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Message: <blockquote data-quote="dandsblair" data-source="post: 3185713" data-attributes="member: 107571">[PLAIN][B]Last visit to Kakum[/B][/PLAIN]Rather than a day by day account I’ll post a bit about Coconut Grove Resort in Elmina later – as the resort would make a good base for someone with a non-birding partner who wanted to do days out at Kakum, Brimso, Brenu beach and at a push with  a long drive a trip to Bokro for the Picathartes but first our trip to Kakum. The morning report gives an idea of what you could get in half day with visiting the nearby trails.Last visit to Kakum – so after a day with just a couple of local walks and relaxing by the pool we were ready for our last proper birdwatch of the trip. We left at 5.15 and were spotting our first bird a Long-tailed Nightjar just outside Kakum an hour later. The information desk and the gate to the walkway were still closed, so while we started up the trails, Appiah was sent off to get the key. Not much to see on the way up as activity was still slow, so we were quickly on the walkway. As we got to the second platform Victor pointed to the left, in the bare tree were some large hornbills but you couldn’t really see them unless you walked halfway across to the final platform, on the tree was 10 Large Hornbills, 3 Brown-Cheeked Hornbill’s - the ones we were really hoping for, 4 Yellow-casqued and 3 Black Casqued Hornbills. I signalled to Sarah to come but she wasn’t up for stopping on the swaying walkway to look, she was happy on the platforms but just wanted to get to a firm footing on the platforms, we tried to get a decent view from all the platforms but the tree just wasn’t visible, then after about 10 minutes the birds took flight but not to a good position, from the first platform you could just about see two of the Brown-cheeked moving around in the canopy and having seen then well earlier I was Ok with that but Sarah never did count this one as she couldn’t be sure she was seeing the right Hornbill. She wasn’t too disappointed as we saw Black-capped and Sharpes Apalis, Blue Cuckoo Shrike, Little Grey, Grey-throated and Fraser’s Forest Flycatcher, Violet-backed Hyliota, Fire-bellied Woodpecker and then finally a Kemp’s Longbill, then some Blue Malkoha, Bristle-nosed, Naked-faced and Yellow-billed Barbet before our only Pallid Swift  of the trip flew over. It was now 9.30 and huge parties of church youth groups started coming through, for the next 45 minutes we saw nothing but having gone and quite resumed we then had Yellow-mantled Weaver, Rosy Bee-eater, Little Green Woodpecker, Red-tailed Greenbul (surely to be split as this subspecies doesn’t have a red-tail – see photo), Grey-headed Bristlebill and finally Sabine’s Puffback. On the way down from the walkway we decided to try to for a day- light view of Rufous-sided Broadbill but although the bird responded to calls it wouldn’t come out for a photo. So last birds were Lemon-bellied Crombec, Copper Sunbird, Green Hylia, Willow Warbler and a Red-chested Swallow.On the way out we settled up the charges for Kakum NP – it is around £13 per person for access to the canopy walkway and trails are £1 per hour for time spent up there. So if you are going twice in a day reckon on £20 per person (100 cedi each)It was then about an hours drive back to Elmina for lunch.</blockquote>

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