Lagos, Nigeria, Jan 2013

“Beer makes everything better”.

I have lived by this philosophy for many years, but now find that there is a notable exception; Star Beer from Nigeria. While the alcohol offers a temporary relief from back pain, it also leaves the erstwhile sufferer open to suggestion. Well, I don’t actually remember swinging from the chandeliers in an attempt to straighten out my spine, but in the morning……

Thus it was that the golden hours of early morning and the heat of midday were lost to hangover and an inability to stand upright. Eventually, I managed to drag myself around the small gardens at the hotel in Lagos, Nigeria. The chain link fence that used to lead down to the garden is no more.

Where once there were vines and creepers climbing through the fence and creating a haven for manikins and fire-finches, there is now an ugly wire-topped wall. The Agama Lizards are the lucky ones here, finding superb protection from the Yellow-billed Kites, Common Kestrel and Shikra, that are commonly seen here.

Red-eyed Doves could be heard above the sound of the generator sheds, but from the Laughing Doves there was no sound, not even a chuckle. I have entered a year list for 10,000 Birds that depends on birds being identified by sound. The Laughing Doves should have been a gimme, but for the first time that I recall, they were silent.

The specialty bird in the gardens is the Western Plantain-eater. It is a common bird of West Africa and its call is familiar to anyone who spends any time there, but this is the only place that I visit that I am likely to get a chance to see one, so I was pleased to hear their resonant, warbling call. They lean forward to deliver the call and inflate the neck to give each syllable of sound. Since I will be concentrating more on sound this year, I will also be embedding the calls as links in the text.  These recordings are very kindly shared by  www.xeno-canto.org. Click this link to hear the Western Plantain-eater chuckling.

Another call, reminiscent of the Downy Woodpecker from North America, started with a hard note and rattled down the scale (if you took the time to listen to the Red-eyed Dove recording linked above, you will recognise it in the background). I thought this to be a Woodland Kingfisher, but could not find the bird. One of the conditions of qualification for the 10,000 Birds Year List is that the bird should also be seen. My aural powers are weak so the bird must be first identified by sound and then confirmed by sight. Failing to see the bird, or using the sighting to aid identification, means that the bird will not count, but using new found skills to identify a subsequent bird later in the day is OK. Oh, and a lucky guess counts just as well as a hard learned hit. The Woodland Kingfisher was eventually found and seen calling to confirm my initial thoughts.

Splendid Glossy-starlings were as common today as I have seen them here and Mottled Spinetails flew in a small flock overhead. The lucky sighting of the day was a Barn Owl that flew over the bus on our way to the airport for the homebound sector.

Birds seen; 16

Cattle Egret 6, Yellow-billed Kite 20, Shikra 1, Common Kestrel 1, Red-eyed Dove 10, Laughing Dove 6, Rose-ringed Parakeet 1, Western Plantain-eater 3, Barn Owl 1, Mottled Spinetail 5, Woodland Kingfisher 1, Little Bee-eater 1, Pied Crow 1, Common Bulbul 15, African Thrush 3, Splendid Glossy-starling 12.

Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, Nov 2011

If this were to be a perfect day, it would have to be sometime next week. Next week, my exams would be over and with any luck this hangover will be gone too! I had left the big camera at home as I knew that if I brought it to Lagos, it would draw the attention of the Security Manager and I would be distracted from my revision.

As it happens, the revision was going fairly well until I noticed ripples coming from a puddle on the flat roof outside my window. Luckily I had packed the small camera and some binoculars, ‘just in case’. The bird hopped up onto the wall and showed itself to be a Shikra. This was just the distraction that I needed and I dropped my books and took myself out to the gardens for a quick once round before dusk.

In the area beyond the razor-wired wall a Double-spurred Francolin stood atop a cinder block wall. Peter told me of the francolins’ habit of burying their eggs, but leaving one above ground to remind them where the nest is. I can’t find any supporting evidence for this, but if anyone has any special knowledge of this bird, it would be interesting to know.

Peter was the security guard who had been tasked to keep an eye on the gardens and he joined me for a lap around the path that serves as a jogging track to some of the more active guests. He did not object to the camera, so I assumed that its smaller size was acceptable.

Birds stayed high and silhouetted, out of range of the Nikon, but some dragonflies stayed put just long enough to have their pictures taken. The one above is a Lucia Widow and below is a potential Red Basker, Urothemis assignata.

Bird Species; 10

Cattle Egret 2, Black Kite 4, Shikra 1, Double-spurred Francolin 1, Red-eyed Dove 2, Laughing Dove 3, Rose-ringed Parakeet 2, Western Grey Plantain-eater 4, Common Bulbul 4, Splendid Glossy Starling 1.

Sheraton Hotel, Lagos, Nigeria, LOS,

Other Lagos posts can be found at the links below;
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/05/sheraton-hotel-lagos.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2011/05/sheraton-hotel-in-lagos-just-one-lap.html
http://redgannet.blogspot.com/2010/04/to-pish-or-not-to-pish-dire-warnings.html

Visit the dedicated Africa Page for more posts from Nigeria, West Africa and the continent

Sheraton Hotel in Lagos; Just one lap

This post is dedicated to the beautiful Elizabeth, a security officer at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos. She is a fine woman with many attributes, chief amongst which was the ability to gain permission for me to take photographs in the gardens of the hotel. Policy dictates that photographs may not be taken in the hotel grounds, but Elizabeth obtained permission for me to do so and even accompanied me to ensure that I didn’t get up to mischief.

Her time was precious so I had to make it quick. One lap of the gardens would not normally be enough, but even so, we managed to find a few birds. The only one that came anywhere close to sitting for a photo was an African Thrush.

From the casuarinas trees, an African Pied (Allied) Hornbill called with a whistling note that called to mind a Peregrine Falcon. They shared the casuarinas with some Common Bulbuls and Splendid Glossy Starlings. The trees visible over the wall and across the street, held Western Grey Plantain-eaters. Bronze Mannikins were tending nests with two located. Adult birds were continually flying in and out, maintaining the nests but no evidence of chicks was seen.

In the skies above, an African Palm Swift and Mottled Spinetails were scudding around, feeding. Closer to the ground a good number of dragonflies, that I suspect may be Wandering Gliders, were taking advantage of thick clouds of insects that had already taken a few nips at yours truly.

I had to look this ode up and I really hoped to find that it was called the Ninja Skimmer.

I suspected that the top and second pictures may be a female and a similar pattern on the wings of this blue individual led me to consider that he may be the male of the species.... until I saw the bottom one.

This ode was superficially similar to the first one, but the body patterns and wing markings are different enough to make me look further and to reconsider the affiliations of the blue one. I felt that I had seen them before but had to wait until I got home to check on the Africa Dragonfly website where Dirk Motshagen's photos from Port Harcourt in Nigeria suggest that the top 3 could be Lucia Widows, Palpopleura lucia. My best bet for the bottom picture at the moment is a Portia Widow, Palpopleura portia. I am still open to suggestions however if you have any experience of West African odes.

The Agama Lizards at The Sheraton in Lagos may well be the best protected lizards to be found anywhere.

Species seen; 14

Cattle Egret 15, Black Kite 15, Red-eyed Dove 6, Laughing Dove 4, Western Grey Plantain-eater 5, Mottled Spinetail 30, African Palm Swift 1, Little Swift 4, Broad-billed Roller 2, Allied Hornbill 2, Common Bulbul 12, African Thrush 8, Pied Crow 2, Bronze Mannikin 4.

Sheraton Hotel, Lagos.

The “gardens” at the Sheraton Hotel in Lagos consist of a few ornamental shrubs, some lawn and a small sewage facility. A jogging track tours this Eden in under 300m. Much of the ground area is taken up with 2 tennis courts.

Nonetheless, this weary, beery birder managed to find a few local favourites to keep him entertained. The first birds of the morning were a small flock above the machine sheds adjacent to the gardens. I have mentioned in the past that trying to take pictures of swifts is a thankless task, but I seldom listen to myself or take my own advice. On this occasion, I was pleased to capture the spines on the tail of this Mottled Spine-tail.

I had attracted the attention of a guard and soon enough the Security Manager turned up and needed to be reassured that I was not using a video camera. A pair of Bar-breasted Firefinches hopped between a bush and the fence of the tennis court, but on-going discussions with the Security Manager prevented me getting a picture.

A Splendid Glossy starling was perched on the tennis court lights.

Beyond the razor-wired wall of the gardens is a tantalizing expanse of coarse grasses with a wooded gulley beyond.

This area is sadly out of bounds, but from where I was, I could still see a Senegal Coucal perched up on a small bush while a Tawny-flanked Prinia called just to his left.

Common Bulbuls used the razor wire as a vantage point from which to pounce on insects in the grass. 2 birds raced down to grab this dragonfly and squabble over it.

The effluent tanks used to be screened by some large casuarina trees, but these have been cut down and are being replaced by a sterile fence. A couple of the trees that did not form part of the screen are still there and were holding a Splendid Glossy Starling and a Western Grey Plantain-eater.

Bronze Munias were collecting nesting material and seemed to be building a number of nests in the same thickly leaved tree. Are Bronze Munias communal nesters? Anyone?

For the second time I was challenged about my camera and told that I would need to get permission from the Public Relations Manager before I could use it, So I packed up for the day not wishing to be hot, hung-over and interfered with anymore.

I was feeling better later on, so I tried to get permission to go for another walk in the gardens. The Duty Manager decided that I should be accompanied by the Security Manager. He got bored very quickly and passed me on to Edim, a security guard, who diligently followed me round the gardens to ensure that I only took pictures of birds. He was very good, seeming to take an interest while being quiet and unobtrusive.

I had hoped to get the picture of the Bar-breasted Firefinch that I missed this morning, but could not find them again. One nice find though was a pair of Broad-billed Rollers hawking from a lamppost on the road beyond the wall. They were horribly silhouetted and I took a while to make sure that they were not the Blue-throated Roller.

An African Thrush sat high in a palm.

A very obvious feature of the gardens are the lizards. I believe the big ones with the orange heads are Agama lizards.

As for the others, I am sorry, I don’t know.

Bird species; 16

Cattle Egret 8, Yellow-billed Kite 12, Common Kestrel 1, Red-eyed Dove 5, Laughing Dove 1, Western Grey Plantain-eater 4, Senegal Coucal 1, Mottled Spine-tail 14, Broad-billed Roller 2, Common Bulbul 12, African Thrush 3,Tawny-flanked Prinia 1, Collared Crow 5, Splendid Glossy Starling 4, Bar-breasted Firefinch 2, Bronze Mannikin 20

Lekki Conservation Centre, Lagos, Nigeria

Dire warnings about personal safety in Lagos, Nigeria, caused me to opt for the expensive private taxi option for a visit to Lekki Conservation Centre (Google Earth; 6 26 29N 3 32 08E). LCC is a nature reserve, surrounded by a big wall and protected by a manned security gate at the entrance. Once inside I was able to wander with confidence as my wont might take me.

Lagos is a huge city with a population of 17 million people living in low-rise accommodation. Thus land space is at a premium and it was a pleasure to find somewhere like Lekki that has been preserved despite the pressure.

My red crayon was poised for a bagful of lifers that I had targeted and my hopes were high. The first bird of the day was a Common Peafowl, or Peacock.

I could pick these out easily in the dimness of the early morning, but I was trying to delay my excursion into the palm swamp until the light improved. As it got brighter, I was better able to make out colours and found a good-sized flock of White-throated Bee-eaters in the large trees above the peacock. Still in the open area around the centre’s buildings, Common Bulbuls lived up to their name and a couple of Vieillot’s Weavers were moving in the palms.

The heat and humidity in the forest was oppressive, but I was surprised that I was not being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Whilst I detest too much heat, I will suffer it over biting insects any day.  

Very soon, close to a crocodile viewing platform, I came across the first troupe of the resident Mona Monkeys Cercopithecus mona. They appeared to be inquisitive and shy at the same time if that is possible. This guenon is common across West Africa, but this is my first sighting of them. They are charming and pretty and I am always pleased to find a new mammal that is not a rodent.

A bird hide overlooks a small open area of marsh. 2 African Jacana were calling frantically while 2 White-faced Ducks looked on nervously. I hoped that there might be a big snake upsetting them, but I could not find anything to cause their distress.
A sunbird with a green head flashed across the front of the hide. I checked my Helm field guide and noted that it was a Green-headed Sunbird.

The trail through the palm swamp is shaped like a figure-of-eight with the top loop consisting of wet palm forest and made accessible by a boardwalk. The bottom loop is drier and is accessed by a normal track that gives out on to a small area of savannah before rejoining the boardwalk.

I was approaching the junction where the trail crosses itself when I heard a call and was able to follow it to it’s source. The rising, chuckling call came from a Little Greenbul. It is a dark, drab bird whose only distinguishing feature is that it has no distinguishing features.
I turned left at the crossroads. The boardwalk ended and an overgrown trail continued through the drier part of the forest. I had to walk much of this section bent over and brushing through vegetation that had encroached on to the path. It made me feel very intrepid, but you don’t see much when you are bent over so.

I did find a damselfly and will endeavour to find out what it is as soon as I can. At the moment, I haven’t a clue.

Soon enough, the trail opened out and the birds became more visible. I struggle to keep my enthusiasm up in quiet forests, so I was glad to be out on the savannah where one’s horizons are greatly expanded and birds are more visible. My other two lifers of the day came almost immediately with a pair of Carmelite Sunbirds feeding in the top of one bush and a flock of Swamp Palm Bulbuls in the next one along.

This area was by far the most productive of the day with many more Common Bulbuls, Red-eyed Doves and Vieillot’s Weavers. A Splendid Sunbird flitted between bushes while a Senegal Coucal flushed from the ground and disappeared.

Looking back over the forest, an African Harrier-hawk was displaying in it’s undulating style and another bird of prey flew over, but evaded identification. A picnic area (for extreme picnickers) held me for a while as I tried to “pish” some obstinate birds from the top of a palm tree. I tried a rising, then a falling inflection, I tried to imitate the rhythm and cadence of their calls, and I even tried pishing the theme from “Match of the Day”. They eventually showed themselves and I recognised them as the Swamp Palm Bulbuls again. I turned around to continue on my way to find a centre worker watching me resignedly.
For some, the term “pishing” or “spishing” may be unfamiliar. In the world of bird-watching, we make peculiar squeaks and hisses in an effort to whet a bird’s curiosity. The bird may then approach closer to investigate where the noises are coming from and what they might mean, then the bird-watcher can get a better look at it.
In Nigeria, a similar “tssst” (usually used within restaurants and bars to attract the staff), means “Come here, I want you”. While the Nigerian tradition is to hiss discretely, the sound carries and has an attention grabbing quality. We bird-watchers tend to pish loudly and extravagantly, becoming frantic and causing any passing Nigerian to consider us extremely rude and impatient. I once found myself in embarrassing confusion with the groundsman in the hotel gardens in Abuja, Nigeria. It took some time to explain that I was trying to attract the attention of a bird and not him. He walked off, shaking his head, muttering in a rich, dark voice, “You white-men have not enough to do!”

All too soon I was back in the swamp forest. I came across a wonderful looking tree house/hide, but was disappointed to find that it was out of commission.

More Mona Monkeys played in the palms alongside the boardwalk, but I not seen many birds in the forest today. The light under the trees was very gloomy anyway, so photos would have been unsatisfactory.

I would estimate the boardwalk and trail to run for about one and a half miles altogether, but a visitor could choose to walk just the top loop and return to the centre in easily less than a mile.

Back at the car park, I was able to get a better look at a Black-crowned Crane. I had seen it earlier, but the light was too low at the time. It was approachable enough to make me think that it was used to people.
The centre is not a busy place on a Thursday morning though. I had the forest to myself and the only other visitors were some school children who were kept cooped up in the centres education room. Poor things.

Bird species; 23

Long-tailed Cormorant 1, Western Cattle Egret 10, White-faced Whistling Duck 2, Yellow-billed Kite 4, African Harrier-hawk 1, Black-crowned Crane 1, African Jacana 2, Red-eyed Dove 20, Senegal Coucal 1, White-throated Bee-eater 30, Little Green Bee-eater 2, Allied Hornbill 6, Common Bulbul 30, Little Greenbul 2, Swamp Palm Bulbul 14, African Thrush 2, Collared Sunbird 2, Green-headed Sunbird 2, Carmelite Sunbird 3, Superb Sunbird 1, Pied Crow 2, Black-necked Weaver 2, Vieillot’s Weaver 8.

Mammal species; 1

Mona Monkey 30

Wot? No pictures?

My trip this weekend is scheduled to be Lagos in Nigeria.

Without the camera, It could be a dull monologue, so here is a picture gallery taken from previous trips to Nigeria.

Common Wattle-eye

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Malachite Kingfisher

Blue-breasted Kingfisher

Yellow-billed Shrike

Scarlet-chested Sunbird

Yellow-throated Longclaw

Splendid Sunbird

I hope you liked them.

Now that I look with an ritical eye, I notice that all of these pictures came from Abuja. Abuja is a few hundred miles North of Lagos and was recently adopted as the administrative capital of Nigeria

Actually, the trip to Lagos was quiet with only a very few birds seen around the grounds of the Sheraton Ikeja, Lagos.

These included, Allied Hornbill, Western Grey Plantain Eater (always reliable) and Splendid Glossy Starling among the African Thrush and Common Bulbul.