(To start the Ghana Gambol from the initial post, click here.)
Ghana Gambol
Day 02
Morning Excursion to the Shai Hills
After an efficient, if uninspired, breakfast we were off for our return visit to the Shai Hills. We did not stop as we drove, but I warmed up the camera by attempting to photograph roadside doors — have I not revealed to you before my obsession with “Door Photography”? I am sure that I have. If not, that will be the subject of a future post. In the meantime, as Solomon drives us to the Shai Hills, I invite you to enjoy a few doors while we await our arrival.
Landscape – Door – Tema, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
I like this homemade structure, which has an outhouse vibe.
Landscape – Door – Tema, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
Most doors lead to people’s houses, and people were frequently included in my door photos. This makes for a more complete photo story.
Landscape – Door – Tema, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
Gates are doors as well, only generally less welcoming.
The Shai Hills were approaching, and while they were welcoming, the only photo I captured made the landscape appear foreboding, if not downright disturbing. I wonder what a psychologist would read into this image?
Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
The reserve’s entrance sign was (more or less) welcoming.
Reserve Sign – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
Entry was not a problem for us, as Ashanti Tours had prearranged a Reserve guide to accompany us. On this day, at least, we appeared to be the only visitors in the reserve — we saw no-one else, in any event. (I assume the Olive Baboons can come and go as they please, sans guidance.)
But enough with the foreplay. This was a morning for birding, so let us get started. Our strategy for this day was to walk less and drive more, that we might cover a greater area of the reserve. (Our driving route is marked out on the Google Map I created.)
James had various special birds in mind, and we began what would become a familiar routine. We would drive until we were in a likely spot or a special habitat, and would then disembark for a short investigation. We also, at times, spotted birds from inside the bus, and at such times we would try to observe and photograph the object of our attention from the bus, using it as a blind, and only emerging once everyone had seen and/or photographed the bird. This was a sound strategy, as most bus disembarkations caused the birds to fly away. One of our first sightings was a rather striking bird, one that we would never tire of seeing.
African Pied Hornbill – - photo ©2013 by Alan Covert
I cannot recall any hornbill species I’ve seen anywhere that has failed to impress.
During our brief (and sometimes extended) forays from the bus, some birds made their presence known by sound alone. The Oriole Warbler was one such, a pretty songster, but elusive.
Another “heard-only” bird was the Yellow-throated Greenbul.
There was wildlife other than birds, including a small troop of Callithrix Monkeys, also known as Green Monkeys. They were shy, but I managed a photo of one of them.
Callithrix Monkey – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
Quite a pleasant encounter. As always I became distracted by other life around me, and I started in again with butterfly photos.
Variable Sailer (Neptis nysiades) – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This slightly abraided fellow is called a Variable Sailer, a moniker that would apply to a few boat owners of my acquaintance.
White Acraea (Acraea circeis) – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This is the White Acraea, though there is only a little white evident on this bug, on the shafts of its forewing.
It always pays to keep one eye earthwards, as one never knows what might be crawling across one’s path.
Unidentifed Ant – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This was a big, chunky ant, and James advised us to avoid being bitten, as the bite is poisonous.
At one point from our bus James spotted a group of rollers, high in a tree. Yes, these were high rollers.
Blue-bellied Rollers – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
To be more precise these were Blue-bellied Rollers, with some altitudinal perspective. But this was a rather distant view, and we hoped for a more intimate encounter. The birds shifted around, and eventually one landed near the bus at a more convenient angle and height, and we all secured better photographs. Here is my effort.
Blue-bellied Roller – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
I often wonder how birds end up with the names they sport? Certainly the blue belly is not the most obvious feature on this handsome bird. White-headed Roller? Wire-tailed Roller? The Bandit Roller? But it is by Blue-bellied that it is known, and it is Blue-bellied we will call it here.
I do like knowing the names of things I encounter in nature, but it is not always possible to do so, particularly within groupings that are less popular than birds and butterflies — dragonflies, for example, or more obscure insects. This is a pity sometimes, for despite not knowing the name of a particular critter, they can still be very photogenic.
Unidentifed Dragonfly – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This is a dragonfly (not a damselfly), and I’d go so far as to say it might be a type of skimmer, but I really have no idea which species it is, nor how to find out.
And what of this wee, attractive insect? I have no idea what it is.
Unidentifed Insect – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
For want of a better name I am calling this the Tuxedo Bug. Whatever it is, it is a snappy dresser.
There were species that we would encounter on almost a daily basis. The Pied Crow was one such bird, and despite some people’s disdain for crows and their ilk, I enjoyed seeing and hearing them whenever and wherever we crossed paths with them. But I never managed a great photo of one. Alan did, however.
Pied Crow – photo ©2013 by Alan Covert
Very handsome.
As sometimes happens I missed a species or two (or three), especially when distracted by butterfly photograhy. Thus it was that I missed seeing the White-shouldered Black-Tit, which annoyed me slightly as I particularly enjoy all the members of the Chickadee family — and not because the Europeans call them tits. But as a consolation I did manage some more nice butterfly photos.
Variable Eggfly (Hypolimnas anthedon anthedon) – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This is the Variable Eggfly, and it was indeed somewhat variable in appearance.
Malagasy Grass Yellow (Eurema floricola leonis) – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
And this bright sprite is the Malagasy Grass Yellow, though it was a long way from Malagasy. (A reminder, again, that all the butterfly identifications are courtesy of Andrews.)
Ciliate Moth – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This brilliant harlequin-like bug is not a butterfly, but a moth, a type of Ciliate Moth, species unknown.
We were in hill country, and the hillsides were possessed of a few modest cliffs. James began to focus our attention on these cliff faces, as he was searching for a special bird that prefers that habitat — the Mocking Cliff-Chat. Even if this were not a local species in Ghana I cannot think of any poetically-minded birder that would miss the opportunity of trying to see and hear such a remarkably-named bird. Remember this species, and weave it into your narratives at the next social shin-dig you attend. Mocking Cliff-Chat.
We heard the bird first, though it was hard to pin down from where it was calling. It sounded very much like this:
But unlike other “heard-only” birds we did eventually (though not without a bit of patience) manage to see the Cliff-Chat. Regrettably none of us managed a photo, but here is a linked photo from another site:
Mocking Cliff-Chat – Courtesy of and copyright Steven Easley
Courtesy of and copyright Steven Easley. A very fine-looking bird, I think.
Other bird species popped in, then departed. A few of us managed a quick look at a Gabar Goshawk, but we all enjoyed bus-side views of the Croaking Cisticola (which we did not hear call, alas).
Croaking Cisticola – photo ©2013 by Alan Covert
We next heard a call of several Green Wood-Hoopoes, sounding like this:
They eluded us, alas. So, for my part, back to the bugs.
Unidentifed Insect – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
This wee ant beastie was red, and apparently a bit fuzzy. Let us find something a bit more in focus.
Citrus Swallowtail (Papilio-domodocus) – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
Swallowtails are the divas of the butterfly world, and if you think this Citrus Swallowtail is a show-off, be advised it is modest compared to many of its relatives.
It was the dry season in Ghana, and as expected there were few plants in flower, but some bucked the trend.
Unidentifed Flower – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
I had to look up to document this flowering tree, species unknown.
We were nearing the end of our allotted time in the Shai Hills Reserve, but there was still more to enjoy. Birds greatly outnumbered mammals, of course, but this particular deer did not elude us.
Bushbuck – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
A Bushbuck, alert and wary, as befits a prey species.
As we left the Reserve on our way to a hotel lunch and afternoon adventures (to be detailed in the next Ghana post) I noticed another sign, and regretted slightly that we hadn’t been able to make a brief stop.
Sign – Shai Hills, Ghana – photo © 2013 by Blake Maybank
I had not thought of Ghana as being in any way very seismically active. How sensitive is their equipment, I wonder? Could they detect a group of birders jumping up and down after the thrill of seeing a life bird?
There were many life birds (and butterflies and mammals) for us all on our two visits to the Shai Hills Resource Reserve. If you would care to view our combined Shai Hills bird species list, please click here.
I promise more thrills in the next Ghana post, our visit to Accra.
