Ghana April 2023 Part 1: Accra to Kakum

Rufous-sided Broadbill

Four years ago, I began planning a 21-day private tour of Ghana in West Africa in association with Ashanti, a highly regarded tour company based in the Ghanaian city of Cape Coast, to be held in April 2020.Then Covid-19 intervened. The trip finally happened from April 1 to April 21, 2023. We were ably assisted throughout the trip by our excellent guide Victor Owusu, his highly capable assistant guide Ibrahim Entsie, and our formidable driver Christian. A full trip report listing all participants, species lists and the like is to follow a series of blog posts.of which this is the first.  En route to Ghana I spent a couple of days in Singapore, where I indulged the shenanigans of a group of Smooth-coated Otters that have become used to people in Bishan Park.

Smooth-coated Otter in Singapore

Some of us arrived in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, a day early, so we opted for an exploratory morning session in the Accra (Legono) Botanic Gardens. A good start was the recently split Olive-naped Weaver by the pool at the hotel.

Olive-naped Weaver

The gardens were alive with birds, among them our first Senegal Thick-knee, Wattled Lapwing, Guinea Turaco, Western Plantain-eater, Woodland Kingfisher, Brown Babbler and Green Wood-Hoopoe. An African Cuckoo, a Grey-headed Bush-shrike and Northern Red-billed Hornbill were unexpected. 

Guinea Turaco

Senegal Thick-knee

Woodland Kingfisher

A group of Lesser Spot-nosed Monkeys was seen.

Lesser Spot-nosed Monkey

The first morning of the tour saw us at Winneba Lagoon west of Accra. A Brown (Mangrove) Sunbird showed well - potentially a tricky target. Good numbers of Black Herons were doing their oddball thing, using wings as canopies while fishing. Western Reef-Heron was common and muddy pools hosted a smattering of shorebirds including Kittlitz’s and Grey Plover.

Black Herons fishing

Brown Sunbird

We headed north to the Rainforest Lodge in Jukwa, our home for the next three nights. In the afternoon we had our first foray in the rainforests of southern Ghana, the haunt of numerous West African and Upper Guinea bird specialties. We visited a relatively new logging road in Abrafo Forest near Kakum National Park. One of our first birds was Yellow-footed Honeyguide, a much-wanted and difficult target.

Yellow-footed Honeyguide

The group in Abrafo Forest

Others to follow as we walked the road included Yellow-billed Turaco, Black Spinetail, African Pied Hornbill, Brown-cheeked Hornbill, Fanti Drongo, White-tailed Alethe and Yellow-spotted and Hairy-chested Barbets. An absolute stonker was a Long-tailed Hawk that showed nicely as it passed overhead.

African Pied Hornbill

Our second day was occupied by the famous canopy walk in Kakum National Park. We were there at first light and spent the morning on platforms above the rainforest canopy.

Victor on the canopy walkway

Rainforest in Kakum National Park

 A Willcocks’s Honeyguide put on a show as it landed above our heads catching what appeared to be bees from a small hive. Sunbirds included Yellow-chinned (recently split from Green), Blue-throated Brown and Olive. Other birds included Tit-Hylia, Ussher’s Flycatcher, Rufous-crowned Eremomela, West African Wattle-eye, Fanti Sawing, Sharpe’s Apalis, and Melancholy and Fire-bellied Woodpeckers.

Willcocks's Honeyguide

 Small Sun Squirrels were fairly common.

Small Sun Squirrel

We then walked a small track, finding a stunning Rufous-sided Broadbill (first image in this post). A late afternoon visit to the canopy walkway offered little more although Palmnut Vultures passed close by. 

Palmnut Vulture

As dusk fell we heard Brown Nightjar and saw a superb mammal – Pel’s Anomalure ()below).

The next morning saw us in farm bush and secondary growth in the Antikwaa area. White-spotted Flufftail was seen at a couple of sites. Red-cheeked Wattle-eye, Puvel’s Illadopsis and Kemp’s Longbills were among the specialties that showed for most of the group although a few failed to get on to these skulkers. A large flock of Rosy Bee-eaters was more co-operative.

Rosy Bee-eaters

In the heat of the day some of us ventured to the Cape Coast Castle, an historic site 30 minutes south of Jukwa. Built by the British in the 17^th Century, an estimated 3 million slaves passed through this horrendous prison, torn from their homes in shackles to be shipped as slave labour to the Americas. Half died before getting there. As many as 1000 men would be held in a cell area (image below) barely 150m long with a trough in the middle serving as a urinall they slept in their own waste. Dissidents were locked in airless cells to die of starvation. 

This barbaric practice continued for centuries, the ships departing from what is today a scenic harbour (below) adjacent to the fort. Visiting this place was a sobering experience; these things should never be forgotten.

In the afternoon we returned to the logging road we visited two days earlier. Birds included Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Purple-throated Cuckoo-shrike, White-tailed Alethe and Black-and-white Shrike-flycatcher. Mixed greenbul flocks included Yellow-bearded and Western Bearded. We chased key nocturnal targets after sunset. The first to fall was Brown Nightjar, always a diffcult bird, which flew in and showed well enough, although somewhat distant. Next was an Akun Eagle-Owl which perched high in a tree, offering everyone a look if again not as close as we would have liked. Finally, a Fraser’s Eagle-Owl showed briefly for a few of a group. All three night birds were in the same area.

Akun Eagle-Owl

Brown Nightjar

Our last morning in the Kakum area – Day Five of the trip – found us back in the Abrafo Forest. We saw Red-thighed Sparrowhawk, Buff-throated Sunbird, Blue-spooted Wood-Dove, Sabine’s Puffback, Dusky-blue Flycatcher, Blue-throated Roller and Black Casqued Hornbill. African Piculet was a delightful addition to the list (second image below).

Black Casqued Hornbill

African Pygmy-Goose

As everywhere with Ghana, sights along the road provided plenty of entertainment.