3 July 2019: Shai Hills and Winniba Plains

A Palm Swift and Northern Puffback greeted Klaus and myself in the hotel’s parking lot just after sunrise. The drive to Shai Hills, through Accra’s morning traffic, was a hectic experience better not repeated. In contrast, Shai Hills, just outside Accra, turned out to be a peaceful enclave of savanna grasslands and beautiful granite hills. Hiking in the high humidity of 85% was a challenge, but the birding was productive and we soon racked up a good tally of special birds. The first prize of the morning was a Long-tailed Nightjar found well camouflaged in the leaf litter of the thickets. Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, Vieillot's Barbet, Blue-breasted Kingfisher, Short-winged and Croaking Cisticolas, Violet Turaco, and Brown-throated Wattle-eye were welcome additions to the year list.

Long-tailed Nightjar, Shai Hills

Winniba Plains, after another nerve-racking drive through Accra, also produced a good number of specials: Wilson’s Indigobird, Vieillot' Weaver, Yellow-crowned Gonolek, Orange-cheeked Waxbill, Black-rumped Waxbill, Moustached Warbler, Vinaceous Dove and Red-faced Cisticola were all found while walking down a dirt road on the plain.

The next three evenings were spent at Hans Cottage Botel near Cape Coast. This is a birder friendly establishment with a dam where Orange- and Vieillot' Weavers congregated and an African Harrier Hawk regularly came to order take-aways from the nests. We also found it quite instructive that drowning was frowned upon in the swimming pool.

Hans Cottage Botel

On the culinary front there is a distinct lack of variety at the budget establishments where we are staying, with cassava an integral part of every menu. After experiencing some of the local dishes, and not being very impressed, we decided that chicken and fried rice is the safest option. I have a feeling that we are going to consume large quantities of chicken and rice during the next few days!