Senegal Birds of the Sahel and Saloum Delta Senegal is one of West Africa’s most stable countries with a heavy French influence dating back to colonial days. The coastline has several wetlands of international importance which are protected in the form of national parks. The north of the country has a wide belt of Sahel holding several species which prefer sub-desert habitats while the south is primarily savannah dotted with stands of acacia trees and secondary forest. We visit Djoudj National Park which is a wetland where Palearctic migrants winter in their thousands. The range of bird species in this little known country is impressive; Arabian and Savile’s Bustards, Little Grey Woodpecker, Sennar Penduline Tit, Fulvous Babbler and Cricket Warbler all being found regularly on recent tours. ■ Birdwatching Breaks has operated several tours to Senegal since the 1990s and is pleased to offer these unique birding tours at a peak time for birdlife. Day 1: Fly to Dakar and transfer to Popenguine for an overnight stay. Dates Sunday February 27th – Friday Days 2-4: Dawn visit to the coastal scrub March 11th 2022 reserve of Popenguine where we should Leader: Mark Finn and Ass Ndiaye find Blue Rock Thrush, European Crag Group Size: 8 Martin, White-rumped Swift and on the Birds:230-260 cliffs Gosling’s Buntings. Yellow-billed Kite is abundant in the region and on our jour- ney northwards birds of prey can be Fish Eagle, Malachite and Pied Kingfishers numerous and include Lappet-faced, African Jacana, Winding Cisticola, Ruppell’s, Hooded and White-backed Abyssinian Roller and Senegal Coucal. A Vultures. Near St Louis itself, we should thorn forest regularly has roosting Long- find Red-necked Falcons in roadside palm tailed Nightjars. The drier ground is home trees. For the next few days we are based to Senegal Thick-knee, Black-billed Wood at Ranch de Bango and Richard Toll from Dove, Little Bee-eater and Northern Grey- where we explore sub-Saharan Senegal. headed Sparrow. The grounds of the ranch offer excellent birding with regularly seen species – Marigot One: This is, in effect, a private- Western Red-billed Hornbill, Grey-headed ly run nature reserve. Our main interest Kingfisher, Grey Woodpecker, Blue-naped here is in locating the internationally scarce Mousebird, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Red- Savile’s Bustard. Other sub-Saharan birds billed Firefinch, Beautiful and Scarlet- present include Marsh, Montagu’s and, chested Sunbirds, African Silverbill, Sudan occasionally, Pallid Harriers, Barbary Golden Sparrow and Long-tailed Glossy Falcon, Cream-coloured and Temminck’s Starlings. Wintering Palearctic migrants are Coursers, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, common and include Iberian Chiffchaff, and Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark. A lake Melodious, Subalpine and Western attracts shorebirds and many species of Olivaceous Warblers, Common Redstart, heron, including Black Heron. A stop at Red-throated and Tree Pipits. Our base, dusk may give us Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, a adjacent to the Senegal River, is a haven local resident. for waterbirds – Long-tailed Cormorant, Squacco and Purple Herons, Purple Marigot Two and Three: We spend a Swamphen, Spur-winged Lapwing, African day in this area and typical species include ☎ 01381 610495 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com 49 Senegal Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters Photo: Simon Papps Northern Anteater-chat, Black and Rufous- Wryneck. We take a boat safari into one of tailed Scrub Robins, Senegal Batis, Long- nature’s wonders. Our boat takes us along tailed and Chestnut-bellied Starlings, a branch of the Senegal River, which is Green Woodhoopoe and Blue-naped alive with birds, to a colony of Great White Mousebird. If cattle are present, we may Pelicans. This area usually holds large find Yellow-billed Oxpeckers. Patches of numbers of ducks and herons. Seasonal acacia trees are home to specialised lakes in Djoudj attract Western Marsh Sahelian birds – Cricket Warbler, Sennar Harriers and Striated Heron, kingfishers, Penduline Tit and Little Grey Woodpecker. Black Crake, and Yellow-billed Stork. Other Other birds may include Great, highlights include Black-crowned Night Intermediate and Little Egrets, Sacred and Heron, White-faced and Fulvous Whistling- Glossy Ibis, Common Snipe, Ruff, Black- ducks, Western Osprey, Caspian, Gull- tailed Godwit, Black Crake and Collared billed, Black and Whiskered Terns and the Pratincole. range-restricted River Prinia. Lac de Kahr and Grand Lac hold Greater and, some- Djoudj National Park: Djoudj National times, Lesser Flamingos. Grand Lac also Park is the third most important wetland in holds substantial numbers of Garganey the world. En route we travel through aca- with lesser numbers of Eurasian Teal, cia forest looking for Striped Kingfisher, Northern Shoveler and Northern Pintail. Vieillot’s Barbet, and Desert Wheatear Isolated trees on the surrounding desert whilst a reed-fringed pool attracts Greater landscape provide hunting perches for Painted Snipe and waders. Patches of migrant Peregrine and Lanner Falcons. The woodland attract many interesting species park has what is possibly the only protect- – Speckled Pigeon, Northern Crombec, ed area for Arabian Bustard, a species Village Indigobird, Yellow-backed, Village under constant threat from hunting and, in and Little Weavers and wintering Eurasian this area of Africa, greatly endangered. On 50 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com ☎ 01381 610495 Senegal the return to Ranch de Bango, roadside Verde and Scopoli’s Shearwaters, the lagoons may hold Eurasian and African uncommon Baroli’s Shearwater, Pomarine, Spoonbills, Spur-winged and Egyptian Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas, a wide range Geese, and shorebirds including Avocet, of terns comprising of Caspian, African Marsh Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint and Royal, Common, Arctic, Roseate, Little and Black-winged Stilt. Sandwich the latter being quite common. Other possibilities include Grey Phalarope Days 5-6: Richard Toll and Podor: A and rarer species – Bulwer’s Petrel, new road running east towards the town of Leach’s, Wilson’s and Madeiran Storm Richard Toll allows us to explore the exten- Petrels, South Polar Skua and Sabine’s sive Senegal River floodplain and the Gull. Nights in Popenguine Sahelian environment. Among the many birds that we may encounter here are Day 9: This morning we travel south to visit African Pygmy Goose, Black-shouldered birding areas near the coastal city of Mbour Kite, Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, (or take the boat trip if weather conditions Wahlberg’s, Short-toed and Booted have been poor). Habitats include several Eagles, Kittlitz’s Plover, Common Quail, patches of acacia scrub which are attrac- African Reed Warbler, Short-eared Owl, tive to migrants from Europe and may Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, Kordofan include Bluethroat, Spotted and Pied and Singing Bush Larks, African Flycatchers and Iberian Chiffchaff. Several Quailfinch, Desert Cisticola, Grey-backed small ponds dot the landscape which Eremomela and, occasionally, Hoopoe attract a wide range of waterbirds including Lark. This is also a known area for Arabian numerous ducks and waders. and, in some years, Denham’s Bustard. To the east of Richard Toll and towards the Days 10-12: Today we head to Saloum settlement of Podor several species occur National Park, an extensive region of which are hard too see elsewhere in the forests and mangrove swamps. As we country. The dry grasslands with scattered approach our hotel, we expect to find Black bushes are reliable for Cricket Warblers Woodhoopoe, Fork-tailed Drongo, Fine- and the shy Fulvous Babbler. The habitats spotted Woodpecker, African and Bruce’s around Podor offer us the chance to Green Pigeons. On one morning, depend- observe the rarely seen Golden Nightjar, ing on tide times, a boat trip takes us Little Grey Woodpecker and wintering through mangrove swamps to visit isolated Cream-coloured Coursers. Nights in Podor sandbars. The hotel quay sometimes has Blue-breasted Kingfisher and Goliath Days 7-8: Today we travel south towards Heron. Shorebirds are numerous and the capital city of Dakar. There are several include White-fronted, Kentish, Common birding locations along the way including and Little Ringed Plovers, Curlew Technopole which is a failed shopping Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew, Eurasian complex with lakes and reedbeds. Careful Oystercatcher and Greenshank. On previ- scanning of the grass islands and shallow ous visits, we have observed White-crested pools may produce a variety of gulls includ- Bittern, White-backed Night Heron, Pearl- ing Audouin’s and Mediterranean and spotted Owlet, Shikra, Bronze Mannikin, occasionally stragglers from North America Brown Babbler, Klass’s Cuckoo, Western which has included Franklin’s in recent Grey Plantain-eater, Greater and Lesser years. Waders can be numerous and often Honeyguides, Lavender Waxbill and Brown reveal the presence of rarer species which Sunbird. An afternoon visit is planned to a in recent years have included Buff-breast- forested area where birds of prey abound. ed Sandpiper and American Golden We may find Grasshopper Buzzard, Brown Plover. On Day 8 we take a pelagic trip off and Baudouin’s Snake Eagles, Short-toed Dakar where the deep cool waters of the Eagle, Grey Kestrel, African Hobby and North Atlantic attract a variety of species. In Palm-nut Vulture. Open areas attract the right weather conditions we should European, Blue-cheeked and, occasional- encounter Red-billed Tropicbird, Cape ly, Little Green and Northern Carmine Bee- ☎ 01381 610495 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com 51 Senegal Savile’s Bustard Photo: Roger Ridley eaters. On one evening, we visit a huge Prices raptor roost site which holds hundreds of African Swallow-tailed Kites, Lesser Ground Price: £2,595 (provisional) Kestrels and possibly three species of har- Single room: £250 riers – Marsh, Montagu’s and Pallid. Deposit: £250 *Air Fare: £700 Day 13: Today we return to Popenguine and visit a series of wetland lagoons adja- This tour is fully inclusive of cent to the coast where it is possible to find accommodation and meals, wintering Audouin’s and Mediterranean transport, park entrance fees and Gulls and, in recent years, Franklin’s Gulls permits, guidance, tips and taxes.