RFI. Gambia (1 Viewer)

[trevg]

Hello all.

My first post so please be gentle.

Has anyone please got any latest info on the birding in the Gambia. Primarily any recent locations for Egyptian Plover, Courser's and Owls. I have booked a guide for a few days and will be going up-river but only to Tendaba, or just beyond.

Also could anyone recommend any current hotspots

many thanks

 

[birdboybowley]

Hi Trev

For Egyptian Plover you really need to go beyond Tendaba. The Soma Wetlands are a good spot but at the Kaur Wetlands (further still and on the other side of the river) they are pretty much guaranteed. Try and do a boat trip through the bolongs from Tendaba and a night-drive along the roads towards Kiang West NP should get you Standard-winged and Long-tailed Nightjars. Also the Farasutu Forest in Tunjina which isn't that far from Kotu is a great place to visit (Leaflove, Green Crombec, nesting White-backed Night-Heron).
Marakissa should be visited and also near the bridge at Kotu there's a place where the guides hang out and just behind them is a little hide that overlooks a drinking pool that regularly attracts Oriole Warbler and Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat.
Pirang is definitely worth a visit - hopefully your guide should be able to arrange access. There's a good track at Tujereng which holds a good variety of species, obviously Abuko goes without saying - we had good views of Ahanta Francolin and Western Bluebill just beyond the big hide at the croc pond. Also the small hide that overlooks a brackish pond is a good area for Green Turaco and bluebill often comes in here to drik later in the day.
If you want to visit Tanji for the White-fronted Plover and Kelp Gull then make sure you go when the tides are correct - you need to be able to see the sandbars!
Owls - there's a resident Northen White-faced along the entrance to Brufut Woods (another excellent place!), the Verreaux's at Abuko seem to have moved (we saw them only in Georgetown), African Scops along the bolongs at Tendaba, Greyish Eagle-Owl is at Faraba Banta (again hopefully if you've got a good enough guide he'll know where).
Coursers were few and far between when I was there in Nov as the grasses were still too high due to the late rains but any suitable-looking fields on your way inland should be checked!

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[trevg]

Hi Birdboy

Tujereng, Tanji, Pirang, Abuko and Lamin as well as Kotu area are already in the itinery.

But Brufut and Marakisa were potential visits. The issue with Kaur is that my father and I are going to Tendaba but only for two days one night, our wives are staying at the coast. We didnt think there would be enough time available for Kaur and hence trying Soma.

Are the EP's still at Soma in February.

Trev

 

[Steve G]

Hi Trev,

Soma dries out before Kaur & besides is often disturbed by local people. I was there in October -there was only 1 EP around.

Kaur should still hold a few in early February but usually by this time they are making their way back up river (they breed on the River Gambia between the section from Guinea Conakry to Niokolo Koba in Senegal) & by mid-February are only at Basse & further east.

If you get the first ferry from Banjul to Barra it is possible to drive up the north bank to Kaur then catch the last ferry from Farafenni back to the south bank ---->Tendaba (this route passes right by Soma to reach Tendaba) -it is a bit of a rush however.

The fields around Tujering sometimes hold Bronze-winged Coursers & any recently burnt fields around Brufut->Tanji may hold Temminck's Courser -some of the better birding guides should know if there are any around.

I can't better the advice Birdboy has already given. I Didn't see Verreaux's Eagle Owl at Brufut or Abuko in October. The Greyish Eagle Owl roost at Faraba can be a hit or a miss & requires good local knowledge but a half-decent guide should know of a current Northern White-faced Scops roost.

Marakissa is always worth a visit as is Brufut (got a brief view of Yellowbill there in October with Modou Colley -first time for both of us!).

A night drive along the track from Kwinella (nr Tendaba) to Batelling (by Kiang West) can sometimes yield Bronze-winged Courser as well as Spotted Thick-Knee & the Nightjars suggested by Birdboy.

We had two pirogue trips from Tendaba in October -the afternoon trip was on a falling tide & was very disappointing but the dawn trip on a high tide was spectacular -I managed to get images of African Blue Flycatcher & White-backed Night Heron amongst others, but sadly no Pel's Fishing Owls around.
W-b NH: http://www.pbase.com/rainbirder/white_backed_night_heron
ABF: http://www.pbase.com/rainbirder/african_blue_flycatcher

It may be better to forget about Soma EPs & concentrate on birding around Tendaba (the drive from Tendaba to Soma is currently 90-120 mins one way due to the dire road conditions) -unless the locals know for certain that there are still some EPs at Soma it could prove a costly waste of time(the other problem with Soma is that the wetland there is full of junk, a bird of the quality of EPs is better seen at a quality wetland such as Kaur)!

Cheers,

Steve

 

[trevg]

Hi Steve

Thanks for the reply, I had prety much forgotten about EP's until I had a call from a mate who saw them a few years ago.

I've hired Junkung Jadama for my tendaba trip and also three days around the coast.

I realise the owls generally could be hit or miss but I will wait and see. I will probably be busy enough with the rest on the new stuff. our boat trip at Tendaba is first thing in the morning and have high hopes of all the goodies, well most anyway. Is the hassle just as bad as the reports suggest or can you find some corners to bird alone.

Cheers

Trev

 

[MSA]

Hi Trev

There was a WF Scops in the large tree opposite the entrance to Abuko (ie across the road) just before Xmas - not sure how long they remain faithful to one tree, however! The only place I felt really hassled was outside the Senegambia (apart from self-inflicted hassle - see my trip report!), but Kotu would have been bad had I not been with a guide already.

 

[James Lowther]

hi trev,
blowing my own trumpet a bit but this thread
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=69419&highlight=colley
contains a lot of the same questions that you have

and some answers too!

my main bit of advice re: the upriver trip is don't try and do too much

don't know if things have changed in the last two years but upriver travel is quite hard

the road on the south bank is absolutely atrocious. our driver was possibly a bit overcautious but i reckon georegetown to the resorts (split over two days) was about 12hours plus

by contrast the north bank road is actually very good

but first you have to get acroos the river - we waited about 4 hrs to get on the ferry at banjul! "we'll be on the next ferry" became a hollow joke after a while..

don't let this put you off, upriver is brilliant, it's just everything takes longer than you might think

cheers,

james

 

[Steve G]

Hi Trev,

You have picked an excellent guide in JJ. We went upriver with him to Georgetown when he worked for the 'Hidden Gambia' & more recently he helped pull our vehicle out of a deep mud hole in October (2008). Junkung is a really nice guy & excellent company -he'll take good care of you!

Regarding the Tendaba boat trip -an early morning trip is best BUT if this coincides with low tide then it will not be possible to make the circuit from Kisi bolong to Tunku bolong (or vice-versa). That said you would be unlucky not to see Yellow-billed & Woolly-necked Storks, Goliath Heron, Blue-breasted & Grey-headed Kingfisher, African Fish Eagle & the usual Egret crew amongst others.

If taking the south bank road the trip up to Tendaba will take about 5 hours or longer depending on the birding stops. A quick visit to Pirang is probably worthwhile & if you get there early enough you may see Black Crowned Cranes amongst others. Further inland the area around Kampanti is great for raptors with a good chance of Martial Eagle whilst the section of road to the west of Kwinella (Tendaba) may yield Abyssinian Ground Hornbill.

Regardless of what you end up doing you are guaranteed some great birding!

Cheers,

Steve

 

[Kalispera]

Hi trevg,
We were in the Gambia 12-19 December, and took the 8am ferry from Banjul to Barre, then along the North Bank, birding along the way, but aiming for Kaur Wetlands and Eygptian Plover.
We arrived at Kaur, no luck, moved onto Panchang, no luck, we moved onto the next waterhole, no luck.
Yaya was looking a little upset, but he had been on his mobile to someone, it was his cousin, Mustapha, who was on the same road, Nyanga Banta wetlands, there were four there, at this time we were on our way home, about turn, past Kaur again all the way back to Nyanga and there four as easy to see as you could wish.
Saw Bronze-winged courser two year ago at Tendaba.
Enjoy!!!