Ghana Day 4

Breakfast at 5am as usual and then we headed back to the Abrafo section of Kakum NP where the first bird of the day was a Red-chested Goshawk flying over giving much better views than yesterday. We followed this with an obliging Red-tailed Greenbul, Green Turaco, Fanti Saw-wing, Ussher’s Flycatcher and Black Bee-eater. The trail we took this morning went through excellent forest but was rather quiet, however we gained in quality what we lacked in quantity and it doesn’t get much better than a displaying Rufous-sided Broadbill that we watched for a good ten minutes. 

Rufous-sided Broadbill

A few little flurries of activity in the canopy above us produced Johanna’s and Fraser’s Sunbirds, female Sabine’s Puffback, Red-bellied Paradise-Flycatcher, brief Western Bearded Greenbul, Cameroon Sombre (Plain) Greenbul, and a perched Icterine Greenbul. Eventually, after much searching we tracked down a calling Chocolate-backed Kingfisher to its perch high overhead and managed to scope the little beauty. There was also Black-and-white Flycatcher, Honeyguide Greenbul, Western Black-headed Oriole and West African Wattle-eye. 

Rosy Bee-eaters

Leaving this patch of forest we walked along the main path and scoped 35+ Rosy Bee-eaters in a large tree. What cracking birds they are and we spent quite some time watching them before returning to the coach, but not before admiring a pair of Vieillot’s Barbets. Driving back to the hotel, we stopped beside a small pool where an African Pygmy Kingfisher was spotted and as we watched this a Blue-breasted Kingfisher also appeared.

Lunch was at 12 o’clock and we left the hotel to go birding at Brenu Beach Road at 1.30pm. We stopped at the Ashanti office to meet the friendly staff before arriving at Brenu Beach Road at 3.00pm and boy was it hot. We lingered in the air-conditioned coach for a while before venturing outside! Despite the heat, Paul managed to locate a Marsh Tchagra and this bird gave amazing vies as it perched on a bare branch for a while before joining the female a little further away. Wow! 

Lanner

We then saw a pair of Lanners flying over, Green-headed Sunbird and a couple of Little Bee-eaters. A puddle in the road was drawing in lots of birds and we managed to see Bronze Mannikins, Orange-cheeked Waxbills, Black-rumped Waxbills and a few Bar-breasted Firefinches coming on to drink. 

Grey Kestrel

Walking along the road and we picked up a Wilson’s Indigobird, Singing Cisticola, African Wattled Lapwing, African Hobby, Grey Kestrel and a Yellow-crowned Gonolek that seemed to be predating a colony of Village Weaver nests. With the sun setting we returned to the coach, seeing a rare Pied-winged Swallow and headed to our next accommodation at Sekondi for a two-night stay.