Around Bogue

On Saturday 11th August in the early morning, Mohamed Vall and I headed south from Aleg towards Bogue. We were looking particularly for rainy season birds. We visited Lake Jintu and woodland east of the city of Bouge towards Kaedi.

• Two good birds of prey were seen still roosting on the electric pylons between Aleg and Bogue. These were a lanner falcon and barbary falcon
• Lake Jintu looked like it had emptied out during the spring just like Lake Aleg had. This is unusual and caused by extremely poor rains in 2017.
• Lake Jintu had murky water suggesting it had only recently started filling again. So it was too early to get most benefit from the lake this season
• The only rainy season birds were yellow-billed kite and northern red bishop
• Unlike Aleg, blue-cheeked bee-eater is probably partially resident this far south and not counted as a rainy season bird.
• Early palearctic migrants were common sandpiper and woodchat shrike
• In Bogue, very large numbers of African silverbill attracted to grain laid out to dry.

Aleg to Bogue road

lanner falcon 1

lanner falcon 2

barbary falcon 1

barbary falcon 2

barbary falcon 3

Lake Jintu and near-by in Bogue

northern red bishop 1

northern red bishop 2

white-faced whistling duck

northern grey headed sparrow

village indigobird

black-bush robin

black-headed weaver

mostly African silverbill

Aleg-Bogue Road, Brakna, MR

11-Aug-2018 07:30

Lanner Falcon  1

Peregrine Falcon (Barbary)  1

Lake Jintu, Brakna, MR

11-Aug-2018 08:30 - 10:00

White-faced Whistling-Duck  

Mourning Collared Dove  

Laughing Dove  

Namaqua Dove  

African Palm-Swift  

Spur-winged Lapwing  

Common Sandpiper  

Cattle Egret  

Blue-naped Mousebird  

Green Bee-eater  

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater  

Woodchat Shrike  

Barn Swallow  

Common Bulbul  

Chestnut-bellied Starling  

Greater Blue-eared Starling  

Beautiful Sunbird  

Northern Grey-headed Sparrow  

Sudan Golden Sparrow  

Black-headed Weaver  

Northern Red Bishop  

African Silverbill  

Village Indigobird  

Western woodland, Aleg

On my return to Mauritania, Mohamed Vall and I went south to Brakna province to see what effect the beginning of the Sahel rains had had on the bird life.

While Nouakchott typically gets 100 mm of rain a year. Brakna gets 200-300mm. Most rain falls in mid July to early October. Several species push up with the rains either to breed or just to disperse.

We used the Medina Hotel, Aleg as our base.  We arrived in Aleg in time to do some late afternoon birding on Friday 10th August. We did not bird the lake but this time chose the western woodland.

• There were patches of water in the river bed running through the woodland but it was not yet full
• Rainy season birds were: white-throated bee-eater, blue-cheeked bee-eater, yellow-billed kite and wattled lapwing.  Abyssinian roller was more numerous too but some of this species linger all year.
• No additions to my Mauritanian list were made but we enjoyed our first "southern" birding for three months.
• Barn owl was a nice find

On the morning of August 11th, we left at dawn to head further south towards Bogue.

barn owl

greater blue-eared starling

African collared dove

woodchat shrike

spur-winged lapwing

African wattled lapwing

Abyssinian roller

chestnut-backed sparrow-lark

red-billed firefinch

Aleg, west side woodland, Brakna, MR

10-Aug-2018 17:15 - 18:45

African Collared Dove  

Laughing Dove  

Namaqua Dove 

Spur-winged Lapwing  

Wattled Lapwing  

Common Sandpiper  

Purple Heron  

Black Kite (Yellow-billed)  

Barn Owl  

Eurasian Hoopoe  

White-throated Bee-eater  

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater  

Abyssinian Roller  

Woodchat Shrike  

Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark  

Western Olivaceous Warbler  

Spotted Flycatcher  

Red-billed Firefinch  

Djibouti

It's difficult for me to write positively about Djibouti. I have visited 106 countries out of 193 in the United Nations. This place is towards the bottom in terms of my fulfilment.

• I was delayed at the airport and asked questions as to whether they would let me in despite having a pre-paid e-visa.
• It is highly militarised. The country gains significant income by selling itself for naval and other military bases. That is not in itself a problem for me. I don't have any ideological prejudice. 
• However, it seems to have rubbed off on the people, who were highly suspicious almost everywhere of a person with binoculars. (the binoculars were only brought out when facing a bird). I was stopped by members of the public several times and asked to explain myself. There are security guards everywhere on private buildings and hotels. 
• There was a lot of opportunistic begging.
• Taxi drivers would not stick to an agreed price.
• In the same vein, I popped into a restaurant on a birding walk to see if they would sell me some water and coca cola. They doubled the price after a conversation between two staff.
• Hotel staff weren't knowledgeable about their surrounding area. The biggest air-conditioned western supermarket was 200 metres from my hotel but the receptionist had no idea where I could get provisions. I found it myself. The hotel was the most expensive of my trip but had arguably the least facilities.
• I wasn't allowed in departures at the airport for check in until two hours before the flight left. I had to sit in arrivals. There was no toilet in the departure lounge.
• I knew it would be very hot. It was 40c each day. July is not a good time to visit. 
• Overall and in conclusion, the city appears soulless, unfriendly, expensive and militarised.

On the other hand:

• There may be better places outside the city.
• The wifi was very strong in my hotel and the aircon worked well. It had to.
• Doula waste treatment plant (WTP) was a very good recommendation from a locally based expat birder.

Birdingwise:

• visited three sites: Doula WTP, heron beach and the coast near the Sheraton
• 31 species seen
• No lifers but several birds seen for the first time in Africa which I know well from Arabia e.g crab plover and white-eyed gull

Doula WTP
The waste water plant is about five kilometres south east out of the city. A clean water stream apparently used to run the full 2.5 kilometres from the plant to the mangroves on the coast near-by. However, water has been diverted off for small scale farming and mesquite bushes (introduced) have overrun much of the route. Nevertheless, the birding was good next to the works themselves and on the small scale allotments.

Abdim's stork

African collared dove

blue-cheeked bee-eater

cattle egret (l) with sacred ibis (r)

Namaqua dove

white-throated bee-eater

Rueppell's weaver

Coast near the Doula WTP

The mangroves weren't productive ever though the sea was out. The mudflats near-by were better. 

crab plover

Back at Doula WTP

speckled pigeon

At or near Heron beach  (west side of the city)

red-billed firefinch

house crow

sooty gull

Coast near the Sheraton, east side of the city

heuglin's gull 1

heuglin's gull 2

white-eyed gull 

curlew

curlew (l)

common sandpiper

31 species seen on 24th July and 25th July First seen at: 1 Rock Dove Samo hotel   2 Ring-necked Parakeet Samo hotel   3 House Crow Samo hotel   4 Speckled Pigeon Douda WTP   5 African Collared Dove Douda WTP   6 Laughing Dove Douda WTP   7 Namaqua Dove Douda WTP   8 Common Moorhen Douda WTP   9 Kentish Plover Douda WTP   10 Whimbrel Douda WTP  11 Common Sandpiper Douda WTP  12 Crab-Plover Douda WTP  13 Abdim's Stork Douda WTP   14 Western Reef-Heron Douda WTP 15 Cattle Egret Douda WTP   16 Sacred Ibis Douda WTP  17 White-throated Bee-eater Douda WTP 18 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Douda WTP  19 Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark Douda WTP  20 Barn Swallow Douda WTP  21 Graceful Prinia Douda WTP  22 African Scrub-Robin Douda WTP  23 Rüppell's Weaver Douda WTP  24 Sooty Gull Heron beach  25 Shining Sunbird Heron beach  26 House Sparrow Heron beach 27 Red-billed Firefinch Heron beach  28 Eurasian Curlew Area outside Sheraton  29 White-eyed Gull Area outside Sheraton  30 Lesser Black-backed Gull Area outside Sheraton  31 Lesser Crested Tern Area outside Sheraton

More time at the Maansour hotel

On July 22nd I flew out of Somaliland. I had time in the morning for some birding around the hotel. There were no new species for my country list though I did manage better photos of several birds. Notably I got better photos of both shining sunbird and variable sunbird. I got my only pictures of northern crombec in country too.

The last stop of my East African trip was Djibouti. I will blog about that country next.

Somali crow

African mourning dove

speckled pigeon

swainson's sparrow

cutthroat

blue-naped mousebird

Ruepell's weaver

variable sunbird 1

variable sunbird 2

red-eyed dove

Madagascar bee-eater

northern crombec 1

northern crombec 2

hooded vulture

shining sunbird 1

shining sunbird 2

shining sunbird 3

Mansoor Hotel, Woqooyi Galbeed, SO

22-Jul-2018 10:30 - 12:00

Speckled Pigeon  

Mourning Collared Dove  

Laughing Dove  

Namaqua Dove

Hooded Vulture  

African Palm-Swift  

Blue-naped Mousebird  

Madagascar Bee-eater  

Somali Crow  

Ethiopian Swallow  

Common Bulbul (Somali)  

Northern Crombec  

Shining Sunbird  

Variable Sunbird (White-bellied)  

White-bellied Canary  

Swainson's Sparrow  

Rüppell's Weaver  

Chestnut Weaver  

Red-billed Quelea