I have pasted and copied my bird report whch may help.
You will probably get a different bird list for your hotel.
The Bijilo Monkey Park is not briliant for birds./
You may want to help the local economy by hiring a bird guide but personally I wouldn't bother.
It was much more fun finding the birds on my own.Only had to pay for the taxis and cheap entrance fees for the reserves.
Have a great holiday!
Gambia 4/4/12-11/4/12
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My first visit to Gambia.It was brilliant and even better than I could have imagined.
The scenery,birds and people were amazing.
Stayed at the Sheraton Brufut Heights from 4/4/12 to 11/4/12.
Wonderful hotel with great all inclusive food and facilities.
The advantage of its location is its proximity to the Tanji Nature reserve and Brufut Forest.Both are within walking distance the hotel.These areas extend for miles to the east and south of the hotel.
In addition the hotel grounds have two wet areas to the north and south of the reception building.Just beyond the immediate grounds there are extensive scrubby areas north and south easily accessed.
The terns, gulls and waders from Tanji could often be seen from the hotel grounds or by walking south along the beach.
We used the green taxis which were conveniently parked in the car parking area.
The drivers and cars were very good and the prices which included at least 2 hours waiting were reasonable.I would definitely recommend them.
I like to find my own birds and armed with the trusty Helm Guide I soon worked out the commoner species and found the less common ones too in the end.
I didn’t use guides.
I hoped to see my 600th life species by the end of the holiday.
The Sheraton
The grounds were full of birds.
The most unusual was the Pygmy Kingfisher and Squacco Heron on the pool near the fitness club.
This area was excellent as I also found a Green Sandpiper there as well as 4 Double Spurred Francolins and a Zitting Cisticola.
The were some Black Headed Plovers and Wattled Plovers in the dry scrubby area just north of the pool as well as a Black Crowned Tchagra and Chiffchaff in the wooded area near the telecommunication mast.
Around the rest of the grounds and in the southern scrubby area I found:
Little Bee-Eater, African Palm Swift, Senegal Coucal,Laughing Dove,Speckled Pigeon,Red Eyed Dove,Hooded Vulture,Palm-Nut Vulture,Black Kite,Black Shouldered Kite,Cattle Egret,Black Headed Heron, Pied Crow,Piapiac,Red Billed Hornbill ,Red Chested Swallow,Common Bulbul,Brown Babbler,Chiffchaff,Copper Sunbird,Variable Sunbird,Beautiful Sunbird,Splendid Sunbird,Yellow Crowned Gonolek,Yellow Billed Shrike,Yellow Billed Oxpecker,Greater Blue Eared Starling,Long Tailed Starling,House Sparrow,Yellow Fronted Canary,Grey Headed Sparrow,Black winged Red Bishop,Village Weaver,Little Weaver,African Silverbill,Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu,Red Billed Firefinch,Bronze Mannikan,Pin Tailed Whydah, and a Blue Bellied Roller.
Either looking out to sea or walking south along the beach I saw Grey Headed Gulls,3 Gannet, 1 Osprey, 2 Peregine Falcon,2 Slender Billed Gull,1 Long Tailed Cormorant,1 Sanderling,1 Bar Tail Godwit,Western Reef Heron,Whimbrel,Grey Plover,several Ringed Plover,Turnstone, and numerous Caspian Terns and Royal Terns.
Tanji Nature Reserve
Wonderful!
The lagoons were full of birds including:
Pied Kingfisher,Little Egret,Western Reef Heron,Grey Heron,Black Headed Heron,Cattle Egret,Spur Winged Plover,Greenshank,Redshank,Sanderling,Common Sandpiper,White Fronted Plover,Ringed Plover,Whimbrel,Caspian Tern,Royal Tern, Long Tailed Cormorant,Lesser Black Backed Gull, and Grey Headed Gull.
The wooded area to the east of the main road was easily accessed from the police checkpoint area just after Ghana Town.I walked from the hotel.
I took an easterly path till I reached a walled area then followed the main sandy track south to a small mosque.
The woods were heaving with birds.All the common ones were seen as well as: African Grey Hornbill,Red Billed Hornbill,Western Grey Plantain Eater, White Shouldered Black Tit,Red Bellied African Paradise Flycatcher,Brubru,Rose Ringed Parakeet,African Thrush,Brown Babbler,Yellow Fronted Tinker Bird,Red Billed Firefinch,Red Cheeked Cordon Bleu,Bronze Mannikan,Yellow Crowned Gonolek, and Black Crowned Tchagra.
Brufut Forest
I wouldn’t attempt to find this place alone!
It was well hidden behind Brufut Village.I walked through the village and eventually found a helpful chap called Moses who led me to the promissed land aka Brufut Forest.
Again a fantastic habitat.All the common species were seen as well as a Lavender Waxbill,Villiage Indigo bird,Western Grey Plant Eater,Green Backed Eromola,Grey Backed Camaroptera,Yellow Crowned Gonolek,Palm Nut Vulture, and my 600th life species – a Blue Spotted Wood Dove.
Abuko Nature Reserve.
I loved this place too.
We asked the taxi driver to drop us off and meet us after 2 hours.This was sufficient time to get around the reserve.Again didn’t bother with a guide.
All the usual suspects seen.
Also spotted;Giant Kingfisher,Osprey,Vinaceous Dove,African Jicana,African Harrier Hawk,Shikra,Violet Turacoa,Green Turacoa,Western Grey Plantain Eater,Wattled Plover,Night Heron,Purple Heron,Black Headed Heron,Western Reef Heron.
There was a good view of a crocodile in the pool and we encountered some monkeys along the way.
Paradise Beach
Probably my favourite area.
The beach just goes on for miles with just a few beach shacks along the way.
The taxi driver dropped us off just north of Sanyang Point.We walked south the fishing centre and the lagoon.
Apart from the usual species there were Hueglin’s Masked Weavers and an African Paradise Flycatcher in some shrubs just south of Sanyang Point.
Along the way to the lagoon we saw a Black Shouldered Kite,African Palm Swift.Whimbrel,Ringed Plover,Bar Tail Godwit,Sanderling,Turnstone and Grey Plover.
The Lagoon was full of birds including,Caspian Tern,Grey Headed Gull,Lesser Black Back Gull,Ringed Plover,Intermediate Egret,Cattle Egret,Black Headed Heron,Whimbrel,Greenshank,Spur Winged Plover, Long Tailed Cormorant,and a Pied Kingfisher
Bijilo Forest Park
Had a taxi trip to see the monkeys.Also spotted some White Crowned Robin Chats as well as a Broad Billed Roller in Kololi
