21/2/22 – Half day Kartong
On this trip we were hoping to see the Carmine Bee-eaters which had been reported at Kartong in recent weeks. Lamin collected us from our hotel at 8.00 am in his Mitsubishi 4 x 4. Our first stop was at 2 small lagoons located just along the track from the Kartong Bird Obsevatory. Here we had good views of Giant, Pied and Blue-breasted Kingfishers and a distant Malachite Kingfisher, Black-winged Stilt, several Thick knees, and Little Bee-eaters. Seen in the trees alongside the track a Black-shouldered Kite and a pair of Abyssinian Rollers. There had been a recent sighting of a Forbes’s Plover but not showing itself today. During a (very hot) walk along the beach we saw a number of Senegal Eremomola flitting about in the bushes, a Beautiful Sunbird and several Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters coming and going in the trees. Ospreys seen flying overhead, one carrying a fish. Sadly no Carmine Bee-eaters, however on the walk back, Lamin spotted for us a number of White-fronted Plovers darting about on the sand and by the sea shore. Good views and photos.
23/1/22 – Trip to Morgan Kunda Lodge.
A long, hot drive today but not uncomfortable in Lamin’s 4 x 4 vehicle. Crossed the Gambia River on the new bridge at Farafenni – quite impressive! Arrived at Morgan Kunda camp at approximately 3.30pm and after settling into our room we spent a pleasant couple of hours viewing the many different birds that visit the watering bowls and trees in the grounds and vegetable garden. Within minutes we had seen several different species. Beautiful Sunbirds, Pygmy and scarlet-chested Sunbirds, Firefinches, Black-rumped Waxbills, Cordon-bleu, Silverbills and Queleas all came down to drink. Bronze, Long-tailed and Blue-eared Starlings, a Bearded Barbet (briefly) and Abyssinian Rollers were easy to see in the gardens and by the water tower.
24/1/22
Unfortunately I was laid low with an upset stomach overnight and unable to go out with Lamin and David today. However, they had a great day, starting with very good views of David’s target bird, Ground Hornbill, several of which they followed for some time in the scrubland conveniently close to the road. Lots of different raptors spotted including Beaudouins Snake Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, Common Kestrel, Grey Kestrel, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Red-knecked Falcon and African Hawk Eagle. A stop by a small pool produced Scarlet-chested and Pygmy Sunbirds, Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark, White-fronted Blackchat, White-throated Bee-eater and good views of an Exclamatory Whydah. In the afternoon, at a wetland location, Spur-winged Goose, Black Crake, Squacco Heron, Wattled Plover, African Jacana, Spur-winged Plover joined the list as well as European Turtle Dove, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Buffalo Weaver, Abyssinian Roller and Long-tailed Glossy Starling.
25/1/22
I was feeling well enough to join them today and as Lamin was hoping to find the Ground Hornbill again for me to see, we started at the same area. Unfortunately, they were not there and despite Lamin working hard in several different locations they had obviously moved on elsewhere. We eventually gave up and tried for other species. As well as more sightings of Scarlet-chested and pygmy Sunbirds, Beaudouin’s and Brown Snake Eagle and the Exclamatory Whydah, we found Northern Anteater Chat, Northern Black Flycatcher, Striped Kingfisher, White-throated Bee-eater and a lovely Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting. Lamin also sought out and found for me a pair of Vieillot’s Barbet which were on my wish list. Our evening outing to the wetland area produced sighting of a Crested Lark flying over, lots of Spoonbills both perched and flying, Spur-winged Plover, Vinaceous Dove, African Jacanas, Black-winged Stilts and Black-headed Heron.
26/1/22
Befoe starting the journey back to Kotu, we had a last unsuccessful try to find the Ground Hornbill, but Lamin did find some Black-headed Lapwing in the scrub. We had a couple of stops on the way when Lamin spotted something interesting, the best of which was a Bateleur Eagle circling above giving an excellent view through binoculars although I was unable to get a good photo. At another short stop we saw several young African Harrier Hawks flying from tree to tree, Wahlberg’s Eagle, Lanner Falcon, a pair of Blue-bellied Rollers , Great White Egrets and Squacco Heron.
28/1/22 – Half day at Farasutu
On the track to the entrance, we stopped by a red flowered tree which seemed to be a magnet for a variety of Sunbirds, however the sun was against us so we decided to carry on and try again on the way back. We were joined at the entrance by one of the trainee Guides – Hallie – who accompanied us for the rest of the day and helped to spot various birds. We spent a while at the bird feeding area, where the previously wooden slatted seats have been replaced by more comfortable smart tiled seating. The sky was a bit overcast and not many birds were coming down to drink, however good views of Black-throated Village Weaver, Northern Bishop, Black-rumped Waxbill, Lavender Waxbill, Blue-spotted Dove and Black-billed Dove and Firefinches. We then went for a walk through the forest to see the African Wood Owl which was showing very nicely and good photo opportunity. Then on to see the female Standard Wing Nightjar (the male had flown). Again, once spotted it was a good view and we managed to take some decent photos. A visit to the ponds followed, where we saw a pair of Pied Hornbills and a Grey Hornbill. Lamin heard Green Turaco calling but not close enough to be sighted. Around the ponds were several Thick-knees, Black Heron and a young Black-crowned Night Heron. As we were looking one way, Hallie said there was a crocodile and we turned in time to see a rather large croc slide into the water from the opposite bank. They then took us to another part of the forest to a new bird hide by a small water hole. This proved to be more productive than the first with a lot of bird activity. First to appear was a Yellow Wagtail, then yellow-fronted canary. Then it got quite busy with good views of both Greater and Spotted Honeyguide, Bronze Manikins, Common Wattle-eye, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, African Paradise Flycatcher, Snowy-crowned Robin Chat and a brief visit from a Violet-backed Sunbird, which I didn’t even register at the time but must have seen it as I discovered I had a photo of it! Another walk in the forest to a tree where two Greyish Eagle Owls were sitting and showing well so some good photos taken. On the way back, we stopped again by the red-flowering tree to see the Sunbirds. Brief sightings of Copper and Scarlet-fronted Sunbirds which were great to see but they were very skittish so didn’t manage to get any photos.
30/1/22 Half Day - Abuko Forest
We arrived at Abuko Reserve at approximately 8:40 am. There didn’t seem to be any other visitors around so it was quiet. On the way towards the pond, Lamin pointed out a Beautiful Sunbird in a nearby tree. At the pond, we were surprised to see that the grassed area around the pond was very overgrown. Apparently the area hadn’t been maintained as often because of the lack of visitors due to Covid. We could see a crocodile in the water, Purple Heron and Squacco Heron and in a tree in the distance a Palm Nut Vulture was partially visible through binoculars. Unfortunately not as much bird life as we have seen on previous visits. A walk through the Forest was a little frustrating with several sightings of Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Western Bluebill (which was a first for us) flitting from tree to tree, a Green Turaco partially visible through the foliage and Yellow-breasted Apolis but no good clear views. Lamin then drove us to the other side of the Forest to the hide overlooking a small pool. We sat for a couple of hours hoping for maybe the Turacos or a Pygmy Kingfisher to come down , but no show. Lots of Doves and Bronze Manikins but also a lot of Monkeys coming to drink and staying close by which may have put the birds off. However, the Red-bellied Flycatcher did come down and also the Western Bluebill which conveniently stayed long enough to capture some good photos so made it worth the wait.
1/2/22
Our final day in the Gambia , so we arranged for Lamin to take us on the boat trip at Kotu Creek in the hope of seeing and capturing some Kingfishers, in particular the Malachite. This proved to be an excellent finish to our birding. With the help of Lamin and Captain Bakary, we were able to get good views of both Malachite and Giant Kingfisher, Sacred Ibis, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, Thick-knees and Greenshank..
All in all, we enjoyed a very good trip and as usual Lamin proved himself an excellent bird guide, with incredible bird-spotting and identifying skills, working hard to find several new species for us and helping us to get even better views of species we have seen before.
We would highly recommend Lamin K Njie to anyone - whether a first timer or an ardent birdwatcher – if they want to spend a pleasant day in the African bush spotting beautiful Gambian birds. Thanks Lamin!
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