Birding The Gambia Day 3 Abuko Nature Reserve and Lamin Rice fields

Once again an early breakfast at 7.00am  and departed at 8.00am by Omah in his taxi to Serekunda where we picked up Ebrimah and went to Abuko Forest arriving around 9 due to heavy traffic. A couple of minutes walk through the woods we came to a raised hide overlooking a swamp and pool.
The first thing that Ebrimah pointed to was a Crocodile.

 And then another

 We also saw Giant Kingfisher

 African Jacana

 Palm-nut Vultures

 Pygmy Kingfisher

Plus Green-backed, Western Reef, and  Grey Herons and Little Egrets. A walk through the woods to the animal sanctuary found similar birds to those yesterday in Brufut such as Sunbirds but the highlight was a Western Blue-bill skulking in the undergrowth sadly too dark for a photo.

Lunch was delayed as Omah's Taxi had broken down but that's not unusual in The Gambia so after waiting an hour at the reserve entrance we were taken to a restaurant "Lamin Lodge" overlooking a tributary of the Gambia river. Views of a Marsh Harrier, Great Egrets, Herons and Pied Kingfishers were had while waiting for lunch. Also this Green Verved Monkey was hanging around hoping to steal our lunches

After a long lunch we went off to Lamin Rice fields which is an area of fertile wetland used as a type of allotments

Lamin Rice fields

Here there were plenty of Herons and Egrets

Black Egret

Spur-winged Lapwing

Squacco Heron

Hammerkop

Hooded Vultures

Senegal Thick-knee

Northern White-faced Owl (obscured)

Birds added to the list today:- Squacco Heron, Black Heron, Little Egret, Purple Heron, Hammerkop,
 Palm-nut Vulture, Marsh Harrier, Shikra, Grey Kestrel, Black Crake, African Jacana, Senegal Thick-knee, Wood Sandpiper, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, Rock Dove, Vinaceous Dove, Northern White-faced Owl, Mottled Spinetail, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Giant Kingfisher, African Pied-Hornbill, Fanti Saw-wing, Pied-winged Swallow, Little Greenbul, Sykes Warbler?, European Reed Warbler, Oriole Warbler, Blackcap Babler, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow, Western Bluebill.