Northern Senegal. Richard Toll and Environs March 2018

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1 Northern Senegal Richard Toll and Environs March 2018 Spotted Thick-Knee, Burhinus capensis relatively common in shaded thickets around Richard Toll Synopsis: Using information gleaned from several helpful Cloudbirders trip reports for northern Senegal, I planned a weekend visit to the town of Richard Toll* to try and see some Sahelian species on my bird wish list. The trip was constrained by a very short time-frame (24 hours birding), but was successful in seeing three of seven target species. A total of 56 species were seen. Target species (7): Little Grey Woodpecker, Cricket Warbler, Spotted Thick-knee, Sennar Pednuline-Tit, Savile s Bustard, Fulvous Babbler, Desert Cisticola. Logistics: I hired a rental car (Avis) on my arrival from Bissau at the new Léopold Sédar Senghor Airport (Dakar) on 23 March. I drove myself to Richard Toll on the northern N2 highway (365 kms; 5.5 hours), a relatively easy drive. I booked two nights accommodation at the very pleasant Gîte d étape Tel: The hotel is located on the Senegal River which forms the Senegalese border with Mauritania. I arrived Friday night, birded all day Saturday and returned to Dakar early on Sunday morning. *Richard Toll derives its name from the Director of Agriculture of the early French colonial administration and means literally in Woloff language, Richard s Farm. The area was known for attempts in the early 19 th century to introduce modern farming techniques into French West Africa.

2 I got an early start in the morning and drove 5kms east from Richard Toll, past the domestic airport, to an area of relatively dense acacia trees, just outside of town. The forested area is quite clearly discerned from the drier country from the left roadside and borders an irrigation channel. Birds seen in this area were: Senegal Thick-Knee, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse (in flight), Bruce s Green Pigeon, African Collared Dove, Laughing Dove, Namaqua Dove, Pygmy Sunbird, Black-crowned Tchagra, Tchagra senegalus (left photo) and Southern Grey Shrike, Lanius meridionalis (photo right): After several hours without seeing a single target species, I was on the cusp of departing, when a bird wave passed through. In this group was a pair of my target: Little Grey Woodpecker, Dendropicos elachus. The northwest Senegal population appears on range maps to constitute a disjunct population from the wider species range east from Mali through Niger and Chad. Little Grey Woodpecker (male) and a female Woodchat Shrike, Lanius senator. Little Grey Woodpecker (f) right

3 Little Grey Woodpecker female and male The woodpecker was relatively confiding and remained in the area for several minutes. New species in the flock were Forked-tailed Drongo & Senegal Batis, Batis senegalensis (photo is of the female Batis): Next stop was the outer perimeter fence of the Richard Toll airport. The northeastern corner proved to be quite productive and after some searching, yielded two lifers: Cricket Warbler, Spiloptila clamans which proved to be common in thorn bushes:

4 And soon after, I encountered the first of several small parties of Spotted Thick-Knee, Burhinus capensis, which were found resting in the shade of dense copses of trees and shrubs:

5 Here too, I encountered a lone handsome Little Green Bee-eater, Merops orientalis, which had an exceptionally bright rufous crown and appeared quite different from birds observed in East Africa and Jordan: Also encountered in the area were: White-billed Buffalo Weaver; Rufous Scrub Robin; Sudan Golden Sparrow; Striped Kingfisher; Black Scrub Robin, Cercotrichas podobe (first photo below) and several foraging groups of Chestnut-bellied Starling, Lamprotornis pulcher:

6 I returned for a late lunch at the hotel and a short break from the heat of the day. On the recommendation of some locals, I decided to spend the rest of the afternoon in the grounds of the somewhat eccentric Château du Baron Roger, an opulent neo-classic folly built for the first civilian governor of Senegal, le Baron Roger, sometime between (the period of his governorship). The grounds were also the site of early experimental agricultural project and some exotic trees can still be seen growing in the gardens amongst the more familiar cassia. Birding the grounds of the remarkable château of Le Baron Roger, the first French civilian Governor of Senegal ( )

7 The gardens were very active with migrant warblers, especially common were Subalpine Warbler, Sylvia cantillans, of which there were dozens actively feeding in the cassias and a few Blackcap, Sylvia atricapilla. Also seen were what I took to be one Wood Warbler, Phylloscopus sibliatrix and one Sardinian Warbler, Sylvia melanocephala. Almost ubiquitous were large colonies of non-breeding Village Weaver, Ploceus cucullatus. Another new resident bird seen was: Northern Crombec, Sylvietta brachyura, which was feeding very much in the manner of a nuthatch: With the evening approaching, several Western Red-billed Hornbill, Tockus kempi, flew in, perhaps to what was a favourite roosting site: I called its quits at 19:00 after a long, but satisfying day. My next trip would aim to travel further east to Podor (based on the recommendations of the new trip report just in from Andy Mears: Northern and Central Senegal 26 March 6 April 2018) So many birds, so little time.

8 David Karr, Bissau, 11 May 2018

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