Bird watching in Gambia - August 2025

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

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Farla parla l'italiano? Non problemi! Per vedere la prossima pagina lo scatto per favore giusto Il bottone “Next” sopra

Sprechen sie Deutsch! Kein problem! Wenn Sie die folgende Seite sehen wollen gerade klicken der Knopf “Next” oben!

คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

Well, the flag of Skåne, just a BONUS flag.

August 2025

Monday 4 ^th of August 2025 and I get several answers on my enquiry about bird watching guides. The are busy until tomorrow, but one recommended to ask the hotel, they should be able to arrange a birding guide.

I call the reception and they will see what they can do. I come back to my room after breakfast and they have found a guy. They will come to discuss with me in my room.

It is my Guide that helped me with my shirts coming together with the guy from the reception. The Bird Watching Guide will come to pick me up in the afternoon.

On my way to have breakfast

Breakfast

I was happy, but it was also nice to relax in my room. At least for a couple of hours, then it became very boring and it will be nice to get out to look for birds.

Asking for guides and I had mentioned that I wanted to see Turacos.

Hello

I am in Banjul, coming back after a few days of birding. I never spotted any Turacos, well, I saw several plaintain-eaters. But not the other two.

Do you know where to find, for one or two half day tours?

I stay at Ocean Bay Hotel

Spotting a couple of birds going to the reception to meet my Guide. There are two Western Red-billed Hornbills staying close to the reception and I see them almost every day.

I also spotted an Grey-hooded Gull and one Hooded Vulture flying over the hotel area.

Western Red-billed Hornbill

Western Red-billed Hornbill

Western Red-billed Hornbill

I met my Guide at 4 o'clock and I instantly liked him. He told me that the best chance to see the Violet Turaco was in the Abuko National Reserve and I said: GREAT!

We took off and it started to pour down just a little after leaving Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort. This started really good! Coming down to the east side of the peninsula and the rain stopped and it was sunshine again.

My Guide told me that the rain was usually on the “ocean” side and not so much on the river “side” and Abuko National Reserve is on the river side.

We drove to the Abuko National Reserve and we parked the car. My Guide had to pay the entrance fee and we walked in to the Abuko National Reserve.

On our way to Abuko National Reserve

Abuko National Reserve

Listen to the Western Plantain-eater

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my mobile phone using my JBL microphone with the Merlin app. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.

I could count to three birds chasing each other making noise

We walk in to the park, moving towards the education centre. There is a lot of noise from the tree tops and I spot at least three Western Plantain-eater chasing each other making noise.
Fight or flirt?

Of course, impossible to take pictures, but I got a recording. Continuing and we spot a Red-eyed Dove but it is too dark for pictures. This is also why I do not like to look for birds in forests, always to dark.

We come out in an open area and there are two more Red-eyed Doves and one Broad-billed Roller.

I did not bother to try to take any pictures. We reach the education centre and we get up on the terrace overlooking the “crocodile” lake in front of the terrace.

There had been a warning sign about wild crocodiles roaming around and I spotted one crocodile in the Crocodile Lake.

BE AWARE! Crocodiles in the area

Crocodile Lake

And there is a crocodile

Palm-nut Vulture

There is a lot of swallows flying over the Crocodile Lake, diving down to drink water. Too far away, and way too quick to get any pictures. One Palm-nut Vulture came in to land in a tree across the Crocodile Lake. Landing behind a branch, but we could see that it was an Palm-nut Vulture.

Broad-billed Roller was “dive” drink from the lake. several Western Plantain-eaters were moving in the trees across the lake.

We left to get to another bird hide at the other end of the national reserve.

We heard the Violet Turaco so we went to have a look for the bird, no luck, but I could report the bird as HEARD ONLY.

Listen to the Oriole Warbler

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my mobile phone using my JBL microphone with the Merlin app. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.

Bird sitting next to me but I could never see the bird.

We had one Oriole Warbler sitting in a bush next to us. Could not see the bird, but I made a recording. We left to walk back to the car and my Guide discovered one Green Woodhoopoe in a dead palm tree next to us.

We discovered several nests in the top of the tree. Young birds sticking out their heads from the nest. And adult birds look to feed the birds, it is a beautiful bird, but they are between me and the sun so the pictures are not any good.

Poor pictures, but I was happy as I have wanted to have pictures since we spotted them the first time back in Senegal driving to Saint Louis

Green Woodhoopoe

Green Woodhoopoe

Green Woodhoopoe

Green Woodhoopoe

Green Woodhoopoe

Green Woodhoopoe

My Guide had asked if it was possible to go by car to the bird hide. The dust road is not in good condition, but it was OK today as the dust road is dry. Driving down the dirt road and we spot one Blue-spotted Wood-Dove on the road.

I get out to try to get a picture, but it is too dark for any good pictures. We reach the end of the road and they have some kind of prison there, with a hyena and some monkeys.

And I counted to 23 Hooded Vultures sitting in the trees around the prison.

We get in to the hide and we can see that there are many birds coming to have an evening bath.

Olive-naped Weaver

Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher

Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher

Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher

Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher

African Paradise-Flycatcher

Vitelline Masked-Weave

African Paradise-Flycatcher

I see two Paradise-Flycatchers and I ID them as African Paradise-Flycatcher. But uploading the pictures to eBird and there is a warning. Four of the pictures are an Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher. And that is a new “LIFER” for me.

eBird call the bird Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher, otherwise known as the Red-bellied paradise flycatcher. It is really very frustrating with the different names. My Guide have one name and I use a different name.

Two different weavers, the Olive-naped Weaver and the Vitelline Masked-Weave.

We see one Blue-breasted Kingfisher coming in and land in the dense vegetation. The bird start to sing and I manage to get a recording.

Listen to the Blue-breasted Kingfisher

Sound from www.xeno-canto.org

Remarks from the Recordist

Recorded with my mobile phone using my JBL microphone with the Merlin app. High Pass Filter applied with Audacity.

Sitting in the bush in front of the bird hide

Today's species count:

25

Today's “LIFER”

2

Total species count

1690

Today's species
Red-billed Firefinch
Vitelline Masked-Weaver
Beautiful Sunbird
African Thrush
Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher
African Paradise-Flycatcher
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove
Laughing Dove
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat
Oriole Warbler
Broad-billed Roller
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
African Pygmy Kingfisher
Green Woodhoopoe
Palm-nut Vulture
Senegal Coucal
Violet Turaco
Western Plantain-eater
Pied Crow
Western Red-billed Hornbill
Hooded Vulture
Grey-hooded Gull
Red-eyed Dove
Black Kite

Today's “LIFER”
Black-headed Paradise-Flycatcher
Violet Turaco Heard Only

We drive back to the hotel and I was very happy with the bird hide. We decided to come back here tomorrow, mid-day to see if birds were coming to cool down in the water. We also decided to buy some fruit to feed the birds.

And we will start the day in a boat at Kotu Creek to see if we can see the Giant Kingfisher. My Guide know where they have their nests along the creek.

I was very happy with my Guide and I really look forward to the bird watching tomorrow morning. We will leave Ocean Bay Hotel & Resort at 7 thirty in the morning.

Just click HERE to find out if I survive the cruise on Kotu Creek.

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