Your Next Birding Destination: Ghana’s Oti Region
I don’t know when I fell in love with birds. Maybe it was when I saw my first hummingbird in Vancouver or first heard the cackling-whooping calls of Montezuma Oropendolas. And then definitely when I played too much Wingspan with my sister. But I didn’t expect my trip to visit Dambai’s Dream Village would be filled with flashes of colourful feathers and overlapping chirps and birdsongs.
This entry is to show the many wonderful flying friends we saw at different times of the day. We’re not expert birders nor ornithologists, just two bird lovers with our shared binoculars (and, at times, frustrations when one looks at birds and the other waits!), my bespectacled eyes, and photographic memory (description like shiny blue wings, orange head with white crest, yellow beak, etc.) so that we can look up what we have seen afterwards.
Disclaimer! None of the photos in this entry was taken by me or my partner as we don’t have the equipment nor skill. Many thanks to birders who meticulously documented their sightings and websites like ebird.org and birdsoftheworld.org.
Birdwatching at dawn
Filled with enthusiasm for what bird songs daybreak may bring, we had no problem waking up at 5am to be by the riverside by 5:30am to catch the sunrise. Sure enough, there was plenty of action already.
African Pygmy Kingfisher Ispidina picta
Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinicus
While scanning through far-off trees through the binoculars, we saw a few Abyssinian Rollers perched on the branches. Their bright light turquoise feathers make them hard to miss and a complete treat to spot.
African Golden Oriole Oriolus auratus
Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis
I spotted a Senegal Coucal when he jumped along the undergrowth. Then, he settled on a low branch and puffed out his chest, showing off the white feathers.
Oti River by midday
10:30am to 2:30pm is allotted rest time, since the heat makes it insufferable to do any farm work. And by our seventh day, we were used to the hot, dry midday sun beating down upon us. Undeterred, we donned on our wide brimmed hats and lathered our exposed skin with SPF 30, once again setting off towards the river.
Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus
Always perched high up on the trees, especially among mango trees in Dream Village, Broad-billed Rollers can be seen every day during lunch time.
Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus
We often saw Black-crowned Tchagras hopping from plant to plant in the thick understory. They were flashes of black and brown, moving in groups.
Splendid Starling Lamprotornis splendidus
When the midday sun glazed over the Splendid Starling’s feathers, their iridescence had us confused whether they were black, purple, blue, or turquoise.
Brown-necked Parrot Poicephalus fuscicollis
African Jacana Actophilornis africanus
Dusk on tree tops
After a day of work, we welcomed the cool weather as the sun set a magnificent orange. We find our perfect spot on top of Dream Village’s Nubian Vault, where we have a 360-degree view of the village, as well as the surrounding trees and the nearby Oti River.
African Grey Hornbill Lophoceros nasutus
Western Plantain-eater Crinifer piscator
The most precious moment was seeing an adult Western Plantain-eater feed a young one with her beak. Maybe it was plantain?
Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus
One of the trees near the bus station in Dambai town is covered with Village Weavers’ hanging nest village.
Birds that hang around all day
We couldn’t finish this entry without mentioning these birds that flew around all day. They kept us company while we set up the cucumber trellis, harvested cassava for mealtimes, boiled pineapple and hibiscus for Sobolu, sowed okra seeds, made (and failed at making) the fencing for the pigs, and chased the chickens around.
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus caeruleus
Pied Crow Corvus albus
The Black-winged Kite always seemed to be in a fight-in-flight with the Pied Crow, spiraling to the ground. We spotted the Kite’s nest high up in a tree; maybe she was defending her chicks.
Reed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus
We saw Reed Cormorants throughout the day on Oti River. If you see a flying silhouette with a long neck, landing on the water like ducks, dipping their heads into the water to scout for fish, then diving in, that’s them.
There’s much more than birdwatching in Dambai and the Oti Region of Ghana, including hiking, agritourism, cultural and indigenous experiences, and boat rides. Be sure to visit Dream Village, a regenerative agriculture project and community just on the Oti River.
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