Senegal - January 2024 - Day 3 - Janjanbureh to Wassadou Camp

Another day, another new country. Despite this being a fairly short trip we had specifically asked to be taken to Senegal. Partly this was because this late in the season Egyptian Plover have essentially moved east and out of The Gambia, but also as we wanted to visit a new country - another list I'm afraid. It would take a full day of driving to get there and back from Janjanbureh, but it would still be worthwhile.

We did a spot of birding before breakfast at the camp, the highlight being an unphotographable Yellow-crowned Gonolek in the tangles of branches at the water's edge, before packing up and heading south-east. Once again lots of stops along the way, with great views of Beaudouin's Snake Eagle, Abyssinian Roller, Senegal Coucal, Yellow-billed Shrikes and much more besides.

Pied Crow

Beaudouin's Snake Eagle

Western Red-billed Hornbill

Yellow-billed Shrike

We crossed the border between Sabi and Velingara at about 11am. Despite there being nothing there there was nonetheless a border office and a lot of paperwork, as well as a passive-aggressive official who did not like my camera being on my shoulder. I don't think I initially understood what he was getting at, the border being nothing more than a chain across the road, but it was his job to make sure that this highly sensitive chain did not get photographed, and was determined to make it clear that this would be huge issue. After a few veiled threats I worked out what it was he was there to say, all very friendly in the sense of "I could make big trouble for you" friendly, and of course once he had buggered off I made sure to take a photo of the border anyway.

Paperwork done and we were free to cross the chain. Hurrah a new country! Within a few miles we had a list of around 20, but with many miles still to go we hoped to improve upon it. The route skirted around the eastern end the Gambia before heading north then south again on larger roads, you can see this on the map here, it's that final bit that looks like two sides of big triangle. We arrived at the Campement de Wassadou at around 3pm, and spent the next two hours exploring the area on foot before our scheduled boat trip in the early evening. We did a short circuit of the camp, but most of the time was spent sat on the bluff overlooking the river and scanning the water and the sky whilst having a nice cold drink and a banana. The undoubted highlights of this river-watch were our first sighting of Egyptian Plover flying downstream low to the water, and then of African Finfoot paddling across the Gambia River, both much-wanted species that are not always guaranteed. The full list is here.

As the day cooled we descended the steps and got into a small boat for a trip along the river looking for improved views of the Egyptian Plover which we hoped would be foraging or resting on one of the numerous sandbanks. As we had seen a bird flying south it made sense to go that way, and in any event you could not travel too far north as the river was clogged. This boat trip was simply brilliant - Adamawa Turtle Dove on the bank, Western Plantain-eaters, two more Finfoot, three species of Lapwing, a Greater Painted Snipe, around 50 Northern Carmine Bee-eaters, five species of Kingfisher including Giant Kingfisher, a Western Banded Snake-Eagle, and finally three Egyptian Plover. Unfortunately the Plover were not seen south of the camp, but a short distance north at the very end of our trip when as a last attempt we swung back past the camp to explore some sandbanks a little further up. There they were, but by this point it was virtually dark. Still, a magnificent experience, and whilst the drive had taken up a decent chunk of the day (it is about a 6-7 hour drive once you factor in numerous birding stops plus the border crossing).

Adamawa Turtle Dove

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Northern Carmine Bee-eater

Giant Kingfisher

Little Bee-eater

Western Banded Snake-Eagle

Egyptian Plover

The Gambia - January 2024 - Day 2 - Tendaba to Janjanbureh

Tendaba Bush Camp is on the south side of the river Gambia, but the more interesting mangrove habitat is on the north side. The highlight of the day, indeed possibly of the trip, was a three hour boat ride that crossed the river and then wound its way through some creeks in a large loop. There are birds everywhere, particularly Herons and Egrets as you would expect, but also Waders, Terns, Gulls, Kingfishers, Raptors, Bee-eaters and Swallows. This was one of highest lists of the entire trip in terms of diversity.

Crossing the Gambia River

African Darter

Goliath Heron

Malachite Kingfisher

Mick and I were not the only passengers in the boat, they managed to load up a few more and then we were off, just before 8am. The river at the point is very wide and it take some time to cross it - all you can initially see on the other side is a wall of green. Gradually though an opening starts to appear, and then you're in, leaving a few Gull-billed Terns and Grey-hooded Gulls behind. There are African Darters and Cormorants everywhere, dripping off every tree. Grey Heron and Western Reef-Heron were very numerous, with Hamerkop, Squacco and Striated close behind, and Purple and Goliath Herons one apiece. As the creek meanders in wide loops northwards, exposed banks hold Yellow-billed and Woolly-necked Storks, as well as more familiar species like Greenshank , Ringed Plover and Common Sandpiper. Every suitable perch has a Kingfisher on it, we notch up over 30 Pied Kingfishers, as well as several Blue-breasted and Malachite Kingfishers, and taller bare trees have flocks of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters resting in them. At one point we got out of the boat and went for a short walk to see an immense Baobab tree and look at a shallow lake that doesn't connect with the creek. In short a brilliant three hours with birds everywhere you looked, even though photography was a bit of a challenge - had we been in our own boat we might perhaps have done better.

Pied Kingfisher

Back at Tendaba we packed up, had an early lunch and then set off east along the south bank road. Our destination was the island of Janjanbureh (until quite recently known as Georgetown), a frequent stop on birding itineraries due to the Bird Safari Camp at the west end of MacCarthy island that operated until about 2012. As this was an afternoon of largely driving, the birding component was rapid stops either when we saw something interesting or when we passed some good habitat. This included a pair of Bearded Barbet and a Dark Chanting-Goshawk near Nema, some good birds included a Long-crested Eagle at Soma Saltmarsh, and once on the north bank, Mottled Spinetail in with African Palm Swift near Sukotto, and at Nheyen Sanjal we found Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark by the side of the road.

Jakau-ur Wetland was rather quiet, but Njauri Reservoir was a lot better with our first Red-throated Bee-eater, a Red-rumped Swallow, and big flocks of finch-like birds including three Sahel Paradise-Whydah with their immense tails.

Sahel Paradise-Whydah

Our final stop before taking the ferry across to the island was Wassu Quarry, recommended due to an active Red-throated Bee-eater colony. This also gave Yankuba a bit of a break as we broke out the cameras and tried for some pictures. Also here were some Sahel Bush Sparrow, big numbers of Black-rumped Waxbill, and also one of our only Northern Grey-headed Sparrow. 

Crossing from the North bank to Janjanbureh

We dumped our stuff at the Baobolong Camp before a dusk drive on the Georgetown Bush Track, just east of the town. The highlight here were a group of four Four-banded Sandgrouse, but the whole place felt really birdy. Back at the camp we discovered that there are some kind of celebrations occuring throughout Janjanbureh, and it is very noisy. 

Four-banded Sandgrouse at dusk

 

The Gambia - January 2024 - Day 1 - Kotu Creek to Tendaba

Black Kites were everywhere

We awoke early, keen as mustard. The hotel is right on the beach at the mouth of Kotu Creek, and before it was light Mick and I were outside the front entrance eagerly scanning the sandbanks whilst waiting for breakfast to start. Senegal Thick-knee and Spur-winged Lapwing I think were the first birds, with a Common Sandpiper soon afterwards identified on flight pattern.

We grabbed some food quickly, by which time Yankuba had arrived, right on time. It was now vaguely light so we proceeded on foot to the bridge over the creek, only a short distance away. There were birds everywhere, a Blue-breasted Kingfisher feeding just meters from us, and a Giant Kingfisher slightly further downstream. Long-tailed Cormorants were drying out on poles, and the sandbars on the inland side of the bridge were covered with Thick-knees, Spur-winged Lapwings, Whimbrel and Greenshank, whilst Western Reef Heron and a Hamerkop were also seen. And that was just close to the water! When we examined the trees either side of the bridge we discovered a Northern Puffback, a Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Broad-billed Rollers, a pair of Little Bee-eaters, Oriole Warblers, Red-cheeked Cordonbleus and Red-billed Firefinches, whilst Wire-tailed Swallows and African Palm Swifts swooped above us. As first-time visitors to this part of the continent it was almost overwhelming. We had barely started and our list was about 50 - I imagine that all trips start here, it is super birdy and a great place to really get into it. The checklist is here. As an aside, this is where you can hire a guide on spec if you have travelled here for a non-birding holiday. On the far side of the bridge is a hut where the Guides all hang out, and you can speak with them and arrange trips.

It was time to go. We retrieved what we needed from our hotel room as we wouldn't be coming back for five days. At this point we were on the south bank of the River Gambia, albeit at this location it bends sharply upwards to the north before exiting into the Atlantic. The entire country is simply the river with some land either side, with one main road on the north bank and another along the south. So we drove south, back past the airport, to reach the place where it bends and we could start driving east along the southern road. Our next stop was the Farasuto Forest, a local reserve where the community has a vested interest in keeping it as a forest. As we arrived there were a paird of Pied Hornbill and a pair of Grey Hornbill in the trees just about the entrance, with Plantain Eaters alongside - these were a very common bird seen almost everywhere. The real prize here is the highly secretive White-backed Night Heron. Even though they know where it is the forest guardians have a hard time picking it up, it is ridiculously hard to spot. Eventually we figured out a way to align about four different gaps through branches in order to see it, but even then you couldn't see all of the bird. Still, it was great to be able to notch this one up, it's one of the top targets in The Gambia. A Palm-nut Vulture was also seen in this area. Returning to the car we drove to a different section of the forest to see a pair of Greyish Eagle Owls at a day roost site. The full list is here.

Our next stop was Pirang Forest, not too far away from Farasuto. Here we were treated to more staked-out Owls - Northern White-faced Owl and Verraux's Eagle Owl. Also here were a Spotted Honeyguide, African Paradise-Flycatcher and Northern Black-Flycatcher. 

It was a slow drive east towards Tendaba. Part of the reason is the roads are not big roads, another reason is that at every village, and sometime even in the middle of nowhere, there are manned roadblocks where you are forced to stop and explain to a soldier or a policeman who you are, what you are doing and where you are going. Yankuba handled most of these exchanges, but occasionally - and mostly this was the soldier version - Mick and I were asked questions. Pointless questions that only served to outline the hierarchy of authority, much like the machine gun. Like whether we liked The Gambia (we loved it), what we thought of the people (delightful, especially the soldiers), what birds we had seen (big ones!). It was all a complete waste of time and whilst individually these often took no more than a minute, longer if you were behind other cars, collectively over the course of the week we must have wasted hours. This is just how it is though, and I expect par for the course over much of Western Africa.

Our final stop was the Kampanti Raptor Bridge. The draw here is small area of swampy ground on the south side of the road, filled with Jacana, Squacco Herons and various other Egrets, whilst the surrounding trees held Lizard Buzzard, Grasshopper Buzzard, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Yellow-billed Shrike and a few different Doves. It had been an excellent day all in all, with close to 100 species seen, mostly very well indeed. We pulled into Tendaba Camp as the light was fading over the river, dumped our stuff and went for a walk by the shore as the sun set. Magical. We could scarely believe we were here.

 

The Gambia - January 2024 - Logistics and Itinerary

  

Logistics

• A seven day trip in the fist week of January to The Gambia with a day in Senegal for a country tick and to try and find Egyptian Plover which at this time of year are much further inland. Mick and I booked a private guide, Modou Colley who is mentioned by Gosney, but who due to some kind of family emergency just before we arrived had subbed in another guide, Yankuba Tamba. Modou has sadly since passed away. He had booked all the accomodation that was needed on our trip up the river, as well as several boat trips, and Yankuba had a rented car as his was out of service. The total price per person for the guiding, vehicle, accomodation, food and boat trips was about £750 each.
• Flights: TUI from Gatwick to Banjul, booked as a package holiday with a hotel on the beach at Kotu Creek that we would use both at the beginning and end of the trip. TUI wasn't bad per se, but it's a no-frills experience - think long-haul Ryanair with everything needing purchasing and a rather minimal hand-baggage allowance (we did not get weighed luckily, though I'd planned for it if necessary). The flight is on a narrow body, takes just over six hours, and left Gatwick mid afternoon. The cost was £760 all in, so including the hotel which came with breakfast.
• Note that to leave the country there is a departure tax to pay, cash only and with absurd FX rates if you wish to pay in foreign currency. It also contributes to horrendous queues. Keep some Dalasi for this, and give yourself extra time before your flight. It was probably the worst part of the trip, and  unfortunately reinforced a lot of African stereotypes.
• Car/Driving: A beaten up 4x4 which did the job, and we only had to fix it once! Progress is slow because of very frequent checkpoints, manned by the Police or the Military. If it was the latter this generally involved aggressive young men in fatigues with big guns. If the former then a series of questions from a guy in a sharp uniform about who we were, where we were going and so on. Mostly Yankuba did the talking, but occasionally we were asked questions by the soldiers, generally about what we thought about The Gambia. The required answer is that it is lovely, particulary the general populace, and especially the soldiers. It was all rather tiresome but this is just how it is.

• Accomodation: Our TUI hotel was the Palm Beach at Kotu Creek, which we used on the first night and the last two nights. Excellent location for birding. Thereafter we stayed in camps of varying quality (basic to very basic) on our way up the river, as detailed in the Itinerary below.

• Literature/Resources
• Books: The Birds of Sengal and The Gambia by Nik Borrow, and Finding Birds in The Gambia by Dave Gosney.
• I printed eBird lists for all the main hotspots that we knew we would likely visit, and downloaded the packs for The Gambia and Senegal.
• Food - Rather a sore point. Whilst evening meals and breakfasts at the hotels and camps were fine, lunch on the go was very disappointing indeed - bananas, bread and water. We felt that the guide was attempting to save (and thus pocket) the money he was getting from the original guide. On the plus side this ensured we did not get ill at any point.

• Connectivity - I used eBird the whole time, pre-loaded with the requisite packs, and then uploaded the checklists via wi-fi each evening, which I think worked almost everywhere we stayed.
• Health - Whilst we were on anti-malarials and had all the required vaccines, I don't remember seeing many mosquitos at all. We were not asked for Yellow Fever certificates on entry to either country.
• Other - we didn't need much of the local currency, Dalasi, other than for a few beers here and there. In The Gambia the plugs are UK ones. In Senegal it's the European two-pin ones.

Itinerary

• Day 0 - We landed in Banjul just after 9pm local time. It takes a while to get through immigration and out of the airport, and Yankuba was there to meet us with a taxi driver. It was about a hour or so in heavy traffic up to Kotu Creek, and Yankuba got out halfway and said he'd see us in the morning, which he duly did.
• Day 1 - Kotu Creek to Tendaba. Early morning birding around Kotu Creek to get the list off to a decent start and then a slow drive to Tendaba, stopping at Farasuto, Pirang, and the Kampanti Raptor Bridge, the former for staked-out Owls. Overnight in Tendaba Camp which is on the south side of the river and right on the water's edge. Tendaba was easily the best of the camps we stayed in.
• Day 2 - An excellent morning boat trip around the mangroves on the north bank of the river before getting on the road and continuing east. We crossed the river at the  new Senegambia Bridge and then drove along the north bank to Janjanbureh. (aka Georgetown). Various stops along the way before arriving at Janjanbureh and taking a short ferry to MacCarthy Island. There was just enough time to bird the Bush Track to the east of town. Overnight at Baobolong Camp, which the most basic camp we stayed in and was extremely noisy all night for good measure.
• Day 3 - A long drive south of the river before crossing the border into Senegal near Velingara. Passports required, all very officious even if the border is just a chain between two oil drums. A long drive up and around before heading south west to Wassadou Camp on the river, which we reached mid-afternoon, followed by a boat trip early evening for the Plover. Overnight at Wassadou Camp.
• Day 4 - Good birding at Wassadou on foot all morning, before heading back to Janjanbureh and Baobolong Camp again, birding all the way. We arrived in time for some night birding on the Bush Track. 
• Day 5 - This morning we birded the western end of MacCarthy island for a while before hitting the road. Then a huge driving day all the way back to Serrekunda and our hotel at Kotu Creek. Birding stops at the Jakhaly Rice Fields, Dalaba Wetland, and Worokang for Temminck's Courser.
• Day 6 - Kotu Creek nature trail instead of a boat trip as the tide was stuck in the creek due to a sandbar. In the afternoon we tried again but there was no change so we birded the general area on foot again, and early evening we went to Tanji Beach, scene of a chaotic and vibrant fish market to try for seabirds.
• Day 7 - Kotu Creek and Brufut Woods in the morning, followed by Tujereng and Marakissa in the afternoon. Then back to the airport for an evening flight home, arriving at Gatwick at 4am the next day.