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Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus pygerythrus)

GAMBIA

Gambia is a small and poor country in West Africa surrounded by Senegal on all sides except on the Atlantic Coast. Local population is friendly and, for the most part, very helpful.The Gambia River flows through Gambia´s centre and empties itself in the Atlantic Ocean. The rest of the country lies divides along the north and the south banks of the River Gambia.

The banks of the Gambia River are marshy and there are mangrove forests. Mangroves grow with their roots in the water and go against erosian.

The landscape of Gambia is flat and consists of savannah, grass-landscapes with some shrubs and trees. The south of Gambia consists of fertile forests including citrus. It is situated close to the narrow transitional zone between semi-dessert and tropical rain forest.

For birdwatchers Gambia is an ideal country. The photos on this site are made during trips to:

Marakissa River-camp (www.marakissarivercampthegambia.nlthat lies along the River Allahein and where the owners Joop Hermse and his Gambian wife Adama will receive you warmly. Abuko ricefields and Abuko Nature Reserve. Brufut Woods, Kotu Creek, Fajara Golfcourse and in the garden and the surroundings of Bakotu hotel - Kotu beach (www.bakotuhotel.com) where we had a wonderful time. 

Wishing you many viewing pleasure!

Anneray Westerling 

 

During my second trip to Gambia, in 2016,  I stayed again in Bakotu Hotel and I visited also the still unknown places to me, Tanjeh, Tujereng and Faraba. My guide was Yankuba Tamba, a tranquil, professional birdguide who had a good knowledge of the local birds and moreover found still even more using his binoculars. His mobile-number in The Gambia is : (00)22 09954017.

In November 2016 I went back again to have more chances to see the birds in summerplumage and to search for new bird species. With Yankuba I went four days inland, we crossed the Gambia river at Yeli Tenda to end up at Janjanbureh. Along the way several stops during the day but unfortunately mostly hard light and very high temperatures, with the result that most of the photos are not sharp, not as I hoped anyway.

Moses and Moro, two bird guides with base at the Kotu bridge, also have guided me during trips around Kotu, Faraba and Brufut.


New images 2016
African Darter Anhinga rufa
African Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus
African Jacana Actophilornis africanus
African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis
African Thrush Turdus pelios
Beautiful Sunbird Nectarinia pulchella
Black Crake Amourornis flavirostris
Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca
Black-Billed-Wood-Dove Turtur abyssinicus
Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Black-headed Lapwing Vanellus tectus
Black-necked Weaver Ploceus nigricollis
Blackcap Babbler Turdoides reinwardtii
Blue-bellied Roller Coracias cyanogaster
Blue-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon malimbica
Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus
Bronze Mannikin Lonchura cucullata
Bronze-winged Courser Rhinoptilus chalcopterus
Green(Guinea)Turaco Tauraco persa
Brown Babbler Turdoides plebejus
Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Double-spurred Francolin Francolinus bicalcaratus
Fine-spotted Woodpecker Campethera punctuligera
Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima
Goliath Heron Ardea goliath
Great White Egret Egretta alba
Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator
Greater Painted-snipe Rostratula benghalensis
Green Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus
Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola
Grey Woodpecker Dendropicos goertae
Grey-backed Camaroptera Camaroptera brachyura
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus
Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
Little Bee Eater Merops pusillus
Long-tailed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus
Long-tailed Glossy Starling Lamprotornis caudatus
Long-tailed Nightjar Camprimulgus climacurus
Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata
Blue-spotted Wood Dove Turtur afer
Northern Black Flycatcher Malaenornis edolioides
Northern Crombec Sylvietta brachydura
Pearl-spotted Owlet Claucidium perlatum
Piapiac Ptilostomus afer
Pied Crow Corvus albus
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
Pin-tailed Whydah Vidua macroura
Purple Glossy Starling Lamprotornis purpureus
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala
Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus
Red-cheeked Cordon Blue Uraeginthus bengalus
Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata
Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis
Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis
Shikra Accipter badius
Snowy-crowned Robin-chat Cossypha niveicapilla
Speckeld Pigeon Columba guinea
Spur-winged Plover Vanellus spinosus
Splendid Sunbird Nectarinia coccinigaster
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
Striated Heron Butorides striata/tus
Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflavia
Verreaux's Eagle Owl Bubu lacteus
Village Weaver Ploceus cuculattus
Wattled Plover Vanellus senegallus
Western Grey Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator
Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis
Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus
White-billed Buffalo-weaver Bubalornis albirostris
White-crowned Robin-chat Cossypha albicapilla
White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata
Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Yellow-billed Shrike Corvinella corvina
Yellow-crowned Gonolek Laniarius barbarus
Yellow throated Leaflove (Greenbul) Chlorocichla flavicollis
Rufous-crowned Roller Coracias naevia
Vinaceous Dove Streptopelia vinacea
Hamerkop Scopus umbretta
Common Redshank Tringa totanus
Abbysinian Roller Coracias abyssiniica
African Harrier Hawk Polyboroides typus
African Pygmy Kingfisher Ceyx picta
African Scops Owl Otus senegalensis
Bearded Barbett Lybius dubius
Black-faced Firefinch Lagonosticta lavarta
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
Black-winged Red Bishop Euplectes hordaecens
Black-cap Sylvia atricapilla
Brown-backed Woodpecker Picoides obsoletus
Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucephala
Dark Chanting Goshawk Melierax metabates
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia
Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis
Golden-tailed Woodpecker Campethera abingoni
Grey-headed Sparrow Passer griseus
Greyish Eagle Owl Bubo cinerascens
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus
Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia
Lavender Waxbill Estrilda caerulescens
Lesser Honeyguide Indicator minor
Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis
Namaqua Dove Oena capensis
Northern Red Bishop Euplectes fraciscanus
Orange-cheeked Waxbill Estrilda melpoda
Pied-winged Swallow Hirundo leucosoma
Red-bellied Firefinch Terpsiphone rufiventer
Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea
Senegal Parrot Poicephalus senegalensis
Spotted Honeyguide Indicator maculatas
Royal Tern Sterna maxima
Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti
Swallow-tailed Bee-aeter Merops hirundineus
Western Bluebill Spermophaga haematina
Yellow-fronted Canary Serinus mozambicus
Violet Turaco Musophaga violacea
Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala
African Green Pigeon Treron calva
African (Vitelline) Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus
African Wood Owl Strix woodfordii
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegala
Black-rumped Waxbill Estrilda troglodytes
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus
Common Wattle-eye Platysteira cyanea
Crested Lark Galerida cristata
Egyptian Plover Pluvianus eagyptius
Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
Garden Warbler Sylvia borin
Grasshopper Buzzard Batastur rufipennis
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Green-headed Sunbird Nectarinia verticalis
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Grey Krestel Falco ardociaceus
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Hybrid Red-bellied/African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone rufiventer/viridis
Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis
Mouse-brown Sunbird Anthreptes gabonicus
Northern Anteater Chat Myrmecocichla arthiops
Northern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicus
Oriole Warbler Hypergerus atriceps
Palm-nut Vulture Gypohierax angolensis
Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens
Red-throated Bee-eater Merops bulocki
Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus
Scarlet-chested Sunbird Nectarinia senegalensis
Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus
Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis
Variable Sunbird Cinnyris venustus
White-backed Night Heron Gorsachius leuconotus
White-throated Bee-eater Merops albicollis
Woodland Kingfisher Halcyon senegalensis
Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus
Yellow-backed Weaver Ploceus melanocephalus
Yellow White-eye Zosterops senegalensis
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus chrysoconus
yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius