​​​​​​​TARGET BIRDING IN EASTERN GAMBIA 

JANUARY 2022 – Paul & Sheila Ashley
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INTRODUCTION

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Having recently completed a 3 week trip to Ghana, this visit to The Gambia was focused on a short target list, mainly consisting of birds found in the eastern part of The Gambia and Senegal. The Gambia is well-known as a birding destination, especially for bird photography since the avifauna is not shy compared to many countries where hunting has made many species wary of human contact.


Many visitors confine their trip to the Western region near the beach but the more interesting species are arguably those found close to the border with
Senegal at the eastern end of the country.

We had planned to visit Senegal for the day to see the famous SCISSOR-TAILED KITE roost at Kousmar and search for some targets, unlikely in The Gambia but uncertainty about COVID test requirements, when crossing by land, meant we didn’t do this. Kousmar is easily visited in normal times from Morgan Kunda as it is only 90km on a good road and Karanta has done the trip many times.

For this trip, we engaged the services of Karanta Camara, President of The Gambia Bird Guides Association (GBA), with strong links to Morgan Kunda lodge, an excellent base from which to search for the specialities of the area.

Karanta was very sharp indeed with ears and eyes and knows exactly where to look for each species. He also is very well-informed about all the latest sightings due to his role at the GBA. He acted as driver and guide and was a very thoughtful and excellent driver. Karanta always had a Plan B and was flexible with the itinerary with everything focused on getting us as many of our targets as possible. Nice picnics and unending supply of cold water included.

As our search was very species-specific with a target list of just over 30 birds, we left many birds to save time and probably would have racked up a larger list if we had had a different focus.

LOGISTICS

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TRAVEL

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There are no direct scheduled flights to The Gambia. Most visitors are on package holidays staying at big hotels in certain coastal locations and taking advantage of constant sun, cheap food and beer and the safety of tourist areas. There is another side to The Gambia though which is far more interesting. Flight only bookings can be done online – we used The Gambia Experience to book charter flights from LGW to Banjul. Flight time around 6 hours. No time difference.

No COVID tests required to enter, just a Passenger Locater Form and $20 tourist tax to pay at the airport on arrival and departure. They will accept £20 or Euros 20 but those cost you more.

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MONEY

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There is a banking network with ATMs in popular areas but we didn’t try them. We paid online for accommodation and paid Karanta in £ cash on meeting him and he exchanged what he needed for the trip on the way into Gambian Dalasis.

Where needed, it is easy to change £ into Dalasi at Footsteps or Farakunku at a good rate of exchange.

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WEATHER

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Dry – no rain at all. Temperatures considerably higher up river than on the coast although lack of wind accentuated the difference. Lunchtime temperatures around 35C+ on most days.

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ITINERARY

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DAILY ACCOUNT (target birds in Bold)

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DAY 1 - 16th January 2022
First to Farasuto Community Forest in order to look for our first targets. First one of the local guides came with us to help find a roosting AFRICAN WOOD OWL, which gave decent views but not for photography with much overhanging foliage in front of it. Still a satisfactory upgrade on the silhouette view I got of one in Ghana when the guide failed to turn his torch on in time!
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Next, sitting atop a palm a pale morph WAHLBERG’S EAGLE and soon after a close fly past by RED-NECKED FALCON and in a small flock that responded to Karanta’s owlet impersonation, NORTHERN CROMBEC.

The search of the normal roosting site for WHITE-BACKED NIGHT HERON was empty and stayed on the target list. Karanta heard GREY-HEADED BRISTLEBILL nearby and duly whistled them in for excellent views of a pair in plain sight in the understory. This was a bird on my upgrade list after unsatisfactory views in Ghana. This was to become a feature with many species here showing themselves in much better light and for much longer.

Off in the car to another forest patch nearby for point-blank views of roosting STANDARD-WINGED NIGHTJAR. Not a target for this trip but always nice to see a nightjar.

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Nearby, a pair of GREYISH EAGLE-OWL in plain sight at their roost. Again, not on the target list but my wife Sheila had never seen one and we couldn’t have had better views.

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Picnic lunch at a hide nearby where a GABAR GOSHAWK was ruling the roost while it had bathed and dried itself, keeping everything else away. Whilst the really good baguettes were being filled I kept my eye on the drinking bowls and bagged a SPOTTED HONEYGUIDE, one of our targets for this location.

Other nice birds here included BEARDED BARBET, GIANT KINGFISHER, BLUEBELLIED ROLLER, BLACK CRAKE and SNOWY-CROWNED ROBIN-CHAT.

Next, we drove to Kampanti Raptor Bridge where a brief stop highlighted that the land here has been recently split into farming plots meaning the big raptors that the site is famous for are limiting themselves to the fresh water further from the road. No targets found here though. Frustratingly, Karanta spotted 2 PIED-WINGED SWALLOW flying past but I missed them and they didn’t return.

Some nice birds though including BROWN SNAKE EAGLE, RUPPELS GRIFFON VULTURE, GREY-HEADED KINGFISHER and GREY-HEADED BUSHSHRIKE.

From here it was still a long drive to MORGAN KUNDA LODGE where the cold beer, sunset viewing platform and excellent dinner awaited.

DAY 2 – 17th January 2022
Off in lovely early morning light in search of Sahel birds. First up, a scrubby field near the village of Jajari where Karanta first picked out BLACK-HEADED LAPWING motionless in the grass. They allowed a close approach from where NORTHERN ANTEATER CHAT was heard and then approached for some lovely photos.

 

A little further and we were walking through scrub and bush for an hour or so. A nest of one target was a good sign but no inhabitants in or around the nest. Close by, we heard then saw wing-clapping FLAPPET LARK followed by CHESTNUT-CROWNED SPARROW-LARK and a surprise RUFOUS-TAILED SCRUB ROBIN, which we only thought we could see in Senegal on this trip. It sang in front of us for some minutes, which was a nice bonus.

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On the way back to Morgan Kunda, we checked a group of starlings and hiding amongst the common LONG-TAILED GLOSSY AND SPLENDID STARLING was a single BRONZE-TAILED STARLING.

Other birds seen this morning included distant GREAT WHITE and PINKBACKED PELICAN near the river, CUT-THROAT, BRUCE’S GREEN PIGEON and YELLOW-FRONTED TINKERBIRD and 3 ABYSSINIAN GROUND HORNBILL.

Back to the lodge for lunch as it gets extremely hot late morning/early afternoon and we were birding in largely unshaded scrub. Water feeders at the lodge attract lots of small birds and I kept my eye on them while Karanta listened out for anything out of the ordinary.

Just after lunch, I spotted a number of AFRICAN SILVERBILL at the water feeder, which took another target off the list.

After lunch, we headed to a small wetland and hid behind some trees to see what might show itself. An easy target here, as Karanta knew there was a resident colony of WHITE-BILLED SPARROW-WEAVER, which were present in large numbers.

On a large tree nearby, a BEAUDOUIN’S SNAKE-EAGLE was scanning for a late lunch and sure enough a fight with a snake nearby ensued and the eagle was off to find a nice picnic spot.

Walking through the bush afterwards we flushed a number of them but we had other fish to fry by now and even an AFRICAN HAWK-EAGLE couldn’t distract us for long.

Back towards one of the nearby villages, crop fields were scanned and we were out of the car quickly and soon had eyes on a group of around 20 WHITERUMPED SEEDEATER.

Morgan Kunda for a rest and lunch. We were doing very well with our target list and feeling good. Karanta enquired about the situation regarding a trip to Senegal and found out that it would be possible to go tomorrow without a COVID test. Alternatively, another guide had tipped him off about a site just over an hour away where a boat trip had yielded a huge target WHITECRESTED BITTERN. We plumped for the bittern quest and Karanta made the arrangements.

In the afternoon, a quick roadside stop and 5 minutes later our first SPOTTED THICK-KNEE. Back in the car and off to search for another Sahel speciality that I thought was only going to be possible in Senegal. We had to work much harder for this one. We got a response to playback, sat down and hid and the bird moved closer. It sounded like it was just one bush away from open views but then nothing. It had probably spotted us.

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TEMMINCK’S COURSER flew high above us but we were focused.

We tried a different direction and flushed the bird. Frustration. Karanta did a few quick calculations and we were off again. He picked the right area and suggested we spread out and walk slowly in a line. Sure enough the tactic worked and fortunately the flushed bird flew right in front of all of us. A lovely SAVILE’S BUSTARD.

Time on the way home for some more starling checking and this time, a pair of LESSER BLUE-EARED STARLING separated themselves from the throng.

Big dinner, beer and dreams of the bittern.

DAY 4 – 19TH JANUARY
Definitely a one-track mind for all of us today. We rose early and set off fuelled by a packed breakfast of large omelettes, baked beans, sausages, tomatoes and fresh bread. Some road diversions and roadworks threw us off course but eventually we reached a tiny village where our man had secured a fisherman and boat for our quest.

A nice river cruise with some lovely PIED, MALACHITE and BLUE-BREASTED KINGFISHER but Karanta and I knew we had to get deeper into the mangroves for a chance at the elusive bittern. Other fishermen we passed all said that it was hard to see but we had to go into the tributaries. We tried the next one but the young boatman was not confident and refused to go deeper. Karanta was very apologetic and said he wished we’d gone to Senegal. It was our choice and we knew it was a long shot.

We took a walk in nearby fields after another target, which we had heard but ignored on the way to the river. No sign by now but Karanta assured us that it wouldn’t be a problem.

Lovely MONTAGU’S HARRIER were flying over the fields and a target QUAILFINCH pair flew over but it was time to get back.

In the afternoon, Sheila stayed back at Morgan Kunda. It was an exceptionally hot afternoon with no wind. We tried some more roadside sites flushing FOURBANDED SANDGROUSE, SAVILE’S BUSTARD and SMALL BUTTONQUAIL and seeing WHITE-SHOULDERED BLACK-TIT at close range. GREEN-WINGED PYTILIA also showed, which was not a species I was expecting to see here.

Back at the lodge, a noisy PEARL-SPOTTED OWLET showed us his dinner but no sign of any other owls.

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DAY 5 – 20th JANUARY
Off reasonably early for the drive along the north bank of the River Gambia towards Janjanbureh.

First stop to scan some fields and there high in a tree unexpectedly was the target we passed up yesterday. A pair of BLACK-CROWNED CRANE. We got as close as the flooded rice fields would allow and then moved on. A couple of dark morph WAHLBERG’S EAGLE were soaring nearby.

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A few stops along the way to see if EGYPTIAN PLOVER were still present. I have seen them before but who would not want to see them again? They are regular at N’Jau until early January and sure enough, they had moved on. Karanta knew where but too far for us on this trip. Some bonuses though enroute where we picked up a pair of SUDAN GOLDEN SPARROW and tempted an AFRICAN REED WARBLER out of some roadside reeds.

At N’Jau Karanta spotted a nervous pair of GREATER PAINTED-SNIPE but with patience we all got to see one well. A couple more SUDAN GOLDEN SPARROW here as well.

At Wassu we stopped to check the quarry for the colony of RED-THROATED BEE-EATER and had picnic lunch at Wassu Stone Circle, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

After the chaotic ferry to Janjanbureh, we reached Bao Bolong Camp where we stayed for the night while The Gambia progressed in the African Cup of Nations after beating Tunisia. The celebrations didn’t keep us up!

DAY 6 – 21st JANUARY
Maybe the celebrations delayed the bread delivery somewhat and Karanta gave the chef a hard time about his timekeeping. We got away after wolfed omelettes and up river we went with an old fellow in a small boat. Nice birds on the way including BANDED SNAKE-EAGLE and VIOLET TURACO. We moored at Kunkilling Forest Park and it was not long before we had eyes on ADAMAWA TURTLE-DOVE. A bit of bushwhacking and we finally got one in full sun rather than hidden behind the foliage. Brilliant

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With the key target in the bag, a quick stroll around produced a lovely pair of AFRICAN PARADISE-FLYCATCHER, ORIOLE WARBLER, a group of STONE PARTRIDGE and FINE-SPOTTED WOODPECKER, which strangely was still a target at this stage.

From here back on the boat and packed up for the next stage. The original plan was to stay the night at Tendaba Camp, but the Ministry of Tourism had booked in for 24 people for a workshop jolly so Plan B. Karanta told them we still wanted a quick boat trip with one target in mind and then we would head west for another remaining target.

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On the way, we had 15 minutes to look in some burned fields for BRONZEWINGED COURSER after a tip-off from another guide, but we didn’t have enough time for a thorough search and another target had priority.

We jumped straight into a boat at Tendaba, Karanta gave instructions to the boatman and 20 minutes later, we had eyes on 2 different, co-operative WHITE-BACKED NIGHT-HERON. Fantastic. BLUE-BREASTED KINGFISHER, GOLIATH HERON and WHITE-THROATED BEE-EATER were the highlights on the way back to Tendaba.

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Time for Karanta to pray (as it was a Friday) and for us to have a beer before we jumped into the car again and headed east. Quick stop on the road for a party of WHITE HELMETSHRIKE and then as light was fading, we arrived at Sita Joyeh Baobab Island Resort, where in no time we had a pair of canoodling AFRICAN SCOPS OWL in our torchlight beam.

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DAY 7 – 22nd JANUARY
Leisurely breakfast since we had almost nothing left on our target list before heading to Pirang Fish Ponds, where we quickly picked up SLENDER-BILLED GULL aplenty along with a few GREATER FLAMINGO and tons of waders, herons, spoonbill and pelican. We walked a lot of the pond margins to try and get better views of QUAILFINCH and even though I got a group of 3 at the end of our visit, they were still only in the air, not on the ground.

We tried an area not far from our final stop to look for WHITE-BREASTED CUCKOOSHRIKE that I wanted better looks at after only reasonable views in Ghana, but there was no sign of them at Karanta’s usual spot.

So we decided to head to Farakunku Lodge to relax, unpack and unwind.

A great trip had come to an end and Karanta had done a great job at getting almost everything we wanted to see, with only a couple of difficult birds left on the up-river list in BRONZE-WINGED COURSER, RUFOUS CISTICOLA and WHITECRESTED BITTERN which wasn’t even on our list prior to the trip.

Following the trip with Karanta, I had already committed to some birding with a local guide from Farakunku Lodge, where we completed our holiday. Karanta kindly advised which locations I should visit and sure enough, with the help of Mass, I picked up CAPUCHIN BABBLER, RUFOUS CISTICOLA and got good looks at QUAILFINCH on the ground, where previously I had only had lots of flight views.

Please contact pash44.pa@gmail.com for any further information.


You can also have the wonderful experience from Gambia Birding Tours. To book your tour visit this link.  

Systematic Species List (downloaded from eBird)

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1 White-faced Whistling-Duck
2 Spur-winged Goose
3 Helmeted Guineafowl
4 Stone Partridge
5 Double-spurred Francolin
6 Greater Flamingo
7 Little Grebe
8 Rock Dove
9 Speckled Pigeon
10 European Turtle Dove
11 Adamawa Turtle Dove
12 Mourning Collared Dove
13 Red-eyed Dove
14 Vinaceous Dove
15 Laughing Dove
16 Black-billed Wood-Dove
17 Blue-spotted Wood-Dove
18 Namaqua Dove
19 Bruce's Green-Pigeon
20 African Green-Pigeon
21 Four-banded Sandgrouse
22 Savile's Bustard
23 Guinea Turaco
24 Violet Turaco
25 Western Plantain-eater
26 Senegal Coucal
27 Blue Malkoha
28 Standard-winged Nightjar
29 Long-tailed Nightjar
30 Mottled Spinetail
31 Common Swift
32 Pallid Swift
33 Little Swift
34 African Palm-Swift
35 Common Moorhen
36 African Swamphen
37 Black Crake
38 Black Crowned-Crane
39 Senegal Thick-knee
40 Spotted Thick-knee
41 Black-winged Stilt
42 Eurasian Oystercatcher
43 Grey Plover
44 Spur-winged Lapwing
45 Black-headed Lapwing
46 Wattled Lapwing
47 Common Ringed Plover
48 Little Ringed Plover
49 Greater Painted-Snipe
50 African Jacana
51 Whimbrel
52 Bar-tailed Godwit
53 Black-tailed Godwit
54 Ruddy Turnstone
55 Ruff
56 Sanderling
57 Dunlin
58 Common Snipe
59 Common Sandpiper
60 Green Sandpiper
61 Common Greenshank
62 Marsh Sandpiper
63 Wood Sandpiper
64 Common Redshank
65 Small Buttonquail
66 Temminck's Courser
67 Pomarine Skua
68 Slender-billed Gull
69 Grey-hooded Gull
70 Lesser Black-backed Gull
71 Gull-billed Tern
72 Caspian Tern
73 Common Tern
74 Sandwich Tern
75 Lesser Crested Tern
76 West African Crested Tern
77 Yellow-billed Stork
78 African Darter
79 Long-tailed Cormorant
80 Great Cormorant
81 Great White Pelican
82 Pink-backed Pelican
83 Hamerkop
84 Grey Heron
85 Black-headed Heron
86 Goliath Heron
87 Purple Heron
88 Great White Egret
89 Intermediate Egret
90 Little Egret
91 Western Reef-Heron
92 Black Heron
93 Cattle Egret
94 Squacco Heron
95 Striated Heron
96 Black-crowned Night-Heron
97 White-backed Night-Heron
98 African Sacred Ibis
99 Hadada Ibis
100 African Spoonbill
101 Osprey
102 Black-winged Kite
103 African Harrier-Hawk
104 Palm-nut Vulture
105 Hooded Vulture
106 Ruppell's Griffon
107 Beaudouin's Snake-Eagle
108 Brown Snake-Eagle
109 Banded Snake-Eagle
110 Long-crested Eagle
111 Wahlberg's Eagle
112 Tawny Eagle
113 African Hawk-Eagle
114 Lizard Buzzard
115 Dark Chanting-Goshawk
116 Gabar Goshawk
117 Grasshopper Buzzard
118 Western Marsh Harrier
119 Montagu's Harrier
120 Red-chested Goshawk
121 Shikra
122 Black Kite
123 African Fish-Eagle
124 African Scops Owl
125 Northern White-faced Owl
126 Greyish Eagle Owl
127 Verreaux's Eagle Owl
128 Pearl-spotted Owlet
129 African Wood-Owl
130 Green Woodhoopoe
131 Black Scimitarbill
132 Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
133 African Pied Hornbill
134 African Grey Hornbill
135 Western Red-billed Hornbill
136 Malachite Kingfisher
137 Grey-headed Kingfisher
138 Blue-breasted Kingfisher
139 Striped Kingfisher
140 Giant Kingfisher
141 Pied Kingfisher
142 Red-throated Bee-eater
143 Little Bee-eater
144 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
145 White-throated Bee-eater
146 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
147 European Bee-eater
148 Abyssinian Roller
149 Rufous-crowned Roller
150 Blue-bellied Roller
151 Broad-billed Roller
152 Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird
153 Vieillot's Barbet
154 Bearded Barbet
155 Lesser Honeyguide
156 Spotted Honeyguide
157 Greater Honeyguide
158 Eurasian Wryneck
159 African Grey Woodpecker
160 Buff-spotted Woodpecker
161 Fine-spotted Woodpecker
162 Grey Kestrel
163 Red-necked Falcon
164 Lanner Falcon
165 Ring-necked Parakeet
166 Senegal Parrot
167 African Golden Oriole
168 Brown-throated Wattle-eye
169 Senegal Batis
170 White Helmetshrike
171 Northern Puffback
172 Black-crowned Tchagra
173 Yellow-crowned Gonolek
174 Grey-headed Bushshrike
175 Glossy-backed Drongo
176 Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher
177 African Paradise-Flycatcher
178 Yellow-billed Shrike
179 Woodchat Shrike
180 Piapiac
181 Pied Crow
182 African Blue Flycatcher
183 White-shouldered Black-Tit
184 Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark
185 Flappet Lark
186 Crested Lark
187 Northern Crombec
188 Green Hylia
189 Senegal Eremomela
190 Green-backed Camaroptera
191 Tawny-flanked Prinia
192 Red-winged Prinia
193 Oriole Warbler
194 Singing Cisticola
195 Whistling Cisticola
196 Rufous Cisticola
197 Zitting Cisticola
198 Western Olivaceous Warbler
199 Melodious Warbler
200 Sedge Warbler
201 African Reed Warbler
202 Barn Swallow
203 Red-chested Swallow
204 Wire-tailed Swallow
205 Red-rumped Swallow
206 Rufous-chested Swallow
207 Mosque Swallow
208 Common House Martin
209 Grey-headed Bristlebill
210 Yellow-throated Greenbul
211 Little Greenbul
212 Common Bulbul
213 Western Bonelli's Warbler
214 Willow Warbler
215 Common Chiffchaff
216 Garden Warbler
217 Western Subalpine Warbler
218 Common Whitethroat
219 Northern Yellow White-eye
220 Capuchin Babbler
221 Brown Babbler
222 Blackcap Babbler
223 Yellow-billed Oxpecker
224 Long-tailed Glossy Starling
225 Splendid Starling
226 Lesser Blue-eared Starling
227 Greater Blue-eared Starling
228 Purple Starling
229 Bronze-tailed Starling
230 African Thrush
231 Northern Black-Flycatcher
232 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin
233 Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
234 White-crowned Robin-Chat
235 Common Redstart
236 Whinchat
237 Northern Anteater-Chat
238 White-fronted Black-Chat
239 Mouse-brown Sunbird
240 Pygmy Sunbird
241 Scarlet-chested Sunbird
242 Beautiful Sunbird
243 Splendid Sunbird
244 Variable Sunbird
245 White-billed Buffalo-Weaver
246 Speckle-fronted Weaver
247 Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver
248 Little Weaver
249 Black-necked Weaver
250 Village Weaver
251 Red-billed Quelea
252 Northern Red Bishop
253 Black-winged Bishop
254 Bronze Mannikin
255 African Silverbill
256 Lavender Waxbill
257 Orange-cheeked Waxbill
258 Black-rumped Waxbill
259 Quailfinch
260 Cut-throat
261 Red-cheeked Cordonbleu
262 Western Bluebill
263 Green-winged Pytilia
264 Red-billed Firefinch
265 Sahel Paradise-Whydah
266 Village Indigobird
267 Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
268 Sudan Golden Sparrow
269 Sahel Bush Sparrow
270 Western Yellow Wagtail
271 Pied Wagtail/White Wagtail
272 Plain-backed Pipit
273 White-rumped Seedeater
274 Yellow-fronted Canary

Additional birds seen with Mass and birding alone around Farakunku in bold.

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