The Gambia -a remedy for Seasonal Affective Disorder.

[Steve Garvie]

I don’t like November or December here in Scotland. The days are short, the weather is generally dismal and the garden is seemingly devoid of colour and life. Granted the odd Crocus or South African bulb tries to buck the trend but if truth be told my garden and greenhouses can spare me for a week or two at this time of year.

Apart from gardening my other main interest is watching wildlife -especially birds. Admittedly the winter wildfowl flocks in Scotland can be impressive but there is nothing quite like birdwatching in the Sun, especially when it offers a brief respite from a northern Winter.


Sunrise over the mangrove forest at Makasutu, The Gambia

Until about 15 years ago I had barely heard of The Gambia. On the face of it this tiny West African country (the smallest on the continent) has nothing going for it with peanuts being its most valuable export. Indeed The Gambia is barely half the size of Wales, it holds no iconic big game, no grand scenic splendours and no spectacular cultural heritage sites. I would probably still be ignorant of The Gambia had it not been for a work colleague who upon returning from a cheap winter holiday package deal expounded the virtues of the country. He reported a surprising choice in restaurants, hotel accommodation of a good standard and, best of all, a range of colourful birds everywhere. Though having no great interest in birds he and his wife had been persuaded to go out on a couple of birdwatching trips with a local bird guide (in The Gambia, bird guiding services for visiting tourists has become a major “industry”) and saw a range of birds that filled me with envy! We made our first trip to The Gambia shortly after and have since visited on a number of occasions -always during the northern Winter.


Senegal Parrots


The Gambia has a rather bizarre geography (dictated by its colonial past) with an Atlantic coastline extending from the mouth of the river Gambia. The river Gambia splits the country into two and apart from the coastline it is surrounded on all sides by Senegal. Despite its small size and flat topography (the highest point is only 54 metres) it has a surprising range of productive habitats including Mangrove forest, Guinea savannah forest mosaic, seasonal freshwater pools and low intensity cultivations. There are essentially no large dangerous wild animals, the local people are very friendly and violent crime is exceedingly rare making it safe to wander around in search of birds.

Tourism is on the up in The Gambia. The country is only a five and a half hour flight directly south from much of Western Europe and the hotels are of an excellent standard. Package deals are freely available in the UK from Thomas Cook, TUI (Thomson of old) and the Gambia Experience (in my opinion the best company) with flights from three UK airports. I believe that package deals are available in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Spain (with similar deals from France to Senegal).

The images that follow were all taken by me in The Gambia during a number of winter breaks over the last few years (including earlier this month); hopefully they will give an indication of what you can expect to see in terms of wildlife. Sadly I have taken very few images of the plant life which is particularly unfortunate as there are some very impressive trees native to the area including Ebony, Mahogany, Ironwood and Silk Cotton trees. Most of the images were taken on short casual birdwatching trips with a Gambian friend or in the grounds of hotels we have stayed in. Some images were taken on an upcountry trip to Georgetown on MacCarthy Island (Janjanbureh) then on to Basse Santa Su near the eastern border of the country.


White-crested Helmet-shrike


Long-tailed Glossy Starling


African Fish Eagle (Best seen upriver beyond Tendaba)

[Steve Garvie]

The sheer number and range of birds in this tiny country has to be seen to be believed.
In Europe (excluding Turkey east of the Bosphorus) there is only one species of Kingfisher -The Gambia has nine species -ranging from the tiny African Pygmy Kingfisher to the Giant Kingfisher (which, excluding the Kookaburras is the largest Kingfisher in the World).


Giant Kingfisher


African Pygmy Kingfisher


Blue-breasted Kingfisher


Pied Kingfisher


Grey-headed Kingfisher


Whilst staying at Mandina lodges (at the edge of a Mangrove forest) we had four species of kingfishers perch on our lodge balustrade (Giant, Pied, Blue-breasted and Malachite).


This cheeky wee Malachite Kingfisher came to abuse the Wooden cat carving by our lodge (mobile phone image). 

[Steve Garvie]

Bee-eaters are another example of what The Gambia has to offer. Europe has one species, The Gambia has eight!



Northern Carmine Bee-eater


Swallow-tailed Bee-eater


Red-throated Bee-eater


Little Bee-eater


Blue-cheeked Bee-eater


White-throated Bee-eater

[ArnoldT]

Steve:

This was a bit of a mental break from the short days here.  Thank you.

[Gail]

I am always in awe of your plant images Steve, but these are quite astonishing! Thank you for posting.

[Steve Garvie]

Many thanks Arnold and Gail!

[Steve Garvie]

Most of the tourist hotels in The Gambia are along its Atlantic coastline.  There is an area called Kololi where a few of the larger hotels are situated. These hotels have extensive bird-rich gardens with numerous bird species that have become habituated and allow a close approach. Shy, skulking species such as Senegal Coucal and Yellow-crowned Gonolek are easy to see. Manicured lawns attract birds such as Wattled Plover whilst weedy patches under shrubs attract small finches such as Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu. One of the hotels (The Senegambia) has its own resident bird guides, extensive “tropical” gardens and a vulture feeding station where the local Hooded Vultures are fed every day at 11am (I kid you not!).


Senegal Coucal



Yellow-crowned Gonolek



Wattled Plover



Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu (male)



Hooded Vulture

[Steve Garvie]

There is another complex of hotels at a place called Kotu. This area holds a patchwork of different habitats including a mangrove-lined saltwater creek, a paved cycle track (which runs through scrubby woodland, cultivations and coastal palm forest), freshwater ponds and seasonal rice fields, a golf course and a sewage works (no birding holiday is ever complete without a visit to the local sewage works!).  The range and number of birds to be seen in this area is quite astonishing.


Kotu Creek



Kotu Cycle track



Kotu Rice Fields



A fat Scotsman birding on the golfcourse. I got an eagle at the 4th hole (Wahlberg’s Eagle).



Kotu Sewage Works -Holds a range of waders and ducks. (A tanker discharging sewage is just visible in the background. There is no need to go that far back to see the birds!)

[Steve Garvie]

Some of the birds from the Kotu area:


A Moho (Oriole Warbler) in scrub near the Kotu Bridge.




Pied Kingfisher hovering (taken from the bridge at Kotu Creek)



Blue-bellied Roller -common in the African Oil Palm trees along Kotu Cycle Track.



Sacred Ibis feeding in a stagnant pool adjacent to Kotu Rice Fields



Wahlberg’s Eagle overflying the golf course.



Marsh Sandpiper at the sewage works.

[Steve Garvie]

The Gambian tourist season runs from October until April -corresponding with the dry season. Over our Northern Summer The Gambia is very humid with frequent heavy rain. The land becomes very green and lush at this time but unfortunately mosquitoes abound.  Many of the local birds breed in the wet season whilst intra-african migrants also visit. A trip in October will provide the opportunity to see at least 4 species of cuckoo as well as some birds which become very scarce in the dry season such as Woodland Kingfisher.

Perhaps one of the most dramatic changes between breeding and non-breeding plumage is seen in the small sparrow-like Northern Red Bishop. In the dry season these are skulking non-descript wee brown birds but during their breeding season the males are an eye-burning orange-red. Bishops in breeding plumage can occasionally be seen up until about mid-November but are guaranteed in October.



Northern Red Bishop (Non-breeding)



Northern Red Bishop (Breeding male)



Northern Red Bishop (Breeding male)



Levaillant’s Cuckoo



Woodland Kingfisher


Another small drab bird which undergoes a dramatic change in the breeding season is the male Exclamatory Paradise Whydah. On first seeing this bird in flight it is not difficult to appreciate why it was so named!


Exclamatory Paradise Whydah

[shelagh]

Absolutely terrific pictures, thanks Steve.

[ian mcdonald]

It makes our birds look drab. What camera do you use Steve, excellent photos.

[fermi de Sousa]

Hi Steve,
marvelous pics as always!
The variety of birds is extraordinary, the colours amazing, especially the breeding plumage of the Northern Red Bishop.
And the number of kingfishers is mind-boggling,
cheers
fermi

[ArnoldT]

Steve:

Even better today.

Can you give us amateur photogs a overview of what equipment you seem to lugging around Gambia.

Thanks,

[Maggi Young]

I had no idea the birdlife of the Gambia was so rich.  How rewarding to be able to have a break in a warm sunny place with so much beauty to enjoy! Thanks for sharing, Steve!