Bird watching in Guinea - July 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!

Haga usted dice el español? No hay problema! Ver la siguiente página sólo hacer clic el botón “Next” encima!

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.

July 2025 - Day 2

Sunday 20 ^th of July 2025 and I am out of bed at 4 thirty and I turn on the kettle first thing. I enjoyed my tea together with the last cheese that I could not finish yesterday. I ordered a cheese plater form the restaurant yesterday evening, but I could not finish the cheese.

Well, a little snack before going for breakfast at 7 thirty. Breakfast, 3 or 4 cups of tea with acheese and onion omelette. And half a baguette with butter, well, today I added some jam to my baguette.

I went to the reception to tell them that there was no towels in my room after breakfast. My driver was waiting for me and we were soon on our way towards General Lansana Conte University. And it turned out to be the University where my Driver had been studied.

We reached the University and the first bird I see is one Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. There were, of course, Laughing Doves. I managed to get a picture of one Red-billed Firefinch on one of the fences. But I did not see that it was a Red-billed Firefinch until I checked the pictures coming back at the room.

The bird was only a shadow in the light, but I could see that it was a red bird back in my room when I should ID all the birds on today's pictures.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Red-billed Firefinch

Listen to the Senegal Coucal

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 heard the bird and start a recording. I see two Senegal Coucals on the wall, fight or flirt?

Senegal Coucal

Senegal Coucal

Senegal Coucal

We could hear the sound from a Senegal Coucal (By then I had no clue what it was, ID later on) and I started the recorder. We spotted two Senegal Coucals on top of the wall and they were showing wings and flying after each others.

Fight or flirt? I do not know, but I got both pictures and a recording so I was happy. We spotted two vultures across the street. well, as no surprise, there was a garbage dump, as everywhere in Guinea. every street corner and along all the streets and rivers. The whole country is a garbage dump, this is something the General should get started on. Not stopping bird watchers from taking pictures in the Botanical Garden.

Turned out to be two Hooded Vultures and my Driver discovered two Malachite Kingfishers and we moved closer to see if we could get any pictures. We were busy with the Malachite Kingfishers when we had one Senegal Coucal came along and i got another picture.

Hooded Vulture

Hooded Vulture

Hooded Vulture

Hooded Vulture

Senegal Coucal

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Listen to the Pied 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.

Around 00:18 and 00:25 we can hear the splash when the Pied Kingfisher diving for fish. Senegal Coucal and a dog can also be heard

Two Pied Kingfishers arrived and one of them stopped to hunt for fish. I managed to get a recording with two splashed when the bird dove in the the pond. The Malachite Kingfishers were very hard to get on pictures, not that they were shy. But the camera refused to focus on the birds. What theis going on?

It was very annoying and I was not so happy when we left the kingfishers behind. We came up on something looking like a construction site. And we spotted one Double-spurred Spurfowl on the wall, far away, pictures just good enough for ID.

We also spotted several Western Plantain-eater as well, so that was two “LIFERS” and together with the Senegal Coucal I had three “LIFERS” since we left the hotel this morning.

Malachite Kingfisher

Malachite Kingfisher

Malachite Kingfisher

Double-spurred Spurfowl

Western Plantain-eater

Hooded Vulture

We stopped to have another couple of pictures of the Hooded Vulture. The security guard followed us down to the road. He had come up to us asking what we did and I went in to full “EMERGENCY” mode when he spotted my camera. I showed him that there was only birds on the pictures.

We had him to help us taking pictures of the BIRD WATCHERS before we left and he did not mind to help us. We said thank you and good bye and we took off with smokin' and screamin' tyres.

Our heroes

Our heroes

We were soon stopping again and I started my eBird app again. The first bird we could see was one Senegal Coucal and my Driver spotted two birds in the wetland on our right-hand side. We are driving along a dirt track and there is a hospital on our left-hand side.

We spot one African Jacana, there is one heron but the bird disappears again. We discover one dirt track going out in the wetland and it looks to be ending at an construction site with a house that are half finished.

We turn up on the dirt track and we stop to have a look in the vegetation and suddenly, the heron come out and it turn out to be a Dwarf Bittern, a new “LIFER” for me.

African Jacana

Dwarf Bittern

Dwarf Bittern

Dwarf Bittern

African Jacana

We continue on the dirt track and we see more African Jacanas and my driver stop and point out in the fields.
- There are two big white birds!
- Great Egrets, I told him.

I ask my driver to continue to come in to a better position for pictures. We stop and it turns out that there are one Little Egret that takes off. We discover that two Great Egrets are one Great Egret and one Yellow-billed Egret.

Great Egret

Little Egret

Yellow-billed Egret

Little Bittern

Little Bittern

Striated Heron

African Jacana

It is raining

We turn around when we reach the construction site and we had not been driving for long when two Little Bittern flying across the dirt track in front of us. We stop and we put the car in reverse.

My Driver see the birds in the reeds, but it take some time for me to see the birds and I can get pictures, another “LIFER” for me this morning.

We drive back to the hospital and there is a shack made out of wood, canvas and garbage. In the wetland, of course surrounded by garbage. There is a pile of something looking like boiled rice and there are many birds.

We stop to see what kinds of birds showing up at the feeder. Of course, we flush all the birds when we stop the car, but they are soon coming back.

Village Weaver

Black-headed Weaver

Village Weaver

Village Weaver

African Thrush

Common Bulbul

Common Bulbul

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow

Village Weaver

Village Weaver

Village Weaver

There was a lot of birds, many too far away for ID, but we could ID one Northern Red Bishop that was sitting in a bush very far away. We left the area and we drove around to look for a way out in the fields.

There are really no roads, unless you are in a tank, for normal cars it is not worth taking the chance. We entered the Dream City construction site and the dirt track came to an end after a few hundred meters. My driver spotted one red bird in a tree and we took the chance to cross a pool on the dirt track.

The bird disappeared, but we could hear it sing and my driver managed to spot the bird across the road we had arrived on. I managed to make a recording, actually, two recordings.

Listen to the Northern Red Bishop

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.

Lonely bird singing from a bush next to the road.

Listen to the Northern Red Bishop

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.

Singing from a bush in the field, from 00:04 it is a flight song when the bird change bush.

Northern Red Bishop

Dream City construction site

Dream City construction site

Northern Red Bishop

Lizard

Lizard

We leave Dream City, we are getting hungry and we will go to try out the restaurant at Hotel Palm Camayenne. We will go back to the dirt road we had used yesterday. We were driving north yesterday and today we want to drive to the south to “down town” Conakry.

We found the road and we started to drive towards the south and Hotel Palm Camayenne. We spotted a Black/ yellow bird, too far away for any pictures. But close enough to use the picture for ID and it was one Yellow-mantled Widowbird.

We were soon spotting one Western Reef Egret and that was it, we had been driving for a few hundred meters and the dirt road turning in to something we did not want to try to cross.

Yellow-mantled Widowbird

Western Reef Egret (Dark morph)

Western Reef Egret (Dark morph)

Western Reef Egret (Dark morph)

Western Reef Egret (Dark morph)

We turned around to try to drive around the mud pool but we could not find a way back until we reached the road where we had left the road yesterday.

The first birds were two Reed Cormorants and I got a picture that I was happy with. There was one Striated Heron, otherwise nothing. One group of Pimk-backed Pelicans flew towards south.

Otherwise, nothing, and I think it was because it is middle of the day and the birds are resting during the hot hours. We had seen plenty birds yesterday morning.

Reed Cormorant

Reed Cormorant

Striated Heron

Pink-backed Pelican

The high water was coming in so we could see the water. Yesterday, and we could not see the water. But now it was pretty close, still too far for any pictures of the pelicans in the water.

I turned off my eBird app and we continued towards south and Hotel Palm Camayenne. The hotel was an hour late to reply on my hotel car enquiry, or I would have booked my room at their hotel.

Nice looking hotel, the hotel was facing the Atlantic Ocean with a pool between the building and the Atlantic Ocean. There was a seafront restaurant and we took our seats at one of the tables facing the ocean.

Keeping an eye out for birds in the water while waiting for the menu. Instant disappointment, nothing but drinks and a Plate of the day. But I discover the BBQ buffet at the end of the menu.

Not many guests so we expected good service, especially with the prices in the menu.

We asked for the BBQ and this was not available and I asked why they had given us the menu. I asked for the Ala carte menu, and it was a quite impressive menu, at least I think so as it was in French only. But there was steak and this is what I was going to go with.

But where are the Waiters? Seriously, we were waiting and waiting and we gave up and left the place. The more places we visit the luckier I felt for taking the NOOM Hotel.

We decided to go the Istanbul, a Turkish restaurant that have changed name. They had tea and the servings was huge like super tanker and I could only finish half my plate. The food was, well, a wee bit of a disappointment.

My driver got his food when I had finished my food, the dessert and the pastries. And three pots of tea on top of that.

And no baklava, will I come back? Probably not, but they had some very nice pastries so I was more than full when we left.

And if I was having a small thought about coming back, they disappeared when it was time to pay, the card machine was not working.

Woodland Kingfisher

Woodland Kingfisher

We spotted on Woodland Kingfisher sitting on the wire outside my hotel when we came back. I spent the rest of the day in my room trying to ID the birds on my pictures. 7 “LIFERS” for me today so I was very happy with the day.

1) Senegal Coucal
2) Double-spurred Spurfowl
3) Western Plantain-eater
4) Dwarf Bittern
5) Little Bittern
6) Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
7) Yellow-mantled Widowbird

My last day birding here tomorrow before flying to Senegal on Tuesday. Click HERE to find out if I see any new “LIFERS” tomorrow.

You are visitor no.

To www.aladdin.st since December 2005

Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011

Mobilize your Site

View Site in Mobile | Classic