Senegal - Feb-Mar 2024 - Kaolack

Nearly two years ago I was lucky enough to bird Senegal with friends Dave Provencher and Julian Hough. We put this trip together somewhat last minute and did things differently than we usually do. We had inquired about hiring a non-birding driver who knew the sites and would arrange lodging to save us the logistical planning. We were all too busy with work and life to be able to pull off that kind of research on our own this time around. Following up on a recommendation from a friend who had done exactly that in the past, we were surprised to learn that having a guide added to the package would not add much to the cost of the trip. So we opted for the whole shebang. I am a DIY traveler whenever possible, but the convenience and affordability of the guided option was too good to pass up. Everything ran beautifully, and it was honestly nice to not have to worry about any logistical issues for once!

We recorded 299 species from 21 Feb-2 Mar (oh so close to a nice round number!).

Our itinerary was a well-traveled one and is spelled out in many online trip reports. Given that, I'm not going to take the time to write much about this trip. Instead, I'll publish some photo highlights for each main segment/location we birded.

First up...Kaolack!

The draw here is a massive roost of SCISSOR-TAILED KITES with smaller numbers of LESSER KESTREL. We had a minimum of 500 kites, which was spectacular, but the counts earlier in the winter are much higher.










Scissor-tailed Kites

male Lesser Kestrel


 - NB

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