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At many locations in the higher elevations, the group heard the distinctive twittering of Black-winged Lovebirds. This one and several others posed long enough for good studies and photographs. Photo by participant Rhys Harrison.
Our September 2019 Ethiopia tour recorded our longest list of species to date, with not only virtually all the endemic birds possible, but a surprising number of early migrants too. Just around Addis Ababa (the capital), we saw our first endemics with Wattled Ibis, White-collared Pigeon and Brown-rumped Seedeater all being common. Slightly further afield, we saw our first White-winged Cliff-Chats and Ethiopian Siskins, and then at a misty escarpment above the Rift Valley, White-billed Starlings and a close troop of fabulous Gelada Baboons. In the Bale Mountains, Blue-winged Goose, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Abyssinian Woodpecker, White-backed Black-Tit and Abyssinian Catbird were highlights, as were wonderful looks at three rare Ethiopian Wolves (Simien Fox). Stunning, close, Prince Ruspoli's Turaco and the rare Liben Lark were highlights of the south-east, and then further south at Yabello we had several encounters with Stresemann's Bush-Crow and White-tailed Swallow. Eluding us so far was Yellow-fronted Parrot, a species which wanders widely as they search for fruiting fig trees. Luckily, we discovered that the terrible road to one of its old haunts that we knew about had been repaired, and by adding this detour on our final day, we were rewarded with super looks at this elusive species.
So, returning to the beginning of our journey, we left Addis and headed north to Debre Birhan, stopping at a rocky hill along the way. This was a chance to walk around and enjoy some of the common highland birds, with first on the list being a close Lanner Falcon which had just killed a Dusky Turtle-Dove. Augur Buzzards flew overhead, while in the rough grasses were feeding Thekla's Larks, 3 Greater Whitethroats (our first unexpected migrants), and flocks of Ethiopian Siskins. A pair of White-winged Cliff-Chats and several Moorland Chats perched atop exposed rocks, and the surprise of the day was a pair of Cape Eagle-Owls sitting right in the open. After lunch, we were dismayed to find the area for seeing the famous Gelada troops was literally clouded in, but we persevered, and after an hour or so the clouds melted away and we were able to get good close views of mothers, babies, and several huge males as they swaggered along, raising their lips and flashing their impressive teeth.
The following day found us heading down into the Rift Valley and to a special area for Yellow-throated Serin. While searching for these elusive birds, we enjoyed such varied species as Eastern Plantain-eater, Tawny Eagle, Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Half-collared Kingfisher, Yellow-breasted Barbet, Northern Crombec, Beautiful Sunbird, Rueppell's Weaver, Northern Red Bishop (including males in full breeding plumage), and Crimson-rumped Waxbill. And finally, luck was with us once again as we all enjoyed repeated good looks at up to 4 of our target species - the little known Yellow-throated Serin.
After another night in Addis, we then had a very long day to Jemma Valley, previously an extensive area of rocky scrub-covered escarpment, but now, sadly, totally degraded and rapidly becoming farmland - oh how things can change in just one year! Somehow though, we still managed to pick up some great birds, with a few of the most interesting being Erckel's Francolin, Harwood's Francolin (briefly for some), Klaas's Cuckoo, Alpine Swift, Black-winged Lovebird, Little Rock-Thrush, Rueppell's Chat, Abyssinian Wheatear, and White-billed Starling.
Leaving the highlands behind, we then headed east for a three night stay at Awash National Park. What a contrast to what we'd seen so far, with just some of the species we added including Helmeted Guineafowl, Yellow-necked and Crested francolins, Namaqua Dove, Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, Arabian Bustard, White-bellied Go-away-bird, Dark Chanting-Goshawk, Blue-naped Mousebird, Eastern Yellow-billed and Von der Decken's hornbills, five species of bee-eaters including White-throated and Northern Carmine, Abyssinian Roller, Gray-headed Batis, Ethiopian Boubou, Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Somali Fiscal, Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark, Gillett's Lark, Mouse-colored Penduline-tit, Eastern Olivaceous and Upcher's warblers, Sombre Chat, Nile Valley and Shining sunbirds, Somali Bunting, and Eastern Paradise-Whydah. We also added several mammals to our list, including Black-faced Vervet Monkey, Hamadryas and Olive baboons, Spotted Hyaena, Warthog, Salt's Dikdik, and Soemmering's Gazelle.
The next part of our tour was to the some of the Rift Valley lakes while we were based at Lake Langano. First we stopped at Lake Ziway, where a shallow reedy area provided us with White-faced Whistling-Duck, Spur-winged Goose, Black-winged Stilt, African Jacana, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper, Gray-hooded Gull, African Openbill, Marabou and Yellow-billed storks, African Darter, Great White and Pink-backed pelicans, Hamerkop, and a variety of heron, egrets, and ibis. The alkaline Lake Abijatta was totally different, with a spectacular view of many thousands of Lesser Flamingos. Langano was the best for grass and woodland species, with Slender-tailed Nightjar, Northern White-faced Owl, Grayish Eagle-Owl, Black-billed Woodhoopoe, Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, Red-fronted Barbet, Lesser Honeyguide, Rufous-necked Wryneck, Red-bellied Parrot, Mocking Cliff-Chat, and Scarlet-chested Sunbird.
We then continued south to Shashemene, where coffee with the Thick-billed Ravens was the morning highlight, and then it was on for three nights at the Bale Mountains. Wonderful looks at three Ethiopian Wolves (a pair and a single) were the icing on the cake for most of us, but we also saw virtually all the special birds of the region: Blue-winged Goose, Chestnut-naped Francolin, White-cheeked Turaco, Rouget's Rail, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Bearded Vulture, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Red-billed Chough, White-backed Black-Tit, Abyssinian Catbird, Rueppell's Robin-Chat, Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, and Abyssinian Longclaw.
While the road over the Bale Mts. was the best ever, the road to Negele had seriously deteriorated, making for a long and bumpy journey south. It was not without rewards, though, as Ethiopia's star bird, Prince Ruspoli's Turaco, crossed the road in front of us and we all quickly dashed out to get super close views of this gorgeous, gorgeous bird! Nothing else mattered that day.
The other star attraction at Negele is Liben Lark, often referred to as Africa's rarest bird. Amazingly, the local guides there helped us find this bird in record time, giving us a more relaxed day as we then added Kori Bustard, three more Prince Ruspoli's Turacos, Gray-headed Bushshrike, White-breasted Cuckooshrike, Taita Fiscal, Somali Crow, Somali Short-toed Lark, Pectoral-patch Cisticola, White-rumped Babbler, and White-crowned Starling,
Heading back to the Rift Valley, we spent a night at the luxurious Haile Resort (a welcome change after the very basic accommodations at Negele); here we added a few more widespread species before heading yet further south to one of Ethiopia's top birding spots - Yabello. Both the specials of the area, Stresemann's Bush-crow and White-tailed Swallow, were seen easily, but we also had a fantastic time adding so many new birds to our list: White-bellied Bustard, Bateleur, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Black-throated Barbet, Pygmy Falcon, Pygmy Batis, Pringle's Puffback, Red-naped Bushshrike, Somali Tit, Somali Crombec, Pale Prinia, Scaly Chatterer, African Bare-eyed Thrush, Shelley's and Golden-breasted starlings, Hunter's Sunbird, and Northern Grosbeak-Canary - to name but a few!
We finished our regular tour with a long drive back to Addis, but broken along the way with a overnight stay once again at the Haile Resort. A local park provided us with great looks at a stationary Spotted Creeper, and then as mentioned in the introduction, a detour to our old Yellow-fronted Parrot site was the most wonderful way to celebrate yet another successful Ethiopian journey.
Most of our group then continued with a short flight to the north and our Churches of Lalibela Extension. The primary aim of this short tour is to see the rock hewn churches of Lalibela. It is always popular, and not without good reason, as these amazing churches are hand carved from solid rock and often referred to as "The Eighth Wonder of the World" - and this year we had the added attraction of being able to witness one of the Ethiopian Orthodox festivals - the Celebration of the Cross.
But, it wasn't just about visits to the churches, as we were able to enjoy some great birding too. Highlights this year were undoubtedly the Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier) show, with almost 30 birds being seen, and sometimes seven or eight in the air together! Other memorable moments were just seeing again many of the endemics we'd not seen since early in the main tour, or perhaps not seen so well the first time. New species included Abyssinian Nightjar (super looks), Eurasian Blackcap, Irania (a gorgeous migrant not normally encountered), Ortolan Bunting, Speckle-fronted Weaver, and Chestnut-crowned Sparrow-Weaver.
To see even more photos from this tour, click on Ethiopia Extras.
Our next Ethiopia tour with Terry Stevenson runs in September 2020.
KEYS FOR THIS LIST
One of the following keys may be shown in brackets for individual species as appropriate: * = heard only, I = introduced, E = endemic, N = nesting, a = austral migrant, b = boreal migrant
This Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill and an accomplice stalked the open acacia habitat of the Abijatta-Shalla National Park, where the group went primarily to enjoy the vast Lesser Flamingo flocks. More of these prehistoric-looking beasts were seen the next day along the highway south of Lake Langano. Photo by participant Cliff Hensel.
Not quite a bird-of-paradise, this adult Black Heron at Lake Ziway fed antically and frantically among several horses, racing around and creating an umbrella of shade to attract small fish, which it captured successfully. Photo by participant Terry Harrison.
Ethiopia’s endemic Blue-winged Goose, found only in the highlands, reminded the group of South American sheldgeese (genus Chloephaga) structurally, but it is in fact part of a very ancient “duck” lineage that includes the taxonomically obscure Hartlaub’s Duck of Africa. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
What a happy moment it was when the heavy clouds suddenly parted at Gemessa Gebel to reveal a troop of more than 50 Gelada, an impressive primate related to baboons that is endemic to Ethiopia. Photo by participant Rhys Harrison.
One of the great prizes of Ethiopian birding, Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco inhabits wooded areas of the Genale River valley and its drainages—and nowhere else. Terry spotted two flying across the road even before the group arrived in Negele! The species was discovered by Italian explorer Eugenio Ruspoli and was described from a specimen found among his possessions after he had been killed by an elephant that he had shot near Burgi, Somalia in 1893. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Wattled Ibis is endemic to Ethiopia, where it inhabits open areas in highlands. Fortunately, this species (like Hadada Ibis) seems able to cope well with human-altered landscapes and was seen on all of the drives through the highlands. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
White-tailed Swallow, an Ethiopian endemic with a tiny range near Yabello, was probably the most cooperative of all the swallows seen on the tour, with at least a dozen tallied between Yabello and the Borana National Park near Dubuluk. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Rouget’s Rail (Rougetius rougetii) is a distinctive species of high-elevation marshes and meadows, endemic to Ethiopia. The group was glad to see several pairs and families in the Bale Mountains and surrounding highlands. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
Barely visible through a gap in dense cover of the beautiful Afromontane forest of the Bale Mountains National Park, this African Wood-Owl peered back at the group sleepily near the park headquarters. This subspecies, umbrina, is found only in Ethiopia and a portion of adjacent South Sudan. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Awash National Park thronged with birds in the mornings, and cooperative subjects for photography, such as this intently hunting Dark Chanting-Goshawk, were at every stop. Photo by participant Cliff Hensel.
Always a pleasure to observe, Greater Kudus (including this stately adult male) were present in small numbers south of Yabello. Photo by participant Rhys Harrison.
Slender-tailed Nightjar is a widespread African species that is relatively easy to observe in the Rift Valley. This day-roosting individual was near Lake Langano, and the group saw several emerge at dusk at the hotel. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
The widespread Mariqua (or Marico) Sunbird brightened birding stops in the Rift Valley and southward into the arid acacia woodlands. Photo by participant Cliff Hensel.
One of three memorable Giant Kingfishers on the tour, this one at Hara Langano Lodge hunted right near the lodge’s attractive dining hall. This big bird made a full “sweep” of the kingfisher species for the tour, after the lucky find of a Half-collared Kingfisher at Melka Ghebdu. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Although the group encountered Lammergeiers (Bearded Vultures) on two days on the main Ethiopia tour, many more were observed at close range on the Churches of Lalibela extension. This youngster (with 16 friends) patronized a memorable hillside where butchers discard their bones! Photo by participant Cliff Hensel.
Among dozens of new species for the tour list around Yabello, Black-cheeked Waxbill was arguably the showiest—this arid habitat is home to many species plumaged in grays, rusts, and browns (exceptions being the glorious sunbirds, barbets, and bushshrikes). Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
A small herd of Burchell’s Zebra (or Bontequagga) south of Yabello provided an unexpected pleasure, here at the extreme northeastern edge of this handsome species’ range. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
Probably soon to be elevated to full-species status, Ethiopian Bee-eater is still listed by some authorities (including Clements) as a subspecies of Blue-breasted Bee-eater. The group found several, from Melka Ghebdu to the Jemma Valley and to the Rift Valley lakes of Awassa and Langano. For the first time, this tour “swept” all the bee-eater species including migrants like Blue-cheeked, Northern Carmine, and Madagascar, which swirled in huge flocks with White-throateds at Awash National Park. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
The group thanks Rick Hetrick (who called for a rest stop, in good birding habitat, of course) for the only White Helmetshrikes of the trip, south of Melka Amana! Ornithologists now consider this and other helmetshrike species to be members of the vanga family (Vangidae). Photo by participant Cliff Hensel.
At the group’s very first stop on the first day of birding, this Lanner Falcon dispatched a Dusky Turtle-Dove and carried it away for breakfast! Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
One of few specialized predators on scorpions, Northern White-faced Owl has a tuft of plumes around the bill (rather like a cat’s whiskers) that is apparently deployed when tackling difficult prey. This roosting bird was found with local help near Lake Langano. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Pringle’s Puffbacks can be very tricky to find in the dense Commiphora scrub of Ethiopia’s southern border areas, also home to scarce Scaly Chatterers. The group was fortunate to find both males and females in three different locations south of Yabello. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
The group appreciated the many contributions of local guide Kibrom Tesfay, Terry Stevenson’s collaborator on this itinerary for many years, seen here with Terry at Adama (Nazaret). Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
Endemic to Ethiopia, Thick-billed Raven was a tour favorite—for its truly massive bill, interesting behaviors, and unusual vocalizations. A coffee stop at Shashemene, home to many Rastafari whose families were granted land by Emperor Haile Selassie in the 1960s, got the group up close and personal with several rather tame individuals. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
The group’s encounter with Africa’s rarest bird, Liben Lark, could not have been better. At the Turaco Hotel in Negele, an artist’s rendering of this endemic bird gave hope for a sighting. The next morning, the warden of the bird’s habitat east of town greeted the group, along with his daughters, and with a team of local people helped the group to see one—a real needle in a haystack in the wide-open Liben Plains—in just a few minutes. Photos by guide Ned Brinkley and participants Terry Harrison and Greg Griffith.
On the group’s final day, birding the forest around the Hara Langano Lodge was truly sensational, resulting in this extraordinary up-close study of the obscure Ethiopian subspecies (unduliventer) of African Goshawk. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
White-billed Buffalo-Weaver is little known in Ethiopia. The group was surprised to see one in Borana National Park, mixed with a small group of the more expected Red-billed. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
Beautiful Rüppell’s Robin-Chats captivated the group around Goba and the Bale Mountains. Guide Terry Stevenson pointed out that the tour found six species whose names commemorate Wilhelm Peter Eduard Simon Rüppell, the German explorer who in the 1820s was the first European to traverse Ethiopia. Photo by participant Rhys Harrison.
Newly split (in August 2019) from Winding Cisticola, the endemic Ethiopian Cisticola was often heard and sometimes seen in the highlands, particularly around wetlands and wet meadows. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Visits to 11 rock-hewn churches on the extension were mesmerizing. Local lore says that the churches were carved out of solid rock in just 24 years, with teams of angels descending to continue the work overnight as the human craftsmen slept. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
Voted the bird of the trip, the endemic Stresemann’s Bush-Crow could not have been more cooperative in the habitat south of Yabello: pairs were busily allo-preening, nest-building, and courtship-feeding, and family groups foraged actively around the unusual termite mounds of this compelling landscape. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Endemic to the Horn of Africa and a sliver of northern Kenya, White-crowned Starlings put in a fine showing around Negele (here) and Yabello. The white parts of their plumage were often stained a reddish color by the dusty red soil of the region! Photo by participant Rhys Harrison.
One of the highlights of the tour extension was an invitation to enjoy the sacred procession celebrating the high holiday called Meskel, the Festival of the Cross, which marks the fourth-century discovery of the True Cross by the Empress Helena of Rome. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
After one got away from the group during a picnic lunch overlooking Wassama Gorge, a small flock of endemic White-backed Black-Tits emerged following a rain shower at the Bale Mountains National Park headquarters. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
A near-miss this year, but happily seen well in the tour’s final hour of birding, two Yellow-fronted Parrots foraged quietly on acacia seed pods near Lake Langano, leading to three cheers (and audible sighs of relief from the guides). Habitat destruction has regrettably reduced populations of this handsome endemic parrot. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Sometimes a wickedly difficult species to find, much less see well, Scaly Chatterers popped out into the open in the final hour of birding around Yabello, a real victory to close the day. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Certainly one of the great moments of the tour, the appearance of two Ethiopian Wolves on the Sanetti Plateau, their last stronghold, was tinged with some sorrow at the recent declines in its population. Thankfully, conservation biologists are hard at work to reverse this latest decline. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Blue skies on the Sanetti Plateau meant a grand show of interacting, acrobatic ravens, eagles, and hawks, which along with a pair of Spot-breasted Lapwings successfully distracted the group from the marvelous mammal show there. Photo by guide Ned Brinkley.
D’Arnaud’s Barbet is an attractive species of East Africa that reaches the northern limit of its range in Ethiopia, in acacia forests of the south. The group saw many around Yabello, including several mobbing a nonplussed-looking Pearl-spotted Owlet. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
The very first stop on the first day of the tour produced a lovely pair of Cape Eagle-Owls of the little-known taxon dillonii, found only in the Ethiopian highlands and a sliver of southern Eritrea. Some authorities combine this taxon with subspecies mackinderi (Kenya to Mozambique) as a full species, distinct from the nominate form of South Africa and Namibia. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
The group saw Eastern Paradise-Whydahs in all manner of plumages around Yabello and in Awash National Park, but this displaying male and many others took the breath away! Photo by participant Cliff Hensel.
MAMMALS
A rather rare large antelope found only in central Ethiopia east of the Rift Valley, Mountain Nyala showed very well near Dinsho, en route to the Bale Mountains. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
Another endemic of Ethiopia, and in a monotypic genus (Parophasma), Abyssinian Catbird is usually experienced as a canorous song emanating from dense cover, but the group managed to see this one and several more rather well on the grounds of the Bale Mountains National Park headquarters. Photo by participant Greg Griffith.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS
Other interesting creatures seen on the tour included;
Nile Crocodile; about a dozen at Awash Falls Lodge and further along the river there.
Leopard Tortoise; we saw a very large one at Awash NP.
Ethiopian Grass Rat; we were told over 30 species of rodents occur in the Bale Mts. but one of the most common is Ethiopian or Blick's Grass Rat 'Arvicanthus blicki'.
Totals for the tour: 412 bird taxa and 26 mammal taxa