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Ghana
Ghana is situated in West Africa and was known as The Gold Coast in colonial days; gold still plays a major role in the country's exports today. The centre of the gold mining industry is in the Ashanti region around Kumasi. |
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Bobiri Forest Reserve
This forest is a treasure trove of birds and includes species such as Brown Illadopsis, Red-billed Helmet-shrike, Velvet-mantled Drongo, Red-bellied Paradise Flycatcher, Black and Red-chested Cuckoos, Western Nicator, Swamp Palm Greenbul, Black-and-White Flycatcher, Grey and Red-fronted Parrots, Finch`s Flycatcher-thrush and Blue-throated Roller. Olive-bellied and Green-headed Sunbirds are present on the flowering shrubs of the reserve`s lodge and White-headed Wood-hoopoe, Tambourine Dove, Hairy-breasted, Naked-faced and Yellow-billed Barbets, Yellowbill, Yellow-browed Camaroptera and Honeyguide Greenbul can be found in the trees and surrounding undergrowth.Kakum National Park
Located 12 miles north of the seaside town of Cape Coast in Ghana`s Central Region, Kakum National Park and the adjacent Assin Attandaso Resource Reserve cover approximately 135 square miles of tropical moist forest. The Canopy Walkway, which is unique in this part of the world, is said to be possibly the best rain forest birding in Africa. The forest within the park is described as primary rain forest and holds a huge range of species. The track leading up to the start of the Walkway offers Fire-crested Alethe, Finch`s Flycatcher-thrush, Leaf-love, Pale-breasted Illadopsis, White-breasted Negrofinch, Yellow-throated Barbet, Collared and Olive-bellied Sunbirds, Little, Slender-billed and Honeyguide Greenbuls, Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Forest Wood-hoopoe and African Broadbills.Mole National Park
Situated on the edge of an escarpment, the trees beside the lodge hold many interesting species of birds: Red-throated Bee-eater, Grey Woodpecker, Beautiful and Pygmy Sunbirds, Orange-cheeked, Lavender and Black-rumped Waxbills, Pin-tailed Whydah, Northern Puffback, Northern Crombec, Tawny-flanked Prinia, Bush Petronia and Senegal Batis. The terrace of the lodge overlooks a crocodile-infested water hole that should draw Helmeted Guineafowl, Hadada Ibis, Woolly-necked Stork, Grey and Black-headed Herons, Senegal Thick-knee and, sometimes, Greater-painted Snipe. Passing to an area of riverine forest, one should locate Red-winged Pytilia, Rufous Cisticola, Giant Kingfisher, African Blue Flycatcher, Common Gonolek, Snowy-crowned Robin Chat, African Paradise Flycatcher, Pale, Swamp and Lead-coloured Flycatchers, Oriole Warbler & African Dwarf Kingfisher etc.Shai Hills Reserve
Shai Hills reserve is a savanna area. One would hope find Green and Violet Turacos, Senegal Parrot, Brown Babbler, Stone Partridge, Grey Hornbill, Blue-breasted Roller, Fork-tailed Drongo, White-crowned Robin Chat, Croaking Cisticola, Grey Kestrel, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater and Rose-ringed Parakeets. African Hobby is not uncommon and there are many smaller savanna species in the area.contributor |
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Mark Finn
Birdwatching Breaks
enquiries@birdwatchingbreaks.com
http://www.birdwatchingbreaks.com
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useful reading |
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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 HelmISBN: 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 ReviewISBN: 0713666927
Buy this book from NHBS.com
useful information |
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Proact
Coordinator: Isaiah kofi Tefutor - also coordinator for West Africa
Members: 12
Join us at http://www.proact-campaigns.net/team
Contact your coordinator via mailto:info@proact-campaigns.net
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African Bird Club
http://www.africanbirdclub.org/countries/Ghana/introduction.htmlGhana deserves to be a popular birding destination now that tourism is being actively encouraged, even though most of the more eastern species can be seen in Cameroon or Gabon. While all the Upper Guinea endemics can be seen in neighbouring Côte d’Ivoire, that country is currently in some turmoil, and Ghana is a sensible alternative. Ghanaians are among the most friendly people in West Africa and the national language is English...
Ghana Wildlife Society
http://www.ghanawildlifesociety.org/Ghana Wildlife SocietyP0 Box 13252, Accra. + 233 21 663500 wildsoc@ighmail.com
West African Ornithological Society
http://malimbus.free.fr/Country%20pages/Ghana.htmThe 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 region’s 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 region’s 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 |
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Afadjato Community Forest Conservation Project
http://www.ghanawildlifesociety.org/projects/afadjato.htmlThe biodiversity importance of the area is considered exceptional, especially in terms of butterfly and bird species...
Bui National Park
http://www.fcghana.com/eco_tourism/bui.htmBirds known from Bui National Park...
Kakum Canopy Walkway
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kakum_National_ParkHave you ever seen the rainforests from a hundred feet off the ground? The Kakum Canopy Walkway, the only one of its kind in Africa, will lead you through the tree-tops of Ghana`s Kakum National Park, offering a unique and spectacular view of the rainforest ecosystem.
Kakum National Park
http://www.gorp.com/gorp/publishers/Consintl/Gha_kak.htmThe long-tailed Verreaux`s Touraco floats down from the sky. From your vantage point on the canopy walkway, you see a brilliant flash of red on the wings of this magnificent bird as it lands a few feet away to settle on a Kuntan tree, one of the tallest trees in the forest canopy. This is something you`d never see from the forest floor.
trip reports |
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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 can’t find the trip report you want on this Fatbirder page… give them a try!
1996 [March] - Rapport ornithologique d`un voyage en Côte d`Ivoire et Ghana,
http://ebn.unige.ch/ebn/vo/vo_99_04.htmlC`était ma première initiation à l`avifaune ouest-africaine – beaucoup d`espèces étaient donc complètement nouvelles. Cela implique aussi pas mal de frustrations lorsque des oiseaux sont vus furtivement ou simplement entendus – mais la pauvre qualité (vu nos standards européens actuels) du Serle et Morel (Birds of West-Africa, 1977) y est pour beaucoup aussi. Notamment en forêt dense, où l`on entend beaucoup sans voir beaucoup d`espèces, pas mal d`individus passent inidentifiés ; idem pour certaines familles, comme les femelles/jeunes/internuptiaux chez les Cisticoles, Souimangas ou Tisserins.
2003 [October] - Jos Wanten & Roland Holz
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/ghana/ghana1/ghana-oct-03.htm...I must say I have never had dinner before accompanied by dozens of cattle egrets roosting in a tree just 4 metres in front of me. The area surrounding the hotel (especially at the back of the hotel rooms) where very productive – we saw 53 species in 3 days. Tom Coles, who apparently stayed there several times, saw over 100 species, including several owls...
2004 [April] - Johannes Vermehren
http://www.birdtours.co.uk/tripreports/ghana/ghana2/ghana-2004.htm...This was not a birdwatching trip but I spent as much time in the field as possible. During February I attended an exchange program at Accra University, Ghana. I was based at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, from where I made some weekend birding-trips to destinations in the vicinity...
2006 [August] - David Hoddinott
http://www.rockjumper.co.za/default.asp?id=1213Our tour started off at Shai Hills Reserve, not far from the vibrant capital of Accra. This savanna reserve holds a number of interesting species and makes for a fun mornings' birding. Highlights included a covey of five Stone Partridge, Senegal Parrot, Guinea and Violet Turaco, Levaillant's Cuckoo, Vieillot's and Double-toothed Barbet, Oriole Warbler, Mocking Cliff-Chat, Blackcap Babbler, Splendid Sunbird and White Helmetshrike. Our next stop was the Volta River, where we managed to find our sought after target, the beautifully elegant White-throated Blue Swallow. We finished the day off birding the Pram-pram area that produced eleven Temminck's Coursers.
2006 [March] - Richard White
http://www.rockjumper.co.za/default.asp?id=1214...This savanna reserve holds a number of interesting species and makes for a fun mornings birding. Highlights included Double-toothed Barbet, Violet Turaco, Greater Honeyguide and both Brown and Blackcap Babbler. Our next stop was the Volta river where we managed to find our sought after target, the beautifully elegant White-throated Blue Swallow. We finished the day off birding Sakumo Lagoon near Accra where we saw a fine selection of waterbirds and had views of Black-chinned Quailfinch...
2006 [November] - Mike Bowman & Kalu Afasi
http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/view_birding_tripreport.php?id=194...Ghana is an extremely friendly country and one where the average birder will immediately feel at home thanks to the invariably warm welcome given to visitors. The number of tourists is quite small and once away from the airport area and key tourist sites like Mole National Park, and the Slave Castles, Europeans are rarely seen...
2007 [February] - Mike Bowman & Kalu Afasi
http://www.travellingbirder.com/tripreports/view_birding_tripreport.php?id=193...An early start brought us a new bird for both of us, an immature Forest Robin, followed by Palm-nut Vulture, Swamp Palm Bulbul, White-crested Hornbill, Klaas’s Cuckoo, a Willow Warbler, Naked-faced Barbet, Spotted Greenbul, Red-necked Buzzard, Little Bee-eater, Grey Kestrel, and Red-vented Malimbe etc...
2007 [January] - David Shackelford
http://www.rockjumper.co.za/default.asp?id=1211A peculiar opaque haze prevented us from sweeping our eyes over the surrounding scenery as we touched down into the capital city of Ghana in West Africa. This hazy occurrence was due to Harmattan, a yearly phenomenon of winds swept across northwestern Africa filling the air with sediment from the great Sahara Desert. Considering that this was the dry season, undoubtedly this miasma also kept the sun’s rays from scorching the land preventing what would likely have been unbearable sweltering temperatures...
2007 [March] - Ashanti African Tours
http://www.ashantiafricantours.com/downloads/Ghana%2016%20day%20birdwatching%20trip%20report.pdf2007 [March] - Keith Valentine
http://www.rockjumper.co.za/default.asp?id=1210This classic tour combining the best rainforest sites, national parks and seldom explored northern regions gave us an incredible overview of the excellent birding that Ghana has to offer. This trip was highly successful, we located nearly 400 species of birds including many of the Upper Guinea endemics and West Africa specialties, and together with a great group of people, we enjoyed a brilliant African birding adventure...
tour operators |
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Ashanti African Adventure Holidays
http://www.ashantiafricantours.com/birdwatching_tours.phpGhana, which is only a 6 and a half hour direct flight from London, England, is a politically stable, friendly, English speaking country. It is known as the Undiscovered Jewel of Africa and it’s people are regarded as the friendliest on the continent. Ghana’s infrastructure is probably the best in West Africa and has many National parks and protected areas, which contain over 750 different species of birds.
Birdfinders
http://www.birdfinders.co.uk/tours/ghana.htmGhana is a friendly and politically-stable, English-speaking country. The network of well-protected national and regional parks is served by a good infrastructure and well-developed eco-tourism facilities, including the world-famous Kakum canopy walkway. These factors combined with the wide variety of habitats within this small country make Ghana an unbeatable birding destination. The Upper Guinea forest block, an internationally recognised Endemic Bird Area and a severely threatened habitat, is well represented in southwestern Ghana...
Birding Pal
http://www.birdingpal.org/Ghana.htmLocal birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...
Birdwatching Breaks
http://www.birdwatchingbreaks.comBirdwatching Breaks are the market leaders on birding tours within the country...
Greentours
http://www.greentours.co.uk/holiday_details.asp?fn=edithol&itemno=1From wide tracks and a superb canopy walkway we can watch golden Lurid Gliders and Blood Red Cymothoes sail past Lesser Spot-nosed Monkeys and Olive Colobuses. Black Bee-eaters, Emerald Cuckoo and the lovely Blue Cuckoo-Shrike are among a panoply of brilliantly-coloured birds – a profusion of Hornbills, Kingfishers, Malimbes and Sunbirds...
Malimbe Tours
http://www.malimbetours.comWatch birds safely in the exotic African country of Ghana. Ghana is rich in bird life and wildlife and is the most stable of the African countries. Experienced guides will accompany you on every trip...
Rockjumper
http://www.rockjumper.co.za/default.asp?id=1137...bird waves filled with greenbuls, sunbirds, flycatchers and warblers. Ground-dwelling species that we aim to see include the elusive Nkulengu Rail, White-spotted Flufftail, no less than five Illadopses and several specialized ant-attending species...
Sarus Bird Tours
http://www.sarusbirdtours.co.uk/Tourinfo.asp?TourID=7&Tourname=GhanaHere we hope to see Pied-winged and White-throated Blue Swallow, Mocking Cliff-chat, Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Stone Partridge, African Hobby, Blue-bellied and Rufous- crowned Roller, Double-toothed Barbet, Violet Turaco and Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrike...
other links |
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Bird Diversity and Abundance in Forest Fragments of Ghana
http://www.for.nau.edu/cms/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=518&Itemid=712Scientific paper...
Birding in Kakum
http://gorp.away.com/gorp/publishers/consintl/gha_bird.htmLocated 12 miles north of the seaside town of Cape Coast in Ghana`s Central Region, Kakum National Park and the adjacent Assin Attandaso Resource Reserve cover approximately 135 square miles of tropical moist forest. The area provides habitat for the globally endangered forest elephants, bongo, yellow-backed duiker and diana monkeys, an estimated 550 butterfly species, 100 mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, and 269 species of birds. A canopy walkway, suspended 100 feet above the ground, offers bird-watchers an unusual opportunity for up-close viewing of many species.
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