The Gambia 28th November to 5th December 2003

Friday 28th November

From opulence to deprivation. One minute we're enjoying 'Waitrose' marmalade on toast in an affluent Surrey suburb, the next we're being herded, cattle-like, onto a 'Thomson' charter flight to the Dark Continent. Six hours later Jerry Hickman, Dave Sewell, his brother Phil and I are standing on the tarmac of Banjul International Airport trying to straighten limbs, deformed by confinement in the ridiculously over-filled Boeing 757. The single saving grace of the journey is the fact that The Gambia shares an identical time zone with the U.K. and jet lag should not enter the travel equation.

A small flock of Cattle Egrets form our welcoming committee, huddled on a tiny irrigated lawn beside the terminal building. Huge numbers of small creamy-white butterflies skip, like ticker-tape, over the tarmac and manicured gardens in the humid afternoon heat leaving us in no doubt that we have arrived in the Tropics.

The Gambia is a tiny nation, of a linear geographical layout, spread along a three hundred-mile stretch of the River Gambia. It measures no more than sixty miles between northern and southern borders and is surrounded on three sides by Senegal, with a limited Atlantic coastline at it's western bound. The notoriously turbulent, and often violent, political reputations of neighbouring nations such as Sierra Leone and Liberia make travel to West Africa a rather risky proposition in most instances. The stable situation in The Gambia has therefore made this country a prime destination for birders wishing to add a good cross section of West African specialities to their lists.

A British colony until 1965, the country is essentially reliant upon a booming tourist industry for it's foreign income and thus bargain package holiday deals abound. We have secured just such a deal and are soon aboard a battered bus for the short transfer to our coastal resort destination. A good road takes us through a flat landscape of dry thorny scrub, dotted with an occasional larger acacia, onto which a fierce sun beats down from a clear blue sky.

Post-mounted power and telephone cables connect areas of run-down habitation and it is upon these structures that our first new birds perch. Yellow-billed Shrike, Long-tailed Glossy Starling and stunning turquoise and white Blue-bellied Rollers whiz past the bus window providing the luxury of three ticks before we've even arrived at our hotel.

The Palm Beach Hotel nestles between a band of coastal rice paddies and white Atlantic sands; not that we'll be seeing much of the latter during the coming week! We are greeted in reception by Ebrima Sidebeh, our bird guide for the trip who has been booked from the U.K. after a session of Internet haggling. Bags are hastily deposited in shabby, but adequate, rooms and we set out to make the most of the last couple of hours of daylight.

Upon vacating the confines of the hotel compound it is apparent that all tourists are fair game to the ranks of touting taxi drivers, 'bird guides' and prostitutes; the fact that we already have an obvious local helper keeps their attentions to a minimum. Our walk takes us first past an area of rather stunted mangroves that provide cover for Western Reef Herons, wintering Whimbrel and a solitary Blue-breasted Kingfisher. Onwards, past the paddies and numerous majestic palms, and we are soon aware of just how bird-filled this country is. Giant Kingfisher, flocks of noisy black Piapiacs and raucous yellow-billed Western Grey Plantain-Eaters are all immediately obvious. Green Wood-Hoopoe, Senegal Coucal plus both Spur-winged and African Wattled Lapwings are common along the coastal plain.

As the light fades we make our way along the 'Casino Cycle Track', a fabled birding area with not a casino in sight; apparently the building from which the site gained it's name is long demolished. A pair of diminutive Pearl-spotted Owlets hunts from the palm tops, showing the feathered 'faces' on the rear of their heads ubiquitous to the Glaucidium genus.

An area know as the Palma Rima Scrub backs onto the coastline, though tragically the area of scrub has been eroded by development to a tiny plot no larger than a football pitch. A further block of holiday apartments is currently under construction and the future of the area, the site for both of Gambia's resident nightjar species, looks very bleak indeed.

The orange sun has dropped below the horizon by the time the distinctive white wing-flashes of a Long-tailed Nightjar are picked up as it darts amongst the low bushes. Soon afterwards it's low churring call, much like a European Nightjar, is heard above the sound of the crashing surf.

It has been a great evening's introduction to West African birding and we excitedly discuss plans for the next few days as we retrace our steps back to the Palm Beach. Evening cuisine is consumed in Ali Baba's Restaurant, a short walk away in Kotu Town, and the first of many new birds are toasted in ice-cold Julbrew.

Ali Baba's is actually run by 'Steve' from Hull and we eat to the serenade of Brummy accents; the joys of the package holiday destination! Some particularly dubious couplings fill various tables and we entertain ourselves trying to decide who are the rent-boys, hookers and clients. Cue to head back to the hotel is the commencement of the tribal drumming festival in the accompanying restaurant. The din drowns all conversation with a musical set fit for a 'Tarzan' film and speeds us back to the Palm Beach for a sweaty night's sleep.

Saturday 29th November

A fine breakfast of porridge, plus fresh bread and cheese, is taken on the patio before Ebrima arrives complete with Solomon, our driver, and his relatively luxurious minibus. We haven't reached the end of the dusty hotel access road when a subtly different heron catches the eye amongst the Western Reefs. When it runs agilely across the pool and fans its wings to form an amazing umbrella shape we know instantly that we're looking at a Black Egret. Uniquely this species habitually forms such umbrellas to attract fish in the shallows.

Our destination for the morning is Abuko Nature Reserve. Half an hour's drive from our hotel, this stand of gallery forest is one of the finest surviving plots in the country. Although scarcely more than a kilometre in length by a few hundred metres wide, it is the single recognised site for a number of forest specialities.

A small fee permits our entry to the narrow trail that winds through the tall trees and lush understorey. Little Greenbul is our first new bird, rapidly followed by a pair of handsome Red-bellied Paradise Flycatchers. Common Wattle-Eye seems numerous in this habitat, as does African Thrush. The large hide overlooking the Crocodile Pool has an attendant Fanti Saw-Wing plus, at lower level, African Jacana and Nile Crocodile. A pair of Sitatunga, a small marsh-loving antelope, dashes across the pool's margins and Sun Squirrels, with neatly banded tails, traverse bare woody limbs. Star bird at the stop is a Lesser Honeyguide but in terms of aesthetic appeal it falls well short of both Hammerkop and Giant Kingfisher, both of which feed at the pool.

Venturing further along the trail we are confronted by a treetop explosion of colour in the form of both Violet Turaco and Senegal Parrot, the former deep violaceous blue-black with stunning crimson primary discs and the latter with slate-grey head, lime green upperparts and sulphur-yellow breast. The dense undergrowth gives up Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat and Grey-headed Bristlebill, while Yellow-breasted Apalis, Black-necked Weaver and Collared Sunbird feed at mid level. Excited shouts and some dashing along the path secure views of Green Turaco, with a tufted head-dress and crimson primaries shared with it's Violet cousin. What a double!

Green Vervet is the common forest primate, with Patas Monkey being somewhat more scarce and infinitely more attractive. Patas Monkeys are long limbed, with rich russet on the back and on the long tail. Blue-spotted Wood-Dove and African Pied Hornbill further supplement the list and the huge form of a roosting Verreaux's Eagle Owl is particularly impressive.

Eventually the trail leads into more open secondary forest, a habitat that a dazzling Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater has obviously found to it's liking. Green upperparts contrast with black mask, yellow throat and blue breast band, together with a deeply forked blue tail to make this bird one of the morning's highlights.

The path concludes at the 'Animal Orphanage', a rather sad menagerie of mangy specimens confined behind bars. After a quick cold one we take up position in the nearby photographic hide which overlooks a small concrete-lined drinking pool set within the forest. Our half-hour spent viewing the pool is truly spectacular. A pair of African Dwarf Kingfishers hunt from perches just inches from the hide, another Green Turaco descends to drink and in a fantastic finale it is joined by a male Western Bluebill. This gorgeous forest finch is jet black with blood-red face, breast and flanks and neat white spots to its lower belly. The hefty steel-blue bill sports a peculiar red tip to the lower mandible. What a bird!

Lamin Lodge is our next destination, a rather strange tourist restaurant built on stilts above the mud of a mangrove-fringed tributary to the River Gambia. The dining is cut short when we find that the contents of the kitchen do not meet the expectations of the menu and instead we concentrate our efforts on birding in the Lamin Fields, an area of scrub and small cultivated plots that adjoin the mangroves.

The first of many Yellow-crowned Gonoleks grates from the scrub before showing its gaudy crimson breast and bright yellow crown. Pigeon identification is tested on Vinaceous and African Mourning Doves, and Black-billed Wood-Dove. It's always wise to get the pigeons all out of the way as soon as possible! A Bearded Barbet is attracted to a fruiting tree and a small flock of very pretty Orange-cheeked Waxbills feed on seeding weeds. Grey Kestrel and Lizard Buzzard keep their distance in palm tops as we set off for the day's final destination, Yundum.

At the end of another dusty track, Yundum is a mixture of recently tended and long-abandoned agricultural plots together with an area of acacia woodland. It becomes apparent that this is a regular destination for visiting birders when the obligatory group of children pop up to run beside the minibus demanding pens, with menaces, but we manage to give them the slip as we set off into the fields.

The large black-and-white form of a Levaillant's Cuckoo perched high in an acacia sets us off to a good start, followed by our first Gambian record of Purple Glossy Starling. Lavender Waxbill shows a delicate blend of slaty-grey, red and black, and Fine-spotted Woodpecker an intricate peppering of black dots to its creamy yellow underparts. Northern Black Flycatcher, Green-backed Eremomola, Variable Sunbird and Little Weaver are all added to the list, though Singing Cisticola takes rather more coaxing out with the aid of playback.

Our walk takes us through waist-high thyme-scented shrubs and fields of ripening watermelons. It is a rather sweaty couple of hours, until the sun finally begins to lose power as it edges towards it's rendezvous with the horizon. Mottled Spinetail, with wrap-around white rump and undertail, a metallic green Didric Cuckoo and a tail-less Northern Crombec represent further trip-ticks and a flurry of Double-spurred Francolin, Pin-tailed Wydah, Lanner and Tawny Eagle conclude the birding at this site.

Back at the coast we have time for a final quick walk to the Palma Rima nightjar stakeout, but again we have to be content with just the Long-tailed variety.

Steve's cold Julbrew is particularly welcome after a long hot day in the field, as we finish the day at our adopted restaurant.

Sunday 30th November

It's a fairly lengthy ride to Marakissa by Gambian standards, and we can't help but wish we'd have set out earlier when we reach the first site with the sun already climbing high. Our walk through the open, palm-dominated, woodland is rather quiet in comparison with the previous day but we still manage to eke out new birds. African Green Pigeon, Woodland Kingfisher and Greater Honeyguide are all welcome but the certain stars are a small flock of White-crested Helmetshrikes. Immaculate black and white plumage sets off bright orange legs and a gaudy yellow, eye-encircling wattle, all crowned with a tall, erect white crest. It seems likely that this West African subspecies, nominate plumatus, is worthy of full species status as Straight-crested Helmetshrike.

More open areas produce Red-chested Swallow, Pallid Swift and Pink-backed Pelican all overhead, plus a number of wonderful Abyssinian Rollers that seem to prefer the highest tree limbs from which to hunt. These stunners duplicate the turquoise plumage and rufous back of European Roller, but with huge exotic-looking wiry tail streamers that wave in the breeze.

With the temperature rapidly climbing we sink a couple of cold ones then make tracks for Pirang, our mid-day venue. Pirang is a working shrimp farm that consists of a series of huge shallow lagoons, some partially full, showing sun-baked muddy bases and some well vegetated with grass and reeds. It is in one of the latter where we find the main target bird at this site, a family party of four Black Crowned Cranes. Long dark grey necks stretch above the reeds to display a red and white face pattern and unmistakable frilled yellow 'crown'.

On a distant bank a couple each of Yellow-billed Storks and White Pelicans are picked out from the large group of Pink-backeds. Plain-backed Pipits and Crested Larks run across the open areas and we flush a pair of African Quail-Finches which alight to demonstrate their neatly banded flanks and orange belly centres. A rare burst of mammalian action is provided by a Striped Ground Squirrel that runs across the entrance track. A Yellow Wagtail calls overhead to give the feel of an English summer before we depart with a typical performance of the local hangers-on attempting to extort some form of payment for our visit.

Faraba Banta village is a short drive away and here Ebrima utilises his local contacts who have pinpointed the roosting site of a rather sought-after owl. Following a short walk in the company of a gang of local youths and some searching in dense foliage of the appropriate bush, a stunning little White-faced Scops Owl is located gazing down on his admirers. Large yellow-orange eyes stare from a silvery-white facial disk, but the most striking feature is a pair of proportionately huge drooping ear-tufts that give an amazingly feline appearance to this wonderful bird.

Our final port-of-call is the Faraba Banta Bush Track, a dirt road through acacia dominated grassland and occasional blocks of cereal crop. Raptors are supposedly a speciality of this site and we soon notch up Whalberg's and Booted Eagle plus a hunting Shikra, but the certain highlight is our first Grasshopper Buzzard, a new bird for all. The latter is particularly handsome, with heavily spotted peachy-brown breast and rich ginger-red flight feathers neatly tipped black.

A richly marked Rufous-crowned Roller perches close to a Striped Kingfisher on a high exposed limb and passerines of the area include Bush Petronia, Blackcap Babbler and Grey-headed Bush-Shrike. Moving on through the brush-cleaner heads of the cous-cous crops we find a small group of colourful Western Red Colobus Monkeys feeding in an acacia crown, noses marked with large black triangles on a pale pink face.

We arrive back at the Palm Beach with just enough time to dash up to Kotu Creek for an attempt at one final new bird for the day. An area of tall, dense scrub next to the Sunset Beach Hotel is the allotted spot and the CD has delivered just a couple of notes of song when a greeny-yellow 'bulbul' appears in response. Soon a pair of Oriole Warblers sit facing each other on a low bough raising sooty black heads, with frosted-white cheeks, to perform a duet through long downcurved bills.

The walk back to the hotel produces Senegal Thick-Knee and more flushed Double-spurred Francolins, all rounded off with a fine fish supper and a Julbrew or two.

Monday 1st December

A long day lies ahead and an early start is in order; today we head 'up-river'. It's before dawn when Ebrima and Soloman pick us up and we head east and into a glowing sunrise.

Roadside communities become visibly poorer with continued eastward progression. Concrete house construction disappears and mud huts, roofed with ill-fitting, rusty corrugated iron or palm thatch, become the norm. Villages are all centred around a large concrete well, with women and children queuing to fill polythene drums and bottles with hand-pumped gallons of precious, life-giving water. Trails of wood smoke drift between houses and large trees, bringing a scent synonymous with the Third World to the nostrils. Other women are intent on performing a morning ritual of sweeping leaves and debris from flat sandy thresholds, with a handful of dry twigs as a makeshift broom.

Our first birding stop of the morning is made at Denban, where a small muddy tributary enters the River Gambia. Both Blue-breasted and Giant Kingfishers perch beside the mangrove pools and a pair of Yellow-throated Leafloves flit overhead to disappear amongst the palm tops. A few kilometres further on and another quick search, this time in an area of low scrub, produces Black-crowned Tchagra and Black-rumped Waxbill.

A cacophony of noise emanates from two huge fruiting figs in the village of Camfenda, with the din being created by a large gathering of starlings that eagerly devour the ripe fruit. With patience the distinctive orange eyes of Bronze-tailed Glossy Starlings can be picked out from the yellow-eyed ranks of their Purple cousins. An area of open woodland close by is a good choice for another stop and turns up a pair of Vieillot's Barbets, with scaly red heads and brown backs, plus Black Wood-Hoopoe and Fanti Saw-Wing.

In Gambia the road from the airport to the hotel resorts is of pristine, newly laid tarmac. Away from this stretch the travelling conditions become progressively worse, and as one follows the route of the River Gambia inland and away from the coast, driving conditions deteriorate rapidly. Potholes become more and more regular until, in places, they appear to join and solid sections of tarmac become a rarity! Progress drops to a snail's pace at times, before a surprise stretch of new surfacing appears and fourth gear can be engaged for a few kilometres.

African Hawk-Eagle and the bizarre shape of an adult Bateleur enliven the tediously slow miles and close to Brumen Bridge a large group of White-backed and Ruppell's Griffon Vultures are disturbed from their feast on a roadside cattle corpse. Overhead a group of Mosque Swallows hawk insects and African Yellow White-Eye feeds beside the road.

Just west of Soma a causeway crosses a large flooded lowland. We stop here to scan the muddy shore and are delighted to find an Egyptian Plover on a distant bank. Delight turns to disbelief when the bird joins another and they both fly towards us, alighting just metres from the minibus and proceeding to feed on the tarmac road!

Egyptian Plover is the target bird of the trip and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Although wide ranging in northern Sub-Saharan Africa, there are few easily accessible countries in which this riverine wader can be sought. The Gambia is by far the easiest option, though even here the Egyptian Plover is a seasonal visitor, frequenting the upper reaches of the River Gambia from November through to January. Although also known as the Crocodile Bird, it's alleged habit of picking food and parasites from the teeth of crocodiles remains undocumented and is likely a fallacy.

The Egyptian Plover is, without doubt, one of the most attractive birds in the World. It's deep blue-grey mantle is cut by a jet-black wedge which runs down from a boldly marked black head with clear-cut white supercilium. A thin black breast-band loops round the paler breast that fades into a warm sandy-peach wash below. Perfectly proportioned, birds feed in a rapid motion on long blue legs. Awesome!

The local population must surely wonder about the intentions of the four white idiots who sit grinning from ear-to-ear in the back of a bumping minibus, as the eastward trek continues. We have just passed through another bustling little market town when a honking horn halts our travel and a policeman jumps from a commandeered car, forces his way into the minibus and demands that we make a U-turn. It doesn't look good! Back at Bureng Police Station there is a heated debate in an unintelligible language and we are told that our driver has failed to stop at the previous two Police checkpoints. It is clear that the local constabulary want to make an example of Solomon, and no doubt see the opportunity of a potential bribe arising. It takes nearly an hour to resolve the issue and there is precious little birding light left when we resume our journey.

A couple of pigeons fly over the road and alight on a nearby tree to reveal smart grey heads, yellow bellies and green backs. They are Bruce's Green Pigeons, a localised bird and welcome addition to our list. Final stop of the day is made adjacent to a tiny roadside waterhole set in an area of barren scrub. As the light fades towards dusk a bubbling call and flutter of wings announce the arrival of a small flock of Four-banded Sandgrouse. It's still light enough to distinguish the intricate markings plus white crown and breast bands of the male birds and it makes a great conclusion to a very exciting day's birding.

It's still a fair drive to our accommodation for the night and we are told that we will have to head for Bansang Town, as we will have missed the last ferry to Georgetown. At the end of a tortuously bumpy moonlit drive we are deposited at a very dubious-looking hotel next door to Bansang Police Station. 'Squalid' would be an apt description of our rooms, which have thatch roofs, filthy showers and thin foam mattresses. Dinner consists of a tiny bowl of meat with potato and discussion switches to the fact that we are being totally ripped off by our guide, who has insisted upon payment for the up-river trip in advance.

We retire to bed rather disgruntled and try not to imagine what may be crawling around the rooms in the dark after we lay our heads on the putty-like pillows.

Tuesday 2nd December

We're up before first light for breakfast as there is much to pack into the day. Coffee is served at the plastic patio table and breakfast sheepishly laid in front of us by our host; it consists of the four smallest bananas we have ever seen!

With batteries fully recharged after such a sound night's sleep and hearty breakfast we set off on the short ride to Bansang Quarry. At the quarry entrance we're typically greeted by a local gentleman demanding a fee, which our frugal guide tries to pass in our direction in spite of the all-inclusive cost agreement for the trip. Naturally he's given short shrift.

Bansang Quarry consists of a large sand-quarrying excavation with a waterhole in it's base. It is surrounded by arable crops and grassland, seemingly very attractive to a host of birds. Greater Blue-eared Glossy Starlings and Senegal Parrots flock to feed in the arable fields, as do Black-winged Red Bishops and Black-Rumped Waxbills. Cinnamon-breasted Rock Bunting and a single male Exclamatory Paradise Wydah are attracted to the waterhole, the latter in full breeding plumage with black upperparts, reddish collar and ridiculously elongated tail feathers. A female Ortolan Bunting is possibly the rarest bird we see on the trip, being a vagrant to the region.

On the back wall of the quarry are dozens of evenly spaced holes in the sandy soil. They belong to a colony of Red-throated Bee-Eaters, but it is apparent that the lack of early morning bees means that the bee-eaters are late to rise. We decide to call back later and set off east on the last leg of our journey, to the town of Basse Santa Su.

East of Bansang the scenery changes quite dramatically, and instead of the totally flat outlook there are low contours to the land. Scrub and cereal fields alternate with marshy areas and open water in some valley bottoms. Small villages consist of groups of archetypal circular mud huts with straw-thatched roofs, set in compounds enclosed by timber stakes. This is Africa unchanged for thousands of years.

Our eastward journey concludes at Basse, which we find to be a wonderfully bright and bustling market town. It is the only sizeable conurbation for many miles and so sucks in humanity and culture from a wide catchment to be concentrated in the narrow dusty streets. Though the buildings are grey and dirty, the shops are stacked high with brightly coloured linen and shining hardware plus piles of freshly harvested fruit and vegetables.

Basse is actually centred on one of the few vehicular crossing points of the River Gambia, which is still around two hundred metres wide at this point. At the concrete ferry landing stage are an ageing car ferry and a multitude of smaller rusting boats that shuttle foot passengers between the banks. The ferry crossing point is another hive of activity, with many people bustling around vending stalls and a large makeshift laundry area where women wash their clothes on waterside rocks. In spite of all this mayhem, Basse ferry is the site for Egyptian Plover. It's an amazing sight to find no less than eleven of these exquisite little wading birds standing in a tight flock, amongst the muddy squalor, just thirty metres from the laundry; for me this is certainly the overriding image of the entire trip.

A short distance beyond the ferry is an area known as Basse Fields, a large open plain of rice paddies and cattle grazing lands. This is the only recognised site in The Gambia for Northern Carmine Bee-Eater, our main target species in this area. As we walk through the pasture area various rollers and vanellus plovers entertain, but there is a distinct lack of any pink bee-eaters. A large raptor passes low over the fields and causes much excitement when it is identified as a Beaudouin's Snake Eagle. This recently split sedentary species is subtly different from it's close relative the Short-toed Eagle which is a winter visitor to the region. We're still watching the Eagle and a pair of Northern Carmine Bee-Eaters appear overhead; it's amazing how your luck can change!

After a bout of insect-hawking the Bee-Eaters settle down in the low branches of a dead tree to allow close approach. They really are stunning birds, overall pinkish-red with a contrasting black mask dividing an azure blue crown and throat. Rump and undertail is similarly turquoise blue, adding up to one of the brightest and most distinctive species in Africa.

Mission accomplished we head back to Bansang Quarry, where the Red-throated Bee-Eaters are now wide-awake and hawking from any suitable power line or treetop. Equally as special as their pink cousins, but in a more subtle way, this species is green above and orange below, with deep blue undertail and fiery-red throat. It's been a truly dazzling morning.

From Bansang Quarry we head straight to the town's ferry crossing point of the River Gambia. After queuing up amongst battered lorries and a line of heavily laden foot-passengers Solomon precariously inches the minibus onto the rather unstable, rusting ferry. The 'winch' boards the boat last, a group of four strapping fellows with short, notched wooden batons. The wooden implements are used to grip the steel hawser laid between the banks, after which they walk the length of the ferry and manually drag us through the slow current and to the north bank. At the disembarkation point we are entertained by the unlikely spectacle of a fellow loading two large, uncooperative cows into a rather small steel boat.

Tarmac roads have failed to reach the north bank and the natural vegetation, of dry acacia scrub, is much less disturbed. We make our way around a loop of roads that carry us back east, towards Georgetown, stopping en route at a number of roadside waterholes. Each are checked in turn for our target species on the north bank, Sudan Golden Sparrow. Some of the waterholes are a hive of avian activity, acting as mini oases in the barren water-less habitat, but time is forever against us and we eventually depart without our goal achieved. Some consolation is had in the male Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark and Exclamatory Paradise Wydahs which join the large numbers of dull-plumaged bishops attracted to one particular waterhole, where a hunting Red-necked Falcon provides another surprise.

At the Georgetown ferry crossing point Ebrima arranges a short boat trip upstream to where he claims to know of an African Finfoot nest site. Unfortunately, when we take to the water, our guide turns out to be totally clueless and we are left in doubt as to the validity of his claims. The trip does produce a couple of species not seen elsewhere on the trip, however, in the form of Yellow-backed Weaver and Jacobin Cuckoo, so all is not lost.

Back on dry land, we have another long and very bumpy journey ahead. Our steps are retraced westwards with the only breaks in the relentless, potholed endurance test coming in the form of a treetop Maribou Stork and an emergency stop in the fading light for a very well received party of Stone Partridges.

Upon reaching the town of Soma our driver reports to the police station to find that he has yet to pay the full consequences of his earlier checkpoint-dodging misdemeanours. The local police are clearly keen to make the most of Solomon's misfortune and keep him waiting for a full hour-and-a-half before an unscrupulous constable returns his paperwork in exchange for the appropriate bribe.

We're still a good distance from Tendaba, our destination for the evening, and therefore must make the last stage of the drive in the pitch-blackness. Night driving is not without it's advantages, however; a Long-tailed Nightjar which is dazzled by the headlights and remains seated on the road gives us our best views yet of this species, while a White-tailed Mongoose, similarly disorientated by the headlights, provokes an outrageous response from our driver. Upon seeing the mammal in the road, a fantastic large, grey beast with highly distinctive white terminal section to its long tail, he puts his foot down and steers towards it! Only a volley of expletives from the back of the minibus enable the mongoose to make good it's escape; yet another bizarre event in this very out-of-the-ordinary trip.

It's a shade before midnight when we finally reach Tendaba Camp, which is a surprisingly civilised and well laid-out establishment. What's even better is the fact that the staff have kindly stayed up to serve us supper, a huge plate of beef stew and chips. This is easily the most welcome meal of the trip, especially considering the fact that we've eaten virtually nothing all day in spite of specifically paying our guide for food in the all-inclusive fee. We retire to a comfortable bed well fed, but becoming progressively more disgruntled about the standards of Ebrima's customer care policy.

Wednesday 3rd December

After a hearty breakfast in the open, riverside restaurant we board a small boat which will take us across the River Gambia, probably a kilometre wide at this point. On the far bank is an extensive stand of mangroves which we enter via a relatively narrow creek, to make our way past muddy banks bridged by a labyrinth of thin roots which support these unique salt-water trees.

Typically, as is the case across the Globe, the mangroves support a number of avian specialists entirely dependent upon this habitat. In The Gambia it is Blue-breasted Kingfisher and Mouse-brown Sunbird which fit this bill, and both are found to be relatively common as we make our way along the winding channels. Rufous-chested Swallow and Northern Puffback are new to the list, as is African Blue Flycatcher which appears fleetingly in response to a tape of it's call. A flock of ten Blue-cheeked Bee-Eaters that sit close to the river inject a little exotic magic into the cruise and a Grey-headed Kingfisher represents the only record of the whole trip.

In the upper reaches of the creek the mangroves decrease in height and large expanses of open saltmarsh-type grassland eventually predominate with the mangroves being confined to a thin riverside strip. In this area Woolley-necked Storks feed, together with large numbers of Senegal Thick-Knees.

The channel on which we are travelling becomes progressively narrower, and in places it's a tight squeeze to manoeuvre the boat past overhanging branches. The boatman knows the roosting sites of our main target bird here and some movement from within the dense foliage prompts a bout of rapid boat shuffling before we are afforded views of a small and particularly elusive heron. A little further on a second bird is flushed and eventually all aboard have managed to savour at least one of the three White-backed Night Herons that have been located.

The White-backed Night Heron is a nocturnal fisherman and has honed it's night-vision through a pair of over-sized dark eyes which are surrounded by pale spectacles. Dark upperparts contrast with rich brown chest and flanks, though the white back can be surprisingly difficult to see. White-backed Night Heron is a real prize bird, being highly localised throughout it's central and West African range and its addition to the list takes our mind off the fact that African Finfoot has failed to materialise.

Back on dry land, we take a walk around a protected area to the rear of the lodge but our guide really seems to be struggling for any enthusiasm and it turns out to be a very half-hearted stroll around the margins of some acacia woodland. Predictably we see very little, though a smart male Red-winged Cuckoo-Shrike is a good find. It's time to pack our bags and depart for what is still a long drive back to the coast.

Gambian petrol stations are extremely few and far between, in fact we have only seen a handful on the whole up-river leg of the trip. Our petrol tank is now decidedly low in fuel, but it would seem that we need not worry; the locals have the situation covered. Solomon makes a brief enquiry in the next village passed and we are directed to a thatched mud hut much like the rest of the local dwellings. Little do we know, but this is the village 'petrol station'! A fellow appears from the hut with a 'Johnny Walker' whiskey bottle full of clear liquid, then another and another. The contents are carefully poured into the filler cap and before long we're all topped up, presumably with four-star! The stop is perfectly timed from a birding perspective too as two White-rumped Seedeaters, a rather local species, appear obligingly on an adjoining fence.

Tendaba to the coast is notably uneventful, with Violet Turaco at Brumen Bridge plus Black Wood-Hoopoe, Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater and Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird on a brief stop at Kafuta the only relief from a saddle-sore bottom. It's hard to comprehend, but we're actually pleased when the Palm Beach Hotel comes into view!

With an hour of daylight remaining we plump for the highly rated birding site of the Hotel Senegambia gardens, a five-minute taxi ride down the coast from our salubrious residence. The Senegambia is a world apart from the Palm Beach Hotel, being a sprawling luxury hotel set in extensive lush, irrigated grounds. Flocks of Greater Blue-Eared and Bronze-tailed Glossy Starlings feed on the manicured lawns and Yellow-crowned Gonoleks call from every shrubbery. We finally get close views of Blackcap Babbler, supposedly a 'common' bird, but our real target here is White-crowned Robin-Chat. In our brief circuit we see no less than three of the latter, and we are very surprised to find that they are a good piece larger than an African Thrush. White-crowned Robin-Chat has bright orange underparts and tail, black back and mask, all crowned with a snowy-white cap finely vermiculated in black. Another superb conclusion to another action-packed day!

A celebratory beer or two on the vast veranda is in order, but we vacate the area as soon as the barbecue is stoked up and hordes of overweight German guests take up their seats. A barracuda steak back in Kotu completes the evening, along with a review of the outstanding target species to be sought in the last two days of the trip.

Thursday 4th December

Reference to our 'wanted' list puts Yundum at the top of the pile, so early morning sees us on a return visit to this site, just twenty minutes drive from the hotel. The mixture of farmland and acacia scrub really is a superb area, and in the relative cool of the early morning bird activity is at a height.

First new bird is a brightly marked Red-winged Warbler which sits out on a low bush in response to playback of it's call. Somewhat less exciting are Siffling and Whistling Cisticolas, which also oblige to the compact disc, but pulses certainly quicken when a pair of small hirundines begin to patrol the clearing. They are Pied-winged Swallows, a West African speciality, with dark metallic-blue upperparts which contrast with a pearly-white breast and distinctive white patches at the base of the upperwing. Certainly the smartest 'swallow' in The Gambia.

Today the Mottled Spinetails are much more obliging, as are a wonderful pair of Senegal Batis which move rapidly through the acacia branches uttering their distinctive soft, buzzing calls. As is the case throughout the genus, Senegal Batis exhibits a high degree of sexual dimorphism; the male has a black breast band while that of the female is bright orange, as is her supercilium. Western Violet-backed Sunbird is another tick for all and two Short-toed Eagles, which make a low fly-past, are new to the trip and provide a good comparison with the Beadouin's Snake-Eagle seen two days previously.

Brown-backed Woodpecker is very welcome, in a trip that has been largely devoid of representatives from this family. We also record one of the few definite 'Black' Kites of the trip. Most other birds seem to have been of the resident parasitus race, known colloquially as 'Yellow-billed' Kite. Final new bird at Yundum is a real surprise, an African Cuckoo, providing a fitting finale to a morning's birding that really has exceeded all expectations.

Throughout the morning our guide, Ebrima, has been invaluable with his keen hearing and call recognition. Unfortunately, over the course of our visit, Ebrima's eagerness to impose additional, unforeseen, charges and his attempts to avoid incurring any excess expenses, at all costs, has started to weigh heavy on our tolerance threshold. When we enquire if the afternoon's itinerary can include a trip to the coastal site of Tanji as well as the proposed Brufut we are informed that the five kilometre detour will cost substantially more money. This is the final straw. An angry and heated debate in the back of the minibus ensues, the outcome of which is the relinquishing of our guide's services.

The sacking of our guide isn't taken lightly; none of us have ever had to resort to such drastic measures whilst on a foreign trip, but in the circumstances it is the only possible outcome. When one considers the cost of living in Gambia, he has made an astronomical profit out of our custom, but cannot resist asking for even more. It's a very sorry way in which to part company, but Ebrima's greed has undoubtedly been his downfall; it has cost him a couple of days of our custom and no doubt a great deal more in future contracts with visiting birders.

We are deposited at the Senegambia Hotel where we regain our composure with a couple of cold ones on the veranda. Here the lawn is covered in Hooded Vultures and the veranda is covered in a mass of fat, sweating bodies, shining in suntan lotion and laid out in rows of sunbeds; we marvel at the fact that people can actually spend a holiday in the manner of an Elephant Seal colony.

Returning to the Palm Beach Hotel we kill a couple of hours with Black Egrets and Little Bee-Eaters which perform to the camera around the adjoining marsh. Non-avian fare includes Scarlet Darter dragonfly and some dazzling black, white and orange African Monarch butterflies amongst a host of less-readily identifiable species. Finally, as dusk approaches, we take a walk down to the Palma Rima Scrub for a last-ditch attempt at the missing nightjar species. The dunes which overlook the rolling Atlantic breakers are a superb spot from which to soak up the burning orange sunset, but not even a Long-tailed Nightjar hawks over the usual hunting grounds on this evening.

We've just started to walk back inland when a small and apparently all-dark nightjar is picked out in the rapidly fading light. After a hasty chase across the building site, between the shells of half-complete apartments, we manage to get a couple of brief spotlight views of our final night-time target, Standard-winged Nightjar. Sadly, finding this species in a habitat clearly doomed to property development does not bode well for it's future in this particular area.

A celebration remains in order, however, and we pay a farewell visit to our mate Steve at Ali Baba's to drink quite possibly the last few pints of Julbrew of our entire lives!

Friday 5th December

After a particularly hearty final breakfast we venture out of the Palm Beach to find our replacement taxi driver ready and waiting. Having haggled mercilessly the previous evening we have secured the use of car and driver for the morning at a relative bargain price when compared with Ebrima's over-inflated fees. It would seem that such cost savings are not made without certain sacrifices though, as we realise when we board the oldest Peugeot in the World! The car is literally held together by pieces of wire and string, with an ignition system which is activated by rubbing together two strands of bare copper wire dangling from the steering column.

The car has the feel that it has covered a mileage equivalent of a number of round trips to the Moon and we ponder just how successful we would have been employing this mode of transport on the up-river trip. Still, today we are only travelling as far as Abuko and our friendly taxi driver and his trusty steed should be more than adequate.

Our driver opts for the scenic route and takes us through the bustling suburbs of Serekunda Town, past rows of small shops purveying all manner of goods to a clientele which throng through the dusty streets. The sights and sounds of the buzzing metropolis make our retreat to the leafy trails of Abuko Nature Reserve all the more relaxing. The pressure is, to all intents and purposes, now off as we have pretty well cleaned up on our Gambian targets in the last week and on our final morning in the Country we can just savour the forest and it's birds.

Black Crake is a new trip bird at the Crocodile Pool, where we also get close to a pair of drinking Yellow-throated Leafloves and a fine female Western Bluebill. Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Grey-headed Bristlebill and Little Greenbul are all in their usual slots, but it is a tip-off from a guide that facilitates the collection of our final red-letter species. Standing at the allotted spot we give the CD a whirl of the appropriate call and almost instantly a Green Hylia is displaying in the high canopy right above our heads. If only it were always this easy! A dull olive bird, but with a distinctive pale supercilium, this species is known as an extreme skulker. It would seem that no one has informed our bird of this fact, however, and he sits boldly on a bare branch in full song.

At the conclusion of the circuit our driver is patiently waiting and after our successes we decide to make an early departure. The car has other ideas. We have travelled twenty metres when we come to an abrupt halt. It appears that we have run out of petrol, as our driver clearly lacking the financial stability to be able to fill the tank with more than a few cups full of fuel at a time. We make a cash advance on our fare and he disappears up the road with a battered petrol can. Half an hour later he reappears to inform us that the nearest petrol station has run out of petrol, before departing in the opposite direction. After another age he jumps out of a van, smiling, with a full can. So we will make the flight after all!

Bags are packed and we vacate the Palm Beach with little in the way of tearful farewells. At Banjul airport the local population has one last chance to attempt to extort every last Dalasi from us tourists, as a group of 'porters' literally fight to claim bags unloaded from the transfer bus and offer to carry them the thirty metres to the departure lounge.

It's been a rather strange trip. The 'package holiday experience' represents a cheap and convenient way of accessing the country, but it certainly doesn't add any enjoyment to the holiday. The birding has, at times, been outstanding. We have notched up such impressive tallies as eight species of kingfisher, four rollers and six bee-eaters. Two turacos, two nightjars, three hirundines and the incomparable Egyptian Plover are all new birds, with everything being seen within the confines of such a tiny country.

It is a great shame that The Gambia's economic situation drives it's citizens to view all tourists as a limitless source of wealth which is fair game for all forms of extortion. The constant hounding, particularly in coastal regions, is a test for even the strongest resolve. Our experience with Ebrima has left us with an impression that the whole country is out to make a fast buck at the expense of every passing visitor. It would be nice to think that this is unjustified, but sadly I fear it is not the case. But then it's probably best not to concentrate on such shortcomings and save the space in the memory for a flock of Crocodile Birds reflected in the waters of River Gambia.