My first Gambian birds - Pied Crow and Hooded Vulture
Arriving at the airport, the sky was full of vultures and Pied Crows and I already identified my first lifer, a Long-tailed Glossy Starling, from the bus to the terminal. The second, an African Mourning Dove, then came and drank from a puddle as I waited for the transfer to my accommodation, Badala Park Hotel in Kotu. I'd chosen this rather basic hotel as the grounds were supposed to be good for birds and, once inside my room, I went out on the balcony and immediately saw an African Paradise Flycatcher, one of the (many) birds I most wanted to see!
I then spotted one of the Green Monkeys which would hang around the breakfast area waiting for handouts, before exploring the hotel grounds. New birds followed thick and fast and the swamp behind the hotel provided Black Crake, Malachite Kingfisher and Hadada Ibis, among others. After a while, I bumped into one of the local guides who invited me to tag along with his tour to the famous Kotu bridge, just a couple of minutes' walk from my hotel, where I saw my first Hamerkop, as well as Blue-breasted and Giant Kingfishers and the brightly-coloured Yellow-crowned Gonolek. After just a few hours in The Gambia, I'd already seen 24 new species by the evening, when I met my guide to discuss the next few days.
Western Red-billed Hornbill
