Senegal Pelagic birding and Birds of the Sahel Senegal is one of West Africa’s most stable countries with a heavy French influence dating back to colonial days. The coastline has two important 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 in excess of 25 tours to Senegal since the 1990s and is pleased to offer these unique birding tours at a peak time for birdlife. ■ Tour C can be combined with Casamance and Guinea-Bissau, page 36. Day 1: Fly to Dakar and transfer to Popenguine for an overnight stay. Dates TOUR A: Friday November 6th – Days 2-4: Dawn visit to the coastal scrub Saturday November 14th 2020 reserve of Popenguine where we should TOUR B: Saturday February 27th – find Blue Rock Thrush, Eurasian Crag Sunday March 7th 2021 Martin, White-rumped Swift and, on the TOUR C: Saturday October 23rd – cliffs, Gosling’s Bunting.Yellow-billed Kite is Sunday October 31st 2021 abundant in the region and on our journey Leader: Mark Finn and Ass Ndiaye northwards birds of prey can be numerous Group Size: 8 and sightings could include Lappet-faced, Birds: 200-250 Rüppell’s, Hooded and White-backed Vultures. Near St Louis itself, we should find Red-necked Falcon in roadside palm Cormorant, Squacco and Purple Herons, trees. For the next few days we are based African Swamphen, Spur-winged Lapwing, at Ranch de Bango and Richard Toll, from African Fish Eagle, Malachite and Pied where we explore sub-Saharan Senegal. Kingfishers, African Jacana, Winding The grounds of the ranch offer excellent Cisticola, Abyssinian Roller and Senegal birding with regularly seen species includ- Coucal. A thorn forest regularly has roost- ing Western Red-billed Hornbill, Grey- ing Long-tailed Nightjar. The drier ground is headed Kingfisher, Grey Woodpecker, home to Senegal Thick-knee, Black-billed Blue-naped Mousebird, Tawny-flanked Wood Dove, Little Bee-eater and Northern Prinia, Red-billed Firefinch, Beautiful and Grey-headed Sparrow. Scarlet-chested Sunbirds, African Silverbill, Sudan Golden Sparrow and Marigot One: This is, in effect, a private- Long-tailed Glossy Starling. Wintering ly run nature reserve. Our main interest Palearctic migrants are common and here is in locating the internationally scarce include Iberian Chiffchaff, Melodious, Savile’s Bustard. Other sub-Saharan birds Subalpine and Western Olivaceous present include Western Marsh, Montagu’s Warblers, Common Redstart, and Red- and, occasionally, Pallid Harriers, Barbary throated and Tree Pipits. Our base, adja- Falcon, Cream-coloured and Temminck’s cent to the Senegal River, is a haven for Coursers, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, waterbirds – we may find Long-tailed and Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark. A lake ☎ 01381 610495 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com 53 Senegal Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin Photo: Simon Papps attracts shorebirds and many species of Kingfisher, Vieillot’s Barbet and Desert heron, including Black Heron. A stop at Wheatear, whilst a reed-fringed pool dusk may give us Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, attracts Greater Painted-snipe and waders. which is a local resident. Patches of woodland attract many interest- ing species – Speckled Pigeon, Northern Marigot Two and Three: We spend a Crombec, Village Indigobird, Yellow- day in this area and typical species include backed, Village and Little Weavers and win- Northern Anteater Chat, Black and Rufous- tering Eurasian Wryneck. We take a boat tailed Scrub Robins, Senegal Batis, Long- safari into one of nature’s wonders. Our tailed and Chestnut-bellied Starlings, boat takes us along a branch of the Green Woodhoopoe and Blue-naped Senegal River, which is alive with birds, to Mousebird. If cattle are present, we may a colony of Great White Pelicans. This area find Yellow-billed Oxpeckers. Patches of usually holds large numbers of ducks and acacia trees are home to specialised herons. Seasonal lakes in Djoudj attract Sahelian birds – Cricket Warbler, Sennar Western Marsh Harrier and Striated Heron, Penduline Tit and Little Grey Woodpecker. kingfishers, Black Crake, and Yellow-billed Other birds may include Great, Stork. Other highlights include Black- Intermediate and Little Egrets, Sacred and crowned Night Heron, White-faced and Glossy Ibis, Common Snipe, Ruff, Black- Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Western Osprey, tailed Godwit, Black Crake and Collared Caspian, Gull-billed, Black and Whiskered Pratincole. Ter ns and the range-restricted River Prinia. Lac de Kahr and Grand Lac hold Greater Djoudj National Park: Djoudj National and, sometimes, Lesser Flamingos. Grand Park is the third most important wetland for Lac also holds substantial numbers of birds in the world. En route we travel Garganey with lesser numbers of Eurasian through acacia forest looking for Striped Teal, Northern Shoveler and Northern 54 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com ☎ 01381 610495 Senegal Pintail. Isolated trees on the surrounding the presence of rarer species which on pre- desert landscape provide hunting perches vious tours have included Buff-breasted for migrant Peregrine and Lanner Falcons. Sandpiper and American Golden Plover. The park has what is possibly the only pro- On Day 8 we take a pelagic trip off Dakar tected area for Arabian Bustard, a species where the deep cool waters of the North under constant threat from hunting and, in Atlantic attract a variety of species. In the this area of Africa, greatly endangered. On right weather conditions we should the return to Ranch de Bango, roadside encounter Red-billed Tropicbird, Cape lagoons may hold Eurasian and African Verde and Scopoli’s Shearwaters, the Spoonbills, Spur-winged and Egyptian uncommon Baroli’s Shearwater, Pomarine, Geese, and shorebirds including Pied Arctic and Long-tailed Skuas, a wide range Avocet, Marsh Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint of terns including the quite common and Black-winged Stilt. Sandwich plus Caspian, West African Crested, Common, Arctic, Roseate and Days 5-6: Richard Toll and Podor: A Little. Other possibilities include Grey new road running east towards the town of Phalarope and rarer species such as Richard Toll allows us to explore the exten- Bulwer’s Petrel, Leach’s, Wilson’s and sive Senegal River floodplain and the Madeiran Storm Petrels, South Polar Skua Sahelian environment. Among the many and Sabine’s Gull. Nights in Popenguine. birds that we may encounter here are African Pygmy Goose, Black-winged Kite, Day 9: This morning we travel south to visit Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers, Wahlberg’s birding areas near the coastal city of Mbour and Booted Eagles, Short-toed Snake (or take the boat trip if weather conditions Eagle, Kittlitz’s Plover, Common Quail, have been poor). Habitats include several African Reed Warbler, Short-eared Owl, patches of acacia scrub which are attrac- Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark, Kordofan tive to migrants from Europe and may and Singing Bush Larks, African include Bluethroat, Spotted and European Quailfinch, Desert Cisticola, Grey-backed Pied Flycatchers and Iberian Chiffchaff. Eremomela and, occasionally, Greater Several small ponds dot the landscape Hoopoe-Lark. This is also a known area for which attract a wide range of waterbirds Arabian and, in some years, Denham’s including numerous ducks and waders. Bustards. To the east of Richard Toll and Later in the day we return to Popenguine to towards the settlement of Podor several freshen up and travel to the airport for our species occur which are hard to see else- late night flight back to the UK. where in the country. The dry grasslands with scattered bushes are reliable for Cricket Warbler and the shy Fulvous Prices Babbler. The habitats around Podor offer us the chance to observe the rarely seen Ground Price: £2,295 Golden Nightjar, Little Grey Woodpecker Single room: £150 and wintering Cream-coloured Courser. Deposit: £200 Nights in Podor *Air Fare: £700 Days 7-8: Today we travel south towards This tour is fully inclusive of the capital city of Dakar. There are several accommodation, meals, transport, birding locations along the way including park entrance fees and permits, Technopole, which is a failed shopping guidance, tips and taxes. complex with lakes and reedbeds. Careful scanning of the grass islands and shallow Not included: drinks, insurance, pools may produce a variety of gulls such items of a personal nature. as Audouin’s and Mediterranean and occa- sional stragglers from North America which *Please refer to our terms and have included Franklin’s in recent years. conditions relating to flights Waders can be numerous and often reveal ☎ 01381 610495 www.birdwatchingbreaks.com 55.