Ghana Mega Birding Tour I 27Th November to 18Th December 2018 (22 Days) Trip Report
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Ghana Mega Birding Tour I 27th November to 18th December 2018 (22 days) Trip Report Red-throated Bee-eater by Nigel Redman Tour leaders: Nigel Redman with local guides Victor and Foster Trip Report compiled by Nigel Redman Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ghana Trip Report – RBL Ghana – Mega Birding Tour I 2018 2 Tour Summary Ghana is the jewel in the crown of West African birding. With a wide range of habitats ranging from savanna and bush in the north to lush rainforests in the south, (mostly) good roads and accommodations, and an enviable reputation for safety and friendliness, Ghana is a great country for birding – and it has the best French fries in Africa! Although we saw White-necked Rockfowl well, the bird of the trip was, a little surprisingly, Blue- moustached Bee-eater, although the rockfowl did come second. Other highlights included such gems as Hartlaub’s Duck, Spot-breasted Ibis, White-crested Tiger Heron, Congo Serpent Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Denham’s Bustard, African Finfoot, Nkulengu Rail, Forbes’s and Egyptian Plovers, Rock Pratincole, Great Blue and Violet Turacos, Yellow-throated Cuckoo, Fraser’s and Akun Eagle-Owls, Brown and Standard-winged Nightjars, all four spinetails, five species of rollers, 11 species of kingfishers, 10 species Nkulengu Rail by Roy Zimmerman of bee-eaters, 9 species of hornbills, 13 species of barbets and tinkerbirds, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Blue Cuckooshrike, 20 species of bulbuls, 13 species of swallows including White-bibbed and Pied-winged, all five illadopsises and 19 species of sunbirds, as well as a bunch of cisticolas, starlings, flycatchers, chats, weavers and waxbills. Mammals were well-represented too, with highlights including bathing African Elephants and six species of monkeys. Our tour began in Accra with a leisurely introduction to Ghanaian birds around our hotel, and for some a visit to Achimota Forest, a nearby area of regenerating forest within the city. The first official excursion the following day was to the Shai Hills, north-east of Accra. Here, we found a multitude of birds in a protected habitat of forest, savanna and rocky outcrops. We began with good views of Blackcap Babblers, Brown-throated Wattle- eyes and Senegal Parrots. A pair of White- crowned Cliff Chats showed well, but several Guinea Turacos and a party of White-crested Helmetshrikes gave fleeting views only. A Violet Turaco was more obliging, as were the ubiquitous Western Plantain-eaters. Red- necked Buzzard, Grey Kestrel and Shikra gave good views, as did a couple of Flappet Larks and a pair of Blue-headed Coucals. A walk across the grassland failed to find any bustards, but we did flush a Common Kob by Nigel Redman Buttonquail. By mid-morning, the bird activity had quietened considerably and we moved on to the Volta Dam area. At our first stop, we enjoyed the African Jacanas and Squacco Herons, and a pair of White-bibbed Swallows was a good find. At our lunch stop, the Mangrove Sunbirds played hard to get, but we eventually saw them well. We continued on to Ho, and then to Kalakpa Resource Reserve. Here, we had good views of Blue-bellied Roller, Lizard Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ghana Trip Report – RBL Ghana – Mega Birding Tour I 2018 3 Buzzard and Western Banded Snake Eagle. Inside the forest, a pair of Forest Robins showed moderately well (for such a skulking species), and we improved on our views of Guinea Turaco. As dusk fell, we tried for nightbirds. We only heard Ngulengu Rail and Black-shouldered Nightjar, but we did get to see African Wood Owl and Long-tailed Nightjar. The following morning, we were back at Kalakpa. Before we reached the forest proper, we found some obliging White- shouldered Black Tits and Whistling Cisticolas. Inside the forest, the birding was slow. A Forest Robin showed well, but we spent much time chasing Capuchin Babblers with most people only seeing glimpses. Wattle-eyes were also hard birds to see, but both Red-cheeked and West African were seen reasonably well by most. A Red-chested Goshawk in the canopy was very flighty, barely stopping long enough to give perched views, and Ahanta Francolins were only Lizard Buzzard by Nigel Redman heard. A memorable encounter (in the wrong sense!) with an antswarm prevented us from getting to grips with a pair of Grey-headed Bristlebills. Other species seen during the morning included African Paradise Flycatcher, Yellow-whiskered Greenbul, Grey Longbill, Green Hylia and Yellow-mantled Widowbird. In the afternoon, we visited the coastal Sakumono Lagoon where the birding was much easier! Several Senegal Thick-knees showed really well, as did African Wattled Lapwings, and a good selection of mainly migrant waders – 15 species in total. Perhaps most memorable of the waterbirds were the Black Herons. During our visit, numbers built up to 20 and they were actively feeding in the shallows, shading the water by using their wings as umbrellas. In the bushes, a Levaillant’s Cuckoo showed well, as did Scarlet-chested Sunbird and Wilson’s Indigobird. Late in the afternoon, a big flock of Collared Pratincoles flew overhead, and a flock of White-throated Bee-eaters came in to roost. To our surprise, the latter contained a single Blue-cheeked Bee-eater. This species is a vagrant to Ghana, and was a new bird for both Victor and Long-tailed Nightjar by Nigel Redman Foster. We left Accra early the next morning in order to beat the traffic. It was slow at times, but we reached Winneba Lagoon in good time. The water level was high but we managed a few shorebirds, including Grey Plover and Curlew Sandpiper, as well as Gull-billed Tern and Striated and Western Reef Herons. Firing practice at the adjacent police college forced an early departure. It was already rather hot by the time we got to Winneba Plains. Nevertheless, we still found a few nice birds, including African Hobby, Croaking Cisticola, Guinea Turaco and Yellow-crowned Gonolek. A short roadside stop further west produced a nesting colony of Slender-billed Weavers. We reached Cape Coast for lunch overlooking the Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ghana Trip Report – RBL Ghana – Mega Birding Tour I 2018 4 sea, where we enjoyed a fine buffet while watching Royal Terns and Yellow-billed Kites flying past at regular intervals. The visit to Cape Coast Castle was a truly sobering experience. Our well-informed guide gave us a chilling tour of the dungeons and cells where our ancestors had subjected untold numbers of innocent local people to unimaginable cruelty in the shameful days of the ‘slave trade’. On our way to Kakum, we made a short stop at the Ashanti offices to see some Magpie Mannikins. We arrived at the Rainforest Lodge at Jukwa in the mid- afternoon and, after checking into our rooms, we set off for our first excursion in the Kakum area. We arrived at Abrafo shortly after a rainstorm, and the bird activity in the adjacent farmbush was pretty good. We started with a fine male Black-and-white Shrike-Flycatcher, followed by a trio of tinkerbirds, namely Speckled, Red-rumped and Yellow-throated. Slender-billed Weaver by Roy Zimmerman We also had good views of a Yellow-spotted Barbet, Melancholy Woodpecker, Diederik and Klaas’s Cuckoos, Fanti Saw-wing, Western Oriole, Tit Hylia, Buff-throated and Superb Sunbirds, and an unexpected Preuss’s Cliff Swallow. At the magnificent colony of Village and Vieillot’s Black Weavers, we saw a pair of Bates’s Swifts overhead. At dusk, we tried for a Brown Nightjar, and almost immediately a bird came in and flew through the group at head- height. On the walk back, a couple of pairs of Nkulengu Rails called from nearby thickets, but we were unable to locate them. Our quest for a Fraser’s Eagle-Owl, however, was spectacularly successful, with one bird perching out for as long as we wanted. We had nearly three days to enjoy one of Ghana’s premier sites, Kakum National Park and its environs. Our first day was spent on the famous canopy walkway. Arriving soon after dawn, the conditions were good for birding, with partial cloud and not too much sun, although it became sunnier later. By the end of the morning, we had seen or heard an incredible number of species. Our arrival on the walkway was greeted by a pair of Ussher’s Flycatchers flycatching from the walkway itself, and then three Fraser’s Forest Flycatchers doing the same thing on the next section. An early success was White-crested Hornbill perched out in the open, not too far away. The tree-tops in the mid-distance held a good variety of birds, including Splendid and Chestnut-winged Starlings, African Emerald Cuckoo, Blue-throated Roller, Forest and White-headed Wood Hoopoes, Naked-faced, Hairy-breasted and Yellow- Yellow-billed Barbet by Bengt Rönde billed Barbets, Fire-bellied Woodpecker and Red-headed Malimbe. Several target birds were also seen, including Blue Cuckooshrike, Chestnut- capped Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela and Sabine’s Puffback, but Violet-backed Hyliota and Sharpe’s Apalis were only seen by a few people. A pair of Blue Malkohas put on a magnificent display, and numerous greenbuls included Golden, Honeyguide and Spotted, as well as several plainer species. Rockjumper Birding Tours View more tours to Ghana Trip Report – RBL Ghana – Mega Birding Tour I 2018 5 Sunbirds were also well-represented, the highlights being a group of Fraser’s, Little Green, Superb and Johanna’s. Overhead, we saw Cassin’s Spinetail and another pair of Bates’s Swifts.