Birding The Gambia Day 2 Brufut Woods and Tanji Bird Reserve

Saturday 27th January An early breakfast at 7.00am (normal time 7.30) with a selection of cereals, juice, bread, marmalades, and cheese. I dipped on the eggs menu and Moses and I set off at 8.00am. At Brufut I met my bird guide Ebrimah Njie who was to be my guide for the next 6 days. Into Brufut Woods I was appalled at the amount of rubbish there despite it being a nature reserve and parcels of land being claimed for future development. However it wasn't long before I was shown species after species and found it hard to keep up with Ebrimah. I managed to get some shots of some of the birds, while doing so missed others Ebrimah was pointing to, however a great morning's introduction to birding in The Gambia. Starting with

African Wattled Lapwing

African Green Pigeons

Green Wood-hoopoe

Pearl-spotted Owlet

Beautiful Sunbird

Namaqua Dove

Senegal Eromomela

Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu

Black-necked Weaver

Black-winged Bishop

Greater Honeyguide

Lavender Waxbills

Long-tailed Nightjar

Orange-cheeked Waxbills

Senegal Coucal

Village Weaver and Speckled Pigeon

Variable Sunbird (I think)

Yellow White-eye

Swallow-tail Bee-eater

Swallow-tail Bee-eaters with a possible Splendid Sunbird

I found it very hard to keep up, but around 12 we went back to Farakunku for lunch. Around 2.30 we set off again to Tanji and a walk along the beach before going into the Bird Reserve.

Once again the birds kept coming with Grey Headed Gulls, Slender-billed Gulls Caspian and Royal Terns not to mention a Sandwich Tern and Lesser black-backed gull.

Royal and Caspian Terns

Tanji fishing village with Cattle Egrets

Slender-billed Gulls

Having found a few more species including a Western Reef Heron we headed back to Tanji where Moses picked us up and took us into the Tanji Bird reserve. Where we picked up some more stunning birds including this Little Bee-Eater

Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater

Abyssinian Roller

Violet Turacco

Striped Kingfisher

Yellow-billed Bush Shrike

At the end of the day we had clocked up a respectable 94 species and I missed several others. A brilliant first full day. Looking forward to tomorrow.

Birds seen so far:- Long-tailed Cormorant, Pink-backed Pelican, Cattle Egret, Green-backed Heron, Western Reef Egret, Great White Egret, Grey Heron, Black-headed Heron, Osprey, Black Kite, Yellow-billed Kite, Hooded Vulture, African Harrier Hawk, Lizard Buzzard, Double-spurred Francolin, Common Ringed Plover, Grey Plover, African Wattled Lapwing, Spur-winged Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Whimbrel, Common Greenshank, Common Sandpiper, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey-headed Gull, Slender-billed Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Caspian Tern, Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, African Green Pigeon, Black-billed Wood Dove, Namaqua Dove, Speckled Pigeon, Red-eyed Dove, African Mourning Dove, African Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Senegal Parrot, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Violet Turaco, Western Grey Plantain Eater, Senegal Coucal, African Scops Owl, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Long-tailed Nightjar, African Palm Swift, Pallid Swift, Striped Kingfisher, Pied Kingfisher, Little Bee-eater, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Blue-bellied Roller, Abyssinian Roller, Green Wood-hoopoe, Western Red-billed Hornbill, African Grey Hornbill, Bearded Barbet, Greater Honeyguide, Fine-spotted Woodpecker, Grey Woodpecker, Crested Lark, Red-chested Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, White Wagtail, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Snowy-crowned Robin Chat, White-crowned Robin Chat, African Thrush, Western Olivaceous Warbler, Senegal Eremomela, Northern Crombec, Sub-alpine Warbler, Northern Back Flycatcher, Brown Babler, Yellow Penduline Tit, Beautiful Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Splendid Sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Yellow White-eye, Yellow-billed Shrike, Black-crowned Tchagra, Fork Tailed Drongo, Pied Crow, Piapiac, Long-tailed Glossy Starling, Little Weaver, Black-necked Weaver, Village Weaver, Black-winged Bishop, Lavender Waxbill, Orang-cheeked Waxbill, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Red-billed Firefinch, Bronze Manikin, Yellow-fronted Canary.