My name is Kenneth Gbengba from Fact Finding Tours of Sierra Leone. I have been a bird guide for 18 years, guiding birding tours all over West Africa. I am recognised as Sierra Leone’s top birdwatcher and I run the only indigenous eco tourism handling agency in the name of Fact Finding Tours. My office is situated on Lumley Beach Road at the National Tourist board Information and Business Centre.

I was the expert guide for H’s bird watching trip to Sierra Leone, which was for six days bird watching over a one week period. I designed an itinery which included his particular wishes to see the White-Necked Picathartes (Bare Headed Rock Fowl) and Tiwai Isaland. Luckily I have particular knowledge about a Picathartes colony which which is reasonably easily accessible and where I can ensure a certainty of a sighting. It is a protected area.  I have closely monitoring this nesting area over a number of years. It is little known to other people which fact has helped to protect the colony. The idea is to protect the security of the colony whilst at the same time encouraging only those with shared interest in the conservation of this rare species, a chance to spot it in its natural habitat.  Below are some of the bird species spotted on each day of the trip including a first sighting of the Spur-winged Goose on Tiwai Island: 

 Day 1 Guma Valley Nature Trail.

White-necked Picathartes (Bare -headed rock fowl), Rufous-winged Illadopsis, White-tailed Alethe, Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, Yellow-casqued Wattled Hornbill, Forest scrub Robin, Great blue Turaco, Fanti saw-Wing, Lowland Akalat, Puvel’s Illadopsis, Brown-chested Alethe, Kemp’s Longbill.

Day 2 Banana Island

Royal Tern, Sandwich Tern, White- breasted Cormorant, Johanna’s Sunbird, Variable Sunbird, Senegal Coucal, Red-billed Firefinch, Village Weaver,Garden Boubou, Grey Plantain Eater, Grey Plover

Day 3, 4 & 5  Tiwai Island and journey to and fro

Tit Hylia, Green Hylia, Spur-winged Goose (a first spotting of this species on the island), White-breasted Guinea Fowl, Western-wattled Cuckoo Shrike, White-crested Hornbill, African Finfoot, Egyptian Plover, White- fronted Plover, Blue Cheecked Bee- eater, Palm-nut Vulture, African Emarald Cuckoo, Red-billed Helmet-Shrike, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Red-vented Malimbe, Red-headed Malimbe, Blue-billed Malimbe, Black Bee-eater, Fire-bellied Woodpecker.

Day 6 Regent Forrest

Capuchin Babbler, Forest Robin, Wood Warbler, Grey Longbill, Pied-winged Swallow, Little Grebe,  Dybowski’s Twinspot, Western Bronze-naped Pigeon, Blue-headed Wood Dove.

We set off for our drive home at midday. We returned back in the boat to the jeep and then once loaded up we drove to Bo. We had a short stop at the Sewa River to take pictures of the sand miners. Another wide, clean free flowing river of Sierra Leone.  Bo is a pretty city, very refined and up-market with a more leisurely fel to it by comparison to the hustle and bustle of Freetown.

Topped up with petrol we set off for our homeward bound drive. The route is interesting passing vast swathes of beautifull countryside whch currently is not being cultivated in a systematic way. This was an area that suffered during the war and there is evidence of the war scarred, burnt buildings side by side with brand new replacement buildings.

Past another magnicent river where we had another photograph stop and over through Grafton and Regent to home and a few Star beers. H reported that he had thoroughly enjoyed all of the trip and I had to agree that irt had been a wonderful experience.

This morning was to be our last on Tiwai Island. After a good breakfast of omelette and bread, tea and coffee Kenneth and H set off on a final morning trek through the rain forest with the local guide. Kojo and I stayed back at base to tidy and pack up and to settle our bills.

By ten o’clock we were completely organised so we arranged with one of the Tiwai guides to go on a mini trek ourselves. It was another magical experience. Trekking through the thick undergrowth following our excellent guide we would catch tantalising glimpses of blue sky and sunshine high up above the tall, tall trees. It was lusciously green. We had asked the guide to try and let us see some of the rare Colubus monkeys that live on Tiwai.

As we made our way steadily along the path we would be taken at every turn by an almost overwhelming variety of interesting thing to see and spend a while watching. A lovely flower which was the purest cream in colour with petals that looked more like fine, thin ridges, so many different butterflies and some fascinating fungi to name just a few of the magnificent natural sights. All the time the sounds of the jungle fill the air, it is never quiet but it is extremely peaceful. An awesome experience.

Our guide kept stopping and listening carefully. He looked up into the trees and then he pointed to a troupe on monkeys high up in the distant trees. They were moving quickly as a family group in a line following their leading male. Red -backed Colubus whispered the guide and we stayed quite still to watch, fascinated by the agility, speed and grace of these animals as they lept from tree to tree in single file. Look carefully at the pictuers to spot the monkies. We made the return trek back to the camp so that we could make a good start on our homeward trip and we felt very satisfied regarding our whole experience of Tiwai Island.

We had arranged to go on an early evening canoe ride up the River Moa. We set off for a 10 minnute track down to one of the small landing areas on the island. Even that short walk had the group stopping at various intervals to stand and watch quietly as Kenneth pointed out an interesting bird or animal. Once at the landing area our guide whistled over to the mainland for the canoe and it immediately set off and was guided over by two young men with a combination of pole and paddle.

We enbarked one at a time with Kenneth making the seating arrangements. The traditional dug- out canoe was slim and quite long and was just a perfect size for its two crew and four passengers. The two boatmen skillfully manoevered the slender boat out into the river and turned it towards the far end of the island.

This was one of life’s magical experieces. The boat canoe was gliding almost silently through the water certainly being at one with its surroundings and not disturbing the stillness of that evening atmosphere. The boatmen took a passage that ran parrallel to the island giving enticing views of the lush, green forrest coupled with dramatic, vivid colours of the waterside trees anf ferns. One moment there would be a blaze of colour as yellows, golds, greens and orange mingled in a waterside frenzy. seconds later the boat would round a slight bend or take a path centre river because of the rocks and the horizon would open as the river appeared before us in the dramatic light of the approaching sunset. On to the end of the island where we disembarked to stretch our selves and take in the fabulous scenery and see both sides of the River Moa part around the head of the island.

The beauty, the peace and tranquility seeped through everything even though the jungle itself was awakening to its own nocturnal life. As the boat was navigated back the dark descended in a staedy pace. At this moment the air and night sky was filled with hundreds of thousands of migrating bats. The now blue, black sky was teaming with them and the stream of them stretched as far as we could see. “There are more bats here than there are people of Sierra Leone” commented Kenneth and indeed so it seemed. The boatmen confirmed that this year they had seen more of these bats than ever before. An interesting observation indeed and one wonders why this phenomenum may have happened. Back at the small landing area it was now dark but Kenneth had come with his powerful torch light and we made our way effortlessly back along the track back to the camp. here it was time to eat and relax. 

Last weekend james and I decided that we had to take a field trip to try and locate the elusive Amorphophallus Elliotii. Our main clue was the last recorded photograph in 1892, whch detailed the place the plant had been found as Walia. see the original blog of 15th Novemeber for all the information that we had been given and discovered. Our early investigation made us decide to head for Wallah, in theprovinces for the start of our search. This story, which will be detailed in a future blog, is one which involved an amazing amount of help in our search by all the local people who we asked. We also were greatly aided in our quest by the London Mining Company, a company whose interest is in mining iron ore, who gave the pictures that we had been sent to all of their security team and asked them to help in the search.

It was in fact one of these men who found the plant in one of the locations. This man is called 5 Star and as well as being head of security for London Mining Company in marampa, he is also a heavy weight boxer in the SL National Boxing Team. Please see below for photos of 5 star with the plant. It is fair to say he is the right build to be an eco warior protector.

We sent the above photgraphs to the person who originally asked us to look for the plant and also to the expert from Holland who had commented on the original blog on this subject and they have both confirmed that it is highly likely that this indeed is the “missing” Elliotii” subject to some further tests/photographs. We have agreed to continue to work to reach a definite conclusion. Full story to follow.

Cricket has been played at Freetown Oval for over fifty years. Sierre Leone’s national team over the last few years has been trying to regain its early glory years of the sixties and seventies when it was leading nation in West African cricket . The civil war of the 1990’s caused cricket to fall into decline but recently it has started to grow again. Now cricket is played  in schools in Freetown and there are over 6 league teams which  play in dry season from November to May . In 1970’s Sierre Leone had regualr tours by the MCC. Other English club teams visited on a regular basis, playing cricket and enjoying golf at the wonderful Lumley beach course situated next to the Atalantic ocean, followed by beach barbeques. This all made a lovely break from the gloom of the English winter months  . Huge potential  now exists for cricket tours to start again, These could be school to school or club to club level. The tours could also linked to beach tourism or cultutal/eco tousim/volunteering activities. e.g cricket coaching opportunities for local youth. This could be organised through Minsisrty of Youth or the SL National Cricket Asscoaition. For more information use our contact page or leave a comment below.

The tents in the small campsite on Tiwai are positively luxurious, all previously set up and each with a matress and pillow. In the middle of the jungle with all the interesting sounds around, in totally pure fresh air and following a few Star beers in the eating area of the campsite it was very easy to fall into a deep and restful sleep. Dawn at 5.45 brought with it a freshness and a gradual awakening of the animals and birds of the day.

The shower and toilet facilities were also very good and feeling very refreshed after a good sleep and a shower we sat down to a breakfast of omlette cooked from our provisions by the local staff who were at all times helpful and pleasant.

After break fast H and Kenneth went off into the bush with one of the Tiwai Island guides. Kojo and I stayed back at base camp to make all necessary arrangements to ensure the smooth running of the rest of the day.

We sorted out the food and the purchase of some freshwater fish for lunch. Then we arranged for the late afternoon,early evening canoe ride.

Kennethe and H returned for lunch just before midday and we ate a wonderful meal. In the early afternoon when life in the rainforrest is at its quietest we rested in the shade of the covered eating area.[picture below] We sat quietly enjoying the serenity of these hours. Then two magical things happened. First a troupe of monkeys wove in and out of the trees directly in front of us, followed shortly after they disappeared by a couple who came and sat on the branch opposite where we were sat (see picture). We watched spellbound. Shortly after they disappeared back into the dense bush two beautiful birds appeared 9see earlier picture). They were black with the most dramatic vivid blue and bright red markings. A lovely sight.

Deatail od canoe ride to follow later.

We set off from base at 7.00 am for our journey to Tiwai. We had to go up through Bo and then to Portoru where we would park up and take a short boat ride over to the Island. We went up and over Imatt, via the pretty little Creole villages of Regent and Bathurst to Grafton and on to Waterloo. A much quicker and altogether more pleasant route if you have a suitable vehicle for the road.

We had a short pit stop at Waterloo to top up with more supplies of drinking water and some bananas for the journey.

We drove through some stunning countryside past more lush greenery and crossing picturesques rivers on the way. We had a couple of personal needs breaks on the way and H and Kenneth would have a walk around with Kenneth explaining the different birds around each aea.

We had a stop at Bo, Sierra Leone’s second city, to eat and buy our provisions for Tiwai. Within an hour we were back on the road and heading further into the country side. The roads were getting narrower as we progressed. We took a turning at one junction and kenneth announced this was the final road to our destination. It was narrow and winding and all of a sudden it was blocked. We had just experienced a sudden, unseasonal, hard shower of rain, with a wind and this had seemingly brought a tree down whch now lay right accross the road making further passage impossible. We had no option but to turn around and go in search of someone with a machette.

The turning round of the 4×4 took some time on that narrow road but once achieved we set off and indeed the very first person we saw was a young man around 14 tears of age with a machette in his hand. Kojo, the driver, brought the jeep to a rather sudden stop, which had the unfortunate effect of skidding a little on the loose stones on the road. The young man took one startled look at the van, another at the occupants of the vehicle and he took to his heals and fled in alarm. kenneth lepy out of the jeep as did Kojo “Hey come back, come back, we need help” they both called out but this did not reassure him at all and he just shouted back 2no fear” and carried on running until he dived right into the bush and out of sight.

Back at the crossroads we did get a chance to explain ourselves and another young man went off to fetch a machette. We all returned to the fallen tree which he swiftly chopped down the blocking branches. Another youngster on a bike dismounted and gave a hand and within a very short time we were on our way again.

!5 minutes later we parked up at a village where the boat was moored that acted as a small ferry to the island. A mystical and enchanting 10 minute boat ride through the gathering dusk brought us to the island and a five minute further treck took us right to the campsight that was to be home for the next couple of nights. It was a truly idylic setting in the heart of an unspoilt rain forrest.

Another 5.00 am start so that we could get a good way around the Peninsular Road befor day break. This would be advantageous for our trip to Banana Island. We arrived at Kent Beach and met with Rasta Tommy ( his real name) who had organised the boat and the food and drinks for lunch and David Jones who was to be the Banana Island guide for the day. Kent as beautiful as ever. We sat at the beach bar for one soft drink whilst the boat was being prepared and then made our way to the boat

 launching beach to take our transport. This was indeed a well made boat and it carried life jackets. I was pleased with the arrangements tommy had made.  Today H would be seeing quite a different type of bird. I hoped it woould prove a fruitful day’s outing.

H enjoyed the half hour boat trip. When we were approaching the island Kenneth spotted some birds on a small outer island and some rocky reefs and he asked the boat man to slow down and cut the engine down so we could approach. we circle these areas with H taking many photographs. He ceratainly seemed pleased.

We all disembarked on the island and David took us all through the village to a small beach with newly built restaurant that was to be the base and eating place for the day (see photo below). Kenneth, H and David Jones all went on their morning treck whilst I stayed with the cooks and Tommy organising our base and refreshments.

H, Kenneth and David returned at aproximateley half past twelve for their lunch. This consisted of fresh fish, fried rice and hot pepper sauce washed down with a combiation of soft drink and Star beer. Following this there was a two hour break for resting around either in the hammocks under the trees or at a table. I had been talking to two Lithuanian men who lived in Sierra Leone and H joined in with the conversation. he explained to me that between 1.00 and 3.00 it is usually quiet for birds. Kenneth had spoken with David Jones and he had a small boat that he was going to use to  take the three of them to a smaller rocky island just off the main island. At 3.00 they set off. They returned around 5.30 having spent half the afternoon looking at the sea area for the many sea birds there and half of it around the island interior which is a rich and beautiful forrest area that also boasts the countries largest Cotton Tree (according to David Jones).

We then made our way back through the friendly village to the boat to take us back to Kent.

H and Kenneth continued on their walk down from the dam through the rain forrest and we followed in the jeep at 30 - 40 minute intervals to keep them supplied with refreshments if they required them.

We had a break for lunch just after midday at Number Two river. This beautiful beach has white, white sand and the small resaurant development is run by the community for the community. needless to say it sells the freshest of fish. The plan was to return back to Guma Valley for 4.00 pm in order for H and Kenneth to climb up a pathway that Kenneth knew which was advantageous for seeing the white-necked picathartes.

We were hoping that H’s quest would be successful. In the meantime we were content to make everything run as smoothly as possible. we also took the opportunity to take pictures of some of the amazing sights., the lush greenery, the butterflies and the flowers. (The latter being decidely easier than the butterflies!).

Before that h and kenneth walked of up Number ttwo River and along the beach side, where kenneth said there were usually plenty of sea birds and waders but on their return h said it had been slightly disappointing, probably because as it was Sunday the beach did have a number of people on it.

We returned in the jeep to the Guma Valley dam as planned. the guard on the gate there knows Kenneth well. he also knew his walking habits because he immediately greeted us saying I know you won’t be back until 7.00pm and then had a laugh and a joke with us about kenneth always keeping him late because it was the time to see his birds.

H and Kenneth set off together of to Kenneth’s secret track up the cliff face to where the white necked Picarthes could possibly be spotted. We went and relaxed at the top of the main track up above the dam once more. We had to return to our meeting point by 6.45pm. We finished our day watching the sunset descending over the other side of the same mountain range that we had seen it rising behind in the morning. Again a stunning experience.

We returned to the meeting place and saw H and Kenneth approach. It was only when they were right back at the jeep that H said “yes he had seen the bird he had come to see, the white-necked Picathartes. he was very pleased. His only disappointment was that the bird had been too elusive to photgraph because it had kept it self behind various brances of the trees but all in all his quest had been successful.

we returned home to eat and have a few Star beers before retiring for the night in preparation for tomorrow’s outing.