Trip Report for February 2006
Day 1
The day started with a surprisingly brisk wind though it was pleasantly warm. A good breakfast as the sun rose brought us the sounds of the birds awakening, and with great anticipation we climbed aboard the Nissan Patrol where Philip and Mustapha were already waiting (and we were on time!) and set off for Kotu Creek .
With the sun warming up and the breeze still brisk it was a pleasant start to the day, and we stood for a while at Kotu Bridge , where we saw a Whimbrel , a Common Sandpiper , an Intermediate Egret , Common Redshanks , more Pied Kingfishers and a Western Reef Heron . Senegal Thick-knees were present as well as Caspian Terns and high in the Acacias were two Red-billed Hornbills . On the wire was a Broad-billed Roller giving us lovely views of its stunning colours.
Leaving the bridge, we crossed the road and began our walk across the fields heading towards Kotu Sewage Ponds .
Walking across the fields can be interesting as the ground is quite uneven in places. We were glad of sturdy walking shoes but even so had to be careful to keep to paths and watch where we were treading.
Ahead of us on one path were small birds – Bronze Mannikins , Red-billed Firefinches, Lavender Waxbills and Red-cheeked Cordon-Bleus that scattered as we passed, only to land just a few feet away and then return to the path once we were clear.
Mustapha led the way, stopping every now and then, listening all the time and occasionally he would freeze before continuing.
At one point he stopped near a stand of tall grasses and whispered excitedly that there was a Yellow-throated Longclaw just the other side. We all quickly got our bins trained on the spot, and sure enough, there it was, fluttering above the grass, only to quickly disappear from sight.
Mustapha indicated to us to stay where we were, and he quietly walked around the grass to locate the bird. Using hand signals he called us around in the other direction, and there, on the ground, were two Yellow-throated Longclaws, quite unconcerned by our presence and so we watched them until it was time to continue our walk.
We resumed our search for new birds, with any movement catching the eye, and saw a Zitting Cisticola and a Tawny-flanked Prinia as well as a Fork-tailed Drongo perched on a low palm, the unmistakeable tail backlit against the palm leaf. A Lizard Buzzard was high in an Oil Palm.
Following Mustapha with Philip bringing up the rear meant as well as our own we had two pairs of keen eyes at either end of our little troop, and occasionally there'd be an urgent whisper from the back and we would lock on to one of the many small birds skulking in the undergrowth. With all trip members looking keenly there was a constant flow of sightings as we made our way through the fields, including a Melodious Warbler and a Chiffchaff .
A Shikra was seen flying over, Brown Babblers were seen (and heard!) as were the many Village Weavers that are so common.
Overhead were Palm Swifts and many doves including Red-eyed Doves and Speckled Pigeons .
One aspect of visiting The Gambia that is so nice is the opportunity to discover more about the flora and fauna and so, as we walked, it was a delight to realise Mustapha was a wealth of information, about plants and their traditional and medicinal uses, and about the small creatures we occasionally saw scurrying away, such as Ground Squirrels and Agama Lizards . The flowers of the Red Silk Cotton Tree and Giant Milkweed were beautiful.
Mustapha led us in the direction of the Kotu Sewage Ponds and stopped beneath a large tree, peering into it until he suddenly beckoned us to come and stand next to him and look up.
We did, and were rewarded with the wonderful sight of a White-faced Scops Owl peering down at us from a branch. It was wonderfully exciting – a lifer for me and one bird I had so longed to see on previous trips but had always just missed.
Mustapha had an amusing points system for spotting birds, the difficulty and rarity value. We decided the Scops Owl was definitely a 30 pointer!
We left the Owl and found ourselves at the sewage ponds, where we were treated to a feast for the eyes as Black-winged Stilts, Common Greenshanks , White-faced Whistling Ducks and Little Grebes were just the start of the list!
There were Spur-winged Plovers , Common Sandpipers, Wood Sandpipers and Marsh Sandpipers by the water, and in the trees a Western Grey Plantain Eater, Lizard Buzzard, a Violet Turaco, Senegal Parrots and Rose-ringed Parakeets .
Just visible in the undergrowth were White-billed Buffalo Weavers and the arrival of a Black Kite caused us to watch for a few minutes as it drank its fill at the edge of a pond, before flapping lazily away into the distance.
The Kotu Ponds are a strange mixture of functionality and beauty, with the wonderful bird life and also the beautiful flowers, such as Bougainvillea , transforming an otherwise ugly area into something attractive. Even the smell was absent on this visit!
Leaving the ponds we walked to the Casino Cycle Track and made our way past the women doing their washing by the loofah trees to the lily ponds, where new species were African Jacanas, including one with young, a Black Crake , Grey Heron and a Wood Sandpiper .
We left the Sewage Ponds and made our way back to the bridge via a small turning to the left, where we picked up a Malachite Kingfisher, Black Egret, Little Bee-eaters, an Abyssinian Roller and Blue-cheeked Bee-eater .
Leaving the bridge we headed off to Bijilo Forest Park , where we quickly passed by the visitors feeding Green Vervet Monkeys and Red Colobus Monkeys and saw a ground squirrel dash for cover. We followed the path to walk alongside the shore. An early find was an Oriole Warbler , plus African Thrush and Blackcap Babblers . A Grey Hornbill was loudly displaying at the top of a Palm stump but in all the Forest was very quiet, as the heat built up into late morning.
We decided lunch was in order, so made our way to the Paradise Beach restaurant near Fajara Golf Course, where we had an enjoyable meal and a welcome cold drink. As we left the restaurant we found the familiar access to the golf course completely blocked, which necessitated a detour to gain access from a different point.
An exciting early sighting on the course was an African Harrier Hawk lazily flapping above the trees and both a Blue-bellied Roller and a Rufous-crowned Roller that gave wonderful photo opportunities. Wattled Plovers were everywhere as were Black-headed Plovers and there was a brief glimpse of a Giant Kingfisher as it flashed along the creek.
Green Wood Hoopoes gave us close views and as we made our way back there was a lucky sighting of a Fine-spotted Woodpecker.
Weary but pleased, we headed back to Halcyon after a very good first day's birding for our trip, with almost 100 species seen.
