 |
| Black Bee-eater Merops gularis© Dick Forsman Ashanti African Tours 2010 Tour http://www.ashantiafricantours.com/?page_id=58 |
 |
 |
|
World BirdingBritish BirdingMiscellany & FunBirdnewsTravelLibraryBird FamiliesOrnithologySight & SoundsEquipment/Supplies |
|
|
 |
 |
birding...
|
With over 760 species of birds, Ghana is an ideal West African birdwatching destination as you cover all of the West African core habitats that include coastal lagoons and saltpans, moving inland you find excellent Upper Guinea Rainforest protected areas and also the broad leaved guinea woodland and Savannah plains in Northern Ghana. Ghana has 12 of the 15 Upper Guinea Endemic bird species recorded is politically stable and has well developed infrastructure that is possibly the finest in West Africa. The star attraction is the Yellow Headed Picathartes, Egyptian Plover and World famous Kakum National Park rainforest canopy walkway. Some of the much sought after species found here include Pel’s Fishing, Akun and Frasers Eagle Owl’s, Brown and Standard Winged Nightjars, Black, Rosy, Northern Carmine and Blue Headed Bee-eaters, Red Cheeked Wattle Eye, Forbe’s Plover, Brown, Rufous Winged and Puvel’s Illadopsis, Long Tailed Hawk, Congo Serpent Eagle, Violet Backed Hyliota, Black Dwarf, Red Billed Dwarf, Yellow Casqued, Brown Cheeked and White Crested Hornbills and over 20 species of Greenbul just to mention a few of the gems in store for visitors to this exceptional birding destination. |
|
This page is sponsored by...
|
Ankasa Reserve
InformationSatellite View
One of the Ghana’s most exciting birdwatching destinations, the Ankasa protected area comprises the continuous Nini-sahien National Park and Ankasa Resource Reserve, which together form a highly accessible and well preserved 509km2 chunk of wet evergreen Upper Guinea Rainforest. Ankasa is one of the most biologically rich habitats in Africa and believed to protect Ghana’s only remaining population of Chimpanzee. Forest Elephant, Bongo and many other mammal species can be found here. Star birds are definitely the Upper Guinea Endemic’s White Breasted Guineafowl, Yellow Bearded Greenbul, Green Tailed Bristlebil and Rufous Winged Illadopsis in addition to more gem’s like Africa’s rarest Kingfisher the White Bellied and Shining Blue, Yellow Casqued Hornbill, Great Blue Turaco, Hartlaubs Duck, African Finfoot, White Crested Tiger Heron and Dwarf Bittern are there to wet the appetite. Ankasa Reserve can be found 21km east of the border town with the Ivory Coast along the main Takoradi-Elubo road.
Bia National Park
InformationSatellite View
Bia National Park is a Park in the Western Region of Ghana. It’s also a biosphere reserve with a 563 square kilometer resource reserve. It has some of the Ghana’s last remnants of relatively untouched forest with its full diversity of wildlife some of the tallest trees left in the West Africa are found in this National Park. There are 62 species of mammals, including 10 primate species known to live in the Park, and over 189 species of birds have been recorded, including the endangered White breasted Guinea fowl, Black Collared love bird, cassin’s hawk Eagle, Honey Guide Greenbul, Black headed Oriole, Brown and Puvel’s illadopsis finch’s flycatcher thrush. Grey Crown Negrofinch, Western-Nicator, spotted Greenbul, Grey headed bristled Bill, Fire bellied wood pecker, melancholy wood pecker and many others can be found here
Bobiri Forest Reserve
InformationSatellite View
This small forest sanctuary protects almost 500 species of butterfly but is also a treasure trove of birds and one of the best locations to see the awesome Long Tailed Hawk much sought after by world birders. Additional species include Lathams Francolin, Black Throated Coucal, Tit Hylia, 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 Blue-throated Roller. Olive-bellied and Green-headed Sunbirds, white crested and red billed dwarf hornbills in addition to Africa’s rarest the Black Dwarf Hornbill. Bobiri is one of the only remaining Upper Guinea Rainforest’s close to the bustling city of Kumasi in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. There is basic accommodation here with no electricity and Bobiri is found 30km South of Kumasi on the main Accra-Kumasi road.
Bui National Park
InformationSatellite View
The park stretches an area of 1821 square kilometers and protects Ghana’s largest population of hippopotamus. A hydro electric dam is currently being built at Bui and will eventually cover more than 50% of this exceptional wildlife habitat of guinea woodland and savannah. An abundance of mammal and bird species have been recorded that are now under threat due to the dam project.
Kakum National Park
InformationSatellite View
Located 30km 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 365 square kilometres of semi deciduous secondary Upper Guinea Rainforest with its main attraction being the world famous Canopy Walkway. The canopy walkway offers birders an excellent opportunity to see the more difficult canopy dwelling species at close quarters. Upper Guinea Endemics like Brown Cheeked Hornbill, Sharpe’s Apalis and Copper Tailed Glossy Starlings are common here in addition to Black and Yellow Casqued Hornbills, Yellow Billed Turaco, Yellow Throated Cuckoo, tiny sunbird, White-breasted Negrofinch, little green woodpecker, red headed malimbe’s, yellow mantled weaver, blue cuckoo-shrike and the legendary Congo Serpent Eagle. Kakums forest trails offer more difficult to see understory species like White Throated, Western Bearded and Red Tailed Greenbuls, Fire-crested Alethe, Finch's Flycatcher-thrush, West African Forest Robin, Rufous Sided Broadbill, Red Billed Helmit-shrike, Red Tailed Bristlebill, Chocolate Backed Kingfisher and the Upper Guinea Endemic Green Tailed Bristlebil. Owl’s and Nightjars are also common with Frasers Eagle and African Wood Owl’s in good numbers and much sought after Brown Nightjar. Kakum also protects over 60 mammal, reptile and amphibian species that include Forest Elephants, Long Tailed Pangolin and the legendary Bongo.
Mole National Park
InformationSatellite View
Ghana’s premier wildlife viewing protected area covering 4847 square kilometres and protecting over 90 mammal and 330 bird species. The accommodation here is situated on an idyllic escarpment overlooking 2 watering holes where African Elephants, Kob, Waterbuck and Bushbuck regularly come to drink. Mole’s habitat consists of broad leaved guinea woodland and savannah plains, excellent birdwatching can be enjoyed around the hotel with species such as 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. Walking Safari’s offer the chance of seeing quality species like Pel’s Fishing Owl, Sandard Winged Nightjar, Spotted Creeper, White Fronted Black Chat, Forbes Plover, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, Blue Bellied Roller, Helmeted Guineafowl, Hadada Ibis, Woolly-necked AND Saddled Billed Storks, Grey and Black-headed Herons, Senegal Thick-knee and 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. Mole is approximately a 6 hour drive from Kumasi without stops with the final 86km being rough dirt road.
Shai Hills Reserve
InformationSatellite View
Shai Hills reserve is the closest wildlife protected area to Accra with a savannah grassland habitat, large rock formations and caves. The rock formations harbour good numbers of White Crowned Cliff Chat and Rock Martins in addition to Rock Loving Cisticolas. Green and Violet Turaco’s are common as are Puvels Illadopsis, Blue Bellied, Broad billed and Rufous Crowned Rollers, Senegal Parrot, Red Headed Lovebirds, Black Cap and Brown Babblers, Stone Partridge, Grey Hornbill, Fork-tailed Drongo, White-crowned Robin Chat, Croaking Cisticola, Grey Kestrel, Rosy and Swallow-tailed Bee-eaters and Rose-ringed Parakeets. African Hobby is regularly seen and large numbers of Olive Baboons greet you on your entrance to the main gates.
Mark Williams
Ashanti Tours
ashantitours@yahoo.comWebsite
Number of bird species: 760
Birds of Ghana
by Nik Borrow and Ron Demey - 352 pages, 145 col plates Christopher Helm 2010 - See Fatbirder ReviewISBN: 9781408122792
Buy this book from NHBS.com
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
African Bird Club
WebsiteGhana 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
WebsiteGhana Wildlife SocietyP0 Box 13252, Accra. + 233 21 663500 wildsoc@ighmail.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.
Afadjato Community Forest Conservation Project
WebsiteSatellite View
The biodiversity importance of the area is considered exceptional, especially in terms of butterfly and bird species...
Bui National Park
WebsiteSatellite View
Birds known from Bui National Park...
Kakum Canopy Walkway
WebsiteSatellite View
Have 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
WebsiteSatellite View
The 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...
This section sponsored by: 
2003 [October] - Jos Wanten & Roland Holz
Report...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
Report...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
ReportOur 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
Report...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...
2007 [January] - David Shackelford
ReportA 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] - Keith Valentine
ReportThis 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...
2008 [December] - Jan Pienaar
ReportGhana is diverse nation brimming with special birds and blessed with a vibrant culture and a varied and interesting history. Once known as the Gold Coast by earlier European traders, Ghana now attracts tourists the world over including the likes of birdwatchers...
2008 [January] - Mark Finn
Report...The canopy walkway at Kakum produced several interesting species notably Yellow-casqued and Black-casqued Hornbills, Blue-throated Roller and Ussher’s Flycatchers. On the forest floor, brief views of Latham’s Francolins a rather secretive and scarce forest bird. Along the coast we encountered the rather localised Reichenbach’s Sunbird and hordes of wintering waders and terns. Further north around Kumasi we added African Finfoot, Shining Blue Kingfisher, Blue-headed Crested Flycatchers and Fraser’s Sunbird...
2008 [March] - Sam Woods & Iain Campbell
Report...Top forest birds included a bunch of beautiful bee-eaters such as the exquisite Black Bee-eater, along with several Rosy Bee-eaters; a bounty of hornbills, including Black Dwarf Hornbill and Black-casqued Hornbill both at Kakum, and the superb Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill...
2008 [May] - Simon Papps
ReportA pre-breakfast walk along a road near the hotel produced our first African birds, with the ubiquitous Pied Crows, Little Swifts, Northern Grey-headed Sparrow and Laughing Doves joined by Senegal Coucal, Splendid Glossy and Greater Blue-eared Starlings, Bar-breasted Firefinch, Copper and Splendid Sunbirds and Western Plantain-eater. Less expected were African Pygmy Kingfisher, Heuglin’s Masked Weaver and Carmelite Sunbird...
2008 [November] - Jan Pienaar
ReportGhana is one of West Africa’s more interesting destinations: graced with an interesting assortment of vibrant cultures, a coastline dotted with forts and castles dating from the time of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade and a diversity of great birding habitats - from the moist rainforests of Kakum, the broad- leafed savannas of Mole to the dry woodland of the north. We recorded just under 400 bird species in our time here, including many Upper Guinea Endemics, and West African specials...
2009 [December] - David Hoddinott
ReportOur record breaking trip total of 460 species in 19 days reflects the immense birding potential of Ghana. Whilst the focus of the tour was certainly the rich assemblage of Upper Guinea specialties, we did not neglect the interesting diversity of mammals...
2009 [December] - Glen Valentine
ReportAn early morning departure from the busy outskirts of Accra and we were on the road towards a low ridge of hills that protrude from the surrounding Guinea Savannah to the east of the capital. Shai Hills offers good woodland birding and is the perfect introduction to Ghana...
2009 [March] - Ken Behrens
Report...Other spectacular birds likely in Ghana include Congo Serpent-Eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, White-spotted Flufftail, Guinea, Yellow-billed, and Violet Turacos, Fraser's Eagle-Owl, Standard-winged Nightjar, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Blue-headed, Red-throated, and Rosy Bee-eaters, White-crested, Black Dwarf, Red-billed Dwarf, Brown-cheeked, Black-casqued, and Yellow-casqued Hornbills, Fire-bellied Woodpecker, Rufous-sided Broadbill, Long-tailed Glossy-Starling, and Preuss's Weaver...
2010 [April] - Ken Behrens
ReportPut simply, Ghana is the best place in the world to see a Picathartes. In addition, Egyptian Plover has become a regular feature on this tour, after the confirmation of its presence at a new site during scouting prior to last yearʼs tour...
2010 [February] - Robert Ntakor - Ashanti African Tours
ReportThis trip was organised for a group of 4 friends as a private tour, it covered a large portion of the country capturing around 75% of potential birding sites in 17 days. Habitats included upper guinea rainforest, coastal lagoons broad leaved guinea woodland and northern sahelian savannah plains with the majority of our time spent in National Parks, Reserves and wildlife protected areas...
2010 [March] - Henk Hendriks
ReportWe managed to observe 272 species and our list includes species like Dwarf Bittern, Hartlaub’s Duck, Finfoot, all possible hornbill species, Cassin’s Hawk-eagle, Long-tailed Hawk, Yellow-billed Turaco, Great Blue Turaco, Black-throated Coucal, all possible spinetails, White-bellied Kingfisher, Blue-headed Bee-eater, Black Bee-eater, Rosy Bee-eater, Cassin’s Honeyguide, Little Green Woodpecker...
2010 [September] - Keith Valentine
ReportGhana is undoubtedly one of the finest birding destinations on offer, not only in West Africa but also on the entire continent...
2011 [April] - Robert Ntakor - Ashanti African Tours
ReportGhana originally known as the Gold Coast is the gate way to West Africa. It has a beautiful coastline with a lot of cocoanut groves on sandy beaches streaching for the 550km coastline. On this coastline 75% of the entire West African forts and castles can be found from our former colonial masters, eleven of these are now UNESCO world heritage and monument sites. Ghana was the first African country south the Sahara to gain independence from colonial administration in 1957 on the 6th of March....
This section sponsored by:
Ashanti African Ghana Birding Tours
Tour OperatorThe Ghana birding and wildlife specialist with a commitment to conservation, join us for an enjoyable, professional, quality, affordable and highly productive birding tour of Ghana. We have a 100% record where all our clients have enjoyed walk away views of the prehistoric looking Yellow Headed Picathartes and beautiful Egyptian Plover...
Birdfinders
Tour OperatorGhana 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
InformationLocal birders willing to show visiting birders around their area...
Birdwatching Breaks
Tour OperatorBirdwatching Breaks are the market leaders on birding tours within the country...
Greentours
Tour OperatorFrom 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
Tour OperatorWatch 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
Tour Operator...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
Tour OperatorHere 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...
Wise Birding
Tour OperatorGHANA is a fantastic and very safe country to visit with some truly amazing birds. This tour focusses on the Upper Guinea Forest Endemics as well as including a trip to the savannah areas of Mole NP famous for its elephants and then the Bogatanga area for the wonderful Egyptian Plover...
Bird Diversity and Abundance in Forest Fragments of Ghana
WebsiteScientific paper...
Birding in Kakum
WebsiteLocated 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.
back to the top of this page
This site was last updated on Monday, 30th January 2012.
Feedback/Contact/Advertising Info ::