The Gambia - part 2

My first breakfast on the open-air patio at Badala Park was a little overwhelming, with hornbills and Green Wood-hoopoes flying around, monkeys trying to steal my watermelon, and birds I couldn't even identify.  The above, accompanied by one of the myriads of white butterflies which were absolutely everywhere and seen coming in off the sea in huge swarms, was later confirmed by my guide to be a Bronze-tailed Glossy Starling.  The first morning being taken up by an orientation meeting with our local rep, my guide offered to take me out for a few hours around Kotu in the afternoon, with me adding another 22 species before the 'real' birding began the following day.  I had asked for one half day and three "full days", the first of which saw us spending no less than twelve and a half hours in the field!  We started at Brufut Woods, where I saw my first African Green Pigeons, bright-red Black-winged Bishops, and three species of owls staked out on their daytime roosts.  We then moved to Tanji bird reserve for a beautiful lunch overlooking the ocean before scanning the assembled gulls and terns on the beach, finishing the day at Tujering Woods, where the cute little Brubru was one of my favourites.  I finally got back to the hotel after dark having seen another 48 new species in just one day and was so exhausted that we decided to move my half day forward for me to recover!

 

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl with its ridiculous pink eyelids

The Gambia - part 1

This time last month I was in The Gambia!  Seeing as I'd not been outside of Europe this year, I decided to treat myself to a short trip to somewhere I'd always wanted to go, easily combining a cheap package holiday with several days with one of the many local birding guides.

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

BButterfly advent Day 24

And finally, the butterfly holy grail - the one and only Purple Emperor I have ever seen.  Amazingly, I saw this in exactly the same spot as yesterday's Lesser Purple Emperor, although there was a three-year gap between the two observations.
I wish you all a very Merry Xmas and a birdy and butterfly-ful 2016!

BButterfly advent Day 23

Another species I saw for the first time this year was this magnificent Lesser Purple Emperor in the forest between Torgny and Virton.

BButterfly advent Day 22

The second species was Marbled Fritillary, a recent coloniser from southern Europe.  Once again, the underwing pattern is crucial in distinguishing this species from the slightly commoner Lesser Marbled Fritillary.

The mayor of Iceland

I was in Amsterdam over the weekend and twitched this second-winter Iceland Gull on a city lake.  The Dutch name translates as little mayor, due to its similarity with Glaucous Gull or 'big mayor', which itself got its name from early seafarers who named it after its stately posture and dominant behaviour towards other gulls.  Appropriately enough, my first Iceland Gulls were in Iceland ten year's ago and this is only the fourth one I've seen since then.  As for my balcony list, currently standing at 39 species since I moved in, the only recent addition was a couple of hunting Peregrines.

BButterfly advent Day 21

This summer, I added two species of fritillaries to my Belgian butterfly list.  This Bog Fritillary was at a nature reserve in Belgian Luxembourg and can be identified by the line of pale-centered rings on the underwing.