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Ray Wilson
Bird & Wildlife Photography |
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The Gambia
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Page 2
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19th January - Bijilo Forest Park & Kotu Sewage Ponds
In the morning we took the 10 minute walk south along the beach to Bijilo Forest Park, one of the last natural Rhun Palm stands that remains in The Gambia. |
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Red-billed Hornbill (Tockus erythrorhynchus)
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| Both Red-billed (above) and African Grey Hornbills (below) were seen on several occasions in Bijilo. Both species are mainly insectivorous, but competition between the two species is minimalized by their utilization of different foraging strategies: the Red-billed predominantly forages on the ground; while the African Grey searches the foliage of bushes and trees for it's food. | ||||||
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African Grey Hornbill (Tockus nasutus)
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African Pygmy Kingfisher (Ceyx picta)
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| Despite being so brilliantly coloured, African Pygmy Kingfishers are easily overlooked. Their tiny size and a habit of sitting motionless for long periods of time on low perches less than 1m from the ground in dry scrub makes them suprisingly hard to spot. | ||||||
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| After a quick bite to eat back at the hotel, we took a taxi to Kotu Sewage Ponds and spent the rest of the day there photographing the very approachable shorebirds and herons that were foraging at the margins of the ponds. | ||||||
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Black-winged Stilt (Himantopus himantopus)
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| Bizarrely, Kotu Sewage Ponds are advertised as a general tourist attraction. Personally, I have no idea why anyone who was not interested in birds would ever wish to visit a sewage pond!
If on the other hand you are interested in birds, it is an excellent place for getting close to many species that are normally quite wary, such as Black-winged Stilts and Squacco Herons. |
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Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)
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Spur-winged Plover (Vanellus spinosus)
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Western Grey Plantain-eater (Cranifer piscator)
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| Apart from the exotic species, Kotu Ponds is also an excellent location for getting very close to shorebirds that breed in northern Europe, such as the Common Greenshank and Wood Sandpiper. | ||||||
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Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)
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Common Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)
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All images are copyright Ray Wilson
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