Monday 5th December I set off from home to Gatwick, staying overnight at Gatwick Manor a place I first worked at after leaving catering college (walked out after 10 days) also spent the first night of my honeymoon (previous life) Although the hotel building had changed considerably the 2 restaurants remained similar to when I was first there.
My flight to Gambia aboard Titan airways departed more a less on time and arrived at Banjul airport on time. Things were better organised this time compared to previous visits including the covid check and paying the £20 security tax I was through to arrivals in no time. Ebrima got held up in the traffic but eventually arrived with our driver Souchi and we set for Farrasutu to see some birds and collect Hally - Ebrimas niece who is training to be a bird guide. On arrival Hally took me straight to the Greyish Eagle Owls and then to the White-backed Night Heron which was a first for me.
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| Greyish Eagle Owl |
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| Greyish Eagle Owl |
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| White-backed Night Heron |
From here we headed up river to Tendaba Camp for my first nights stay' arrived just as it got dark
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| Room 24 my room |
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| Complete with air conditioning and mosquito net |
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| Dining room |
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| The Gambia river just before sun rise |
In the morning before breakfast I walked around the camp although the pool was in better condition to last time some of the other rooms had fallen into disrepair.
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| Tendaba camp pool |
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| Old huts I stayed in back in 2018 |
After breakfast Wednesday 7th we set off via the new bridge over the river and along the north bank to an area that I had visited before looking for coursers without success but this time we were lucky and 4 Temminck's Cousers were seen.
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| Temminck's Courser |
Other birds seen
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| Black-headed Lapwing |
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| Peanut sieving |
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| Abyssinian Roller |
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| African Golden Oriole |
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| Bearded Barbets |
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| Red-throated Bee-eaters |
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| Yellow-billed Kite |
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| Red-chested Swallows |
However our main quarry was the Egyptian plover and at site where we had seen them previously eventually 1 was seen then another 3.
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| Egyptian Plover |
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| Egyptian Plovers with Common Sandpiper |
We continued our journey to Lamin Koto to find the ferry had broken down, so we transferred into a motorised canoe with the luggage and left Souchi behind to wait until he could cross with the car. After checking in to The Baobolong Annexe we had to go to their Camp and Guest house for our dinner. Fortunately the ferry was repaired and Souchi was able to join us for dinner.
Thursday 8th. Breakfast was at the Annexe, shortly after we set off on a boat up river following the north bank then crossing the river to Kunkilling Forest to look for Adamawa Turtle Dove which was my target bird of the trip.
After about 30 minutes into the forest we heard the purring of a Turtle Dove and eventually found it high up in the trees.
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| Adamawa Turtle Dove |
I was so pleased to this I stayed and watched it for some time, likewise Hally as for her it was a lifer and had to hug the tree it was in.
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| Hally's Hugs |
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| Kunkilling Forest |
So after this success the rest of the day was spent just East of George Town to enjoy the local birding, so nothing special but here are a few birds seen.
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| Yellow-throated Leaflove |
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| Green Woodhoopoe |
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| Striated Heron |
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| Black-headed Lapwing |
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| Red-throated Bee-eaters |
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| Purple Heron |
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| Pearl Spotted Owlette |
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| Nile Monitor Lizard |
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| Long-tailed Cormorant |
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| Little Green Bee-eater |
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| Little Green Bee-eater |
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| Hammerkop |
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| Grey Hornbill |
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African Fish Eagle
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Dinner once again was at the Baobolong Guest House, and returning to the annexe the rooms were full with a political party visiting the area making a lot of noise.
Friday 9th, We had an early breakfast and set off heading back to Tendaba along the south bank. We made several stops on the way for birds by the roadside.
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| Brown Snake Eagle |
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| Bruce's Pigeon |
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| Bruce's Pigeon |
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| Abyssinian Roller |
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| Abyssinian Roller |
A stop at Jakhaly Rice fields found little apart from hundreds of Cattle Egrets, mainly due to the high grasses. Another stop further along was to the Verreaux's Eagle Owl roost and as before had great views.
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| Verreaux's Eagle Owl |
Another Gambia tick were these Ruppell's Vultures
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| Ruppell's Vultures |
Arriving back at Tendaba early afternoon after an hours rest we took a boat trip across the river up the creeks seeing loads of birds.
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| African Darter |
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| Blue-cheeked Bee-eater |
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| Goliath Heron |
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| Great White Egret |
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| Greater Blue-eared Starling |
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| Long-tailed Cormorant |
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| Nomaque Dove |
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| Pied Kingfisher |
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| Pink-backed Pelican |
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| Ring-necked Parakeet |
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| Squacco Heron |
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| Western Reef Egret |
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| White-throated Bee-eaters |
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| Wooly-necked Stork |
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| Yellow-billed Kite |
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| Yellow-billed Stork |
After the boat trip I went to visit Ebrima's family to deliver some clothes and a couple of toys, pens and pencils.
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| Ebrima's Family (photo by Hally) |
Before dinner we went spotlighting for a local African Scop's Owl.
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| African Scops Owl |
That evening I met with Julia and Marie-hose who I was on a trip in Uganda with, they were travelling with Honeyguides, and were to bump into each other several times more on the trip.
Saturday 10th. A fruit bat was seen roosting in a tree in the camp.
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| Fruit Bat |
After breakfast we went to the Kiang West National Park just outside Tendaba. I had not visited there before and we found some good birds plus the Honeyguide group again.
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| African Harrier Hawk |
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| Martial Eagle |
We continued our journey west arriving at Farakunku mid afternoon my stay for the next 6 nights.
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