Bearded Beaut

Cheeky fella.

Blog Update.

Been a while since my last post so here are few more photo's from Gambia 2012.

Surf n Sewage.

                                                 Whimbrel walking in the morning surf.

 Black-Winged Stilts at Kotu sewage pits.

Lunchtime Lifers.

We decided to take lunch at a waterhole that Modou Colley knew. The midday sun was blazing so i found a shaded spot and opened my tin off sardines and placed them in the fresh baked Loaf of bread i had bought at the previous village market. Such a simple lunch that turned into one of my most enjoyable lunches i have ever had.

 

The first visitor to get a drink was this Exclamatory Paradise Whydah

 

The very abundant Red-Billed Quelea kept dropping down at the water hole to drink.
 



 

This pair of Cut-Throat Finch was my third bonus sighting when they briefly perched on this dead tree.

 

The Cinnamon Bunting was the bird i really wanted to photograph just a shame i only got a record shot.

 

Roadside Raptors.

 This Brown Snake Eagle was perched on a roadside bush near the village of Patchang.

 

 

And then this Grasshopper Buzzard was my second roadside bush culprit as we drove along the north bank road this time in the village of Maka

 

 

Stinging Bee-eaters.





The telegraph wires along The Bund road, Gambia were alive with Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters.

The only downside to this site is the thick cloud of red sand that is whipped up by the pasing lorries.

     Once again my faithful hat and bandana helped save the day by covering my face and head from the stinging sand as it flew about.

Rhino and Rollers & oxpeckers.

Above is the  Abyssinian Roller and below the Broad-billed Roller

both seen around the education and cafe area at the Fathala Game Reserve.

 

Rhino and Waterhogs.

Below the Rhino getting a little to close. 

 

 

Yellow-billed Oxpeckers hitching a ride on this Roan Antelope.

 Made a day trip to the Fathala Game Reserve, Senegal. I didn't bother taking my scope just the camera with a 300mm lens and my binoculars as i knew we would be in the jeep and wouldn't have room for the tripod. The ranger found this rhino which decide to get a little to close for comfort, i was surprised how fast it could move in a short time.

                http://www.gambia.co.uk/Docs/Gambia-Holidays/Excursions/Circle-Of-Life.aspx

Big Catch.

The main reason any birdwatcher visiting Abuko narture reserve is to hopefully see the Worlds largest Member of
the Kingfisher family the "Giant Kingfisher".

Approx the same size as a Dove, this  rather large beauty graced me with her presence
for a few seonds on my visit.

 

 

 

 

Kite flying

 

 

 

 

Kites are a very common raptor in The Gambia and on landing at Banjul international Airport it was the first bird i saw from my plane seat . The difference between the Black kite and the Yellow-billed kite is the bill colours

 

Herons umbrellas and Egrets.

                             Above is a Black Heron showing its bright orange feet the picture
                             below shows it feeding amongst the pelicans under the umbrella
                             that it makes with its wings.

                                   

Cattle Egret above and Great Egrets below feeding with a Woolly-necked stork.

 

Western reef heron above.  

Black headed Heron sitting on a tree top and below the Black-crowned night Heron.

preening in the shade at Abuko nature reserve Gambia.

Lamin rice fields produced this Striated Heron also known as the Green backed Heron

 early one morning with a African Jacana.

 

As i approached this tree on the north bank road i thought it was covered in blossom

then i realised it was covered with Egrets an unbelievable sight.