Birding Tour Senegal: Supreme West African Birding

Steeped in history, Senegal is a pleasantly delightful West African country that exceeds all expectations. Not only is the country safe, but also easy to visit, with a number of direct flights from Europe and North America. Most importantly for us however, are the birds.

The highly sought-after Egyptian Plover is one of our premier targets on this exciting tour – several boat trips are undertaken looking for them!

Located in the transitional Sahel zone, which is an otherwise difficult habitat type to access, Senegal offers what is easily the most accessible sites for such highly prized Sahel birds as Quail-plover, Cricket Warbler and Golden Nightjar. Not to mention the incredible Egyptian Plover, which is one of the most sought-after birds in Africa, along with the most important gathering of Scissor-tailed Kite in the world – all of which we readily seek.

<img class="aligncenter wp-image-110092 size-full entered exited" src="data:;base64,” alt=”Senegal birding tours” width=”900″ height=”563″ data-lazy-srcset=”https://www.birdingecotours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cricket-Warbler.jpg 900w, https://www.birdingecotours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cricket-Warbler-300×188.jpg 300w, https://www.birdingecotours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cricket-Warbler-768×480.jpg 768w, https://www.birdingecotours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cricket-Warbler-540×338.jpg 540w” data-lazy-sizes=”(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px” data-lazy-src=”https://www.birdingecotours.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Cricket-Warbler.jpg” />Cricket Warbler, a Sahel special, is a highly prized bird we’ll be seeking on this tour.

This tour begins outside of the country’s bustling capital, Dakar, following which we transit to the northern reaches of the country. Bordering on the edge of the mighty Sahara Desert, we look for the first of our important targets, namely Golden Nightjar and Cricket Warbler. We will also attempt to track down other specials such as Sudan Golden Sparrow, Little Grey Woodpecker and Sennar Penduline Tit. A short stop at the vast Djoudj wetlands breaks our journey southwards. This is a majorly important overwintering site for ducks and other waterbirds, with birds numbering well into the tens of thousands. A vast wetland oasis on the edge of the Sahara Desert is not to be taken lightly. If luck is on our side, we will hopefully come across both the scarce Arabian and Savile’s Bustards, while also enjoying the likes of the majestic Black Crowned Crane and prized River Prinia in the surrounds.

We make a concerted effort to find the mega Quail-plover before we reach the south-eastern parts of the country. This is quite the change from the dry, sandy desert-like north, and exploring the massive Gambia River and the moist deciduous woodlands and riparian forests of Dindefelo will give us a large boost in species. This region hosts the incomparable Egyptian Plover, along with scarce Pel’s Fishing Owl, African Finfoot, Neumann’s Starling and Mali Firefinch. We can also find more iconic species here, such as Violet Turaco, Blue-bellied Roller, Northern Carmine Bee-eater and Narina Trogon, amongst many others. We conclude the tour with several days exploring various bits of the extensive Saloum Delta from our comfortable lodge. A trip to the massive Scissor-tailed Kite roost on Kousmer Island, which numbers into the thousands, is sure to be a contender for ‘bird of the trip’, and we will also dedicate some time, and boat trips, to looking for the rare White-crested Tiger Heron in the mangroves.

Northern Carmine Bee-eaters are always a firm favorite on the tour!