Kotu bridge is where lots of the visiting birders gather in the early morning to see the many birds than can be found on and beside the Kotu stream. It’s also close to the headquarters of the Gambia Bird Watchers Association so many guides are around looking for prospective customers. During our time in The Gambia we made several visits to Kotu bridge and the surrounding trails and birding areas, and got some good photos, along with a few lifers.
On our first visit to the bridge the early morning light was perfect and the birds were happy to pose on the posts remaining in the river from an old bridge. The photo of the Blue-breasted Kingfisher is one of our favourite shots from the whole trip.
The Fajara Golf Course, which is close to Kotu Bridge, is another favourite destination for birders. It is surrounding by a high wall suggesting that they don’t welcome visitors, however, there are relatively few golfers playing the sandy course and those that are around don’t seem to mind birders wandering about observing the birds. Our guide Zak took us there a couple of times, with us accessing the site via a rickety bridge from the nature trail that starts on the south side of Kotu bridge. A highlight from our time on the golf course was seeing a Pearl-spotted Owlet, but we also saw a number of other good birds.
We also made a couple of visits to the famous ‘cycle track’, which starts close to Kotu Bridge and winds through open fields and by several ponds. The raised path between the fields and lakes is good for observing and photographing the birds. A highlight here was seeing a Black Heron fishing from under the ‘umbrella’ created by raising his wings.