George the bird man is based at the Bakotu Hotel, Gambia. He will walk you from the hotel, over the bridge and along the creek through fields of rice and bright yellow loofah flowers, past men shimmying up palms to tap for palm oil, to a seating area with cold drinks, and a bird hide. Under the shade of casuarina and carob trees, George sets up his telescope and with a laconic “In the scope,” steps aside to show you bee-eaters, sunbirds and pink backed pelican. Farther afield, our twitching count went stratospheric when he led us expertly around the Abuko nature reserve where monkeys crashed overhead as we thrilled at purple heron and red-bellied paradise flycatchers.
www.bakotuhotel.com/
2 Kotu Stream Road, Kotu Beach, Kotu, the Gambia
+220 446 5555
www.birding-in-gambia.com/index.html