After a run around West Africa I settled back into birding around Serarou and just enjoyed the changing seasons. The African migrants are returning and have started to call (Red-chested Cuckoo, Cuculus solitarius and other cuckoos, Cuculus sp.) and the last of the European migrants leave. Pleasantly the White-faced Ducks (Dendrocygna viduata) have returned to Lake Bature with their absence during the height of the dry season. One of the ducks is leucistic making it easy to track it in the group. The African Jacana (Actophilornis africanus) venture further upstream as the rains fill up the back end of the dam. The last few glimpses of the European Oriole (Oriolus oriolus) were seen before they disappear north again. With my last week of birding here in Serarou ahead of me, I intend to enjoy the many birds that I have seen over the year with the joy of recognizing the birds that once took me a while to figure out.
White Helmet-Shrike (Prionops plumatus): This species is considered the same as in Southern Africa yet here they seem to always be in larger groups and have a distinct crest that is as long as their head. It makes for an interesting bird to watch at times as they busily move through the tree canopy feeding their young.
Other Species: African Pied Hornbill (Tockus fasciatus)
Senegal Parrot (Poicephalus senegalensis)
Fine-spotted woodpecker (Campetherera punctuligera)
Long-crested Eagle (Lophaetus occipitalis)
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