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Sierra Leone

Juenile Shikra Accipiter badius ŠNigel Blake http://www.nigelblake.co.uk/

You will notice that there is no introduction to this section yet.

I would like to fill this gap with an introduction from a local birder [or someone who is a frequent visitor] for every on of the geographical pages. The many thousands of birders now regularly using these pages prefer to read something written by someone who can see the place from an insider's point of view. They know the best spots, not just the ones that first time overseas visitors usually visit or that are on the normal birding trip itineraries.

Each introduction carries the e-mail address of the contributor so that birders can get in touch with them if, for example, they are planning a trip [unless the contributor is unable to do this].

Please get in touch if you feel you can contribute an introduction to this page - you don't have to be an expert; I'm not!

numbers

Number of bird species:656

useful reading

Birds of Western Africa: An Identification Guide

Nik Borrow and Ron Demey Series: CHRISTOPHER HELM IDENTIFICATION GUIDE SERIES 832 pages, 147 col plates, 1100 dist maps. Christopher Helm
ISBN: 0713639598
Buy this book from NHBS.com

Field Guide to the Birds of Western Africa

Nik Borrow and Ron Demey Series: HELM FIELD GUIDES 496 pages, 150 col plates, 1300 maps. Christopher Helm See Fatbirder Review
ISBN: 0713666927
Buy this book from NHBS.com

useful information

Proact

Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: None yet!
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team

clubs

African Bird Club

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/SierraLeone/introduction.html
Sierra Leone has 626 bird species recorded in an area of similar size to Scotland. It is also one of the best places to see the enigmatic White-necked Picathartes Picathartes gymnocephalus and perhaps to find the eponymous Sierra Leone Prinia Prinia leontica. The potential for birdwatchers is therefore high. A 10 year conflict and its aftermath denied birdwatchers the opportunity to visit in the recent past, but this is slowly changing as peace and democracy take hold...

Conservation Society of Sierra Leone

P0 Box 1292, Freetown. + 232 22 229716 ddsiaffa@hotmail.com

West African Ornithological Society

http://malimbus.free.fr/Country%20pages/SierraL.htm
The West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society, which was founded in February 1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to further the regions ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society). This journal is biannual and bilingual, a unique feature in Africa.The West African Ornithological Society grew out of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society, which was founded in February 1964. Its object is to promote scientific interest in the birds of West Africa and to further the regions ornithology, mainly by means of its journal Malimbus (formerly the Bulletin of the Nigerian Ornithologists Society). This journal is biannual and bilingual, a unique feature in Africa.

reserves

IBAs

http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/SierraLeone/ibas.html
626 bird species have been recorded in Sierra Leone of which over 430 are resident and over 130 are regular seasonal migrants including 90 Palearctic migrants. There are 23 species of global conservation concern. The forests of eastern Sierra Leone form the western part of the Upper Guinea forests Endemic Bird Area (EBA) and 14 of its 15 restricted range species occur in the country. Some 174 species of the Guinea-Congo forests biome and 28 of the Sudan-Guinea Savanna biome are known from Sierra Leone. The coastline forms part of the eastern Atlantic flyway for migrant waterbirds and is probably one of the major stop-over and wintering sites for many Palearctic waders along the coast of west Africa...

Tiwai Island Wildlife Sanctuary

http://allafrica.com/stories/200302260729.html
Tiwai is a biodiversity paradise, located between Barri and Koya Chiefdoms, boasting a high concentration and diversity of primates, many of whom are threatened with extinction throughout West Africa...

trip reports

Travelling Birder
http://www.travellingbirder.com
The Travellingbirder.com birding trip report search engine guides you to 7,000+ birding trip reports on the Internet. You can search for trip reports from a specific country and time of year. Not all these reports are in English. So, if you cant find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page give them a try!

2006 [August] - David Hoddinott 1

http://www.rockjumper.co.za/02_destination_b_reports_sierraleone_2006_aug_01.htm
This first ever, birding tour of Sierra Leone started off in the Western Area Peninsula Forest. Our first goal was to find one of the most sought after birds in Africa, the pre-historic looking White-necked Picathartes. After some early morning rain and a short walk we arrived at the Picathartes colony. Here we waited patiently for an hour, you could just feel the suspense, and suddenly there they were, a magnificent pair of these incredible birds. We watched them for an amazing twenty minutes. Everyone was thrilled and it was especially memorable for Don & Donna as this was their last family of birds to see...

2006 [August] - David Hoddinott 2

http://www.rockjumper.co.za/02_destination_b_reports_sierraleone_2006_aug_02.htm
This second ever, birding tour of Sierra Leone started off in the Western Area Peninsula Forest. Our first goal was to find one of the most sought after birds in Africa, the pre-historic looking White-necked Picathartes. After waiting for the early morning rain to dissipate, we took a short walk to a Picathartes colony. Here we waited patiently for several hours, during the long wait we did see a Green-tailed Bristlebill, a threatened Upper Guinea endemic. However, one could feel the suspense in the air, and suddenly there they were, a magnificent pair of these incredible birds. We watched them for an amazing twenty minutes. Everyone was thrilled and it was a wonderful way to start the trip...

2006 [December] - John Hornbuckle

http://www.worldtwitch.com/sierra_leone_hornbuckle_2006.htm
I visited Sierra Leone with my friends Rich Hopf and Frank Lambert to try to see as many of the West African specialities as possible. 16 of the 17 Upper Guinea endemics occur, along with at least 4 other species also found only in Nigeria. We saw 13 of these, including White-necked Rockfowl and White-breasted Guineafowl, plus other rarely seen birds such as Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Kemp's Longbill, Ussher's Flycatcher, Lowland Akalat, Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, Red-fronted Antpecker, Crimson Seedcracker and for some, Spot-breasted Ibis and African Pitta. Sierra Leone is a safe, if under-developed, country now after 10 years of bloody civil war and the best place to see these birds now that Ivory Coast is unsafe to visit. Few birders have been to Sierra Leone other than South African tour-leaders and a few employed by the RSPB to do detailed surveys of Gola Forest and Rockfowl sites, a highly commendable extension to the RSPB's previously rather insular activities...

2006 [September] - David Hoddinott

http://www.rockjumper.co.za/02_destination_b_reports_sierraleone_2006_sep.htm
This third ever, birding tour of Sierra Leone started off in the Western Area Peninsula Forest. Some birding highlights here included an obliging Melancholy Woodpecker, Chestnut Wattle-eye, Blue-throated Brown Sunbird, Shining Drongo and Grays Malimbe...

2008 [April] - Kenneth Gbengba

http://jaysbar.net/blog/
I was the expert guide for Hs bird watching trip to Sierra Leone, which was for six days bird watching over a one week period. I designed an itinery which included his particular wishes to see the White-Necked Picathartes (Bare Headed Rock Fowl) and Tiwai Isaland. Luckily I have particular knowledge about a Picathartes colony which which is reasonably easily accessible and where I can ensure a certainty of a sighting...

local guides

Jays Bar International

http://www.jaysbar.net/
My name is Kenneth Gbengba from Fact Finding Tours of Sierra Leone. I have been a bird guide for 18 years, guiding birding tours all over West Africa. I am recognised as Sierra Leones top birdwatcher and I run the only indigenous eco tourism handling agency in the name of Fact Finding Tours. My office is situated on Lumley Beach Road at the National Tourist board Information and Business Centre...

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