Bird Photography in Senegal, January 2023

Since 2012 we are regularly coming to Senegal and the National Park Sine Saloum. On an island without roads and cars we have found perfect conditions for birding from boats and from little horse drawn carriages. The sheer number of birds is staggering. We have time enough to visit the best places at different tides and light conditions, always in a peaceful and quiet atmosphere. Here are some of the results from January 2023.

First a few pictures to describe the setting and the landscape.

Birds and people live close together in Sine Saloum

 

Suleiman already knows the best birding sites

Some birds let us approach quite close if we stay seated on the cart

Let's start with a few sea-birds, birds that one can see on boat-tours:       
 

Goliath Heron

Grey Heron

Pied Kingfisher

Pink-backed Pelican, Graupelikan

Common Tern, Flußseeschwalbe

Great White Pelican, Rosapelikan.

Herons, Pelicans, Cormorants, Spoonbills fishing

Little Tern, Zwergseeschwalbe

Caspian Tern, Raubseeschwalbe

 

Also the Blue-cheeked BeeEaters were good to photograph from the boat, sitting on top of the mangrove in the evening light.

 

When we were in the savannah-like fields of the island we encountered the following birds:

A waterpump supplies drinking water for the cattle and horses. The Piac Piac, Spitzschwanzelster, is connected with these animals.

Weavers, Sudan Golden Sparrows and Bishops come to drink.

Abyssinian Roller, Senegalracke

Yellow-billed Oxpecker, Madenhacker

Vieillot's Barbet, Blutbrustbartvogel

Black-capped Lapwing, Schwarzkappenkiebitz

Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird, Gelbstirnbartvogel

Hooded Vulture, Kaputzengeier?

Purple Glossy Starling, Purpurglanzstar

Green Wood Hoopoe, Baumhopf

Beautiful Sunbird, male, with dropped tail streamers!

Senegal Coukal

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Scarlet-chested Sunbird, male

Palm Swift, Palmsegler

Great Spotted Cuckoo, Häherkuckuck

 

Auch Peter schickte mir eine kleine Auswahl seiner Bilder:

 

Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird

Yellow-billed Kite

Tockus kempi, Rotschnabeltoko

Taurotragus derbianus, Derby-Antilope mit Madenhackern

Mourning Dove

Seidenreiher

Raubseeschwalbe

Piac Piac, Spitzschwanzelstern

Pelecanus rufescens, Pink-backed P., Rötel-Pelikan

Slender-billed Gull, Dünnschnabelmöwe

Heiliger Ibis

Senegatriel, Burhinus senegalensis

Graureiher

Europäische und ein Afrikanischer Löffler