Bird watching in Senegal - 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 5: Birding Around Gandigal, The Baobab Forest

We drive back to Somone. On our way, we will have many stop to spot some species. Once in Mbour, we do some birding around Gandigal and The Baobab Forest.

Dinner and overnight at Hotel Africa 6:

Sunday 27 ^th of July 2025 and the breakfast was OK. I had my omelette and tea so all in all, I was happy with Hotel Diamarek. We left at 8 o'clock and we expect a few hours to get to Dakar. We will drive another way going back to Dakar.

3 nights in total at Hotel Diamarek, the first night was terrible. But the two last night was very good. thanks to the good service my new friend in the reception provided when we arrived, and I will be happy to come back.

My new friend in the reception

We left Hotel Diamarek and we said bye bye to our new friend, well, my new friend. My Guide knew the guy since they built the hotel. Anyway, we left and I was happy to be on my way back to Dakar, and I hope the new hotel is OK.

The original plan was to go back to Hotel Africa 6, but I refused.

We left Saint Louis behind and we turned right towards Gandiol instead of continuing towards Dakar. We passed eBird hotspot: Lagunes de Gandiol and I wanted to o “off road”

But the area is a National Park so we need permission to leave the paved road, so we had to continue along the paved road.

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Common Greenshank

Common Greenshank

We drive through Guembeng and we stop to try to have pictures of the Eurasian Oystercatcher and the Common Greenshank foraging on the beach. A few minutes later and I ask our Driver to stop, we have three Long-tailed Glossy Starlings next to the road.

They are not scared and I can finally get a picture of the bird. There is also Vitelline Masked-Weavers that I tried to get on picture.

10 minutes later and we stop in Gnayam to get pictures of the Northern Anteater-Chat. The first bird does not turn out so well. But we are lucky and we have on sitting just next to the road a couple of minutes later.

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Long-tailed Glossy Starling

Vitelline Masked-Weavers

Northern Anteater-Chat

Northern Anteater-Chat

Northern Anteater-Chat

Northern Anteater-Chat

Leaving the Northern Anteater-Chat behind and we are soon stopping again. We reach Leona after 10 minutes and we stop to take a picture of one Chestnut-bellied Starling and 2 minutes later we stop to try to get a picture of a Striped Kingfisher sitting in a tree.

We will for sure never reach Dakar if we continue spotting birds like this.

We spot one Dark Chanting-Goshawk along the road and we stop again 20 minutes later. Leaving the Dark Chanting-Goshawk and we stop again after a couple of minutes.

Dark Chanting-Goshawk

Dark Chanting-Goshawk

White-billed Buffalo-Weaver

White-billed Buffalo-Weaver

Speckle-fronted Weaver

Speckle-fronted Weaver

Speckle-fronted Weaver

Purple Roller

We spot a group of White-billed Buffalo-Weavers next to the road, a bird I have tried to get on picture since day one. We stop and I get pictures, not any good, but good enough.

We are leaving, but my Guide spot one Speckle-fronted Weaver landing on the other side of the road. He gets all excited, this is obviously something very special and I take a couple of pictures.

We leave and not we can drive for 30 minutes before our next stop, there is one Purple Roller in the wire and we make a very short stop to get a picture.

This turned out to be the last bird for today, we are soon on the toll way to Dakar. My Guide want to have lunch before we go to look for birds at the The Baobab Forest.

I tell him that he can bring me to the hotel and I will spend the rest of the day in my room.

I was hungry so I was kind of disappointed when I checked in to Le Saly Hôtel & l'Hôtel Club Les Filaos, it was an ALL-INCLUSIVE hotel. Fixed times for the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets. So, no Ala Carte restaurant and lunch finished in a few minutes.

There was just time to have a few slices of pizza before they closed.

The area is full of Black Kites and I tried to make a recording of one bird when I went back to my room after my lunch.

Listen to the Black Kite (yellow-billed)

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.

Several soaring over the hotel and I tried to make a recording.

-------------- Topic: Black >> Yellow-billed Kite (XC1023273)

Hi - this would logically be Yellow-billed Kite, given that these are very common here, that it's very early for migrant Black Kite, and that the latter are not usually very vocal on the wintering grounds.

Thank you!
I know about the problem, in eBird it is reported as a Black Kite (yellow billed) and I used the scientific name to report it in xeno-canto. My Guide have it as a Yellow-billed Kite in his book, but my eBird app say Black Kite, same scientific name.

Today's species count:

26

Today's “LIFER”

1

Total species count

1646

Today's species
Pied Crow
Black Kite
Purple Roller
Speckle-fronted Weaver
White-billed Buffalo-Weaver
Dark Chanting-Goshawk
Chestnut-bellied Starling
Striped Kingfisher
Northern Anteater-Chat
Vitelline Masked-Weaver
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Common Greenshank
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Crested Lark
Western Red-billed Hornbill
Pink-backed Pelican
Great White Egret
Great Cormorant
Reed Cormorant
Slender-billed Gull
Village Weaver
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater
Western Cattle-Egret
Western Reef-Heron
Spur-winged Lapwing
Laughing Dove

Today's “LIFER”
Speckle-fronted Weaver

Spending the rest of the day in my room, except for a quick visit to the restaurant for dinner. Buffe, well, I have never fancied buffe, unless it is at a 5-star place. The cheap ones look like someone have been dancing in the food after a couple of minutes.

We will leave for the last bird watching in Senegal tomorrow morning. It will be a boat trip and my Guide and driver will be here to pick me up at 8 o'clock. Click HERE to find out if there are any new “LIFER” for me.

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