ARRIVAL
SHAI HILLS, WINNEBA PLAINS AND HANS COTTAGE
Our first stop for the day will be SHAI HILLS , it is Savanna area in the south of Ghana , we have recorded may many special birds here like the mocking chat, the senegal batis,double spured francolin, helmeted guinea fowl, black bellied bustard, long grested eagle , red necked buzzard,splendid sun bird,flappet lark, yellow throated long claw,blue bellied roller,African paradise flycatcher, bearded barbet, yellow throated greenbull and most recently green twin spot. Shai hill is good to start a trip like this which will spend most time in the forest because it is easier to see birds. From Shai hill our next stop will be at the Winneba plains , it is a coastal savanna and it is on the way to the forest areas of Ghana. Most of the birds are not seen in the forest . Birds like the gree Turaco and violet turaco has been seen here , we have also seen the likes of African Moustached warbler,red winged warbler , croaking cisticola and many other birds . The Northern red bishop and the yellow mantled widow birds are also regular here .
From the winneba plains we will continue on our way to kakum area but stopping again at the Bremsu water works. Here we have seen great birds like the African finfoot, shining blue king fisher and African pygmy goose. Long tailed Night jar is also a common bird here. From here we will head to our birder friendly hotel.
KAKUM NATIONAL PARK ( canopy walkway)
Kakum forest is the most popular bird place in Ghana. The canopy walkway allows you the opportunity to see great birds in close proximity longtailed hawk,African cuckoo hawk, many species of green bul, parots, pied horn bill, red billed dwarf horn bill,two species of orioles,over four species cuckoos , Drongos , sunbirds , flycatchers ,doves,pigeons, eagles ,hawks have all been recorded here. The canopy walkway is just a fantanstic place and easily the best place to see birds in Africa .We will hoping to see about 50 to 100 species from this walkway. The other forest around Kakum , Sushen and Gyawari will provide us the opportunity to see some lower strata birds that we may miss at the canopy walkway.
ANTWIKWAA, AND ANKASA FOREST
Antwikwaa is at the western part of Kakum forest on this road we have seen wonderful birds like the black bee eater, puvels illadopsis,brown illadopsis, red cheek wattled eye ,grey hornbill,kemps long bill are just a few birds that we will see here. From here we will go to river Pra here we will see the rock pratincole,white throted blue swallow and we may also see the white headed lapwing. This is the only spot to see the Rock pratincole in the whole of Ghana . From here we will return to the hotel and move to our next destination.
ANKASA FOREST
This pristine forest is most natural forest in Ghana, we have seen the white breasted guinea fowl here, forest robin, rufous winged illadopsis, long tailed hawk,crowned eagle,red chested owlet, yellow bearded greenbul,violet backed hyliota,African wood owl etc.
on one of the days we will work the many trails in the forest to look for the lower strata birds like forest robin, blue headed crested flycatcher,rufuos winged illadopsis, kemp's long bill, white tailed alethe and many more.
ANKASA FOREST TO BRENU BEACH ROAD
After our morning birding , we will continue to brenu beach road for our evening birding, we have seen some beautiful birds here, the likes of green turaco, compact weaver,northern red bishop,yellow crowned gonolek, pied winged swallow,marsh tchagra, bar breasted fire finch are all recorded here and we will be seen in this trip.
ABOABO FOREST TO PICATHERTES SITE
This morning we will depart for Aboabo with the maim aim of seeing the white spotted flufftail , we will also look for the African Piculet if not already seen.The Pruss's golden backed weaver, blue cuckoo shrike , forest wood hoopoe, Red vented malimbe, white Crested horn bill have all been recorded here. We will live this forest in the mid morning for our hotel where we shall have lunch before going for the big one for the day the ROCK FOWL(PICATHATES).
NEW EDUBIASE FOREST TO BOBIRI FOREST
New Edubiase forest is the closest forest to the picathertes forest . That there are many birds here can not be disputed , Blue cuckoo shrike, Red fronted parrot, Long tailed hawk, the bristle nosed barbet, Afep pigeon, forest wood hoopoe , yellow mantled weavers, thick billed cuckoo are among the many birds we shall see here .
From New Edubiase we shall continue to Kumasi from where we shall visit the Bobiri forest. Our main target among other birds we shall see is the Grey parrot . The forest is full of birds and we shall do justice to them.
TO MOLE NATIONAL PARK
From Kumasi this day we will go to Mole national park arguably the best place to see birds in Ghana . The drive will be braked several times for birds and once for food , We will scan all the water holes on the way and may even go to see the Ghana's number two bird, the Egyptian plover .
MOLE NATIONAL PARK
Bird watching at Mole is outstanding; the ease with which one can see the birds will amaze you. All Ghana’s savanna birds are to be found here. Among the most interesting species are Forbes plover ,Abyssinian Ground Horn bill, Saddle-billed Stork, Bateleur, Martial Eagle, African Hawk Eagle, Hadada Ibis, Long-tailed Starling, Purple Glossy Starling,Spotted creeper,yellow bellied hyliota,oriole warbler,white crowned robin chat,Red winged pytilia,red headed love bird, African Golden Oriole, African Hobby, Chestnut-crowned Sparrow, Stone Partridge, Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Giant Kingfisher, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Red-throated Bee-eater, Broad-billed Roller, Exclamatory Paradise Whydah, Pel's fishing owl,Grayish eagle owl,African scops owl,pearl spotted owlet and northern white faced owl are also present.
The water wholes that are almost drying up is the gathering of this birds and some mammals. We have on record to have seen 150 species in this park. So we will give it our best shot. We will bird areas people dive past for the special species like brown rumped bunting,cabanis bunting, white breasted cuckoo shrike, Emins shrike, White fronted black chat,white shouldered black tit, square tailed drongo etc.
MOLE NATIONAL PARK TO TONO DAM
Today after break fast we will head for the upper north of Ghana where our base will be the Bolgatanga. From here we will visit Tono Dam , White volta and Tongo hills. Our various stops on the road will yields many species as we enter a different zone drier than Mole NP.
TONO DAM AND SURROUNDINGS
The big target here is normally the chestnut bellied starling and the speckled fronted weaver however many other birds like the cut throat, the Eurashian Wryneck has been found in this places. It is also on record that the Four banded sandgrouse , standard winged night jar, Long tailed starling, red billed horn bill as well as the green bee eater have all been seen here .
TONGO HILLS AND DRIVE DOWN TO TECHIMAN
This a long drive day but many stops on the road will make look short. We will be stopping on the many rice fields on the road , water ponds and rivers as well as the volta lakes. Our target will be to hit more 40 species on the road before we get to Techiman where we will brake for the day . However in the morning before we finally leave Bolgatanga , we will go for the Rock loving cisticola a special cisticola that knows the rocks like no other and the Fox kestrel which can only be realiablly seen at the Tongo hills and rocks.
OPURO FOREST TO KUMASI
Opuro forest will give a nice reintroduction to the forest again as we head south . This forest though has been seriously logged is still home to some special species not much seen anywhere . Capuchin babbler, fiery breasted bush shrike, blue headed bee eater, Forest letham francolin have all been seen here .
BOBIRI TO ATEWA
The road inside Bobiri forest is filled with birds and buterflies , we have seen long tailed hawk, congo serpent eagle, red thighed sparrow hawk, Cassin hawk eagle , white throated bee eater , narina trogon,least honey guide while walking on this road . Afep pigeon, fraser's eagle owl, african wood owl , latham's forest francolin,african piculet have all been seen here. Bobiri is a very good place to recover any species we missed .
After the morning nirding we will move to Atewa area. This evening we shall bird the foot of hill as it will be too hot to move up the hill the in search of the blue headed bee eater.
ATEWA AND DEPARTURE
Atewa forest is a very important forest in Ghana, the hill in this forest is about 770 meters and because it is not steep it makes for easy birding. The main target in this forest is normaly the Blue headed bee eater . But on the way to the top of this hill, we have see so many birds like the blue headed wood dove, chocolate backed kingfisher,tessman.s flycatcher, red bellied paradise flycatcher , shining drongo, rufous sided broad bill, narow tailed starling, copper tailed starling , cassin's hawk eagle, crowned eagle,fire bellied woodpecker,green woodpecker and Gabon wood pecker and many other species. It is normally one of the best birding days because we spend more time in the field here than any other day.