Alan Goldsmith is an accountant and a fairly keen birder. He has been on multiple trips – mostly around Europe- and has a particular interest in the ecology of birds and their interactions with other wildlife.
In April 2023 I travelled with Naturetrek on my first visit to tropical Africa. This was a week long visit to The Gambia, which is a country very popular with British birders as many speak English and it has a well-developed birding guide scene. Many non-birders also go there for beach holidays in the winter months as the travel time is not much longer than to the Canary Islands.
The Gambia is a country of under 3 million people and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean, otherwise entirely surrounded by Senegal. It basically comprises both banks of the Gambia River and the estuary at the river mouth. It is situated at the most westerly point in Africa. We were told that its shape is defined by how far a British gunboat in mid-river could reach into then French-controlled Senegal, which sounds horribly plausible. The British were there originally as part of their extremely belated effort to suppress the slave trade – for people who recall the TV series Roots based on Alex Haley’s family memoir the village his ancestor came from is now a tourist destination upriver from the capital Banjul. Climate-wise wise there is a pronounced rainy season with heaviest rains from May through July and the winter months mostly dry. Healthwise we were advised to have yellow fever shots and take antimalarial pills. However, as we were staying near the coast in the dry season in practice we were not bothered by mosquitos.
Over the week we were staying in lodges situated in the mangroves about an hour’s drive from Banjul Airport. The flight from London took 6 hours and passed over the Sahara, which leaves you with a profound impression of what a barrier it is for birds to cross. Except for 2 days when we went out on bus trips, we would go out twice each day by canoe through the mangroves to where we would go for a walk through the Gambian bush and fields. The morning trip would be followed by a late breakfast after which we had a midday rest in the heat of the day (which reached 40 degrees some days!) and then go out again in late afternoon. The lodges are surrounded by what is locally called a Community Forest, where locals graze cattle and grow Cashew nut trees.
Even though we were only there for a week and did not travel far I still came back with a trip list of 160 species including 132 lifers. These included 5 species of Kingfisher, 4 Bee-eaters, 3 Rollers, 4 Owls, 7 Sunbirds, and no less than 12 species of Heron. Owing to the time of year we did not see any of the many British birds that winter in The Gambia other than Osprey and Whimbrel, but a trip in December or January would turn up many more.
Habitats we explored during the week included the farmland, one of the few remnant forests in the area, the coast including a visit to a very busy fish market (dried fish is a major staple), and the mangroves themselves. The original vegetation of the region would be a bushy savannah with scattered trees away from the water, mangroves along the river and at the river mouth, and some richer seasonal dry forest. Even a hundred years ago there would have been the full complement of African megafauna, including Giraffes, Black Rhinos, Lions, and Spotted Hyaenas, but today all of that has gone – even jackals – and saw only a few mammals. Vervet monkeys were very visible on the lodge grounds, Guinea Baboons and Patas Monkeys were in the surrounding forest, and we managed a brief glimpse of Temmincks’ Red Colobus on a day trip. There were also Epauletted Fruit Bats roosting in the thatched shelter over our meal table. Birdlife though is still very rich.
Epauletted Fruit Bat
Vervet Monkey
Starting from the lodge grounds water sprinklers provided bathing opportunities for many sunbirds. I had not realized how hyperactive they are and how hard to identify – females are very similar and they move around in mixed-species flocks. Collared, Scarlet-chested, Pygmy, and Superb Sunbirds were all seen, but I only managed to get a photo of the dullest colored of them all, the Mouse-Brown Sunbird.
Mouse-Brown Sunbird
The pool and a dripping freshwater tank attracted many species to drink and bathe. Village and Olive-naped Weavers, Red-Billed Firefinch, Red-Cheeked Cordon Bleu Waxbill, and Bronze Mannikins were all commonly seen. Fanti Saw-wing (a swallow) bathed in the pool. The water tank was a magnet for many more forest-loving birds, especially the African Paradise Flycatcher. African Palm Swifts were nesting in the loose leaves in the crown of a palm tree.
Red-Billed Firefinch
African Paradise Flycatcher
Larger forest birds all seen on or around the lodge grounds were African Pied, African Grey, and Western Red-billed Hornbills. We saw three species of Turaco, of which the most commonly seen were Western Plantain-eaters. Violet Turaco was seen on a few occasions and once Guinea Turaco.
Western Plantain-Eater
African Grey Hornbill
Herons were very obvious along the river. Western Reef Herons fed in the mud beside the lodge at low tide, and canoe trips yielded Goliath Heron. Black-headed Heron was seen on a bus trip feeding in a dry field and once we saw a Black Heron fishing.
Goliath Heron
Black-headed Heron
The commonest kingfishers we saw were Pied, Blue-breasted, and Giant, but we also managed brief views of Malachite and Striped Kingfishers.
Pied Kingfisher
Some of the most colorful birds in the world are Bee-eaters, and we saw four of the potential five for the area. The most often seen were Little and White-Fronted Bee-eaters, but we also caught up with Swallow-Tailed and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters. The fifth potential species, the European Bee-eater, had already departed north for its summer breeding grounds. The commonest Roller we found was Blue-bellied Roller, but we also saw several Abyssinian and Purple Rollers.
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater
Blue-bellied Roller
Owls are usually hard to find, but with the aid of local information, we found four species. Pearl-Spotted Owlets are an African cousin of the Eurasian Pygmy Owl, and a pair of Northern White-Faced Owls were found roosting in the forest near the lodges. A day trip to a reserve with mature trees meant we located Wood Owl and Verreaux’ Eagle Owl and good views were obtained for all. Diurnal birds of prey included Yellow-billed Kites, Palm-nut Vultures, and frequent sightings of Hooded vultures, as well as Red-necked Falcons and Lizard Buzzards.
Pearl-spotted Owlet
Hooded Vulture
Shorebirds and waterfowl were not as numerous as they would be in the winter, but Spur-winged Lapwing, Senegal Thicknee, and Whimbrel were seen most days, and several Hamerkop, Pink-backed Pelican, African Darter, and African Jacana were also seen. Once a flock of White-faced Whistling Duck flew over on their way to roost.
Senegal Thicknee
African Jacana
Pink-backed Pelican
Other than these a diverse selection of small birds could also be seen. Starlings included Violet-backed and Long-Tailed Glossy Starlings, thrushes included African Thrush and both White-crowned and Snowy-crowned Robin Chats, and we also saw Namaqua Dove, Mourning Dove, Klaas’s Cuckoo and (very briefly) Senegal Coucal. A trip to a fish market on the coast yielded Grey-Hooded Gulls, Slender-billed Gulls, and West African Crested Terns among many others.
In all, a very productive week in a beautiful country with a very rich avifauna and a good place to start African birding.
Cover photo: Village Weaver
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