Birding trip through the Gambia by Jasper Mussche and Guido Mussche 27th January – 7th February 2023

The Gambia

Known as a good place for birdwatching, I always wanted to explore the birds of the Gambia. I was very happy when my father Guido wanted to join me in this journey.

We found a good guy, Lamin K Njie, who arranged the trip for us. Lamin is a good bird guide who knows the good places. His knowledge of the birds and their sounds is magnificent. He also knows the wright people to find the specialties. With his own jeep, he can drive you everywhere. For bookings you can contact him on his website and email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Itinary

1. Jan 27, Day 1. Arrival Banjul International Airport and transfer to hotel Marakissa River Camp. Afternoon walk around the river camp area. Overnight in Marakissa River Camp. 
2. Jan 28, Day 2. Abuko Nature Reserve, Lunch at Lamin Lodge and afternoon visit to Lamin Rice Field. Overnight at Marakissa River Camp. 
3. Jan 29, Day 3. Pirang Shrimp farm, Bonto, and afternoon visit to Farasutu forest and Bah hide. Overnight at Marakissa River Camp. 
4. Jan 30th, Day 4. Leaving for up country. Drive through Trans - Gambia high way, several birding hotspot stops includes Killy wood, Kampanti Rice Field, Batelling Bush Track. Overnight at Tendaba Camp. 
5. Jan 31st, Day 5. Boat trip around the Creek. Afternoon visit to Kiang West National Park. Overnight at Tendaba Camp. 
6. Feb 1st, Day 6. Trans Gambia high way to Soma and drive to the North crossing the Senegambia bridge, several birding hotspot stops at Kaur Wetland, Njaur Waterhole, Wassu quarry and stone cycle. Overnight at Baobab Lodge annex in Georgetown.  
7. Feb 2nd, Day 7. Boat trip around the Island. Afternoon walk at Bansang Quarry and Kunkilling Forest area. Overnight at Georgetown. 
8. Feb 3rd, Day 8. Drive through south bank making several birding hotspot stops along, Jahally rice field, Dalaba Pool, Soma Wetland etc. overnight at Abca's creek Lodge. 
9. Feb, 4th, Day 9. Drive through Trans Gambia high way several birding hotspot stops along the way. Overnight at Marakissa River Camp. 
10. Feb 5th,  Day 10 Tujereng, Kartong, beach area. Overnight at Marakissa River Camp.
11. Feb, 6th, Day 11. Brufut woods. Tanji Bird Reserve and beach area. Overnight at Marakissa River Camp. 
12 Feb 7th,  Departure to Banjul International Airport. 

TRIP

Day 1. Lamin picked us up at the airport and brought us to Marakissa Lodge. After some refreshments we went to the fields south of Marakissa lodge. At the banks of the river we had the first waders, terns, reed cormorants, raptors like tawny eagle, long-crested eagle, palm-nut vulture, Dark morph Gabar goshawk. A nice place to start the trip. On the road back we found giant kingfisher, blue-bellied roller, yellow-billed shrike, Senegal coucal, white-billed buffalo weavers. We ended the day with a nice meal at Marakissa Lodge.

Day 2. After an early breakfast, we went to Abuko forest. On the road we saw a violet turaco flying over. In the forest we had little greenbul, western bluebill, yellow-breasted apalis, and the beautiful Guinea turaco. Abuko is a good place for butterflies and monkeys. At the Lamin lodge we had a lunch and I was surprised to see a Subalpine warbler. In the afternoon, we went to the Lamin rice fields. The highlights were Lizard buzzard, greater painted snipe, northern puffback, brown babbler and many more. Back at Marakissa, other birders showed us a red- chested goshawk sitting in the tree at the restaurant.

Day 3. We had a lot of crazy targets today so we were very excited to go to Farasuto, Bonto, Pirang forest. Our guide Lamin also introduced his trainee Halli who joined us for the rest of the trip. The fields south of Pirang and Farasuto were a magnet for birds. We had different sunbirds, pied-winged swallow, mottled spinetail, greater honeyguide, vieillot’s and bearded barbet. With help of local guides we found the long-tailed nightjars, lesser and spotted honeyguide, greyish eagle-owl, northern white-faced owl. At Pirang Forest we found verreaux’s eagle owl, African pygmy kingfisher and the difficult white-spotted flufftail. What a nice day!

Day 4. We had a long day in the car to Tendaba with several stops on the way. The first stop was the old shrimp farm. Lots of waders, greater flamingo, pink-backed pelican, African spoonbill, West African crested tern, slender-billed gull. The next stop was Kampanti. Soon raptors like Tawny eagle, wahlberg’s eagle, African harrier-hawk, African hawk-eagle, grasshopper buzzard, brown snake eagle, white-backed vulture flew over. In the fields around Wurokang and Kwinella we looked for Abyssinian ground hornbill and temminckx courser. We were not lucky, but instead we had Bateleur, white-rumped seedeater, brubru, black-headed lapwing, northern crombec, glossy-backed drongo.

Day 5. In the morning we took a boat to the Tendaba mangrove area. Lots of African darters, African woolly-necked stork, blue-brested kingfisher, malachite kingfisher, mangrove sunbird, white-throated bee-eater, pygmy sunbird were just a small amount of species we’ve seen. In the afternoon, we went back to Wurokang and Kwinella and finally, we found a couple of Abyssinian ground hornbills and also bronze-winged coursers. We had a nice dinner at Tendaba camp.

Day 6. Another long day in the car to Georgetown through the north bank with several stops was the plan of the day. Near Farafenni we found black-crowned crane, white stork. At Kaur, we saw anteater chat. Further up river at Njau we found exclamatory paradise Whydah, cut-throat finch, African silverbill, African green bee-eater, African pygmy goose, collared pratincole. Near Wassu we had a colony of red-throated bee-eaters. Also grey kestrel, red billed quelea, Bush petronia were present. At the Wassu stone circles we looked for the temminck’s courser. What a joy to see them. At the ferry cross-over we had our first swamp flycatcher. After a long day we enjoyed a nice meal at the lodge.

Day 7. After an early breakfast we took a boat on the river to look for finfoot. We missed that one but saw a lot of other interesting species. African Fish eagle, oriole warbler, Hadada ibis. In the afternoon we took off for Boraba. There we were lucky to find another pair of bronze-winged coursers, yellow-bellied Hyliota. At Bansang we looked for Chestnut-backed sparrow-lark, Sudan Golden Sparrow, Gosling’s bunting. We had our lunch at the house of Lamins friend who soon will be a guesthouse. In the afternoon we walked into the fields around Janjanbureh. Beaudouin’s snake eagle, pin-tailed Whydah, blackcap babbler, western banded snake eagle. Late in the evening, the broadbilled rollers started to feed and we finally saw the four-banded sandgrouse.

Day 8. It was time to go back to abca’s creek with several stops on the road. The first stop was a good one with Senegal batis, striped kingfisher, yellow-fronted thinkerbird. At Brikama we stopped at the ricefields. Western barn owl, winding cisticola, marabou stork and red-necked falcon were the highlights. At Kudang we stopped for the spotted Thick-knee and the pale flycatcher. At the fields east of Kudang we had a lot of waders, black stork, collared pratincoles, ruff.

Day 9. From abca’s, we went to Marakissa with several targets and stops. The first one was at Bintang where we found yellow-penduline tit, singing and whistling cisticola, spotted thick-knee, brown-rumped bunting, white-fronted black chat. In the afternoon we stopped at a little forest not far from Marakissa at the Busura Highway. A nice place for black scimitarbill, grey-headed bushshrike, red-shouldered cuckooshrike, stone partridge. Back at Marakissa, I did another walk in the fields while my father took some rest at the bar.

Day 10. We went to Kartong for the white-fronted plover. There was a big colony of Caspian terns, grey-headed gulls, waders. We also had ayres’s hawk eagle. At Tujereng we saw chestnut-crowned sparrow weaver. In the afternoon we found the chestnut-bellied starling.

Day 11. For the last day of birding we went to Brufut and Tanji. The new species for the trip were northern black flycatcher, grey-headed bristlebill, orange breasted-bushshrike. At tanji, we looked for swallowtailed bea-eater but instead we flushed a couple of standard-winged nightjars. At the nice lunch we looked back at a very good trip with lots of birds and butterflies.

Aknowledgements

www.cloudbirders.com
Birds of Western Africa – Helm Field Guides- Nik Borrow and Ron Demey.

Bird List

Bufferfly List