Sierra Leone Day 6 06.04.2019

Once I Returned from the park spent far more time being social than birding. Still, a chilled out morning at the house gave me chance to inspect the nearby vegetation for birds, such as Sunbirds and overhead the occasional raptor would pass by.

During the afternoon we headed out to a beach a few miles away. After a couple of swims I decided to explore the nearby vegetation for birds and found a few new species for me; Plain-backed Pipit, African Wattled Lapwing, Orange-cheeked Waxbill and Black-and-white Shrike-Flycatcher. A group of Great Blue Turacos also provided entertainment as they lumbered through the vegetation on the far side of the river.

-Great Blue Turaco

-Plain-backed Pipit

Species List:

University of Makeni, Fatima Campus: Hooded Vulture, Yellow-billed Kite, African Harrier Hawk, Shikra, African Palm Swift, Pied Crow, Splendid Sunbird, Copper Sunbird, Common Bulbul, African Thrush, Bronze Mannikin,

Beach No.1: Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Long-tailed Cormorant, African Jacana, Common Sandpiper, African Wattled Lapwing, Collared Pratincole, Laughing Dove, Red-eyed Dove, Malachite Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Great Blue Turaco, African Palm Swift, Pied Crow, Common Bulbul, Black-and-white Shrike-Flycatcher, Yellow Wagtail, Plain-backed Pipit, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Green Monkey,

Sierra Leone Day 5 05.04.2019

For my last morning in the national park we headed off into the savannah on the farm side of the river. The temperature was extremely hot, and consequently the birding quickly became limited but there were still a number of new species for me such as Yellow-throated Leaflove and Dybowski’s Twinspot. The route took us through a wide range of habitats including wooded savannah, farmland and forest. It was a really nice way to finish off my time at the park before heading back to Makeni during the afternoon.

-Yellow-throated Leaflove

-Lizard

Species List:

Outamba-Kilimi National Park: Double-spurred Francolin, Cattle Egret, Red-necked Buzzard, Long-tailed Cormorant, African Jacana, Common Sandpiper, White-crowned Lapwing, Red-eyed Dove, Vinaceous Dove, Brown-backed Woodpecker, African Pied Hornbill, Blue-throated Roller, Grey-headed Kingfisher, African Palm Swift, African Golden Oriole, Yellow-throated Leaflove, Common Bulbul, Violet-backed Starling, Square-tailed Drongo, Northern Puffback, Tree Pipit, Lesser Striped Swallow, African Paradise Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Grey-backed Cameroptera, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Dybowski’s Twinspot, Yellow-winged Pytilla, Nile Monitor,

Sierra Leone Day 4 04.04.2019

I started my day at first light, knowing this would be my only chance at a full days serious birding and my best shot at finding the Emerald Starling. I headed straight out into the Savannah, which was far more lively than it had been the previous day. I had a number of new species before I struck gold with my number one target.

I had wandered off track through the grassland and had just encountered a new finch species that I was working out when I spotted a starling shaped bird perch up in the tree next to me. Pulse rising, I raised my binoculars to observe my target species perched out in the open. I began to make moves to get on the light side of the bird, when I spotted another individual also perched up but in direct sunlight, the green of the plumage glistening beautiful.

-Emerald Starling

Throughout the morning I birded around the camp; producing species such as African Black Crake, Greater Painted Snipe and another of my target species White-browed Flycatcher. Birding ranged through savannah, forest and along the river bank.

-White-browed Forest Flycatcher

-Green Monkey

-Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike

-Senegal Badis

-Greater Painted Snipe

-Dragonfly sp.

-Butterflies

-African Black Crake

In the evening we went on a river canoe trip to visit a small colony of Hippos that exist a few miles downriver. The Hippos were excellent, with maybe 15 individuals showing very nicely for us. The birdlife along the river was also brilliant, with many Rock Pratincoles being the highlight but also joined by White-faced Bee-eater, Senegal Thick-Knee and Yellow-casqued Hornbill.

-Rock Pratincole

-Senegal Thick-Knee

-African Pied Wagtail

-African Finfoot

-Long-tailed Cormorant

-Hippopotamus 

Species List:

Outamba-Kilimi National Park: Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Cattle Egret, Great White Egret, Striated Heron, Hammerkop, Long-tailed Cormorant, African Harrier-Hawk, Palm Nut Vulture, African Black Crake, African Jacana, African Finfoot, Common Sandpiper, Rock Pratincole, Greater Painted Snipe, White-crowned Lapwing, Senegak Thick-Knee, African Pygmy Kingfisher, Malachite Kingfisher, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Blue-throated Roller, White-faced Bee-eater, African Grey Hornbill, Yellow-Casqued Hornbill, Common Swift, African Palm Swift, Mottled Spinetail, Pied Crow, Black-crowned Tchagra, White-crested Helmetshrike, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, Fanti Saw-Wing, Square-tailed Drongo, Fork-tailed Drongo, Senegal Badis, Emerald Starling, Violet-backed Starling, Common Bulbul, African Pied Wagtail, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, White-browed Forest Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Willow Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Red-breasted Paradise Flycatcher, Red-winged Prinia, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Whistling Cisticola, Green Monkey, Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey, Hippopotamus,

Sierra Leone Day 3 03.04.2019

I had a quick walk around the campus in the morning before I set off to the Outamba-Kilimi National Park in the north of the country. The walk around campus produced nothing new but once again it was nice to familiarise myself with all the species I was seeing on a regular basis.

The travelling up to the park took a good few hours but along the way we saw a handful of nice species including Long-crested Eagle and White-crested Helmetshrike, both adjacent to the side of the road.

-Long-crested Eagle

By the time we arrived at the park it was already mid-afternoon and the sun was at its hottest. Still I ventured out into the savannah to try and track down the nearest thing Sierra Leone has to an endemic; the Emerald Starling. I had no idea if they were present here, but I gave it my best shot. Sadly the days heat had already taken its tole on the parks birdlife but there were still a number of nice new species for me; Blue-throated Roller, African Grey Hornbill and Violet-backed Starling.

-Blue-throated Roller

-African Grey Hornbill

Grey Tit-Flycatcher

-Fork-tailed Drongo

Species List:

University of Makeni, Fatima Campus: Cattle Egret, Red-eyed Dove, Western Plantain-Eater, Blue-backed Kingfisher, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Pied Crow, Fanti Saw-Wing, Common Wattle-eye, Common Bulbul, Pied Flycatcher,

Travelling: Long-crested Eagle, Abyssinian Roller, Senegal Coucal, White-crested Helmetshrike, Western Yellow Wagtail,

Outamba-Kilimi National Park: Hadada Ibis, African Harrier-Hawk, Red-necked Buzzard, Yellow-billed Kite, Palm Nut Vulture, African Jacana, Common Sandpiper, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Tambourine Dove, Blue-throated Roller, Blue-bellied Roller, African Grey Hornbill, African Pied Hornbill, Fork-tailed Drongo, Violet-backed Starling, Common Bulbul, Western Nicator, African Golden Oriole, Northern Puffback, Senegal Badis, Whinchat, Pied Flycatcher, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Red-winged Prinia, Senegal Eremomela, Campbell’s Monkey,

Sierra Leone Day 2 02.04.2019

I spent the day exploring the two campuses of the University of Makeni, where my friend Hannah was working. We started the morning with a tour of Fatima Campus, the main campus where she lived before heading off to Yoni, which was on the outskirts of Makeni.

In both regions there were ample new birds for me, although most are likely common African species. What was really enjoyable was the presence of wintering species more familiar to me on their breeding grounds in Britain. I found both Pied Flycatcher and Wood Warbler in the trees right outside Hannah’s house, feeding among the Splendid Sunbirds. There were also no less than three species of Kingfisher across Fatima campus; Woodland, Grey-headed and Blue-breasted.

-Woodland Kingfisher

-Grey-headed Kingfisher

-Senegal Coucal

-Whistling Cisticola

-Grey-backed Cameroptera

-Common Bulbul

-African Thrush

At Yoni there were fewer birds but we were present later in the day. An African Pied Hornbill that flew over was certainly the highlight, and with help from the local village we were able to get quite close

-African Pied Hornbill

Species List:

University of Makeni, Fatima Campus: Yellow-billed Kite, Shikra, Cattle Egret, Red-eyed Dove, Laughing Dove, Feral Pigeon, African Palm Swift, Woodland Kingfisher, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Senegal Coucal, African Golden Oriole, Western Plantain-Eater, Rock Martin, Fanti Saw-wing, Fork-tailed Drongo, Square-tailed Drongo, Pied Crow, Common Wattle-eye, Northern Puffback, African Thrush, Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red-winged Prinia, Whistling Cisticola, Grey-backed Cameroptera, Bronze Mannikin, Black-necked Weaver,

University of Makeni, Yoni Campus: African Harrier-Hawk, Lizard Buzzard, Woolly-necked Stork, Great White Egret, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Blue-bellied Roller, African Pied Hornbill, Pied Crow,

Sierra Leone Day 1 01.04.2019

Although birding was not my primary reason for visiting the small west African nation of Sierra Leone, I enjoyed an excellent 8 days seeing friends and casually birding, as well as two intense days birding in the Outamba-Kilimi National Park in the north of the country.

My flight was a little late landing, but in the few hours travelling north to Makeni in the centre of the country, where I would be staying, I had a few new birds including crazy views of full wing pendant Standard-winged Nightjars.

Species List:

Travelling: Palm Nut Vulture, Woolly-necked Stork, Standard-winged Nightjar, Pied Crow, Village Weaver, Common Bulbul,

Germany; Black-bellied Dipper

Had a fun little jaunt out from the office to see a Black-bellied Dipper that was wintering on a small stretch of river near a housing estate not far from the centre of Husum. It was my first encounter with this subspecies, pretty cool to be able to study its features. It was present from the moment we arrived, and was always in view despite being a little cautious of our presence.

-Black-bellied Dipper

Species List:

Husum: Black-bellied Dipper,

Germany; Birding around Husum

After six weeks in Brazil it was time to get to working and saving towards my next adventure. Having already been in Germany for a few days Tim and myself decided to have a days birding out and around Husum. My Danish friend Anton from Israel came down across the border and joined us.
We started in a small woodland south of Husum where our main target was Black Woodpecker. Although the birds were very vocal I only saw one as it flew over us, but it was a brilliant flight view. We also had Great-spotted, Middle-spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, as well as two Cranes perched in a field adjacent to the woodland.

-Lesser Spotted Woodpecker

Having got the morning off to an excellent start we then headed to the fields and saltmarsh north of Husum where we were looking for geese. We had over 10000 Barnacle Geese, 3000 White-fronted Geese, 1000 Greylags and a single Bean Goose sp. making for an incredible spectacle with so many birds. It was awesome. A nearby lake produced some common winter wildfowl as well as good numbers of Smew, including some stunning drakes.

-Barnacle & White-fronted Geese

We finished off by exploring the saltmarsh, looking for Shore Larks and Snow Buntings. We found plenty of both, although the birds were not particularly approachable. A flock of Corn Buntings was also nice, as was a flyby Hen Harrier.

-Snow Buntings

Species List:
Wildes Moor: Greylag Goose, Woodpigeon, Common Crane, Common Buzzard, Middle Spotted Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Black Woodpecker, Eurasian Jay, Common Raven, Carrion Crow, Marsh Tit, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Nuthatch, Eurasian Blackbird, Starling, Chaffinch,
Beltringharder Koog: Greylag Goose, White-fronted Goose, Bean Goose, Barnacle Goose, Mute Swan, Shelduck, Northern Shoveler, Gadwall, Wigeon, Mallard, Teal, Pochard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Smew, Eider, Feral Pigeon, Woodpigeon, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Black-headed Gull, Common Gull, Herring Gull, Grey Heron, Great White Egret, Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel, Common Magpie, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark, Shore Lark, Common Starling, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit, Reed Bunting, Snow Bunting, Corn Bunting, House Sparrow,