Tanji beach and the Bijol Islands — terns, gulls and the fish-landing roost
Royal, Caspian, sandwich & lesser crested terns, grey-headed & slender-billed gulls, Audouin's & lesser black-backed gulls (winter), western reef heron, long-tailed cormorant; green turtles nest on the islands. Tanji Bird Reserve, Kombo South, The Gambia.
Best time: 1 Nov – 31 Mar (November to March). Where: Tanji Bird Reserve – lagoon and dune scrub, Bijol Islands, Tanji fish-landing beach (The Gambia). Time of day: Late afternoon as the fishing pirogues land (about 15:00 to sunset) for the beach roost.
- Partly on your own
- Low cost
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 1 Nov – 31 Mar. November to March for the Palearctic gull and tern roost on Tanji beach (thousands); the Bijol colonies breed roughly April–July — check with DPWM for this year's status
Active from 1 Jan to 31 Dec (all year) in a typical year.
Time of day
Late afternoon as the fishing pirogues land (about 15:00 to sunset) for the beach roost; dawn for the reserve's lagoon
- Lagoon dawn: first light → 2 h after sunrise
- Fish landing roost: 15:00 → sunset
Depends on the tide: best around low tide. Check local tide tables.
What will you hear?
A gull-and-tern roost of thousands screaming over the fish-landing beach as pirogues come in, the market crowd, the smokehouses, and across the water the Bijol colonies — The Gambia's only breeding seabirds.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. The beach roost is at close range among the pirogues; binoculars for the lagoon and the Bijol colonies 3 km offshore need a scope.
Where to go
- Tanji Bird Reserve – lagoon and dune scrub — 612 ha reserve 3 km north of Tanji village: entry post on the coast road, paths to the lagoon and beach. Map
- Bijol Islands — Islets 3 km offshore; landing only with a DPWM permit and warden — the colonies and turtle nests are closed in season. Map
- Tanji fish-landing beach — The roost is on the beach south of the reserve, in the middle of the fishing village. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Gelly-gelly (minibus) or taxi from Serekunda to Tanji on the coast road; the reserve has a small entry fee at the gate and open paths, and the fish beach is free. The Bijol Islands need a DPWM permit and a boat from Tanji with the warden — arrange a day ahead at the reserve office.
Cost: Reserve entry a small DPWM fee (a few dalasi hundred; check current prices); beach free; Bijol boat and permit check current prices.
Free or no-guide alternative: The Tanji fish beach roost and the sea views to the Bijol Islands are free from the public beach at any hour; the colonies are only distantly audible from there.
Who runs access
- DPWM Tanji reserve office (Bijol permits & wardens) (park authority) — Government reserve; permit and boat via the office.
Field-recording notes
The beach roost is a human-and-bird recording: outboards, the fish market, smoke and crowds. The reserve lagoon at dawn is the clean take. Dry-season harmattan haze and dust coat capsules; humidity is 90%+ in the rains. Bijol landings are by DPWM permit only (arranged at the Tanji reserve office or Abuko HQ) and the warden decides distance; no drones over the islands.
Sources
Similar spectacles
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Banc d'Arguin terns & Arcachon brent geeseA grating Sandwich tern colony of thousands of pairs on a sandbank in the Atlantic swell; in winter, the rolling 'rronk' of brent flocks on the eelgrass beds.
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More: all spectacles in The Gambia · seabird colonies · The Gambia in January · The Gambia in February · The Gambia in March · The Gambia in November · The Gambia in December