Adrian Webb and myself arrived at Yundum international airport Banjul at 3:30 pm, 10th December, and the Birding started straight away, with African Palm Swift and Pied Crow being the first birds on the list as soon as we stepped from the plane, it was a good hour before we got through customs and immigration to board the coach to our hotel at Kotu, the Kombo Beach. On arrival at Kombo beach we met up with local bird guide Yaya Barry, he truly amazed me as he recognised me from a brief meeting in Abuko two years ago and did not have to be prompted with my name! We organised with him our trip up country to Tendaba and Basse, leaving early morning on the 14th, meanwhile the intention was to cover all the good sites around the coastal area including Abuko nature reserve, Kotu area, Pirang etc over the first three days. The short amount of daylight time we had on the day of arrival (sunset at 6:30pm) meant that there was not a big list of species, only seven definite I/Ds but we had seen many other birds, particularly raptors albeit fleetingly from the coach. So the trip list started as follows: -
Cattle Egret, Pied Crow, Hooded Vulture, African Palm Swift, Senegal Coucal, Laughing Dove and Village Weaver.
Day 2, 11th Dec 2002
Up before dawn for an early start, our ears being greeted by the numerous bird sounds of the African morning, Laughing Dove and Common Bulbul being the most obvious. During breakfast Yaya came to find us as he was due to take some birders to Pirang, all but one had dropped out due to ‘Banjul belly’ so instead of the lazy ramble around Fajara golf course and the Kotu area we joined in with the morning trip. I was a little concerned as the main purpose of this trip was bird photography which requires more time than general ‘number crunch’ birding, however it turned out to be quite productive in both aspects. First birds on route being Pied Kingfisher, Whimbrel, Senegal Thick-knee, Western Reef Heron and Grey-headed Gull from the bridge at Kotu. Along the road we added Blue-bellied, Rufous-crowned and Abyssinian Rollers, which were all very common and seen on wires and trees beside the road, as well as Black Kite and Black-shouldered Kite, the latter posed for photographs. Near the airport we stopped by a tree with a nest colony of weavers and added White-billed Buffalo-weaver and Village Weaver to the list.
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
The first stop at Pirang was an area of rice paddies, here we saw African Pied Hornbill as soon as we stopped, then whilst walking around we added Wahlberg’s Eagle and Shikra to the raptor total, the Shikra being very close and well photographed, also in this area was a good selection of Herons, Egrets and Hornbills.
Shikra Accipita badius
After a drink we moved on to another area that was at one time a commercial Shrimp farm, bunded tracks and rectangular pools being the man-made habitat here, the big attraction, Black-crowned Crane being seen straight away, other birds soon piled on to the list, Gull-billed Tern, Pink-backed Pelican, Palm-nut Vulture, Grasshopper Buzzard, Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark and Crested Lark, the hirundines present were Wire-tailed Swallow, Mosque Swallow and House Martin. I was able to get close to many species for photography the most memorable of them being a very tame Pied Kingfisher and Spur-winged Plover.
Black Crowned Crane Balearica pavonina
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
Heading back to the hotel we added Red-chested Swallow, 5+ with other Swallows and Martins on wires in the town of Serekunda.
For more of the Pirang area bird images Click here
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After a brief rest, lunch and a few ‘Julbrews’ Adrian and I headed to Kotu creek, just 200 yards from the hotel, working this area for photography was really very easy apart from the frequent but not threatening hassle from local people, Gambians are a very friendly bunch, so once we explained what we were doing we were left in peace apart from one very persistent ‘bird guide’. Kotu creek is without doubt the easiest place to photograph Little Bee-eaters and it is possible to be as close as 6ft, so we blasted off many images of them. The other star performers being the Grey-headed Woodpeckers with a nest about 10ft up a palm tree and the Senegal thick-knees, pictures of some of the birds are below.
Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis
Grey-headed Woodpecker Dendrocopus goertae
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia
Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus
For more of the Kotu area bird images Click here
Yaya Barry is a respected and very good guide, with a superb knowledge of Gambian bird sites and the eyes of a hawk, he is based at the Kombo Beach hotel, I can thoroughly recommend him.
to contact Yaya kingbirders@hotmail.com
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Full day list below