BIRDING AFRICA THE AFRICA SPECIALISTS Comprehensive Ghana Tour Leaflet 2021 © Tasso Leventis © Tasso Yellow-headed Picathartes 5 - 22 January 2021 Ghana 2021 Brown Nightjar BIRDING Tour leader: Michael Mills AFRICA Birding Africa Tour Summary Tour Africa Birding THE AFRICA SPECIALISTS Summary Tour Africa Birding West African forests • Superb lowland forest birding • Two mornings on the famous Kakum Canopy Walkway • Two chances at Yellow-headed Picathartes • Excellent savanna/woodland birding at Mole and Shai Hills • Birding at the most pleasant time of the year Michael's incredible focus, dedication and ability to locate and show Africa's toughest birds is probably unequalled on the continent. He has led dozens of Leventis © Tasso tours across Africa and his experience in locating birds on just the soft est of calls or briefest of views Our comprehensive Ghana tour takes in the best Tour Focus impresses those who travelled with him. birding this stable West African country has to off er, in 18 days. Th e trip has a strong emphasis on Ghana off ers a good list of specials for world listers lowland forest birding, specifi cally endemics of the and a wide array of species and other wildlife for Dates Upper Guinea region such as Buff -throated Sunbird, those with a more general interest. Th is trip has Ghana 2021 5-22 Jan 2021 Fire-bellied Woodpecker, Red-billed Helmetshrike a strong focus on watching birds, but there are and Red-cheeked Wattle-eye. We will visit Kakum opportunities too for some mammal watching National Park with its spectacular canopy walkway, (especially primates) and bird photography. Pro�isional Prices Ankasa Reserve, Nsuta Forest, Bobori Butterfl y Let us know if you have target species or want to © Tasso Leventis © Tasso Sanctuary and Atewa Hills. Right on top of the hit Yellow-headed Picathartes Per person sharing $TBA know more about the species we might encounter. list is the incomparable Yellow-headed Picathartes, Single supplement $TBA A species list will be handed out to you at the start of better seen in Ghana than anywhere else. Other the tour and is available beforehand upon request. Includes all ground costs. tricky forest birds we hope to see include Nkulengu Rail, Brown Nightjar, Blue-moustached Bee-eater Th e tour is timed to coincide with most pleasant and Forest Wood Hoopoe. Moister coastal savannas time (drier and cooler) to travel in Ghana. We don't Book online and thickets at Shai Hills and at Kalakpa will add expect to encounter any rain. Weather will mostly some variety, and two full days will be spent in the be warm and humid. Visit www.birdingafrica.com Guinea woodlands of Mole National Park, with the We will travel in a spacious bus. More details about Deposit ($150) by credit card chance to see White-throated Francolin, Sun Lark, what to expect, how to prepare and what to pack are Email [email protected] Dorst's Cisticola, Forbes's Plover and Standard- © Tasso Leventis © Tasso Rufous-sided Broadbill provided in our Tour Instructions. winged Nightjar, amongst many others. 2 | Comprehensive Ghana 2021 Comprehensive Ghana 2021 | 3 Accommodation and meals International flights INTRODUCTION Accommodation and meals are generally fairly Please plan to fly in to Accra by the night of 5 good by African standards, and vary from lodges January 2021: Departure from Accra is possible any Ghana, straddling the forest and broad-leafed if not seen to everyone's satisfaction previously. and guest houses to rustic bush camps and small time from 21h00 on the night of 22 January. savanna zones of West Africa, offers the easiest The better part of three days will then be spent in hotels. Rooms mostly have private facilities and hot and safest access to the region and its special birds. and around Kakum National Park, including two Please email [email protected] a copy of water. We may need to share ablution facilities on Large numbers of lowland forest reserves dot the mornings on the canopy walkway, where we hope your proposed flight details for approval before the odd occasion. south of the country, and it is here that many of the to see Long-tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, Birding Africa Tour Leaflet Tour Africa Birding paying for your ticket. Upper Guinea specials can be found. Forest birding Brown Nightjar and Sharpe's Apalis, among many Leaflet Tour Africa Birding Meals are Western-style. Please advise if you are is mostly fairly hard work, but we'll inject our bird other forest birds. Ankasa Forest in the far south- vegetarian and what foods you enjoy, so that we can list with some productive savanna birding in the west of the country is our next port of call, and cater for you. Walking east and centre of the country. offers the chance of finding some of the region's trickiest birds, including Yellow-bearded Greenbul, Water is not safe to drink so we supply This tour requires a moderate degree of fitness. Our 18-day itinerary takes in the best that the Rufous-winged Illadopsis, Akun Eagle-Owl and complimentary bottled water in the vehicle. Most walks will be done at a gentle pace, although country has to offer, and aims to find as many White-crested Tiger Heron. From here we'll return there will be a couple of longer outings lasting the regional specialties as possible. better part of a day (Atewa Hills in particular). to Accra, pausing for an overnight stay near Nsuta Group size We start off in the savannas and thickets east Forest for a final morning of lowland forest birding. of Accra, at Shai Hills and Kalakpa. Here Five to nine participants. our main targets will include the likes of Capuchin Babbler, Baumann's Greenbul, Ahanta Francolin, Stone Partridge, Violet Turaco, Blue-bellied Roller, Double-toothed Barbet, Senegal Parrot, Rock-loving Cisticola, Oriole Warbler, White-crowned Cliff Chat and Splendid Sunbird, before visiting the first of two Yellow-headed Picathartes colonies. Our first true forest birding will see us climb into the hills of the Atewa Range, where Blue-moustached Bee-eater is the top target and other specials include a range of Upper Guinea species. From here we'll make the long journey north to Mole National Park, where two full days will allow us to search out many of the savanna specials of the area, possibly including White-throated Francolin, Standard-winged Nightjar, Sun Lark, Rufous Cisticola, Dorst's Cisticola, Senegal Eremomela, Blackcap Babbler, Bronze-tailed Glossy Starling and White-fronted Black Chat, and with a great deal of luck, Red-winged Pytilia, Black-faced Firefinch, West African Seedeater, Emin's Shrike, Yellow Penduline Tit and Rufous-rumped Lark. Moving back south we pause in the Kumasi area to visit Bobiri Butterfly Sanctuary where we hope to find Forest Wood Hoopoe and Black Spinetail, Little Green Woodpecker, Red-billed Helmetshrike, Sabine's Puffback, Copper- tailed Glossy Starling, etc. We also have a second shot at Yellow-headed Picathartes, Tasso Leventis Tasso Rufous-sided Broadbill Akun Eagle-Owl Leventis © Tasso 4 | Comprehensive Ghana 2021 Comprehensive Ghana 2021 | 5 Day 4 (8 Jan): Royal Senchi Resort to Atewa rumped Tinkerbird, Yellow-throated Tinkerbird, DAY-BY-DAY ITINERARY Melancholy Woodpecker, Black-capped Apalis, Having done little forest birding by now we'll start Sharpe's Apalis, White-tailed Alethe, Forest Robin, off in the vicinity of our hotel looking for various Ussher's Flycatcher, Grey-throated Tit-Flycatcher Day 1 (5 Jan): Arrive Accra Highlights may include Double-spurred Francolin, more widespread forest birds. In the afternoon Senegal Coucal, Yellow-throated Longclaw, and Copper-tailed Starling. In the afternoon we'll Welcome to Ghana! From the airport we transfer we'll make our way to our hotel near the base of the Splendid Sunbird, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, make our way west to Kumasi. Overnight in Kumasi. to our hotel for dinner and an overnight stay. Atewa Hills. If time allows we'll do some evening Senegal Batis, Senegal Eremomela, Vieillot’s birding in the farmlands at the base of the Atewa Overnight on the eastern side of Accra. Day 6 (10 Jan): Kumasi to Mole Birding Africa Tour Leaflet Tour Africa Birding Barbet, Bearded Barbet, Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Hills, where Black-throated Coucal and Black- Leaflet Tour Africa Birding Rufous-crowned Roller, Blue-bellied Roller, Oriole bellied Seedcracker are possible. Today is essentially a travel day, as we make our way Day 2 (6 Jan): Accra to Ho via Shai Hills Warbler, Northern Black Flycatcher, Woodchat north into the Guinea woodlands of central Ghana Shrike, Red-necked Buzzard, Long-crested Eagle, Having spent the night on the eastern side of Accra Day 5 (9 Jan): Atewa Hills to Kumasi at Mole National Park. We hope to arrive in time for Grey Kestrel, Stone Partridge, Black-billed Wood we'll escape into the nearby savannas in the early some introductory woodland birding. Overnight Dove, Senegal Parrot, Violet Turaco, Western Grey morning, to commence our birding at Shai Hills. Today we commence our Upper Guinea forest Mole National Park. The moist savannas here hold a good range of Plantain-Eater, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Yellow- birding in earnest in the Atewa Hills. We will push birds and we expect to have a bird-filled morning. throated Longclaw, White-crowned Cliff Chat, on through the farmland at the base of the hills Croaking Cisticola, Northern to get into the proper forest as early as possible, Day 7-8 (11-12 Jan): Mole National Park Crombec, Northern Puffback, watching out for Blue-moustached Bee-eater as We have two full days at Mole National Park where Purple Glossy Starling and Bar- we climb.