6:20pm to 7pm. Weather: sunny, warm, to dusk.
A final evening walk around the hotel's grounds as the holiday sadly came to an end. Fortunately I encountered some of the exotic species I had seen on the first guided walk & even had some better views of them than first time around.
Brown Babbler, Bronze Manakin, Red-Eyed Dove, Long-Tailed Glossy Starling, Speckled Pigeon, Village Weaver.
African Paradise Flycatcher - two in the 'usual' thicket near the volleyball court & near my room in Oriole block, I spent some time watching them, though one soon moved off, trying unsuccessfully to get some good photos in the gloom.
Oriole Warbler - another I'd hoped to see again & another that was present in the thicket. It stayed for a few minutes before moving off, & although still short it was a longer view than the first time.
Red-Billed Hornbill, Yellow-Crowned Gonolek, White-Capped Robinchat - also around the thicket.
Gray Woodpecker - just outside the thicket on the edge of the main green, an individual was perched on a low tree & was not disturbed by my presence affording some nice close-ups.
Grey-Backed Camaroptera - one foraged on the ground just outside the thicket, also allowing some good close-ups;
Northern Crombec - in the old construction area adjacent to Kairaba, its orange underparts & tiny tail were seen properly this time rather than a fleeting view of one flying as at Lamin Lodge.
Western Plantaineater, African Thrush - also in the old construction area.
Broad-Billed Roller - two perched high up in a dead-looking trees near the thicket where they stayed until dusk afforded decent views of what was my first roller species.
Little Swift, African Palm Swift - both overhead as dusk settled.
Pied Crow - noisily roosting.
20 species.
Showing posts with label senegambia hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label senegambia hotel. Show all posts
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Senegambia Hotel Gardens, The Gambia, 20/02/2010
5pm to 6:20pm. Weather: Hot & sunny.
First full day on holiday & I joined the hotel's guided garden bird walk for a wander round the hotel grounds which are well known for the number of species they hold (though apparently not as many as they used to hold). Later in the week I saw four birders with telescopes come through the grounds although they were not staying at the hotel. The group was guided by Tamba Suso who told us about other guided trips available & afterwards I signed up for Lamin Lodge. Tamba ended up becoming our trusted guide for the whole holiday & not just for birding, he took us out to Senegambia Market as well. However the birding was excellent in the hotel gardens & allowed me to start to feel more comfortable with my own identifications. The walk started at the birdwatching hut that sits in the middle of the hotel's grounds & which always seemed to have a few people in it.
Brown Babbler - pair on the way to the birding hut, after these first two I saw many afterwards, their bright orange eye was very distinctive;
African Grey Hornbill - Tamba immediately showed his expertise by pointing to a female high up in a palm tree.
Piapiac - a couple foraging on a lawn, 1 juvenile;
Red-Billed Hornbill.
Senegal Coucal - foraging amongst the longer grass, according to Tamba for snakes, a striking bird & not at all shy. Another was seen later foraging in a smaller quadrangle area between room blocks.
Red-Necked Falcon - Tamba heard it calling first & then it flew rapidly over the hotel's grounds, pursued by crows;
Pied Crow.
Yellow-Crowned Gonolek - stunningly-coloured bird, unmistakeable & the first of many I saw around the hotel, apparently the normally shy species has benefitted from the all hotels' gardens along the coastal strip & it was a definite favourite of mine during the holiday.
Bronze Manakin - a chattering flock amongst the top of a tree, & after I knew what they were I noticed they were very common in the grounds;
White-Crowned Robinchat - another wonderfully colourful bird & seen frequently around the rounds;
Red-Eyed Dove.
African Thrush - feeding on the lawns with robinchats & doves;
Green Wood Hoopoe - three flew in to the top of a palm tree where despite the foliage's shadows I could pick out some of their rich green colour, red bill & long, spotted tail - another cracker;
African Paradise Flycatcher - I spotted this one elusively flitting in the shadows of a thicket of trees & scrub close to my room & Tamba called it immediately. It was as active as it was elegant & was soon lost in the dense thicket;
Hooded Vulture, Black Kite, Long-Tailed Glossy Starling.
Black-Necked Weaver - foraging on apparently waste-ground from construction efforts adjacent to next door's hotel, the Kairaba, more boldly-marked than the village weaver even in non-breeding plumage;
Oriole Warbler - another treat, Tamba quickly spotted this unusual bird as it rapidly foraged amongst the higher branches, unfortunately it soon moved out of view.
Blackcap Babbler - boldly foraging on the ground with more thrushes;
Beautiful Sunbird - just before returning to the bird hut I saw one at the top of a palm bathed in evening sunlight allowing a straightforward identification from metallic colours & long tail-streamers;
Red-Billed Firefinch - on the way back to the room only a few feet from the path & not at all shy.
22 species, 15 new species.
First full day on holiday & I joined the hotel's guided garden bird walk for a wander round the hotel grounds which are well known for the number of species they hold (though apparently not as many as they used to hold). Later in the week I saw four birders with telescopes come through the grounds although they were not staying at the hotel. The group was guided by Tamba Suso who told us about other guided trips available & afterwards I signed up for Lamin Lodge. Tamba ended up becoming our trusted guide for the whole holiday & not just for birding, he took us out to Senegambia Market as well. However the birding was excellent in the hotel gardens & allowed me to start to feel more comfortable with my own identifications. The walk started at the birdwatching hut that sits in the middle of the hotel's grounds & which always seemed to have a few people in it.
Brown Babbler - pair on the way to the birding hut, after these first two I saw many afterwards, their bright orange eye was very distinctive;
African Grey Hornbill - Tamba immediately showed his expertise by pointing to a female high up in a palm tree.
Piapiac - a couple foraging on a lawn, 1 juvenile;
Red-Billed Hornbill.
Senegal Coucal - foraging amongst the longer grass, according to Tamba for snakes, a striking bird & not at all shy. Another was seen later foraging in a smaller quadrangle area between room blocks.
Red-Necked Falcon - Tamba heard it calling first & then it flew rapidly over the hotel's grounds, pursued by crows;
Pied Crow.
Yellow-Crowned Gonolek - stunningly-coloured bird, unmistakeable & the first of many I saw around the hotel, apparently the normally shy species has benefitted from the all hotels' gardens along the coastal strip & it was a definite favourite of mine during the holiday.
Bronze Manakin - a chattering flock amongst the top of a tree, & after I knew what they were I noticed they were very common in the grounds;
White-Crowned Robinchat - another wonderfully colourful bird & seen frequently around the rounds;
Red-Eyed Dove.
African Thrush - feeding on the lawns with robinchats & doves;
Green Wood Hoopoe - three flew in to the top of a palm tree where despite the foliage's shadows I could pick out some of their rich green colour, red bill & long, spotted tail - another cracker;
African Paradise Flycatcher - I spotted this one elusively flitting in the shadows of a thicket of trees & scrub close to my room & Tamba called it immediately. It was as active as it was elegant & was soon lost in the dense thicket;
Hooded Vulture, Black Kite, Long-Tailed Glossy Starling.
Black-Necked Weaver - foraging on apparently waste-ground from construction efforts adjacent to next door's hotel, the Kairaba, more boldly-marked than the village weaver even in non-breeding plumage;
Oriole Warbler - another treat, Tamba quickly spotted this unusual bird as it rapidly foraged amongst the higher branches, unfortunately it soon moved out of view.
Blackcap Babbler - boldly foraging on the ground with more thrushes;
Beautiful Sunbird - just before returning to the bird hut I saw one at the top of a palm bathed in evening sunlight allowing a straightforward identification from metallic colours & long tail-streamers;
Red-Billed Firefinch - on the way back to the room only a few feet from the path & not at all shy.
22 species, 15 new species.
The Gambia, West Africa, 19-26/02/2010
I was lucky enough to spend a wonderful week in The Gambia amongst its colourful & exotic birdlife. It was a fantastic experience which provided me with an almost overwhelming number of spectacular new bird species. It took some time to process, but I took lots of photos (see right-hand side navigation) which helped me process them all eventually. Kim & I also had a fantastic guide, called Tamba Suso who ensured that we missed very little & I am very grateful to him for his expert knowledge & great personality which really helped us enjoy our holiday, so I can heartily recommend him if anyone is visiting the country.
I'm going to detail more casual observations, mainly around the Senegambia hotel, in one post here but more specific outings will be detailed in separate posts.
19/02/2010 - Banjul Airport to Senegambia Hotel
From the coach transfer I did my best to pick up a few species, mainly identified from 'the book' when I reached the hotel room.
Pied Crow - distinctive & ubiquitous;
Hooded Vulture - large raptor soaring over the runway, the ubiquitous 'sanitary inspector';
Speckled Pigeon - a quite large pigeon & also distinctive;
Laughing Dove - small dove feeding along the roadside with the speckled pigeons, they were also plentiful at the hotel where I identified it from close-up views;
Grey Kestrel - perched on wires next to the road, unmistakeable light grey colour & vivid yellow feet & bill.
19/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Village Weaver - all over the hotel grounds, large & gregarious;
Red-Eyed Dove - another regular, particularly around the swimming pool where they came very close;
Cattle Egret - around the grounds, stealing guests' food or on the lawns looking for their more natural foodstuffs;
Broad-Billed Roller - I saw a roller from the swimming pool, on the first evening but wasn't sure which species, however it reappeared most evenings in favourite trees & at the end of the trip there were a pair, which allowed me to quickly pin it down as broad-billed;
Red-Billed Hornbill - a couple of these quirky birds had their territory right outside our room on a large tree & we would see them everyday, in fact most mornings they would bang on the patio windows apparently attacking their reflections!
Grey Woodpecker - seen from the room's balcony, a pair perched atop a dead tree;
Black Kite - another ubiquity around the hotel, gracefully looking for food scraps before the vultures could get there;
Long-Tailed Glossy Starling - several around the gardens near the room, very distinctive & with a loud call, the first I saw were flying overhead.
African Palm Swift - also overhead, grey & with long tail-forks but usually silent unlike the eurasian variety.
20/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Breakfast:
Common Bulbul - one of a few species keeping a beady eye out for scraps us tourists left at breakfast, there were usually a few perched in the trees nearby;
Village Weaver - in greater numbers than the bulbuls;
Red-Billed Firefinch - unmistakeable, the odd individual would frequent the breakfast area - more of a ground-feeder than the other species;
Cattle Egret - perched like pigeons around the dinners - very bold & hungry!
Vulture Feeding:
Hooded Vulture - 30 - 40 waiting for the daily feed & watering, almost oblivious to the people around them;
Pied Crow, Cattle Egret - a few amongst the vultures;
Black Kite - 30 - 40, all airborne plucking the chunks of fatty meat from the air as they were tossed up.
Room & Pool:
Long-Tailed Glossy Starling, Laughing Dove, Red-Eyed Dove.
Green Vervet Monkey, Red Colobus Monkey - lounging round the pool people started to point in my direction, not because of my glowing white skin but because the monkey troop had arrived & one was sitting on the top of my sun-shelter. Despite the prominent signs asking people not to it wasn't long before the monkeys were munching their way through peanuts & bananas offered by the poolside tourists & as a consequence they were very photogenic. The lone red colobus though was obviously not as friendly & was actually a bit mean-looking.
21/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Beach:
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - a couple flew up from the south, chirping as they went, another distinctive species flying acrobatically;
Red-Chested Swallow - I had noticed a few hirundines flying up the coast during the previous couple of days but after a trip out to Lamin I was able to retrospectively identify the species as red-chested, apparently more frequent here. I was struck though that if any of the birds were European barn swallows then I was observing their northward migration & that I might see them next in the UK in Spring.
Broad-Billed Roller - on its regular perching spots.
Garden Walk (5:30pm to 7:30pm):
A repeat of Tamba's guided hotel garden walk, I took Kim this time & saw more or less the same species:
African Palm Swift, White-Capped Robinchat, Senegal Coucal, Red-Billed Firefinch, Bronze Manakin.
Grey-Backed Camaroptera - elusive amongst pondside trees, I saw one later in the holiday much closer up which allowed me to identify this one retrospectively.
African Thrush, Black-Necked Weaver, Beautiful Sunbird, Yellow-Capped Gonolek.
Piapiac - again striding on the lawn.
Brown Babbler, Common Bulbul, Village Weaver.
23/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Breakfast:
Beautiful Sunbird, Red-Billed Hornbill - amongst the foliage outside room;
Harrier Hawk - we took a slightly different path to breakfast, past the vulture feeding green & were rewarded with this spectacular raptor standing just off the path probably looking for scraps. It soon flew off into the trees but was fantastic to see so unexpectedly.
Cattle Egret, Common Bulbul, Village Weaver, Red-Billed Firefinch - usual breakfast regulars!
Lavender Waxbill - an attractive new species for breakfast, it shyly flitted down from the trees once or twice. Reminiscent of the firefinches but the opposite in colour.
Black Kite, Hooded Vulture, Pied Crow - ubiquitous.
Beach:
Broad-Billed Roller - by this time there were two, flying over the beach pool & hotel gardens;
Green Wood Hoopoe - a couple flew up into the large palm tree next to the beach pool & then off again. A striking bird I was able to see them amongst the thick foliage before they flew off.
Red-Chested Swallow, Grey-Headed Gull - along the coastline.
24/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Breakfast:
Bearded Barbet - having seen this species for the first time the day before at Kotu Creek, amazingly we saw one perched on the side of the main hotel building as we walked to breakfast with an unmistakeable profile. Later a fellow birder on holiday told us he hadn't seen one at all despite going up-river, not that he was fussed as he'd seen over 200 other species!
Beach:
African Silverbill - a couple flitted along the tops of the beach huts as I lounged in the sun. The best way to pick up a life-tick!
Grey-Headed Gull - up & down out at sea.
Room Balcony (6pm to 7pm):
Broad-Billed Roller, African Palm Swift.
Little Swift - a couple amongst the palm swifts, less elegant, more like common swift but with a stubby tail. They didn't stick around for as long as the palms swifts though & I only saw them once or twice.
Mosque Swallow - I spotted two of these, higher up than the others & a much larger hirundine, almost falcon like with an unhurried flight action.
26/10/2010 - Banjul Airport
Fork-Tailed Drongo - on the approach roads;
House Sparrow - a familiar bird from home around the terminal building.
23 new species.
I'm going to detail more casual observations, mainly around the Senegambia hotel, in one post here but more specific outings will be detailed in separate posts.
19/02/2010 - Banjul Airport to Senegambia Hotel
From the coach transfer I did my best to pick up a few species, mainly identified from 'the book' when I reached the hotel room.
Pied Crow - distinctive & ubiquitous;
Hooded Vulture - large raptor soaring over the runway, the ubiquitous 'sanitary inspector';
Speckled Pigeon - a quite large pigeon & also distinctive;
Laughing Dove - small dove feeding along the roadside with the speckled pigeons, they were also plentiful at the hotel where I identified it from close-up views;
Grey Kestrel - perched on wires next to the road, unmistakeable light grey colour & vivid yellow feet & bill.
19/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Village Weaver - all over the hotel grounds, large & gregarious;
Red-Eyed Dove - another regular, particularly around the swimming pool where they came very close;
Cattle Egret - around the grounds, stealing guests' food or on the lawns looking for their more natural foodstuffs;
Broad-Billed Roller - I saw a roller from the swimming pool, on the first evening but wasn't sure which species, however it reappeared most evenings in favourite trees & at the end of the trip there were a pair, which allowed me to quickly pin it down as broad-billed;
Red-Billed Hornbill - a couple of these quirky birds had their territory right outside our room on a large tree & we would see them everyday, in fact most mornings they would bang on the patio windows apparently attacking their reflections!
Grey Woodpecker - seen from the room's balcony, a pair perched atop a dead tree;
Black Kite - another ubiquity around the hotel, gracefully looking for food scraps before the vultures could get there;
Long-Tailed Glossy Starling - several around the gardens near the room, very distinctive & with a loud call, the first I saw were flying overhead.
African Palm Swift - also overhead, grey & with long tail-forks but usually silent unlike the eurasian variety.
20/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Breakfast:
Common Bulbul - one of a few species keeping a beady eye out for scraps us tourists left at breakfast, there were usually a few perched in the trees nearby;
Village Weaver - in greater numbers than the bulbuls;
Red-Billed Firefinch - unmistakeable, the odd individual would frequent the breakfast area - more of a ground-feeder than the other species;
Cattle Egret - perched like pigeons around the dinners - very bold & hungry!
Vulture Feeding:
Hooded Vulture - 30 - 40 waiting for the daily feed & watering, almost oblivious to the people around them;
Pied Crow, Cattle Egret - a few amongst the vultures;
Black Kite - 30 - 40, all airborne plucking the chunks of fatty meat from the air as they were tossed up.
Room & Pool:
Long-Tailed Glossy Starling, Laughing Dove, Red-Eyed Dove.
Green Vervet Monkey, Red Colobus Monkey - lounging round the pool people started to point in my direction, not because of my glowing white skin but because the monkey troop had arrived & one was sitting on the top of my sun-shelter. Despite the prominent signs asking people not to it wasn't long before the monkeys were munching their way through peanuts & bananas offered by the poolside tourists & as a consequence they were very photogenic. The lone red colobus though was obviously not as friendly & was actually a bit mean-looking.
21/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Beach:
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - a couple flew up from the south, chirping as they went, another distinctive species flying acrobatically;
Red-Chested Swallow - I had noticed a few hirundines flying up the coast during the previous couple of days but after a trip out to Lamin I was able to retrospectively identify the species as red-chested, apparently more frequent here. I was struck though that if any of the birds were European barn swallows then I was observing their northward migration & that I might see them next in the UK in Spring.
Broad-Billed Roller - on its regular perching spots.
Garden Walk (5:30pm to 7:30pm):
A repeat of Tamba's guided hotel garden walk, I took Kim this time & saw more or less the same species:
African Palm Swift, White-Capped Robinchat, Senegal Coucal, Red-Billed Firefinch, Bronze Manakin.
Grey-Backed Camaroptera - elusive amongst pondside trees, I saw one later in the holiday much closer up which allowed me to identify this one retrospectively.
African Thrush, Black-Necked Weaver, Beautiful Sunbird, Yellow-Capped Gonolek.
Piapiac - again striding on the lawn.
Brown Babbler, Common Bulbul, Village Weaver.
23/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Breakfast:
Beautiful Sunbird, Red-Billed Hornbill - amongst the foliage outside room;
Harrier Hawk - we took a slightly different path to breakfast, past the vulture feeding green & were rewarded with this spectacular raptor standing just off the path probably looking for scraps. It soon flew off into the trees but was fantastic to see so unexpectedly.
Cattle Egret, Common Bulbul, Village Weaver, Red-Billed Firefinch - usual breakfast regulars!
Lavender Waxbill - an attractive new species for breakfast, it shyly flitted down from the trees once or twice. Reminiscent of the firefinches but the opposite in colour.
Black Kite, Hooded Vulture, Pied Crow - ubiquitous.
Beach:
Broad-Billed Roller - by this time there were two, flying over the beach pool & hotel gardens;
Green Wood Hoopoe - a couple flew up into the large palm tree next to the beach pool & then off again. A striking bird I was able to see them amongst the thick foliage before they flew off.
Red-Chested Swallow, Grey-Headed Gull - along the coastline.
24/02/2010 - Senegambia Hotel
Breakfast:
Bearded Barbet - having seen this species for the first time the day before at Kotu Creek, amazingly we saw one perched on the side of the main hotel building as we walked to breakfast with an unmistakeable profile. Later a fellow birder on holiday told us he hadn't seen one at all despite going up-river, not that he was fussed as he'd seen over 200 other species!
Beach:
African Silverbill - a couple flitted along the tops of the beach huts as I lounged in the sun. The best way to pick up a life-tick!
Grey-Headed Gull - up & down out at sea.
Room Balcony (6pm to 7pm):
Broad-Billed Roller, African Palm Swift.
Little Swift - a couple amongst the palm swifts, less elegant, more like common swift but with a stubby tail. They didn't stick around for as long as the palms swifts though & I only saw them once or twice.
Mosque Swallow - I spotted two of these, higher up than the others & a much larger hirundine, almost falcon like with an unhurried flight action.
26/10/2010 - Banjul Airport
Fork-Tailed Drongo - on the approach roads;
House Sparrow - a familiar bird from home around the terminal building.
23 new species.
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