Darters and Goliath heron in Gambian mangroves

This December 2011 video shows an African darter at Kartong, the Gambia.

Saturday 11 February 2012, in the morning.

After yesterday, still at Tendaba.

Pink-backed pelicans swimming on the Gambia river.

Grey heron. Western reef heron. Pied kingfisher.

House martins.

We are going by boat to the mangrove wetlands along the north bank of the river.

A great egret.

Many smallish silvery fish jumping out of the river water. Some of them jump into the boat. A royal tern catches one. Royal terns are a marine species. However, sea water penetrates the river water still here, making it brackish.

Some photos of birds in the mangroves are here.

On a big fallen tree on the bank, a white-breasted cormorant sits with a group of African darters.

Two spur-winged geese, a male and a female.

A blue-breasted kingfisher, diving every now and then.

A white-throated bee-eater in a tree.

Whimbrels (looking for fiddler crabs) and a hamerkop on the muddy banks.

A Goliath heron, the world’s largest heron, on the right bank, flying away soon.

This is a Goliath heron video.

A common sandpiper. A Montagu’s harrier; both probably migrants from Europe.

A female black-headed weaver, drinking from a mangrove branch just above the water.

A martial eagle.

A greenshank.

A striated heron.

in a tree near the water, an African scops owl.

Spur-winged plovers.

A squacco heron.

We go back to the big river.

An African spoonbill on a sand bank.

Green monkeys and Senegal thick-knees on the southern bank.

15:40: a white wagtail on the Gambia river bank.

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