Cisticola, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Namaqua Dove, Violet-backed Sunbird, Swallow- tailed Bee Eater, Wahlbergs Eagle, Village Indgo Bird, Pintailed Wydah, Blacked-headed and Wattled Plover, Vieillots Barbet, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Verreaux's Eagle Owl,. White-rumped Swift

Marakissa ( 2 hours)

African Golden Oriel, Grey-headed Bush Shrike, Chiffchaff, Fork-tailed Drongo, Black-necked Weaver, Northern Puffback, African Paradise Flycatcher, Black Wood Hoopoe, Klaas's Cuckoo, African Green Pigeon, Violet Turaco 

Niumi National Park and Jinak Island ( to Banjul, take ferry and add half an hour+) a day trip 

Be aware that there is an interesting crop growing on Jinak Island. The people are very protective and suspicious of visitors. We suspect that this area could hide an abundance of birds as there is very little human habitation and a wide variety of habitats. On our 3 hour mid-afternoon visit to a very small part of this park we saw Plain-backed Pipit, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail, Woodchat Shrike, Hoopoe, Wheatear, Whinchat, Pygmy Sunbird, European Bee-Eater, Osprey, Brubru, Purple Heron, Whimbrel, Oystercatcher.

African Scops Owl, Bill Quinn

Taiwan Road - Northern Bank Road to Tendaba ( 3 day trip to Tendaba)

Northern Anteater Chat, Pigmy Sunbird,Chestnut backed Sparrow Lark, Cut Throat Finch,Yellow Crowned Bishop,Northern Bishop,Vieillot's Barbet, Exclamatory Wydah, Booted Eagle, Griffin Vulture,Rupels Griffin Vulture, Brown Snake Eagle, Collared Pratincole, Egyptian Plover, Painted Snipe, Black Crake

Tendaba

Marshal Eagle,Plain-backed Pipet, Brown Necked Parrot, Red Chested Swallow, White Chested Helmet Shrike, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, White Rumped Seedeater, Greater Honey Guide, Marsh Harrier,`Four Banded Sandgrouse

 Tendaba (and the mangrove swamps)

African Fish Eagle, Goliath Heron, Bruces Green Pidgeon, Woolly- necked Stork, White-backed Night Heron, Goliath Heron, Lesser Honey Guide, Bronze- winged Courser, Guinea Fowl, African Finfoot, Little Button Quail, Brown- backed Woodpecker, Bateleur Eagle, Long Crested Eagle