Spain. January 2017

During the early part of January i went to Benidorm for a week with the lads for a booze up holiday staying at the Marina Hotel, during this trip i gave the liver a rest and went on a one days guided birdwatching trip to the high plains of Castilla de la Mancha organised from the UK before i travelled with Valencia Birding.

The afternoon before my planed trip i made my way to the bus station at Benidorm and made the 2 hour trip to Valencia. I found my hotel easily which was next to the main train station unfortunately this is a very busy area combined with all the comings and goings within the hotel i hardly slept all night.

Yanina my bird guide picked me up outside my hotel the next morning and off we go heading for the high plains, as we approach our chosen area we stop to refuel the vehicle i get out and can feel it is bitterly cold. We leave the main road and drive down a track then pull up to the side i see a Black Redstart beside the vehicle. Yanina is scanning around and with her local knowledge has found a distant flock of Great Bustards. During the drive around the plains we encounter many more Great Bustards and enjoy close up views of these birds and also flight views fantastic.

Great Bustards on the Steppes

The tour i have taken with Valencia Birding is called the Steppe and Lagoons tour and is described as having very little walking involved and it was i am glad to say the only walking we did was to visit a village bar to enjoy a warm coffee. It was a bitterly cold day and all birds were spotted from the comfort of the heated vehicle. If only all birdwatching could be so. At an old farmhouse we encounter Corn Buntings and Crested Larks further on we see Little Owls on the low rocky walls. We drive across the plains and come across a flock of Common Cranes who take flight and we get good views. Down another track and we come across Iberian Grey Shrikes, onwards to a lagoon were we find a solitary Red Crested Pochard and a flock of Greater Flamingos looking oddly out of place in this cold environment. New birds also seen are Tree Sparrows and Spotless Starlings

Wearing gloves in Spain!

Yanina was great company a safe driver, accomplished birder and has loads of enthusiasm and it made for a memorable day. Would i take another trip with Valencia Birding?  I certainly would.

Just out of interest we made an emergency stop on the motorway on the way back to Valencia for this bird. Yanina called it out as a Juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle i reckon its a Juvenile Bonelli's Eagle. What do you think?

Below is the trip report from Yanina from Valencia Birding.

https://valenciabirding.com/2017/02/03/guided-bird-watching-trip-to-the-steppe/

Majorca. September 2016

I left my local pub in good time for my night flight from Manchester airport to Majorca, unfortunately British rail had other ideas and there service was late arriving at Manchester airport i let me frustration be known to the train driver who had forgotten his customer service skills and responded with a mouthful of expletives i was not sure who was more stressed at the trains late arrival me or him.

Day 1.
The flight passed and some hours later i landed at Palma de Mallorca around about midnight, the temperature is very pleasant and now all i need to do is wait 6 odd hours for the buses to start operating, around about 6am i take a bus from the airport into Palma de Mallorca  on the journey it becomes clear i have missed my stop and have to back track via a taxi to the bus station. I wait some more time and eventually i am on a bus heading for Alcudia. Upon arrival at Alcudia i alight from the bus at Porto Alcudia and find a guest house called. Hostal Calma which was OK and suited my needs. I head out under the mistaken idea Alcudia is a small fishing village and soon i will be out of town and into good birding territory after walking around for an hour i realise i have made another mistake and chat with a taxi driver about the cost to get to Albufera at just over £10.00 i get in and realise that Alcudia is a huge resort as we travel a long way past rows and rows of tourist hotels.

But i have reached birding heaven Albufera and stare down the long path. Albufera is a huge marsh land popular with birdwatchers, walkers, and cyclist, on the walk to the visitors reception centre i do not see many birds but after the reception area deeper in the marsh new lifers start to appear. Purple Swamphens are feeding in one of the canals a Little Bittern stands motionless in the reeds, and Red Knobbed Coots are swimming around. Cettis Warblers have been calling constantly since i entered the park but getting a good view of one is frustrating. I wander around on the many paths within the reserve it is a lovely relaxing place to be in, bar the mosquitoes that are biting in the day. The combination of the night flight, no sleep and heat is taking its toll on me and i make the long walk back to the main road not so far from the entrance a brown dull bird with large eyes gets my attention a Nightingale.
At the main road it is simplicity itself to travel via public bus back to Porto Alcudia one bus, one road.

                                                          Entrance to Albufera

Alucida is geared up the package holiday crowd and is full of high rise hotels and tourist type restaurants. Porto Alcudia is  the same but looks nicer with its harbour and old town area with many tourist type restaurants and prices to match not really my scene at all.

Day 2.
Up early and out, i grab a fresh bottle of water, and a nice looking salami baguette from a supermarket and take the bus back to Albufera. After the long walk up to the visitors centre i spend a bit of time here but no new birds seen it looks like most of the Summer migrants have departed to Africa. I take a new trial and end up in a bird hide seeing Stone Curlews, Kentish Plovers some still in breeding plumage and Marbled Ducks lazing about. I meet a couple of English birders here and we chat for a while, then i wander off to explore, at a bridge going over one of the canals i am drawn to a strange bird call and meters away below me i see a Moustached Warbler fantastic as this bird is very difficult to see in most of Europe.

                                 Moustatched Warbler seen to the left of this shot

Back at Porto Alcudia i look around for a cheap eating spot or even a bar that does not look expensive, i do not feel like paying over the odds to sit on my own eating a overpriced meal so opt for some cans of beer, bread, tomatoes, a tin of sardines and have a picnic tea back at my hotel.

Day 3.
I am giving the mosquitoes a rest today and heading to the Boquer Valley. Again it is simplicity itself to get here one bus one road all you need to do is stand on the other side of the road from the bus stop to Albufera. Puerto Pollenca is my destination then take the trial up to the finca and beyond. As i am still smoking it is a huff and a puff as well as a sweaty hike to reach the end of the valley and i am shamed when a fit elderly gent runs past me and on into the distance. The reason for all this exertion is to find the Balearic Warbler in the short grasses at the far end of the valley i am joined by one of the English birders i met yesterday but it was not to be no warbler bar Sardinian Warblers seen. On the way down the valley new birds seen are Booted Eagles and Stonechats, in the pine trees on the outskirts of Puerto Pollenca i see a Hoopoe feeding meters away from me. Back at base its more cans of beer and a supermarket style tea.

                                                  Heading up the Boquer Valley

Day 4.
Off to Albufereta today and take the Puerto Pollenca bus i am getting a dab hand at getting around via the bus service now. I alight the bus outside a tourist complex and walk behind it to the marsh area where there is a viewing hide over a pool but no new birds seen and i can not explore further into the marsh area. I head back to the main road and walk up to a side road and get fantastic views of a Cettis Warbler at last. I walk along the side round for a few miles without seeing any new birds bar a few Serin then i turn back towards the main road, on the way back an Alsatian comes charging across a field at me barking and snarling in this kind of situation something inside you takes over its called fight or flight and before i really know what it is i am doing i have charged the Alsatian the Alsatian stops running towards me i stop running at the Alsatian now he is stationary barking at me and i walk away from this confrontation.
In the afternoon i re visit Albufera for the last time no new birds seen but still a great place to wander around.

                                              At the Balearic Warbler stake out 

Day 5.
I am off to the Boquer Valley again today,. As i reach the finca i meet an English birder on his way down who informs me he has seen a Balearic Warbler just past the huge rocks leading up into the valley, as i approach this area i am on high alert and  i see a bird  that could have been a Balearic Warbler but it was to brief a view to identify i have missed my chance, but sometimes that is birdwatching one to come back for as the saying goes. I carry on to the end of the Valley and grill the area ever hopeful but no Balearic Warbler seen, after some hours i return to the huge rocks and at least i am rewarded by great views of Crag Martins. I linger at the huge rock area for a while before i make my way back to Porto Alcudia.

Day 6.
Son Real is the destination today and i take the bus to a place called Can Picafort down the coast, another huge tourist resort. I alight the bus at Can Picafort and now have no idea were i am going so i pop into a hotel and ask them directions and decide to go by taxi as it is not so far away and the price is OK. Son Real is a nature reserve, picnic site and home to some archaeological ruins and i get dropped of at the visitors centre. I head off walking to the coast and first pass some agricultural fields that have some Red Legged Partridge within them then onwards into probably the nicest scenery i visited on Mallorca. Pine trees, heather and gorse scrub land. I come across a hide in the woodland with a small drinking pool from this point i get great views of Crossbills, Cirl Buntngs and a late passage Male Redstart. After a while i wander off through the pine trees down to the sand dunes and low scrub and find a Thekla Lark. Back up in the wooded area near the visitors centre i get 2 new birds in quick succession close up views of a Firecrest in a pine tree then a Tawny Pipit walking around in the sand under the trees. As i have no transport i walk up to the main road maybe a bus will come at some point but whilst waiting i may as well try and hitch a lift and within 5 Min's i am being whisked back to Can Picafort in a hired car with 3 German tourists in it.

                                                    Typical habitat at Son Real.
Day 7.
My last day but i do have a full day as i am on a night flight back to Manchester. I check out of the hostel and leave my bag there to pick up later in the day. At the bus stop i get on a bus heading to Sa Colobra my destination is Lluc a monastery high up in the Tarmuntana mountain range the journey is spectacular as we climb up into the mountains the road is narrow and filled with cyclists. At Lluc the bus departs for So Colobra and will return in 4 hours to pick us up. Most folk making this journey are
doing so to have a look around the monastery for me its maybe a chance to see a vulture. I take a path called the path of the righteous which winds around a hill above the monastery at the top i get a fleeting glimpse of a large bird soaring away from me, later on a Booted Eagle puts on a show. There is not much happening up here so i descend to the monastery then take a side road leading down into a valley at this point a large bird appears in the sky, then another followed by a 3rd. Griffon Vultures  clearly seen then a larger bird appears a Black Vulture and i can easily see the difference between the 2 birds fantastic and a great ending to the trip.

                                          On the path of the righteous......as always


Conclusions.
Not a bad trip i added 23 new species to my life list, would i go again yes but i would go early in the year no later than the spring passage and maybe a bit earlier to track down the Balearic Warbler. Its dead easy to get around via the local buses. Alcudia is a bit of a tourist trap with prices to match but is a good location for the sites mentioned in this report. I found the locals to be good mannered and pleasant with me which was a bonus considering our reputation on the Island.

Gambia. December 2014

The deadly disease Ebola was causing havoc in West Africa. Thomas Cook had slashed the cost of there package holidays to the point that they were giving them away and I booked a weeks holiday staying at the Badala Park Hotel in Kotu on a bed and breakfast basis, with return flights included I paid the princely sum of £260.00

Day 1. Saturday

On a chilly Morning I was up early for my flight out of Manchester to The Gambia we departed on time and would arrive at our destination around mid afternoon . The flight was uneventful bar some turbulence and views of the coastline of Europe and some island's which I presumed were the Canaries, as we approached the runway to land the countryside looked very scenic.

The plane made a smooth landing and buses arrived to take us to the terminal. Upon arrival everyone had there temperature taken by men in white coats before we could pass passport control., a high temperature could be a sign that you have Ebola. At the baggage reclaim area I was expecting total chaos impressions from various trip reports suggest that porters are particularly keen to carry your bags and the area is crawling with taxi touts and begging children I found it well organised and fairly calm with zero hassle.

My research suggested that a taxi from the airport to my hotel would cost me £10.00. A guy at the airport said he would take me to my hotel for the above price the only problem was he was not driving a taxi he was the middleman. I checked the fare with the driver and off we went during the ride he tried to increase the fare by double to  £20.00 as he reckoned it was  £10.00 for him and  £10.00 for the middleman back at the airport I ignored him and looked out the window.

My first impression of semi urban Africa was that it looked like a huge scrap yard hundreds of vehicles in various conditions were parked up at the side of the road.

Soon we arrived at The Badala Park Hotel, my driver shot out of the taxi as he pulled up and dashed round to the boot so he could carry my bags to reception for me. We both starred into an empty boot I travel light and had my sole bag already with me.  I handed him a crisp £10.00 note and shook his hand and made my way to reception.

The guy on reception did not ask my name nor ask to see any paperwork that would say I have paid to stay in the hotel I got the impression that I was the only guest arriving that day. I was shown to a room in B Block which was upstairs and a good choice I reckon, as some other guests on the ground floor were complaining of problems with mosquito's as the week went on. The room was a fair size with a double bed and a few bits of furniture in it and an on suite and also a balcony. I saw some good birds from this vantage point.

                                          

View from my room at the Badala Park

I figured I had about 2 hours of daylight left so I got myself a cold beer by the swimming pool then walked down the path to the back of the hotel were there is a swampy area. Many Cattle Egrets were flying in to roost in the reeds a Black Crake was feeding on the far side and a few African Darters and Long Tailed Cormorants sat on the water. Rose Ringed Parakeets were flying about, some Red Eyed and Laughing Doves fed on the ground near my feet.

I spent an enjoyable hour here then headed back to the pool side bar for some more beer. served by a young Gambian lady called Fatou who informed me she was looking for someone to sponsor her through school. The tailor who had a shop by the pool came over for a chat and to see if I needed any clothes making. Then the chef wandered over to see what I would like to eat so I ordered an omelet and chips which was OK.

Day 2. Sunday
Slept well, and up early for breakfast it's still dark outside so I smoke a few fags on the balcony . A local Gambian walks on the path below me wearing a coat as it does feel cool this early. The breakfast was the same every day but did have enough choices a help yourself style with a chef who would cook you eggs if you fancied.

Various trip reports informed me of bumsters, bird watching guides, beggars, taxi/tour touts, and other locals who would be more than happy to relieve me of my hard earned cash.

So I was expecting to exit the hotel and be engulfed in a sea of people all jostling to get my attention. But no,  during the whole week only one elderly man asked me if I needed a taxi as I left the hotel, and his persistent paid off as I arranged my taxi to the airport through him on my last day.

Kotu Ponds are a very short walk from the Badala Park, on the walk to the ponds I saw a pair of Snowy Crowned Robin Chats and a Grey Hornbill followed by a Red Billed Hornbill. At the ponds many waders were just meters away mostly Greenshanks Black Winged Stilts and Wood Sandpipers. Yellow Billed Kites patrolled the sky. Hooded Vultures picked through the rubbish with Mourning Doves and Pied Crows in attendance. On the pools was a flock of White Faced Whistling Ducks and a few Little Grebes. As I made my way around the pools I was on high alert for bumsters and other undesirables but I did not encounter anyone. Behind the pools is a scrub area with some cultivated fields here I saw Speckled Pigeon, Red Billed Firefinch, Bronze Manakin a Senegal Coucal and a fly over Purple Turaco. I found my way to a building called the Bird Garden and saw a flock of White Billed Buffalo Weaver feeding on the path, at this point I bumped into a young Gambian guy who suggested to me he was a bird guide and produced his business card suggesting so. We chatted for a while and i led the conversation around to a guided trip to the Brufut woods later in the week for a mornings birdwatching his price for his knowledge and expertise in this field was £40.00 i counter offered £20.00 and the deal was done bar him wanting to write down my name, address, facebook account, mobile number etc  the only info i was prepared to give him is to meet at the Badala park on the chosen day at the time agreed on . I bid him farewell and off i go exiting the Bird Garden towards the mangroves my new found friend decides to follow me and i explain to him that i prefer to spot my own birds and have no need of his services at the moment .

Its possible to cross the mangroves from this location via a causeway to the Fajara golf course and i spend some time on the golf cause seeing Long Tailed Glossy Starlings, a flyby Giant Kingfisher a Double Spurred Francolin, Grey Woodpecker and both Beautiful and Splendid Sunbirds. By now it is starting to warm up and i am running out of water so head back over the mangroves and take a track leading to Kotu bridge on the way i see the Julbrew emblem bird the Blue Breasted Kingfisher perched in the mangroves. At Kotu bridge Pied Kingfisher are on the wires a Malachite Kingfisher is perched overlooking the water and a Giant Kingfisher flys in. Western Reef Egrets are wading in the mangroves, Grey Plover, African Wattled Lapwings. Spur Winged Lapwings, Little Ringed Plovers, 
Redhanks and Senegal Thick Knees are feeding in the mud. Kotu bridge is the headquarters for many of the local bird guides and during my time there 5 or 6 of them stroll over for a chat with me  I explain to them i have a bird guide all ready and show them his credentials nobody knows who he is. I head back via the road to the Badala park well satisfied with my first trip out.

                                                           

Kotu Ponds Area

Back at the hotel i have a few beers and relax by the pool but even here i am still on duty and see Broad Billed Rollers hawking for insects over the pool and Sacred Ibisis in the palm trees escaping the intense heat of the middle of the day. Fatou comes over for a chat and what a pleasant young lady she is and as i found out so are most Gambians yes they want to relive you of every penny you have got but at least they try to do it with a smile.

Armed with a full water bottle i head out again taking the same route as i did in the morning to the golf course its about 4pm and still very hot but i am informed the temperature will start to fall soon, in the scrub area behind the pools i see my first Yellow Crowned Gonolek what a superbly coloured bird it is then a noisy gang of Brown Babblers then a perched Yellow Billed Shrike on the golf course there are Swallow Tailed and Little Green Bee Eaters , Senegal Parrots whizzing over and gangs of Common Wood Hoopoes.

As the sun sets i head back to the hotel for a few more beers, later on in the evening i venture out of the hotel but as i noted in the day there is very little in the way of entertainment around the hotel and with so few tourists around the place looks very quiet as is the hotel i opt for another omelet and chips and a few beers by the pool.

Day 3 Monday
Slept well again as i did all week a quick breakfast sat outside in the cool morning air then out of the hotel up to the main road and my first attempt at flagging down a shared yellow taxi. For those of you that are unfamiliar with Gambia's many transport options a few are. Green taxis the most costly. Yellow taxis which are shared on a set route with a fixed price or you can hire one yourself on what is called a town trip. In between Towns there are bush taxis and 7 seaters and also a bus service.

On the walk up to the main road a young Gambian guy wants to shake my hand and find out where it is i am going i do not want to tell him that i am going to the Monkey park my reason being is that he will hold me up and delay me whilst he informs me that he knows the Monkey park like the back of his hand or that i have to have a guide to go around the park or that it is dangerous without a guide or any other reason he can think off so that he comes along as well and earns himself some money for showing me about and then becomes my friend for ever and ever and we go everywhere together for the rest of my holiday
Now i do understand he is only offering his services in the hope of earning a fee and if i had taken him up on his offer i reckon i would have enjoyed his company but its my holiday my way so i shake his hand and tell him i am going to the end of the world he looks puzzled for a brief moment then laughs and we part company.

In the shared yellow taxi i shout out my destination the strip within 10 Min's i am being drop ed off at the end of the strip the fare was peanuts. This is one of the main tourist areas with hotels and many bars and restaurants the entrance and exits are  guarded by soldiers as is the Badala park area. A short walk up the strip then turn left at Sarges, carry on, then down the hill to the Monkey park entrance on the way down the hill i spot some Blackcap Babblers.
Its a 35ds entrance fee into the park and i ignore a few half hearted attempts from guides to show me around. I was expecting some good birding in the park but it was not to be, its a nice area to walk around but the only new birds seen were African Palm Swift and Pied Hornbill i did see the Monkeys though and the rarer red ones in fact i bumped into a huge gang of them on the footpath I'm not certain who was more scared me or them but when i rushed them they scattered.

Back on the strip i pass a restaurant called GTS and note a bloke sitting in there eating what looks like a tasty meal i drop in and order the same a Complete Burger and chips  what a lovely meal served by a very attractive Gambian lady, i head off and walk down to a bar positioned on the junction across from Sarges and have a few beers watching the comings and goings then down to a bar called the Jazz Club and while away the afternoon till it cools down a bit there is no Jazz music playing and if there was i don't think i would stay in this pub but it has got a certain feel to this place a bit rough and ready is my impression i like it.

I take a shared taxi back to the Badala grab my bins and head out to the golf course for a few hours in the scrub behind the ponds new birds seen are Western Grey Plantain Eater, Fork Tailed Drongo, Common Bulbul and Piapiacs, on the golf course a Fine Spotted Woodpecker is a good find and also Blue Cheeked Bee Eaters, back on the road i see an Intermediate Egret and a Black Headed Heron in the rice fields.
Later on in the hotel there was some entertainment laid on by an African drumming band which i enjoyed. Fatou is there and keen to make sure i don't run out of beer.

Day 4. Tuesday

Today is the day for my guided bird trip around the Brufut woods, in the hotel car park waiting for me is my bird guide a green tourist taxi and driver we all shake hands and introduce ourselves but unfortunately as i am writing this blog nearly 4 years after the events i cannot remember there names. Anyway we depart, on the way to the main road everybody i see seems to be tidying up there bit of space sweeping up and making small fires to burn the rubbish. The main highway hardly has a vehicle on it and i note more small fires and smoke rising from all around. I ask my bird guide about what i can see and he explains that it is the once a month cleaning the street morning everyone in the whole country should be at home cleaning  he also informs me if we are stop ed by the police then i should say they are taking me to the doctor as i am unwell as really they should be at home cleaning not going birdwatching.

We park up outside the entrance to the Brufut woods and i am surprised to see the driver pick up a pair of binoculars from inside his taxi. The 3 of us head off into some scrub land for a walk, first new bird spotted by the driver a Yellow Throated Leaflove, then a Northern Black Flycatcher followed by African Green Pigeons then i spot a Cut Throat Finch, driver gets an African Golden Oriole perched in a tree meters away. At the entrance to the woods we admire a flock of Lavender Waxbills whilst we wait for the local bird guide to arrive. My memory has been jogged writing this and Alex the driver goes off for his breakfast at this point.

Me my bird guide and local bird guide enter the Brufut woods and take a trail that will eventually lead to some drinking pots, on the route the local bird guide points out new birds being Grey Backed Camaropteras, Black Headed Lapwings, Black Billed Wood Doves, and the star birds of this area a roosting Northern White Faced Owl and roosting Long Tailed Nightjars the last two being virtually impossible to find without local knowledge. For good measure i spot a Levillants Cuckoo. At the drinking pots Alex reappears and informs me that i should pay the local bird guide for his time with whatever i feel is correct and it should be done from the heart. I hand him some Dalasi and he seems satisfied with the amount.

On the journey back to Badala park i hand my bird guide a £20.00 note for his services and sum up the mornings events, my reason to visit the Brufut woods was to the see the Owl and Nightjars and the local bird guide came up trumps. Alex the driver surprised me with his knowledge of birds and i enjoyed his company, my bird guide never spotted nor named one bird and was clearly out of his depths within the first 20 Min's of the trip but i did not feel cheated by him, we are all capable of learning from our experiences and hopefully he learnt something that morning.

Later in the afternoon i have a walk along the track towards the Palma Rima, behind the Badala is another good spot to view the swampy area and i see Black Herons doing there umbrella style fishing, African Jacanas, Hammerkops and Squacco Herons, along the track new birds are Abyssinian and Blue Bellied Rollers and a flock of Sacred Ibises feeding in the rice fields.  

                                                            B. Block at the Badala

Day 5. Wednesday

Breakfast sorted then up to the main road to flag down a yellow shared taxi to a place called the turntable which is a roundabout some miles past the strip, upon arrival at the turntable. I ask a local Gambian guy which way to Tanji and soon i am sat in a bush taxi heading in the right direction, bush taxis are converted mini buses running between all towns as a means of local transport and will stop if they have room when you flag them down, there is no luxury travel in these vehicles and you can expect to be crammed in along with everyone else and make frequent stops along your journey as passengers enter and exit. The journey to Tanji takes about 30 Min's, during the journey a African lady enters the bush taxi who for me was the most beautiful women i saw in Gambia, flawless skin, sexy face, blue eyes, and lovely thick dark hair

I see a road sign saying Tanji nature reserve and shout out to the driver to stop. I have missed the main entrance to the reserve and i am at the far end of the reserve about 2 miles from the village of Tanji. The area i find myself in is coastal scrub and looks birdy so no matter. New birds found in this area are. Cardinal Woodpecker,Variable Sunbird, Northern Crombec, Fanti Saw Wings and Pied Winged Swallows glide about in between the bushes catching insects.
Behind the scrub is the beach and i walk out to an area that has many shorebirds on it and find some cover in the form of small bushes from this point i am able to observe. Caspian Terns, Royal Terns, Grey Headed Gulls and Slender Billed Gulls some still showing there salmon pink breeding plumage, also an Osprey is fishing just offshore.

At this point i get totally mixed up and think the main area of the reserve is past Tanji village and beyond the distant headland i can see, when in fact it is actually just behind me. Whilst walking to the village along the shore i spot a flock of Pink Backed Pelicans soon after i see a huge bird in the sky a Great White Pelican soaring upwards on a thermal. I am joined by a group of boys on bikes at a spot on the beach were we need to cross a stream entering the sea it looks fairly deep and fast flowing i walk out to the foreshore as i reckon the stream will be shallower at this point and the current weaker the boys follow me, i cross first and wait to see they all make it safely to the other side the boys enjoy a look through my binoculars then we part company.

At Tanji village it is a hive of industry many colour full fishing boats are bobbing up and down on the sea others are beached whilst men unload there cargo our are reparing there boats, the smell of fish is strong in the air

On the far side of the village i stride out towards the headland, i decide to take a short cut by heading inland and see some new birds in the form of. Tawny Flanked Prinias and a smart Male Woodchat Shrike. But my attempt is thwarted and i head back to the beach and pass the headland. By now my enthusiasm is flagging somewhat and the heat is intense i stride on to a clump of trees to take shelter from the sun and to rest.

                                      

Tanji beach with the headland in the distance

In the shade of the trees i see a small  tent, then another tent, i have come across a camp which is home to 4 German overlanders who have spent the last 2 years driving around Africa in there truck we chat for a while and i get directions from them that it would be best to turn round and head back to Tanji as this would be the nearest village. As i approach Tanji village i spot a Lizard Buzzard perched on the telephone wires and get excellent views.

                                                           

The Gts Restaurant

From Tanji i take a bush taxi back to the turntable then a shared yellow taxi to the strip and round to the GTS restaurant for another complete burger, chips, and beers. Then pop into the Jazz bar for a few more beers, then back down to the Badala then over to the golf course. New birds seen are Subalpine Warblers and certainly the warbler of the trip a Western Orphean Warbler. At Kotu bridge i get great views of a Yellow Throated Tinkerbird.

Day 6. Thursday
I have a lie in this morning after yesterdays trek at Tanji, a late breakfast followed by a relaxing few hours sat on my balcony at the Badala, during this time i get superb views of a Yellow Throated Leaflove and Bearded Barbet. After a while i go for a walk up to the ponds and come across a flock of Red Cheeked Cordon Bleus feeding in the tall grasses onwards to Kotu bridge were i linger for a while but no new birds seen, the same bird guides wander over for a chat and most are desperate for work as there is hardly a tourist about never mind a birdwatching tourist. The Ebola problem is having a big effect on Gambia's Tourism industry. I head down the road towards the beach and end up in a walled area full of small bars and souvenir shops and get put under a fair bit of pressure to buy a wooden carving of an animal any carving will do just so long as i buy something. As i am walking back to the hotel 3 women are coming my way, one says that i am her tubab and puts her arm around me, i say, i think you would be better of with a local man, her reply was, yes white man jiggy jiggy maybe once a week but African man very strong and jiggy jiggy 3 times every night. Which had all 4 off us in stitches of laughter.

In the afternoon i decide to visit the coastal scrub area at Tanji again, new birds seen were prolonged views of Purple Turaco and a Palm Nut Vulture.

After a few beers beside the pool at the Badala i get a shower put on some clean clothes and venture up to the strip for an evening out. As i am making my way to the GTS restaurant a bumster approaches me and decides that i am not going to get anything to eat but i am going to play pool and buy him some beers and he is fairly insistent that that is what is going to happen, i get annoyed and tell him to fuck off and point in the direction i want him to go he tells me to fuck off and points in the other direction which is fine by me as that is where i am going, i am going to guess this guy all ready had to many beers. At GTS i order a lasagna, chips and beer what a lovely meal it was then i head off to the Jazz bar to watch the comings and goings till about 1am.

Day 7. Friday
Back on duty today as i am going to take a trip to the famous Abuko nature reserve i splash out and take a green tourist taxi to Abuko as it will get me there quickly. All Gambia's national parks cost 35 Dalasi to enter but at Abuko some dubious English business called Eagle Heights has somehow taken over the running of Abuko and now the entrance fee is about £5.00 even if you have no wish to enter Eagle Heights and see caged birds, and i let my feelings be known on Tripadvisor when i returned to the UK. When i returned in 2017 i was glad to note that the entrance fee was 35 Dalasi and that Eagle Heights can carry on there dubious tourist attraction with there own entrance fee.

Abuko has a few different habitats and the one i like the best is the ancient riverine forest which would have covered most of Gambia at one point, as i cross the walkway over the swamp area i spot a Black Crowned Night Heron sleeping in the bushes, in the Darwin hide overlooking the pool i watch a African Harrier Hawk preening in a palm tree, some way past the hide i see both African Paradise and Red Bellied Paradise Flycatchers superb, then a Lesser Honeyguide followed by Common Wattle Eye and African Thrushes at this point i meet another English birder and we chat for a bit. He tells me it is great in Abuko but terrible at his hotel with all the bumsters constantly relieving him of his cash with tales of woe, this guy is staying in the same hotel as me and it is not my experience of the hotel nor the surrounding areas. Upon reflection of this i can only think that if you are amiable, easily led, steer away from confrontation and have trouble saying the word no then you are fair game. We part company and i walk on to see Little Greenbuĺl, Green Turaco and a female Western Bluebill drinking from a small pool deep in the forest. In the more open areas of the forest i see Melodious Warbler, Collared Sunbird and Senegal Eremomelas. I return to the Darwin hide and sit out the heat of the day. Later on i return to the spot were i met the long departed English birder and have prolonged views of a Pied Hornbill and a White Helmutshrike eating a Cricket fantastic.

I reluctantly leave Abuko and now must find my way back to the hotel, i flag down a bush taxi and end up in Serakunda, then take a shared yellow taxi somewhere, at this point i nip into a supermarket and buy a can of Lilt, then another shared yellow taxi to the Badala, the can of Lilt cost more than the 3 taxis combined.

Back at the Badala i meet my English birder mate again and guess what yes he has been stung with the baby milk con. We sit at the bar and chat till late.

Day 8. Saturday
My last day i will be leaving in the afternoon, after breakfast i vacate my room and leave my bag at reception, then a short wander around the Kotu ponds and see my last new bird Little Swift, the binoculars are put away for the last time and i head up to the strip and yes you have guessed it a Complete burger and chips at GTS then to the Jazz bar for beers, what a great holiday it has been and i am reluctant to leave i linger and i linger some more but i must go... I hope to return one day.