Bird watching in Senegal - July 2025

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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!

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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 6: Saloum Delta

We go to Saloum Delta, for a boat ride to see the iconic Goliath Heron and other species. We will also do some land birding.

Lunch at NDangane and back.

Drop to airport will done according to fly hours.

Monday 28 ^th of July 2025 and I have my breakfast and I was surprised to find that the omelette was excellent, very good. So, I was a wee bit late to meet my Guide in the reception at 8 o'clock.

There had been thunder and heavy rain during the night and it was still raining when I went for breakfast. But it had stopped raining when we left the hotel.

Heavy rain when I go for breakfast

We leave Dakar behind and we are farting along the Route Mbour -Joal and we make our first stop just before 9 o'clock. here is one Broad-billed Roller sitting next to the road, this is a new “LIFER” for me. And I manage to get both pictures and a sound recording.

The Broad-billed Roller is joined by a second roller and I can report two of them to eBird.

There is also Senegal Coucals, I count to five before I turn off my eBird app 33 minutes and 9 km later. We had seen on African Grey Hornbill, a beautiful hornbill.

My Guide was especially excited to find one White-rumped Seedeater in the vegetation next to the road. The small bird was far away, but I managed to get a picture.

Senegal Coucal

Senegal Coucal

White-rumped Seedeater

African Grey Hornbill

Ring-necked Parakeet

Broad-billed Roller

Broad-billed Roller

Listen to the Broad-billed Roller

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.

One bird sitting next to the road. Joined by a second bird after a few minutes.

Listen to the Long-tailed Glossy Starling

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.

About 10 birds sitting in a tree next to the road

Woodland Kingfisher

Cattle on the road

We continue towards Dangane where we will take the boat to the Saloum Delta, and I report the birds I see along the way. I have pictures of most of them and I do not bother to try to get pictures. Time is turning quickly and I will have to be at the airport tonight. And I want to be fresh from the shower arriving to the airport.

I told my Guide that we would only stop if we saw any birds we had not on pictures already. We are almost at our destination when we spotted a group of Piapiacs next to the road. We stopped and I forgot all the Piapiacs when I spotted on Senegal Parrot at the top of one palm tree.

The Senegal Parrot was a new “LIFER” for me. The bird took off and the pictures was terrible. But I got both pictures and a recording of the piapiac.

Senegal Parrot

Senegal Parrot

Piapiac

Listen to the Piapiac

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.

We can hear the Abyssinian Roller sitting on the wire above the car.

African Grey Hornbill

One stop and two “LIFERS” and I stopped my eBird app. We continued towards the boat station in Dangane and we arrived 15 minutes later. We parked the car and my Guide and I went down to the beach where our Captain met us.

We will use a small boat, but there is a canvas covering the boat so we will be protected from rain and sun. It is really hot so the shade is welcome.

We hope to see the Goliath Heron, a new heron and “LIFER” for me. Can be 50 cm bigger than the Great White Egret, so it is a huge bird. There was an Reef Egret on the beach and the bird did not bother with the people on the beach.

Village street

Coming down to the beach

Western Reef-Heron

Leaving for our delta adventure

Leaving for our delta adventure

Leaving for our delta adventure

Leaving for our delta adventure

The boats are dragged up on the beach and it was quiet easy to get in to the boat using their wooden stairs. We take our seat and they push us out on the river.

The boat was comfy and I was enjoying the ride, starting to get hot but the wind was cooling. We drove among the river and it wasn't many minutes before we spotted one Goliath Heron.

It was not easy to spot the bird even though it is a giant bird. There was a lot of the Great Cormorants as well. Gulls and terns were flying around, but I could never get any good pictures.

Goliath Heron

Goliath Heron

Goliath Heron

Great Cormorant (White-breasted)

Going down the river

Great White Egret

We are not alone in the Saloum Delta

Great Cormorant

Looking for birds

Greater Flamingo

We spotted flamigoes and I could count to 46 birds, at least 46 of them a sit was very hard to count them. There was a lot of Great Cormorants and I could count to 28.

We only spotted two pelicans, two Pink-backed Pelicans. I only saw one more boat with one bird watcher, otherwise they were drinking beer enjoying them self in the delta.

Low season now, but during the winter it is crowded with tourists and bird watchers. As I explained to my Guide, low season is better. The birds are in beautiful breeding plumage, and not so much people around.

Low season and rain season, but I have been lucky with the weather, not much rain. Almost no rain at all and I have been alone looking for birds.

Pink-backed Pelican

We are not alone in the Saloum Delta

We are not alone in the Saloum Delta

We are not alone in the Saloum Delta

We are back where we started

We are back where we started

We are back where we started

We are back where we started

We are back where we started

eBird Report

PNDS--Ndangane, Fatick, SN
Jul 28, 2025 10:44 - 11:41
Protocol: Traveling
5.377 kilometer(s)
Checklist Comments: Bird watching with Sogui Tours Senegal
14 species (+1 other taxa)

Whimbrel 2
Slender-billed Gull 1
Grey-hooded Gull 1
Caspian Tern 2
Black Tern 15
Greater Flamingo 46
Great Cormorant 8
Great Cormorant (White-breasted) 18
Little Egret 1
Western Reef-Heron 7
Great White Egret 2
Grey Heron 3
Goliath Heron 1
Pink-backed Pelican 2
Pied Kingfisher 7

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S263339304

This report was generated automatically by eBird v3 (https://ebird.org/home)

Today's track in the Saloum Delta

We drive back to the beach again and we get back to the car. I tell my Guide again, we do not stop for any birds, except for “special” birds. We take off leaving Dangane and the boats behind. And we stop just outside Dangane.

We spotted some Greater Blue-eared Starling, one of the species I don't have pictures of, so this was considered to be a “special” bird.

One Woodland Kingfisher was sitting on a branch and I got a bonus picture of the Woodland Kingfisher. We continued towards Dakar and I had my eBird app running but we did not make any more stop for bird pictures.

And the Woodland Kingfisher was my last bird picture from Senegal, the next bird picture will be from Gambia tomorrow.

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Greater Blue-eared Starling

Woodland Kingfisher

Today's species count:

32

Today's “LIFER”

5

Total species count

1651

Today's species
Greater Blue-eared Starling
Red-necked Falcon
Pink-backed Pelican
Goliath Heron
Grey Heron
Great White Egret
Western Reef-Heron
Little Egret
Great Cormorant
Greater Flamingo
Black Tern
Caspian Tern
Grey-hooded Gull
Slender-billed Gull
Whimbrel
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow
Piapiac
Senegal Parrot
Abyssinian Roller
Pied Kingfisher
Spur-winged Lapwing
White-faced Whistling-Duck
White-rumped Seedeater
Village Weaver
Long-tailed Glossy Starling
Ring-necked Parakeet
Broad-billed Roller
Woodland Kingfisher
Western Red-billed Hornbill
African Grey Hornbill
Black Kite
Senegal Coucal

Today's “LIFER”
Goliath Heron
Piapiac
Senegal Parrot
White-rumped Seedeater
Broad-billed Roller

I spent the rest of the afternoon in my room at Le Saly Hôtel & l'Hôtel Club Les Filaos working with my bird pictures. My Guide will be here to pick me up at 6 o'clock and I left my room 5 minutes before 6.

My Guide was in the reception and we left for the airport. Click HERE to find out if I make it for Banjul, Gambia. And will I see any birds in Gambia?

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