At last I have got round to doing something with my pictures from an amazing trip to Gambia, the Smiling Coast of Africa, in December 2010.

And it lived up to its name.
But is was not only the people that seemed happy in this tiny finger of land fringing the Gambia river in the heart of Senegal, the wildfowl seemed to be loving it too.
My wife and I had heard that the country attracted many beautiful birds, but we were amazed by the variety and colours.
When you had got used to the locals constantly touting for business, whether it be for taxis, changing money, shopping –  or anything – you find it is better to relax with them.
We saw dozens of species including the glossy starling.
The full list is below if anyone is that interested.

Aboku Nature Reserve
bearded barbet
paradise flycatcher
plantain eater
Senegal parrots
Doves – blue spotted, red-eye and mourning

pied kingfisher
egrets – little and cattle
herons – reef, black, great, white, intermediate
red-beaked firefinch
red-beaked hornbill
yellow-wattled plover
black plover
blue glossy starling
blue-bellied rollerbird
lizard hawk
harrier hawk
turkey vultures
common sandpiper
woodpeckers – blue beaked and red breasted
hammercop
blue-bellied kingfisher
redshank
greenshank
beautiful sunbird
white-faced whistling duck
palm nut vulture
whimbrell
green wood hoopee
African parakeet
spur-winged plover