Eagle owl and lake birds in Gambia

6 February 2012.

After the parrots in the morning, to a rare owl in the afternoon.

The greyish eagle-owl is a recent addition to the avifauna of the Gambia.

A specimen sits over three meters up in a big tree.

A beautiful sunbird in a bush 100 meter further.

Later, to the small lake where we had seen the hamerkops.

Scores of white-faced whistling-ducks.

Great egret, little egret, cattle egret, grey heron.

Black-winged stilt, spur-winged plover.

Speckled pigeons on the muddy lake banks.

A black heron does its umbrella trick.

A greenshank.

A hamerkop comes, flying.

A common sandpiper.

A painted snipe.

Piapiacs sitting on the backs of grazing goats.

A green sandpiper.

Finally, a squacco heron.

So far, blog posts here about Gambia have been about the coastal region.

Stay tuned, as on 7 February, we went to the interior.