Senegal: Birding Sahelian Specialties with a French Twist

As a birding region, West Africa has come on leaps and bounds in recent years. With stable governments, and a significant recognition of the value of ecotourism to their economies, a carefully selected West African tour does not have to be one which compromises on comfort. Senegal is at the leading edge of this bird tourism frontier, led by a long history of guiding in the region largely from neighboring The Gambia that has close ties with Senegal, and which has been serving Western tourists for decades. Bird-wise, Senegal has what Gambia has, plus a whole lot more. The key “buzzword birds” on this tour are likely to be the monotypic Egyptian Plover for family listers and shorebird enthusiasts, the odd, unique Quail-Plover for the latter also, the handsome Golden Nightjar, and the spectacular roosts of thousands of Scissor-tailed Kites for which Senegal stands alone. These are just the top shelf highlights, our journey into the Afrotropical Dry Thorn Savanna and Thornscrub belt that parallels the Sahara Desert also offers a long list of endemics of this Sahelian region, including Saville’s and Arabian Bustards, Cricket Longtail, and Sudan Golden Sparrow. As we head south other specialties on offer include White-crested (Tiger Heron) Bittern, Oriole Warbler, and Mali Firefinch. A minimum of four boat trips feature on this tour, which are key to getting good looks at some of the birds and finding some of the target birds listed above.

Senegal’s French influence can be seen in both the national language and the cuisine. Thieboudienne is the internationally known unofficial tasty national dish, comprised of stewed fish and rice, soaked in sauces infused with lemon and garlic, which is often washed down with Bissap, a healthy Senegalese tea made from the flowers of a native hibiscus. Even for experienced West African hands, Senegal offers something quite different to other destinations like Ghana and Cameroon, with plenty of room to add new birds and a bird spectacle in this unique African nation.