SENEGAL TOUR REPORT 2026

29 January - 14 February 2026

Diedert Koppenol

Our tenth Senegal ‘only’ tour (earlier tours combining with either The Gambia or Cape Verde) was definitely one of the most successful ones we’ve ran, with an astonishing amount of high-quality birds and a total of 345 species! It builds further on the foundation of Senegal as thé premier West African birding destination, especially for those wanting to see some very special Sahelian endemics.  Senegal is less than six hours away from Brussels or Paris by plane and a popular destination with Europeans trying to escape the miserable winter weather in search of the sun. For the birdwatcher Senegal holds an impressive number of specialties, most of which are relatively easy to see in this comfortable and trouble-free country. The two most-wanted birds for our group were probably the truly enigmatic Quail-plover and the beautiful Golden Nightjar, both of which surrendered to our quest and allowed amazing close-up views. We headed up to the northern border of the country with Mauritania for the Golden Nightjar, where we found up to two birds roosting in the daylight, allowing for amazing close-up views. Also, in the far north we hunted out Little Grey Woodpecker and Sennar Penduline Tit as well as the exquisite little Cricket Warbler. Horus Swifts (a relatively recently discovered new bird for the country) were seen at a small colony and a visit to the Djoudj National Park, with its numerous waterfowl and flamingos, astounded us. We also had a great time here with large flocks of Black Crowned Cranes and an innumerable amount of Sand Martins. The unassuming River Prinia, colourful Allen’s Gallinule and secretive Savile’s Bustard were also found whilst in the area, as well as the rare Lesser Jacana, of which we found at least three (possibly four)! Further south, the tiny Quail-plover rose up from under our feet after about an hour searching and we were able to relocate it multiple times, allowing prolonged, walk-away views. We visited the incredible Scissor-tailed Kite roost on Kousmar Island near Kaolack, one of nature’s magic moments. In the south-east of the country, we easily found Mali Firefinches and Neumann’s Starlings, with other highlights being a nice male Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, a surprise African Cuckoo-Hawk and a fine supporting cast in the area included Fox Kestrel, Sun Lark, White-shouldered Black-Tit, Black-faced Firefinches and Four-banded Sandgrouse. A stay at Wassadou along the Gambie River on the edge of Niokolo Koba National Park allowed fine views of the sublime Egyptian Plover as well as Adamawa Turtle Dove, the bizarre Oriole Warbler and African Finfoot. A few of us were lucky enough to see Red-winged Pytilias, but the definitive highlight here was our encounter with the stunningly massive Pel’s Fishing Owl. We then continued to the Saloum Delta where we had a breeze finding several superb White-crested Tiger Herons. Other notable or restricted range species seen during our amazing tour included; Marbled Duck, Stone Partridge, Double-spurred Spurfowl, Standard-winged Nightjar, Violet Turaco, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle, Grasshopper Buzzard, Western Red-billed Hornbill, Blue-bellied Roller, African Green Bee-eater, Vieillot’s and Bearded Barbets, Fine-spotted and the rare Golden-tailed Woodpecker, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, African Red-rumped Swallow, Fulvous Babbler, Chestnut-bellied Starling, White-crowned Robin-Chat, Atlas Wheatear, Mocking Cliff Chat, Pygmy Sunbird, Sudan Golden Sparrow, Lavender Waxbill, Sahel Paradise Whydah, White-rumped Seedeater and Gosling’s Bunting.

Our tour began in Dakar arriving at the trouble-free airport in the evening and were transported swiftly along a new highway to a small hotel in Thiès some thirty minutes away for a short night’s sleep. We were off to Podor early the following morning. We would stay there for two nights, plenty of time to find the northern specialities! It was a long drive, but we made the most out of it. The other-worldly, flat Sahelian landscape cannot really be described as ‘pretty’ or ‘beautiful’ and a steadily increasing layer of plastic detritus seems to be coating the land. However, the street life and culture are certainly fascinating to watch and there is always something to look at whilst in search of roadside birds! The crazy stick nests of White-billed Buffalo Weavers loaded onto the bare skeletal Baobab limbs were a natural feature of the scenery and our first Western Red-billed Hornbills were seen alongside spectacular Long-tailed and Chestnut-bellied Starlings whilst other commonplace species regularly spotted along the way included beautiful Abyssinian Rollers, huge numbers of doves and pigeons and of course, ubiquitous Yellow-billed Kites and Pied Crows. It didn’t take long before we found our first large gather of vultures, feeding on the frequent roadside casualties. We stopped and we watched a real wake of vultures, that included Hooded, Lappet-faced, White-backed, Rüppell’s and Griffon Vultures, still their hunger. During one of our leg-stretch stops, some initial birding was done and we connected with our first Senegal and Yellow-bellied Eremomela’s, Northern Crombecs and found a nice Speckle-fronted Weaver. White-rumped Seedeaters were another nice addition to our list as they can be a bit erratic. As we passed the historic town of Saint-Louis located on the Senegal River, we noted large numbers of waterbirds but these would have to wait until our return as our final destination today was further east. However, we did stop for a delicious fish lunch at a hotel by the banks of the Senegal River in the historic town of Richard Toll and gazed over the river to get a few species onto our Mauritanian list! The word ‘Toll’ means ‘garden’ in the Wolof language and is named after experimental agricultural gardens laid out by Claude Richard for the Chateau de Baron Roger in the 1820’s. Immediately after lunch we birded an area on the outskirts of town where the diminutive Sennar Penduline Tit was quickly discovered, which was a nice Sahel species stricken of our target list. Another species made it of this list very quickly too, because we had great views of a nice male Little Grey Woodpecker! Large flocks of small birds in this region often proved to be Sudan Golden Sparrows which held many decently plumaged male birds. Another nice roadside encounter was a flock of Yellow-billed Oxpeckers, accompanying a sad-looking donkey. Senegal is a wintering ground for a number of Palearctic migrants and in particular featured Western Bonelli’s, Western Olivaceous, Western Orphean and Western Subalpine Warblers all of which were seen whilst birding the far north. From here we completed the drive to Podor and went straight to look for our main quarry: the Golden Nightjar. We walked around in the scrub and were really pleased to find at least two Golden Nightjars roosting and this allowed for amazing views during the daytime. As it had been a long day and we didn’t want to disturb any feeding nightjars, we left when it became dark, very content with such a strong start!

It was another sunny day as we headed out the following morning to an area near Podor where we set out across the sparsely vegetated sandy wastes. We started our birding in the nearby forest and soon located a nice female Little Grey Woodpecker, several African Grey Woodpeckers, Striped Kingfishers, Green Wood Hoopoes and a nice pair of Black Scimitarbills. It didn’t take us long to find our next target, the delightful Cricket Warbler, and we had close views of several birds as they foraged in the sparse vegetation wiggling their long tails. However, it took us longer to locate a family group of Fulvous Babblers, but they did put in an appearance as they ran and flew towards us, low to the ground on stiff, whirring wings and happily flaunted themselves in front of us. The characterful Black Scrub Robin flaunted itself but rarely allowed very close approach. Several senator Woodchat Shrikes and Great Grey Shrikes were dotted around and we saw our first African Collared Doves. Other goodies included great views of Black-crowned Sparrow-Larks, many Northern Grey-headed Sparrows, a few Fork-tailed Drongos amongst the branches, our first Dark Chanting Goshawk perched atop the acacias and a nice male Atlas Wheatear. Nearby, we visited a site where Horus Swifts have been found breeding. We were pleased to find them still at home alongside Little Swifts in the cliffs overhanging the river where attractive African Green, Red-throated and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters also put up a good show. After lunch, we birded a nearby system of irrigated fields with plenty of birds to see. Our first Hamerkops, Spur-winged Lapwings, Grey-headed Kingfisher, Northern Red Bishops, Red-billed Quelia, Brubru, great views of Kittlitz’s Plovers with chicks, a nice pair of beautiful Yellow-crowned Gonoleks, many herons and wildfowl including wild Egyptian Geese. We returned after sunset and enjoyed a great dinner before turning in.

After our stay at Podor we headed back westwards and our morning birding in the Richard Toll area produced a daytime roost of up to 11 Long-tailed Nightjars, several Spotted and Senegal Thick-knees, whilst African Green Bee-eaters kept flicking in and out of the bushes. Out on the sandy wastes we found small numbers of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse and after quite some search, a nice breeding pair of Temminck’s Coursers put on a great show. Luckily, we made a stop to check that raptor, which turned out to be a Short-toed Snake Eagle! We also added Anteater Chat, Chestnut-back Sparrowlark and Crested Lark to our list. After a great morning we celebrated with another superb fish lunch at Richard Toll before continuing westwards. In the afternoon we made our first visit to the Trois Marigots on the outskirts of St Louis. Our aim was to find Savile’s Bustard which appears to be common in the area but habitat loss is threatening the ease with which they can be found. We tracked down a nice male first, which was a bit wary and shy, but gave away great views and only moments later, we found a female that allowed us to get really close while she was calmly foraging amongst the bushes. Never before did I have such views of this normally quite elusive Sahel speciality! We continued to look for the actual water of the marigots. Marigots are side streams or tributary rivulets whose water levels are often seasonal and here they are surrounded by tamarisk and tall stands of phragmites. The open waters and inundated flats are home to a wealth of birds and we soon picked out our first River Prinia; a Sahelian specialty that had hidden in plain sight until as recently as 1974 when it was described by Claude Chappuis who noticed the substantially different song of these water-loving prinias. Winding Cisticola didn’t take long to find, but soon we were distracted by the other avifauna. Greater Swamp Warblers making their guttural cries, skulked in the reeds but allowed views whilst Black Crakes scattered everywhere, Western Yellow Wagtails and African Swamphens were common, whilst a very nice surprise discovery were the three Lesser Jacanas that were actively foraging amongst the lilypads. They gave amazing views and were a serious distraction from the Allen’s Gallinules that were giving away great views whilst they were feeding in the reed edge. We came across a large flock of resting Collared Pratincoles, with several Senegal Thick-knees, Spur-winged and African Wattled Lapwings hiding behind them. A single Whiskered Tern was flapping above the marshland, with Little Bee-eaters grabbing insects from perches throughout the marigots area. Senegal Coucals were coucalling everywhere from within the reed. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset and then were on our way to our nice accommodation near the Djoudj.

The Djoudj is an important wetland staging post and wintering area for migratory birds that lies in the Senegal delta. As we drove along the dirt roads Crested Larks scattered everywhere from the open wastes and dry fields that were dissected by waterways and flooded land. Arriving at the park entrance we found that this fantastic wetland area was absolutely heaving with birds. Whirling flocks of ducks and pelicans filled the distant skies along with Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Spur-winged Geese, herons, storks, ibises and wildfowl that included vast numbers of White-faced Whistling Duck mixed with smaller numbers of Fulvous Whistling Ducks. Stilts and sandpipers were present too, with Marsh Sandpipers showing well. Mammals featured here too, with Warthogs running around everywhere, and we would see a pair of African Golden Wolves at the end of the day too! We drove across the barren flats, looking for Arabian Bustard. Sadly, we found no trace of this species, but had a great time at the lake’s edge, enjoying the enormous rafts of Palearctic migrant Garganey, Northern Shoveler and Northern Pintail, as well as the whistling ducks again. Yellow-billed Storks were seen flying overhead and we found at least seven Marbled Teal in amongst the other ducks. Ospreys and Western Marsh Harriers caused the odd scare here and there, resulting in whirlwinds of wildfowl taking off. Black Crowned Cranes made a nice appearance as several family groups flew over to the inner parts of the park. We found a few flocks of Orange-breasted Waxbills here too. The park is well-known for its huge breeding colony of Great White Pelicans and a boat trip into the heart of the area was an absolutely unforgettable experience. The young were quite well grown by this time of year and the frenzied flapping and exercising of the wings of birds eager to fly, whipped up the guano and dust into the air so that the stench of fish and ammonia was quite overpowering but the sights and sounds were indeed something to see. The wind did blow from the right direction this year, so it wasn’t as sufficating as it can be! Flotillas of fishing adults diving in unison were wondrous to behold and the whole experience was simply awesome! To add to this of course there was a fine selection of other birds to be seen along the reedy margins of the waterway where majestic African Fish Eagles perched up and close looks were obtained of African Darter and Reed and Great Cormorants whilst Whiskered and Caspian Terns followed our boat. We added several other key birds here, including African Spoonbill next to the boat, Knob-billed Ducks and a better views of Spur-winged Goose. Two Black Storks flying overhead were a nice bonus. A single African Stonechat flew across the river and would be our only sighting of this normally common species. In the afternoon, we drove across the flats again, but didn’t add much new in the form of new species. A Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, of the local resident subspecies minor was found, while we flushed several Common Quail during our hunt for Arabian Bustard. Content, although a bit saddened by our miss of Arabian Bustard, we returned to our lodge.

We spent the following morning combining birds and ‘culture’ by visiting the historical town of Saint-Louis which was once not only the capital of Senegal but also of the whole of French West Africa and is built on a sandy spit battered by the Atlantic Ocean. It is a bustling fishing town connected to the mainland by the distinctive arches of the historical Faidherbe Bridge and like most towns in Senegal is coated with a layer of plastic detritus! The mudflats and lagoons helped us add to our wader list whilst we checked every bird to find perhaps something rare. We drove across the famous bridge and onto the island where the decaying colonial buildings hinted at a bygone era of wealth and elegance. Crossing another bridge took us through the fascinating fish market where the colourful boats were hauled up delivering their catch. Our vehicles crawled through the crowds and market places teeming with people coming and going amongst the old colonial buildings and enabled an engrossing fly on the wall look at the bustling life there. Once free of the town where Red-chested Swallows were breeding, we scanned the gulls and terns for something more interesting. Slender-billed and Grey-headed Gulls were plentiful as they breed in the nearby Langue de Barbarie National Park. From the beach itself, we added a fly-by Lesser Crested Tern but no gannets this year. Some post-lunch birding in the garden resulted in nice views of Senegal Batis and a large number of Vieillot’s Barbets! In the afternoon, we went back to Trois Marigots. We didn’t add much but still enjoyed the large number of birds here. However, it remains a great area for some afternoon birding, enjoying the large numbers of birds and variety of species here. A resting Double-spurred Spurfowl posed well for a picture or two and a Malachite Kingfisher was a nice addition to our list. Upon our return, we enjoyed a pair of Western Barn Owls that gave away quite a show.

The time had come to relocate to a different part of the country but today’s travel day was a highly anticipated event. Due to a presidential visit to Kedougou and subsequently our reservations being cancelled, we had to change our itinerary a bit, but we would visit Kousmar Island today. During the course of the morning, we traversed many miles through prime territory for vultures and came across a few small gatherings. One encounter was particularly memorable where roadkill was attracting the vultures right onto the road, whilst a dog was trying to get a piece of meat as well. Quite a spectacle with the incoming traffic trying to avoid the large-winged creatures. We added more Double-spurred Spurfowl to the list en route, but didn’t have much time for stops as we needed to cover quite some ground. A short stop for nice views of Pearl-spotted Owlets was appreciated. We reached Touba by midday, but due to several holy events, it was very, very busy. We decided to cut around, but it still took some time. However, lunch was nearby and a good break before we made our way across to Kousmar Island. A little further on we arrived at a small village where we met up with a boatman who was willing to ferry us across to Kousmar Island in the delta which has become famous as the site that has hosted up to 28,000 wintering Lesser Kestrels and 36,000 Scissor-tailed Kites. We drove out over the dry mud flats as far as we could until we met the river channel that separated us from the island. The transport across was to be by a wooden pirogue and with a bit of effort we soon found ourselves on the island and squelched the remaining distance to the roosting trees. We had arrived in good time, which allowed us to be distracted for a while, where some saw another African Collared Dove, there were a few Bleating Camaroptera and Common Whitethroats, but four roosting Northern White-faced Owls stole the show for sure! It was a little longer longer before the first Scissor-tailed Kites were spotted as tiny, white specks high in the skies above us. Some Lesser Kestrels came in first and gradually more and more kites were seen wheeling in and as the temperature dropped so did the birds. They began to make their descent, with wings folded back, hurtling down to land in the trees around us. Now that the first had taken this bold step more and more joined until the trees were bedecked by kites. Needless to say, the spectacle was awe-inspiring and really could only be appreciated from the island itself so it was totally worth it to have made the crossing. As the light faded, we hiked back to the river where the boat was waiting and made our way back to the minibuses as the sun sank below the horizon. We were rather late reaching our hotel that night but the experience had been totally worthwhile.

We made our way from Kaolack to our next destination, as we would spent some days in the Saloum Delta exploring the waterways and surrounding country on foot and by boat and minibus. First, however, it was time to find another one of our main birds. It was a highly anticipated event for it was going to be our only real chance to find the truly enigmatic Quail-plover. It was nice to try for this bird in the morning for a change, as we normally had to go during the blistering heat of midday. We now set off in search for the proverbial needle in the haystack in rather cool overcast weather. Our quarry is a diminutive bird measures no more than 13 centimetres in length and is cryptically coloured and patterned to the point that it is rarely picked up on the ground before it is flushed. We walked for about half an hour at a new site and soon flushed a few birds. First, we flushed quite a few Common Buttonquails, but then we found the real deal. At least two birds flew up from underneath our feet, something like a cross between a butterfly, grasshopper, a lark and a quail, settling nearby. It took is quite a bit more time to find a cooperative one,, but we ended up with point-blank views of this peculiar little bird. We birded a bit more in the area, with nice views of Red-necked Falcon, Singing Bush Lark and Desert Cisticola. Some of us also flushed a Savile’s Bustard and we could hear a few birds singing in the area as well. Onwards we went, as we still had some ground to cover and had planned a short detour. This was because we knew of a roosting Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl, that showed itself really well. A nice bonus was that we also ran into a family group of three Abysinnian Ground Hornbills! Parading around and even taking flight to perch in a dead tree; they were really showing off. Another highlight was our first male Pygmy Sunbird just above the vans. It turned out, we would see plenty more..! After a nice lunch at our new hotel in Toubacouta, we gathered for our first boat ride. One of the gardeners was kind enough to tip us off on a roosting Greyish Eagle-Owl, so we obviously delayed departure for a bit! There were quite some birds mobbing the sleeping great owl, and we added Northern Puffback and Black-rumped Waxbill to our list. There were plenty of Red-billed Firefinches, Red-cheeked Cordon-blues, Village Indigobirds and Village Weavers foraging around and a flock of Bronze Mannikins flew past. Yellow-crowned Gonoleks showed well, but then we dragged ourselves away to get on the boat. was timed for the afternoon when a falling tide would be in our favour for finding the elusive White-crested Tiger Heron; a species that spends most of its time inside the dense mangrove swamps that line the convoluted waterways of the Saloum Delta. The huge Goliath Heron was found easily, as was the White-crested Tiger Heron this year. It didn’t take us very long to find our first one, but it was a bit obscured for photographs. The second one showed itself a lot more out in the open, as it was perched right in the top of the mangrove trees! Much more difficult was the small, mouse-sized Mangrove (or Brown) Sunbird but eventually we all managed to obtain good views. We continued the boat trip further upriver to look for West African Crested Terns, but sadly had to make due with Caspian, Gull-billed and Whiskered Terns. A nice mammal surprise was a foraging Marsh Mongoose at the water’s edge. A pair of Palm-nut Vultures flying over was what sounded in the end of another great birding day.

The following morning, we would start with another boat trip. The channels were teeming with roosting Black Kites and a few Wire-tailed Swallows were flying by. A surprise encounter with a male African Finfoot was the better start of a day’s birding and we soon followed up with better views of the Mangrove Sunbird. Another White-crested Tiger Heron was yet another surprise, as it flew across the channel and disappeared back into the mangroves. A few waders including Grey Plover and Eurasian Whimbrel later and we arrived at Sipo Island for some land-based birding. It would be a great morning session, starting off with some showy Yellow-fronted Canaries, a pair of Olive-naped Weavers, a migrant Melodious Warbler and a write-in for this well-established tour in the form of a Golden-tailed Woodpecker! After enjoying the woodpecker, we birded a bit more, adding Fine-spotted Woodpecker, a male Western Violet-backed Sunbird, Blackcap and Brown Babblers and then returned back to the hotel for lunch. After lunch, we birded various parts of Sandicoly, which resulted in great views of Bearded Barbets, White-crowned Robin-Chats, another Fine-spotted Woodpecker, a few Grey Kestrels and a Lanner Falcon. Between the Black Crakes and African Jacana’s, we didn’t find anything rare, but did have our first Hadada Ibis and another Black Stork flying over. The final bit of birding required us to chase away the local troop of Guinea Baboons, but it was well worth the effort as we saw several Lesser and Greater Honeyguides, some of us managed to see Oriole Warbler and all of us ultimately obtained great views of Yellow-gorgeted Greenbul! Another mega surprise was sadly only for a few of the group, as the Dwarf Bittern found by Abdou only showed itself twice, and rather briefly. We turned in for the night, but not before we took another look at the roosting Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bats that were back above the bar this year.

We would dedicate today to finding one of the trickiest species of this tour; the Yellow Penduline Tit. For this purpose, we started off early and would focus our birding on Sangako Forest. Right from the start, we started to run into great birds, with an African Golden Oriole kicking things off. A perched Lizard Buzzard was a nice first for the trip and the Lesser Blue-eared Starlings started to show up in force as well. A male Variable Sunbird showed itself very well, while Lavender Waxbills perched right next to it, in beautiful sunlight! A quick stop was made to check a large raptor that was found hidden amongst the treetops. It turned out to be our first Martial Eagle for the trip, but we would see a few more later on. Luckily, because this one flew off quite before everyone laid eyes on it. It was then that we had to put in some work, walking quite some miles with little to distract us at first, apart from a Tree Pipit. We then ran into a nice band of White-crested Helmetshrikes, showing off their namesake crests and their typical sounds. Another male Greater Honeyguide was added to our tally and then we found a single Yellow Penduline Tit! It gave away great but brief views and at least the pressure was off! We returned back to the vans for some more exploration, locating a nice African Paradise Flycatcher and a perched Grasshopper Buzzard. At one of the archetypical haunts for the species, we did indeed find a large flock of Quailfinch spread out across the plains, while a Wahlberg’s Eagle was flying overhead. A forced lunch and siesta break was much appreciated by all, but we were back out there at midday, trying to find a few more goodies. We soon ran into a migrant male Eurasian Blackcap, kept seeing large numbers of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and Mosque Swallows in the sky, but were much pleased when after a long day of birding we found more Yellow Penduline Tits; a small flock of four this time! With that, it was day’s end and we returned for our final night in Toubacouta.

It was time to continue our journey for our next stay at Campement de Wassadou on the edge of Niokolo Koba National Park, a lodge picturesquely placed overlooking the River Gambie. We had several stops planned to add a few more target species to our list en route. A detour was made to obtain point-blank views of a breeding pair of Bronze-winged Coursers first, which was a very nice bonus for the tour! A Montagu’s Harrier was haunting the same grounds, but the Rufous-tailed Scrub Robins didn’t seem to care much. We then made our way to a water hole, which had already dried up this time around. This meant we had to work a bit harder to locate our quarry, but after a short while, a nice male Sahel Paradise Whydah came flying by, perched for a bit and allowed for scope views, while all rejoiced. Cut-throat Finches were noted here too, a species that seemed to be in quite low numbers this year. We added quite a few more raptors during the drive, with a trip tick in the form of a Black-winged Kite, but we also noted a few Brown Snake Eagles, African Harrier-Hawks and a few more Dark Chanting Goshawks. In the evening, we reached the entrance to Wassadou, where we had a great show from the local Stone Partridges. Once we reached the camp, we quickly settled at the watchpoint. We saw an African Finfoot swam across the Gambie River, an Egyptian Plover flew by, but we could not locate any White-backed Night Herons this year. We enjoyed our first group of Upper Guinea Red Colobus and met the cheeky Green Monkeys here. There were also no Hippos present this year, sadly, and rumour had it they moved to the nearby airport. Normally, these species would already make quite a great birding list, but we still had some owling to do! We started off with a try for Pel’s Fishing Owl, as we understood a pair was frequenting the area, but no luck for us. We continued onwards and drove a bit with the van, away from the camp, where we soon located a showy African Scops Owl. Another weird encounter was an African Hawk-Eagle that lay in the middle of the road, fast asleep. Sadly, it was probably the victim of poisoning, but we managed to coach it off the road and hopefully it would recover after a good night sleep. We tried to find bushbabies, but failed to do so. However, when we returned to camp, we were greeting by an almost infrasound hooting; a very low bass. That could only mean one thing! Trying to keep a lid on our excitement we returned to the same spot and luckily it didn’t take long before we were all looking at a massive, beautiful Pel’s Fishing Owl! It stayed for a while, allowing for a few photos, but then flew off, cruised right above our heads to the other side of the river. What a great ending to a stellar day’s travel and birding!

We had two full days to explore the area around the camp and our activities involved scanning from the watchpoint, walking in the surrounding bush and exploring the river. The small boat only took a few people at a time so we took it in turns to cruise up and down the river during the course of our stay. The birds along the river seemed oblivious to the engine noise which meant that we were able to get up close to the sublime Egyptian Plover and we gained some intimate views of a number of pairs of these beautifully marked birds. Several African Finfoot were seen both during our mini cruises and from terra firma as were small numbers of the localised Adamawa Turtle Dove. As was to be expected kingfishers were a feature of the waterways and as well as the commonplace Malachite and Pied Kingfishers we noted Grey-headed, Blue-breasted and Giant Kingfishers. Numerous Red-throated Bee-eaters were busy at their nests in the sandy banks of the river and other waterside birds included White-crowned, Spur-winged and African Wattled Lapwings, Hadada Ibis, Striated Heron, Swamp & European Pied Flycatcher, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Violet Turaco, a large flock of Helmeted Guineafowl and African Pied Wagtail. Another cool sighting was that of a Black-necked Spitting Cobra that was at least 1.5 metres long! Bush walks produced Cardinal and Fine-spotted Woodpecker, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Red-winged Pytillia, Black-faced Firefinch, Black-rumped Waxbill, Grey Tit-Flycatcher, Brown-throated Wattle-eye, Singing Cisticola, . Northern Carmine Bee-eaters were seen from the boats in the afternoons and performed ‘murmuration’ flights over the roost areas at dusk. Some were lucky enough to see a Red-flanked Duiker as well, while everyone did get to see a few shy Northern Bushbuck.

The next day the drive was even longer as we headed to Kedougou in the far south-east of the country. Before we left, we did some more birding at the park’s entrance, resulting in great views of Oriole Warblers and a large band of Banded Mongooses (or Mongeese, if so preferred). We spent most of the morning driving through the enormous Niokolo Koba National Park to reach Kedougou. It is not allowed to stop and birdwatch in the park without a permit but on the way we still saw quite a few birds, including several Hooded Vultures, a handful of Bateleurs, another Brown Snake Eagle and at the exit of the park we found another target bird: Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle. After a quick lunch at our new hotel, we went out again, as we did have a bit less time here this year due to the aforementioned presidential visit. However, it turned that we didn’t need more time anyway as we soon managed to locate the range-restricted Sun Lark. The main goal, however, was finding the enigmatic Mali Firefinch. We trailed the area, where tour leader and friend of the show Mark Van Beirs had seen them recently, but to no avail. We did find a few Zitting Cisticola, which were also not the hoped-for Dorst’s Cisticola. A perched and singing Gosling’s Bunting was a nice addition to our ever-growing tour list. We all climbed back on board the minivans to relocate, but that is when the firefinches decided to show themselves. A nice male had flown up on a single branch of grass right in front of our windscreen! A quick regrouping was necessary and ultimately we all had amazing views of a small flock of Mali Firefinches. Bingo! A short drive later and we were back birding, this time at a rocky outcrop, where we first ran into another flock of beautiful White-crested Helmetshrikes, but then also located a family group of Mocking Cliff Chats. They showed well through the scope and were a nice distraction while we waited for the main star of the show to appear. It didn’t take that long and this year we found a total of at least 17 Neumann’s Starlings! A fly-by Fox Kestrel was most welcome, before we headed back. We made a final stop to find a small flock of Four-banded Sandgrouse coming in for a nightcap and then it was time to call it a day.

Early next morning, we headed along rough roads down towards the border with Guinea and the area around Dindefelo situated in the foothills of the Fouta Djallon mountains. From the open Sahel of the north, we had now arrived in the wooded Sudanian-Guinea savannas and as a result there was quite a difference in the avifauna. We started early and as the dawn broke, the dry bush came alive. We did stop for much as we wanted to spend as much time in the forest as possible. We prepared for the 1.5 km walk to the cascades that tumble down the high, craggy cliffs. The walk was mainly completed undercover and it was refreshingly cooler in the shade of the lush vegetation. The area was kept moist by a rushing stream that often attracts the washerwomen from the village so that many of the available branches were bedecked with drying laundry but today they were mostly absent. In this place Blackcap and Brown Babblers squabbled from the tangles, with a Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat foraging on the floor, and thirsty birds came to forage finding relief from the hot sun. The change of habitat brought a rush of new birds for the trip and included the stunning Guinea Turaco, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, African Paradise Flycatcher, African Blue Flycatcher, Red-winged Prinia, Yellow-breasted Apalis, Northern Yellow White-eye, African Thrush, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Familiar Chat, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Lavender Waxbill, Scarlet-chested and Green-headed Sunbird and Olive-naped Weavers. The Willcock’s Honeyguide was not home during our visit and we only ID-ed a Heuglin’s Masked Weaver from photos after the fact. Inside the forest we ran into an African Pygmy Kingfisher, which was a nice bonus bird. At the end of the track we enjoyed the beautiful waterfall and some managed to obtain views of a few Red-throated Rock Martins flying above the fall. A Blue-spotted Wood Dove showed itself quite well and we managed to track down an obliging Narina Trogon. The definitive highlight here was finding a small flock of Dybowski’s Twinspots that were returning to a small pool for some water. It was difficult to get good views, but any view with such a mega bird does well! We stayed until after lunch at a small campement and afterwards we made our way slowly back to the accommodation, with some birding here and there. A Martial Eagle was waiting for us at the outskirts of the village, showing rather well. We added Pin-tailed Whydah to our list and a few Northern Carmine Bee-eaters graced the sky, but not much else of note was seen.

Our final morning of birding in the Kedougou area turned out to be a very good one indeed. It started off with a few nicely perched Bruce’s Green Pigeons, but before everyone had fully woken from their sleep, we ran into a raptor that threw us a curve ball at first. However, we soon realized what it was, and we had great views of a hunting African Cuckoo-Hawk! Another write-in for the tour.We soon found a very nice flock of birds after that, which included Black-faced Firefinches, a small flock of Red-winged Prinias, several nice White-shouldered Black Tits, Northern Black Flycatchers, another surprise in the form of a nice male Exclamatory Paradishe Whydah with streamers still attached! We did not a single trace of Dorst’s Cisticola, even after long searches. Alas, we had to continue our way up north to make for Tambacounda. Another drive through the Niokolo Koba NP added more raptors to our list, including Bateleur, Brown Snake Eagle, Hooded Vultures, Dark Chanting Goshawk, Lizard Buzzard, Shikra and a pair of Grasshopper Buzzards. We would attempt to locate Standard-winged Nightjars before we went to the hotel, but had to wait until dusk would set in. A bit more birding didn’t result in much, apart from large numbers of Red-billed Quelea and a showy pair of Red-necked Falcons. As darnkess set in, we used a bit of playback to lure out the nightjars, but it was just one individual that flew across the roads and that was all she wrote.

The final day of our amazing Senegal birding tour was spent travelling back to Dahkla, with a bit of a rest in the middle of the day to freshen up before the flights.

Our West African adventure had finally come to an end and what an experience it had been! This long road trip had taken us through the Sahel, down into the Sudanian-Guinea savannahs and finished on the wide open Saloum estuary and everywhere, from the fishing market in St Louis to the crowds around the Grand Mosque at Touba we had been fascinated by the colourful street life. We had tasted some great Senegalese cuisine, particularly some fine fish and of course the Chicken Yassa! A variety of boat trips had brought us close-up and personal with a number of amazing species such as the delightful Egyptian Plover and charismatic White-crested Tiger Heron and we had seen some of the most iconic of the Sahelian birds including the highly desirable Golden Nightjar, Quail-plover and Cricket Warbler. We had witnessed some spectacular bird behaviour with the enormous coordinated wheeling flocks of wildfowl, queleas and bishops to the grace of the Scissor-tailed Kite roost in the Saloum. Senegal is a West African gem and surely set to become a classic destination. On behalf of the entire group I would like to extend a very special thanks to our great local guide Abdou (Carlos), and to Modou (Mamadou) and George (Djibril), the best drivers Senegal has to offer!

BIRDS OF THE TOUR

1st: Golden Nightjar
2nd: Pel’s Fishing Owl
3rd: Quail-plover
4th: Egyptian Plover
5th: Scissor-tailed Kite & White-crested Tiger Heron

SYSTEMATIC LIST OF SPECIES RECORDED DURING THE TOUR
The species names and taxonomy used in the bird list follows AviList v2025 (AviList Core Team. 2025. AviList: The Global Avian Checklist, v2025).
Where the subspecies seen is/are known, these are often given in parentheses at the end of the species comment.

Species marked with the diamond symbol (◊) are either endemic to the country or local region or considered ‘special’ birds for some other reason (e.g. only seen on one or two Birdquest tours; difficult to see across all or most of its range; the local form is endemic or restricted-range and may in future be treated as a full species.

BIRDS
White-faced Whistling Duck  Dendrocygna viduata   Literal clouds were seen at Djoudj NP.
Fulvous Whistling Duck  Dendrocygna bicolor   Quite a few at Djoudj NP.
African Pygmy Goose  Nettapus auritus   Seen at multiple occasions throughout the trip.
Spur-winged Goose  Plectropterus gambensis   Present in Djoudj NP [gambensis].
Egyptian Goose  Alopochen aegyptiaca   Seen in Djoudj NP; real wild ones!
Knob-billed Duck  Sarkidiornis melanotos   Great views during our boat trip in Djoudj NP, but also large flocks flying by near Podor.
Marbled Duck ◊  Marmaronetta angustirostris   Quite a few were present on the large Lake Khar in Djoudj NP.
Garganey  Spatula querquedula   Large numbers present on Lake Khar.
Northern Shoveler  Spatula clypeata   Large numbers present on Lake Khar, amongst the large numbers of wildfowl.
Northern Pintail  Anas acuta   Large numbers present on Lake Khar.
Helmeted Guineafowl  Numida meleagris   Quite a few flocks seen during our time in the south, especially great views at Wassadou. Wild ones [galeatus]!
Stone Partridge ◊  Ptilopachus petrosus   Great views of this species [petrosus] at Wassadou, heard at many more sites. Always intriguing to see a New World Quail on this side of the pond.
Common Quail  Coturnix coturnix   Several flushed [coturnix] during our search for Arabian Bustard in Djoudj NP.
Double-spurred Spurfowl ◊ (D-s Francolin)  Pternistis bicalcaratus   A common bird [bicalcaratus] for this tour; seen throughout the trip.
Lesser Flamingo  Phoeniconaias minor   Seen during our time in and around Djoudj NP.
Greater Flamingo  Phoenicopterus roseus   Seen during our time in and around Djoudj NP, larger numbers than Lesser.
Little Grebe  Tachybaptus ruficollis   Small numbers [capensis] noted during our time birding the Podor region.
Western Plantain-eater (W Grey P-e)  Crinifer piscator   Seen throughout the country, becoming more common as we went south.
Violet Turaco ◊  Tauraco violaceus   Great views at Wassadou.
Guinea Turaco (Green T)  Tauraco persa   Amazing sightings at Dindéfelo [buffoni].
Savile’s Bustard ◊  Lophotis savilei   Amazing, but somewhat brief views of a male first and then, only five minutes later, we enjoyed point-blank views of a foraging female. What an encounter!
Senegal Coucal  Centropus senegalensis   Common throughout [senegalensis].
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse  Pterocles exustus   Great views were obtained in the northern regions, where quite a few were nice enough to just keep foraging while we were watching [exustus].
Four-banded Sandgrouse ◊  Pterocles quadricinctus   Happy with somewhat brief views of a flock coming to a drinking place near Kedougou.
Laughing Dove  Spilopelia senegalensis   Common throughout [senegalensis]. Seen every day of the trip.
European Turtle Dove  Streptopelia turtur   Glad to encounter larger numbers this year, in the northern regions and around Wassadou [turtur].
Adamawa Turtle Dove ◊  Streptopelia hypopyrrha   Great encounters during our time at Wassadou.
Vinaceous Dove  Streptopelia vinacea   Common throughout.
Red-eyed Dove  Streptopelia semitorquata   Became more common as we went south.
Mourning Collared Dove (African M D)  Streptopelia decipiens   Common throughout the trip [shelleyi].
African Collared Dove  Streptopelia roseogrisea   A few individuals seen in the Sahel region and on Khousmar Island [roseogrisea].
Speckled Pigeon  Columba guinea   Present everywhere we went [guinea].
Namaqua Dove  Oena capensis   More common in the northern regions [capensis].
Blue-spotted Wood Dove  Turtur afer   Seen well in Dindéfelo.
Black-billed Wood Dove  Turtur abyssinicus   Very common once we went south.
Bruce’s Green Pigeon ◊  Treron waalia   Seen well at multiple sites.
Black Crowned Crane  Balearica pavonina   Large flocks flying across the plains of Djoudj NP [pavonina].
African Finfoot  Podica senegalensis   Seen well at Wassadou and in the Saloum Delta [senegalensis].
Common Moorhen  Gallinula chloropus   Common in Trois Marigots [meridionalis].
Allen’s Gallinule  Porphyrio alleni   Amazing views in the Trios Marigots area.
Purple Swamphen (African S)  Porphyrio [porphyrio] madagascariensis   Common in most wetlands, especially in Trios Marigots.
Black Crake  Zapornia flavirostra   Present throughout the Trios Marigots area, even walking on the roads.
Spotted Thick-knee  Burhinus capensis   Seen very well at a roosting site in the northern region of Senegal [maculosus].
Senegal Thick-knee  Burhinus senegalensis   Seen very well at multiple occassions and their calls are never far away.
Egyptian Plover ◊  Pluvianus aegyptius   Everyone got their fill of this unique species at the Gambia river during our stay at Wassadou, where we enjoyed prolonged point-blank views.
Black-winged Stilt  Himantopus himantopus   Present in several of the pools still filled with water throughout the trip.
Eurasian Oystercatcher  Haematopus ostralegus   Seen near the coast in the northeast [ostralegus].
Grey Plover (Black-bellied P)  Pluvialis squatarola   Plenty of wintering birds in and around the mudflats of Senegal’s coast [squatarola].
Common Ringed Plover  Charadrius hiaticula   Common on the northern mudflats [psammodromus].
Little Ringed Plover  Thinornis dubius   Also quite common in the northern areas, especially when water (was) present [curonicus].
Spur-winged Lapwing  Vanellus spinosus   Seen throughout the country, only a few days where we didn’t see a single one.
Black-headed Lapwing  Vanellus tectus   Fairly common throughout the tour, especially in drier areas [tectus].
White-crowned Lapwing (W-headed L)  Vanellus albiceps   Great views at Wassadou.
African Wattled Lapwing  Vanellus senegallus   Found in random places throughout the country and larger numbers at Trios Marigots [senegallus].
Kittlitz’s Plover  Anarhynchus pecuarius   Great views of this cute plover in several places during the tour.
Kentish Plover  Anarhynchus alexandrinus   Present in the Djoudj NP [alexandrinus].
Lesser Jacana  Microparra capensis   A surprise to find at least three of these cute jacana’s in Trois Marigots, at the same place we found four last year.
African Jacana  Actophilornis africanus   Common throughout.
Eurasian Whimbrel  Numenius phaeopus   
Bar-tailed Godwit  Limosa lapponica
Black-tailed Godwit  Limosa limosa
Common Snipe  Gallinago gallinago
Common Sandpiper  Actitis hypoleucos
Green Sandpiper  Tringa ochropus
Marsh Sandpiper  Tringa stagnatilis
Wood Sandpiper  Tringa glareola
Common Redshank  Tringa totanus
Spotted Redshank  Tringa erythropus
Common Greenshank  Tringa nebularia
Ruddy Turnstone  Arenaria interpres
Ruff  Calidris pugnax
Curlew Sandpiper  Calidris ferruginea
Sanderling  Calidris alba
Dunlin  Calidris alpina
Little Stint  Calidris minuta
Quail-plover ◊  Ortyxelos meiffrenii
Common Buttonquail  Turnix sylvaticus
Bronze-winged Courser ◊ (Violet-tipped C)  Rhinoptilus chalcopterus
Temminck’s Courser  Cursorius temminckii
Collared Pratincole  Glareola pratincola
Little Tern  Sternula albifrons
Caspian Tern  Hydroprogne caspia
Gull-billed Tern  Gelochelidon nilotica
Whiskered Tern  Chlidonias hybrida
Sandwich Tern  Thalasseus sandvicensis
Lesser Crested Tern  Thalasseus bengalensis
Slender-billed Gull  Chroicocephalus genei
Black-headed Gull  Chroicocephalus ridibundus
Grey-headed Gull  Chroicocephalus cirrocephalus
Audouin’s Gull ◊  Ichthyaetus audouinii
Lesser Black-backed Gull  Larus fuscus
Yellow-billed Stork  Mycteria ibis
Black Stork  Ciconia nigra
African Woolly-necked Stork (A Woollyneck)  Ciconia microscelis
African Darter  Anhinga rufa
Reed Cormorant (Long-tailed C)  Microcarbo africanus
Great Cormorant (White-breasted C)  Phalacrocorax [carbo] lucidus
Glossy Ibis  Plegadis falcinellus
Hadada Ibis  Bostrychia hagedash
African Spoonbill  Platalea alba
Eurasian Spoonbill  Platalea leucorodia
African Sacred Ibis  Threskiornis aethiopicus
Hamerkop  Scopus umbretta
Great White Pelican  Pelecanus onocrotalus
Pink-backed Pelican  Pelecanus rufescens
White-crested Tiger Heron ◊  Tigriornis leucolopha
Dwarf Bittern  Botaurus sturmii
Black Heron  Egretta ardesiaca
Western Reef Heron (W R Egret)  Egretta gularis
Little Egret  Egretta garzetta
Black-crowned Night Heron  Nycticorax nycticorax
Little Heron  Butorides atricapilla
Squacco Heron  Ardeola ralloides
Great Egret  Ardea alba
Yellow-billed Egret  Ardea brachyrhyncha
Western Cattle Egret  Ardea ibis
Purple Heron  Ardea purpurea
Black-headed Heron  Ardea melanocephala
Goliath Heron  Ardea goliath
Grey Heron  Ardea cinerea
Standard-winged Nightjar ◊  Caprimulgus longipennis
Golden Nightjar ◊  Caprimulgus eximius
Long-tailed Nightjar  Caprimulgus climacurus
Mottled Spinetail  Telacanthura ussheri
African Palm Swift  Cypsiurus parvus
Horus Swift  Apus horus
Little Swift  Apus affinis
Western Barn Owl  Tyto alba
Pearl-spotted Owlet  Glaucidium perlatum
African Scops Owl  Otus senegalensis
Northern White-faced Owl  Ptilopsis leucotis
Greyish Eagle-Owl  Bubo cinerascens
Pel’s Fishing Owl ◊  Scotopelia peli
Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl  Ketupa lactea
Osprey  Pandion haliaetus
Scissor-tailed Kite ◊ (African Swallow-t K)  Chelictinia riocourii
Black-winged Kite  Elanus caeruleus
African Harrier-Hawk  Polyboroides typus
Palm-nut Vulture  Gypohierax angolensis
Lappet-faced Vulture  Torgos tracheliotos
Hooded Vulture  Necrosyrtes monachus
White-backed Vulture (African W-b V)  Gyps africanus
Griffon Vulture (Eurasian G V)  Gyps fulvus
Rüppell’s Vulture  Gyps rueppelli
Bateleur  Terathopius ecaudatus
Western Banded Snake Eagle  Circaetus cinerascens    Seen en route back from Dindefelo, completing our quartet of snake eagles.
Beaudouin’s Snake Eagle ◊  Circaetus beaudouini
Brown Snake Eagle  Circaetus cinereus
Short-toed Snake Eagle  Circaetus gallicus
Martial Eagle  Polemaetus bellicosus
Wahlberg’s Eagle  Hieraaetus wahlbergi
African Hawk-Eagle  Aquila spilogaster
Gabar Goshawk  Micronisus gabar
Dark Chanting Goshawk  Melierax metabates
Lizard Buzzard  Kaupifalco monogrammicus
Shikra  Tachyspiza badia
Montagu’s Harrier  Circus pygargus
Western Marsh Harrier  Circus aeruginosus
Black Kite (Yellow-billed K)  Milvus [migrans] aegyptius
African Fish Eagle  Icthyophaga vocifer
Grasshopper Buzzard ◊  Butastur rufipennis
Blue-naped Mousebird  Urocolius macrourus
Narina Trogon  Apaloderma narina
Common Hoopoe  Upupa epops
Black Scimitarbill  Rhinopomastus aterrimus
Green Wood Hoopoe  Phoeniculus purpureus
Abyssinian Ground Hornbill  Bucorvus abyssinicus
African Grey Hornbill  Lophoceros nasutus
Western Red-billed Hornbill ◊  Tockus kempi
Broad-billed Roller  Eurystomus glaucurus
Blue-bellied Roller ◊  Coracias cyanogaster
Purple Roller (Rufous-crowned R)  Coracias naevius
Abyssinian Roller  Coracias abyssinicus
Red-throated Bee-eater  Merops bulocki
Little Bee-eater  Merops pusillus
Swallow-tailed Bee-eater  Merops hirundineus
Northern Carmine Bee-eater  Merops nubicus
African Green Bee-eater ◊ (Little G b-e)  Merops viridissimus
European Bee-eater  Merops apiaster
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater  Merops persicus
African Pygmy Kingfisher  Ispidina picta
Malachite Kingfisher  Corythornis cristatus
Giant Kingfisher  Megaceryle maxima
Pied Kingfisher  Ceryle rudis
Blue-breasted Kingfisher  Halcyon malimbica
Striped Kingfisher  Halcyon chelicuti
Grey-headed Kingfisher  Halcyon leucocephala
Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird  Pogoniulus bilineatus
Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird  Pogoniulus chrysoconus
Bearded Barbet ◊  Pogonornis dubius
Vieillot’s Barbet ◊  Lybius vieilloti
Lesser Honeyguide  Indicator minor
Greater Honeyguide  Indicator indicator
Fine-spotted Woodpecker ◊  Campethera punctuligera
African Grey Woodpecker (Grey W)  Dendropicos goertae
Little Grey Woodpecker ◊ (Sahelian W)  Dendropicos elachus
Cardinal Woodpecker  Dendropicos fuscescens
Lesser Kestrel  Falco naumanni
Fox Kestrel ◊  Falco alopex
Common Kestrel  Falco tinnunculus
Grey Kestrel  Falco ardosiaceus
Red-necked Falcon  Falco chicquera
Peregrine Falcon  Falco peregrinus
Peregrine Falcon ◊ (Barbary F)  Falco [peregrinus] pelegrinoides
Lanner Falcon  Falco biarmicus
Senegal Parrot  Poicephalus senegalus
Rose-ringed Parakeet (Ring-necked P)  Psittacula krameri
Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike  Campephaga phoenicea
Brubru  Nilaus afer
Black-crowned Tchagra  Tchagra senegalus
Grey-headed Bushshrike  Malaconotus blanchoti
Northern Puffback  Dryoscopus gambensis
Orange-breasted Bushshrike (Sulphur-b B)  Chlorophoneus sulfureopectus
Yellow-crowned Gonolek ◊  Laniarius barbarus
Brown-throated Wattle-eye (Common W-e)  Platysteira cyanea
Senegal Batis  Batis senegalensis
White-crested Helmetshrike (White H)  Prionops plumatus
African Golden Oriole  Oriolus auratus
Fork-tailed Drongo (Glossy-backed D)  Dicrurus [adsimilis] divaricatus
African Paradise Flycatcher  Terpsiphone viridis
Yellow-billed Shrike  Corvinella corvina
Great Grey Shrike  Lanius excubitor
Woodchat Shrike  Lanius senator
Piapiac  Ptilostomus afer
Pied Crow  Corvus albus
African Blue Flycatcher  Elminia longicauda
Sennar Penduline Tit ◊  Anthoscopus punctifrons
Yellow Penduline Tit ◊  Anthoscopus parvulus
White-shouldered Black Tit  Melaniparus guineensis
Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark  Eremopterix nigriceps
Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark  Eremopterix leucotis
Singing Bush Lark  Mirafra javanica
Sun Lark ◊  Galerida modesta
Crested Lark  Galerida cristata
Northern Crombec  Sylvietta brachyura
Yellow-bellied Eremomela  Eremomela icteropygialis
Senegal Eremomela  Eremomela pusilla
Bleating Camaroptera (Grey-backed C)  Camaroptera [brachyura] brevicaudata
Cricket Warbler ◊  Spiloptila clamans
Yellow-breasted Apalis  Apalis flavida
Tawny-flanked Prinia  Prinia subflava
River Prinia ◊  Prinia fluviatilis
Red-winged Prinia (R-w Warbler)  Prinia erythroptera
Oriole Warbler ◊  Hypergerus atriceps
Singing Cisticola  Cisticola cantans
Winding Cisticola  Cisticola marginatus
Zitting Cisticola  Cisticola juncidis
Desert Cisticola  Cisticola aridulus
Melodious Warbler  Hippolais polyglotta
Western Olivaceous Warbler  Iduna opaca
Sedge Warbler  Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Common Reed Warbler  Acrocephalus [scirpaceus] scirpaceus
Greater Swamp Warbler  Acrocephalus rufescens
Sand Martin (Bank Swallow)  Riparia riparia
Red-throated Rock Martin  Ptyonoprogne rufigula
Wire-tailed Swallow  Hirundo smithii
Barn Swallow  Hirundo rustica
Red-chested Swallow  Hirundo lucida
Western House Martin  Delichon urbicum
Mosque Swallow  Cecropis senegalensis
African Red-rumped Swallow ◊  Cecropis melanocrissus
Western Bonelli’s Warbler  Phylloscopus bonelli
Common Chiffchaff  Phylloscopus collybita
Yellow-gorgeted Greenbul  Atimastillas flavicollis
Common Bulbul  Pycnonotus barbatus
Eurasian Blackcap  Sylvia atricapilla
Western Orphean Warbler  Curruca hortensis
Common Whitethroat  Curruca communis
Western Subalpine Warbler  Curruca iberiae
Northern Yellow White-eye (African Y W)  Zosterops senegalensis
Fulvous Babbler ◊  Argya fulva
Brown Babbler  Turdoides plebejus
Blackcap Babbler  Turdoides reinwardtii
Yellow-billed Oxpecker  Buphagus africanus
Neumann’s Starling ◊  Onychognathus neumanni
Long-tailed Glossy Starling  Lamprotornis caudatus
Lesser Blue-eared Starling  Lamprotornis chloropterus
Greater Blue-eared Starling  Lamprotornis chalybaeus
Purple Starling (P Glossy S)  Lamprotornis purpureus
Bronze-tailed Starling (B-t Glossy S)  Lamprotornis chalcurus
Chestnut-bellied Starling ◊  Lamprotornis pulcher
African Thrush  Turdus pelios
Black Scrub Robin  Cercotrichas podobe
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (African S R)  Cercotrichas [galactotes] minor
Grey Tit-Flycatcher (Lead-coloured F)  Fraseria plumbea
Northern Black Flycatcher  Melaenornis edolioides
Swamp Flycatcher  Muscicapa aquatica
Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat  Cossypha niveicapilla
White-crowned Robin-Chat ◊  Cossypha albicapillus
European Pied Flycatcher  Ficedula hypoleuca
Common Redstart  Phoenicurus phoenicurus
African Stonechat  Saxicola torquatus
Mocking Cliff Chat  Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris
Anteater Chat (Northern A C)  Myrmecocichla aethiops
Atlas Wheatear ◊ (Seebohm’s W)  Oenanthe seebohmi
Northern Wheatear  Oenanthe oenanthe
Familiar Chat  Oenanthe familiaris
Mangrove Sunbird (Brown S)  Anthreptes gabonicus
Western Violet-backed Sunbird  Anthreptes longuemarei
Pygmy Sunbird ◊  Hedydipna platura
Green-headed Sunbird  Cyanomitra verticalis
Scarlet-chested Sunbird  Chalcomitra senegalensis
Beautiful Sunbird  Cinnyris pulchellus
Variable Sunbird  Cinnyris venustus
Speckle-fronted Weaver  Sporopipes frontalis
White-billed Buffalo Weaver  Bubalornis albirostris
Little Weaver  Ploceus luteolus
Olive-naped Weaver  Ploceus brachypterus
Vitelline Masked Weaver  Ploceus vitellinus
Heuglin’s Masked Weaver  Ploceus heuglini   At least one, identified from photographs, in Dindéfelo.
Village Weaver  Ploceus cucullatus
Black-headed Weaver  Ploceus melanocephalus
Red-billed Quelea  Quelea quelea
Northern Red Bishop  Euplectes franciscanus
Exclamatory Paradise Whydah ◊  Vidua interjecta
Sahel Paradise Whydah ◊  Vidua orientalis
Pin-tailed Whydah  Vidua macroura
Village Indigobird  Vidua chalybeata
Bronze Mannikin  Spermestes cucullata
African Silverbill (Warbling S)  Euodice cantans
Lavender Waxbill ◊  Glaucestrilda caerulescens
Orange-cheeked Waxbill  Estrilda melpoda
Black-rumped Waxbill  Estrilda troglodytes
Quailfinch  Ortygospiza atricollis
Cut-throat Finch  Amadina fasciata
Orange-breasted Waxbill (Zebra W)  Amandava subflava
Red-cheeked Cordon-bleu  Uraeginthus bengalus
Red-winged Pytilia ◊  Pytilia phoenicoptera
Dybowski’s Twinspot ◊  Euschistospiza dybowskii
Red-billed Firefinch  Lagonosticta senegala
Black-faced Firefinch ◊  Lagonosticta [larvata] vinacea
Mali Firefinch ◊  Lagonosticta virata
Sahel Bush Sparrow (Bush Petronia)  Gymnoris dentata
Northern Grey-headed Sparrow  Passer griseus
Sudan Golden Sparrow ◊  Passer luteus
House Sparrow (introduced)  Passer domesticus
Western Yellow Wagtail (Yellow W)  Motacilla [flava] flavissima
Western Yellow Wagtail (Blue-headed W)  Motacilla [flava] flava
Western Yellow Wagtail (Spanish W)  Motacilla [flava] iberiae
African Pied Wagtail  Motacilla aguimp
White Wagtail  Motacilla [alba] alba
Plain-backed Pipit  Anthus leucophrys   Non-leader
Tree Pipit  Anthus trivialis
White-rumped Seedeater ◊  Crithagra leucopygia
Yellow-fronted Canary  Crithagra mozambica
Gosling’s Bunting ◊  Emberiza goslingi

MAMMALS
Four-toed Hedgehog  Atelerix albiventris  Found in the hotel grounds at Kaolack.
Marsh Mongoose  Atilax paludinosus   Seen during our boat trips in the Saloum Delta.
Banded Mongoose  Mungos mungo  Enjoyed good views of a large band of these banded bandits at Wassadou.
African Golden Wolf  Canis lupaster   Several individuals seen in the Djoudj NP, a pair showing quite well at the end of the day.
Common Warthog  Phacochoerus africanus   Seen throughout, with quite a few in the Djoudj NP this year.
Red-flanked Duiker  Cephalophus rufilatus   Two individuals, or perhaps the same one, seen during our time at Wassadou.
Northern Bushbuck  Tragelaphus scriptus   Two/three groups seen near the Gambia River at Wassadou.
African Straw-colored Fruit Bat  Eidolon helvum   One joined two Barn Owls flying about at Ranch de Bango, few more seen at Kaolack.
Gambian Epauletted Fruit Bat  Epomophorus gambianus   Very happy to see a small number of these beautiful bats have returned to their in-house roost in Toubakouta.
Green Monkey (Callithrix M)  Chlorocebus sabaeus   Common in the southern parts of Senegal, especially in Toubakouta and Wassadou.
Common Patas Monkey  Erythrocebus patas   Quite a few groups seen in the northern parts of Senegal this year.
Guinea Baboon  Papio papio   Common throughout the south, with large troops at Toubakouta, Wassadou and Niokolo Koba NP.
Upper Guinea Red Colobus  Piliocolobus badius   Great views of quite a large number at Wassadou.
African Savanna Hare  Lepus microtis   One found in the evening during our drive back from Trois Marigots.
Gambian Sun Squirrel  Heliosciurus gambianus   A few of these interesting squirrels seen in the southern regions near Kedougou.
Striped Ground Squirrel (Geoffrey’s G S)  Xerus erythropus   Common throughout the trip.

BUTTERFLIES
Plain Tiger
Citrus Swallowtail
Pioneer White
Dancing Amber
African Grass Blue
African Migrant
Guinea-fowl Butterfly
Common Hairstreak
Savanna Pied Pierrot
Broad-bordered Grass Yellow
Painted Lady
Western Dotted Border
Forest Grass Yellow
Brown Playboy
Serene Sailor
Yellow Pansy
Darker Commodore
Leaden Hairtail
Sky Blue Cupid
Blue Pansy
Common Smoky Blue
Bright Babel Blue
Common Scarlet
Vulgar Bush Brown
Senegal Blue Policeman
Common Grass Yellow
Desert Orange Tip  Colotis evagore
Mediterranean Pierrot
Gaudy Commodore
Lang’s Short-tailed Blue
Diverse White
Soldier Commodore
Widespread Forester
Grey Elfin
Pea Blue
Desert Orange Tip  Colotis liagore
Common Bush Brown
Large Striped Swordtail
Elegant Acrae
Lolaus menas

Names follow iNaturalist Butterflies of Senegal and iNaturalist Butterflies of The Gambia. List provided by tour participants, led by Martin Hale.