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Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Guinea in the northeast, Liberia in the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean in the southwest. Sierra Leone covers a total area of 71,740 km2 (27,699 sq mi) and has a population estimated at 6,296,803 The country has a tropical climate, with a diverse environment ranging from savannah to rainforests. Freetown is the capital, seat of government, and largest city. Bo is the second largest city. Other major cities in the country with a population over 100,000 are Kenema, Koidu Town and Makeni. The country is home to Fourah Bay College, the oldest university in West Africa, established in 1827. Sierra Leone is located on the west coast of Africa, between the 7th and 10th parallels north of the equator. Sierra Leone is bordered by Guinea to the north and northeast, Liberia to the south and southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean to the west. The country has a total area of 71,740 square kilometers (27,699 square miles), divided into a land area of 71,620 square kilometers and water of 120 square kilometers. |
Wikipedia
(GNU Free Documentation License)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sierra_Leone
Number of bird species: 656
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
Proact
Coordinator: none (why not apply?) see http://www.proact-campaigns.net/coordinators
Members: None yet!
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African Bird Club
WebsiteSierra 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
WebsiteP0 Box 1292, Freetown. cssl_03@yahoo.com
West African Ornithological Society
WebsiteThe 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.
IBAs
Website626 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
WebsiteSatellite View
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...
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2006 [August] - David Hoddinott 1
ReportThis 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
ReportThis 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
ReportI 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
ReportThis 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 Gray’s Malimbe...
2007 [December] - David Hoddinott
Reporthis, the first ever comprehensive two-week birding tour to Sierra Leone, proved to be a very successful trip. We saw just over 300 species and found 23 out of 27 Upper Guinea Specials including Ahanta Francolin, White-breasted Guineafowl, Brown-cheeked Hornbill, Little Green, Melancholy and Fire-bellied Woodpecker, Ghana Cuckooshrike, Baumann’s Greenbul, Green-tailed Bristlebill, Yellow-bearded Greenbul, Finsch’s Flycatcher-Thrush, Sharpe’s Apalis, Kemp’s Longbill, Ussher’s Flycatcher, Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, the mega White-necked Picathartes, Rufous-winged Illadopsis, Turati’s Boubou, Chestnut-bellied Helmetshrike, Emerald and Copper-tailed Starling, the very rare Gola Malimbe and Crimson Seedcracker...
2008 [April] - Kenneth Gbengba
ReportI was the expert guide for H’s 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...
2008 [December] - Keith Valentine
ReportThis, only our second ever comprehensive two-week birding tour to Sierra Leone, proved to be a very successful trip. Sierra Leone, as with any country in West Africa, can often be brutal on logistics however we enjoyed a fabulous, hassle free trip with smooth logistics and, most importantly, superb birding in some of West Africa’s finest lowland forests...
2009 [December] - David Hoddinott
ReportOur comprehensive, two-week birding tour to Sierra Leone proved to be extraordinarily successful, with a record breaking trip total of 341 species reflecting the countries’ incredible birding potential! Whilst the focus of the tour was certainly the rich assemblage of Upper Guinea specialties, we did not neglect the region’s interesting diversity of primates. Participants were treated to 19 Upper Guinea specialties and an array of rare, elusive, localized and stunning species...
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Jays Bar International
Tour OperatorMy 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 Leone’s 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...
Rockjumper Birding Tours
http://www.rockjumperbirding.com/tours/destinations/sierra-leone?crumb=Africa+%26+MadagascarWhile we no longer offer any set departures to Sierra Leone, we will happily tailor-make a private tour for you.
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This site was last updated on Sunday, 29th January 2012.
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