Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Arba Minch

Arba Minch is the gateway town to the Nechisar National Park were a couple of years ago the wing of an undescribed species of Nightjar was found: the Nechisar Nightjar. This bird has never been seen alive, so we wanted to share a 4WD to go into the park and return after dark to look for this mythical bird. However we failed to find anybody to share a vehicle with. Instead we made two short walks into the National Park and shared a boat with another backpacker to visit the "Crocodile Market".

The first walk was in the late afternoon and therefore the bird activity was rather low as it gets quite hot here. We still managed to see some interesting species like African Olive Pigeon, Rufous Chatterer, Easter Violet-backed Sunbird, White-browed Scrub Robin, Slate-coloured Boubou and a lovely male Narina Trogon. The Baboons here are very tame and scared us  the quite a bit. The Warthogs are equally tame but less frightening. The Bushbucks here are very skittish on the other hand, probably due to hunting pressure. Vervet Monkey and Guereza Pied Colobus can also be seen.

Narina Trogon (Apaloderma narina)

Eastern Chanting Goshawk (imm) (Melierax poliopterus)

The next day we took a boat to "Crocodile Market", a large gathering of Nile Crocodiles. During this boat trip a couple of good birds were also seen: Goliath Heron, African Spoonbill, African Darter, Knob-billed Duck, African Hobby and the (in Ethiopia) very localised Northern Masked Weaver. The boat trip yielded of course good views of Nile Crocodiles including some gargantuan ones. Some Hippopotamusses near the crocodiles were also much appreciated.

Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

A 6 meter long Nile Crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus)

Since we already had bought the permits for the National Park (these last for 24 hours) we went back to do the same walk we did yesterday in the late afternoon. This resulted in some different species like Klaas's Cuckoo, a Yellowbill that gave very good close-up views and a Black-chested Snake Eagle flying over. We also saw the same mammal species as the day before.

Klaas's Cuckoo (Chrysococcyx klaas)

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Yabello

After the depressing events in Negele Borena (see previous post) we headed south to Yabello. To get here by public transport: take the very overcrowded (even for Ethiopia) Negele Borena - Moyale bus and get out at Mega. From here it is only two hours to Yabello and the roads are also in very good shape again. Keep an eye out for birds and mammals in this stretch of Ethiopian road (if possible...) for we saw some good species like Vulturine Guineafowl, Orange-river Francolin, Buff-crested Bustard, White-crested Helmet-shrike, Golden-breasted, Bristle-crowned and Shelley's Starling. The mammals recorded included Lesser Kudu, Guenter's Dikdik, Gerenuk and Bright's Gazelle.

The two major targets in Yabello are the enigmatic Ethiopian Bushcrow and the equally range restricted White-tailed Swallow. You don't need a guide to find them, but after Negele Borena we wanted to succeed very badly so we hired a guide named Ali (0911787693; ali.guche@yahoo.com). He knew the birds and also helped with a scientific paper on the social structure of the Bushcrow. We took a bajaj to a well known site near a ranch and soon struck gold: a very obliging Ethiopian Bushcrow which was approachable for up to two meters!

But we wanted to explore the area some more and so we did. In the end we found twelve Bushcrows and two White-tailed Swallows. But we also saw other great birds like two very enjoyable Heuglin's Coursers, A Northern White-faced Owl at its roost, a lovely D'Arnaud's Barbet and a tame Black-headed Oriole (ssp. rolleti).

Ethiopian Bushcrow (Zavattariornis stresemanni) in its full glory

A pair of Ethiopian Bushcrows (Zavattariornis stresemanni)

Ethiopian Bushcrow (Zavattariornis stresemanni), preening

Heuglin's Courser (Rhinoptilus africanus)

Lilac-breasted Roller (Coracias caudatus)

Northern White-faced Owl (Ptilopsis leucotis)

D'Arnaud's Barbet (Trachyphonus darnaudii)

We also saw some great mammals with nine Boehm's Zebra's being the stars. The Unstriped Ground Squirrels and an unidentified Elephantus Elephant-shrew were also much enjoyed.

Boehm's Zebra (Equus quagga boehmi)

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Negele Borena

Negele Borena (not Arsi Negele, so make sure you always say the full name of the city you want to visit) is the only site in the world were the ultra-rare and critically endangered Liben Lark can be found. Since this village is now connected to the public transport system, the lark was our major target of the trip to Ethiopia. To get here by bus you need to take the 6:00 Shashemene - Negele Borena bus. Make sure to be there at 4:00 to get good seats (in the front) in the bus. The bus takes approximately ten hours to reach the village.

We arrived at Negele Borena in the dark and the next day we headed out to find the lark. Prince Ruspoli's Turaco is also possible here, but the lark was our main target and therefore we wanted to make sure we got to the Lark Plains first and as soon as possible.

We hired a horse cart to take us to the Diida Liben (Liben plains in the local language) but he dropped us at the Liben Hospital a couple of blocks further and demand the full amount of money. In the end we hired two motor cycles to take us out of town to continue on one motor bike. (there are many police checkpoints around the town and three people are forbidden to ride the same motor bike) This rigmarole caused much disstress for both motor cycles headed in different directions and I thought I would not see my girlfriend again. Luckily everything went fine and around 8:30 we were on the Liben Plains.

Unfortunately these were awfully quiet. (the birds are supposed to sing between 6:30 and 9:30 in their display flight) So we opted for plan B: zigzagging across the entire plains several times untill we found a bird on the ground. We did this for the next five hours which resulted only in frustration. We did find a White-tailed Swallow, a very good bird here, which proves this bird does not only occur around Yabello (see next post). Two Kori Bustards, several Common Buttonquails, many Black-winged Lapwings, some White-crowned Starlings and a load of Plain-backed Pipits, but not a single lark species was noted.

Birding the Liben Plains in the scorching sun (picture taken by Anna van der Kaaden)

The problem was that the preferred habitat of Liben Lark is long dry grassland without bushes, but the entire plains seemed grassless and burned by the local people. The parts that were not smoking were covered with bushes like Whistling Thorns (much appreciated by some Shelley's Sparrows) and therefore the entire plains seemed unsuitable for the lark... The only suitable area of grassland was around the military barracks, but we were adviced not to go near them. We did anyway, resulting in some more flushed Common Buttonquails and some soldiers who asked us kindly but seriously to leave their property.

In the end we headed back, depressed and aith the idea that it was indeed to late to save this species from extinction. By the time we hitched a ride back with a Somali truck driver totally stoned on chat I suffered from a mild heat exhaustion. This made me unwilling to try again the next day and sadly therefore we also had not seen the Prince Ruspoli's Turaco.

I severely hope I'm wrong but I'm convinced that this species will be (if it is not already) extinct within the next five years, simply because there is barely any habitat left and the military is also keeping cattle on the plains so I don't think the grassland around the barracks will remain for much longer. A sad, sad story...

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Wondo Genet

Wondo Genet is The classical site in Ethiopia to see all forest endemics despite the fact that the forest is rather degraded by logging for timber and charcoal burning. This creates a rather depressing sight, however all birds are still present and some parts of the forest are still intact and now protected by the College for Forestry and Natural Resources. The Wondo Genet Guiding Association offers good and knowledgable guides, however they are not mandatory. Many fake (and often bad) "guides" will tell you they are and will be very persistent about it and may even try to stop you from visiting a site! hiring one of those "guides" is also very expensive. Therfore hiring a guide at the association near the fairly expensive Wabe Shabelle Hotel can come in handy, as the fake guides will leave you in peace and this is not too expensive (200 Birr for a full day birding).

We arrived in the evening at the Wabe Shabelle Hotel in Wondo Genet were we would stay for three nights. At our arrival we were greeted by calling Silvery-cheeked Hornbills and a Spotted Hyena, fighting local dogs, in the well wooded grounds of the hotel, which were the reason we chose this hotel. The next morning we tried to go out birding by ourselves and we found an Abyssinian Woodpecker behind the hotel, but were forced bak into the hotel compounds by an annoying fake guide. Later that day we hired Saruwit (no clue on how to write his name) which was a very decent and enthusiastic guide and we headed out with him to find some of the birds native to these forests. We did well with many Abyssinian Orioles, another Abyssinian Woodpecker, two Crowned Eagles, several Yellow-fronted Parrots and Black-winged Lovebirds, many White-cheeked Turacos, four White-winged Cliff Chats and a Wahlberg's Honeyguide (!) all falling in quick succession in the sparsely forested hills above the hotel. This forest also yielded our first Guereza Pied Colobus and Vervet Monkeys as well as some Olive Baboons.

Abyssinian Oriole (Oriolus monacha), a split from Black-headed Oriole

White-cheeked Turaco (Tauraco leucotis)

Vervet Monkey (Chlorocebus aethiops)

To find the lovely Narina Trogon, Spotted Creeper and Banded Barbet, we headed to the protected forest but found little more than two Ethiopian Boubous and a lot of rain. We made arrangements with Saruwit to try again the next mprining and enjoyed some Thick-billed Ravens, White-rumped Babblers (ssp. omoensis) and many Abyssinian Slaty Flycatchers in the hotel gardens. Two Double-toothed Barbets finished the day very nicely.

Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher (Dioptrornis chocolatinus)

The next day we went back to the protected forest areas and found Banded Barbet (ssp. leucogenys) on the way to it. Aithin the forest a bit of searching yielded a lovely male Narina Trogon as well as two Red-shouldered Cuckoo-shrikes. On the way back we enjoyed good views of Lemon Doves, African Pygmy Kingfisher and a strange looking immature male African Emerald Cuckoo. We tried to find Giant and Half-collared Kingfishers at several different spots, but failed. However the Guereza Colobus and Vervet Monkeys were much enjoyed again. Birding in the hotel compounds during the rest of the day produced little new species but was equally good compared to yesterday.

Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), a common sight in Ethiopia

Northern Puffback (Dryoscopus gambensis)

Guereza Pied Colobus (Colobus guereza)

The next morning we tried to get to the kingfisher sites by ourselves but agian we were witheld by another fake guide. When we pushed through and were equally persistant as he, he threatened to call the police, but in the end he gave up and walked away. Unfortunately the kingfishers were not around again so we headed off to the bus.

Wondo Genet really is a lovely birding site and the degradation of the forest should not stop birders from visiting this site, for it raises public awareness to the local community and the guide association makes enough money now to expand their package and soon they will offer accomodation and multi day hikes to better patches of forest. Perhaps one day they can buy their own land for the sake of their jobs and the birds.

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Bale Mountains National Park

Netxt to the Simien Mountains in the North, the Bale Mountains encompromise the only highland plateaux of the country. This plateaux is very high for Africa (4000 m.a.s.). The Sanetti plateaux in the Bale Mountains is a reliable site for several highland species which are endemic for Ethiopia such as Spot-breasted Plover, Blue-winged Goose, Rouget's Rail and Ethiopian Siskin. It is also a good site for the rare Wattled Crane. For mammal enthousiasts it is a must as it is the easiest place in the world to see the critically endangered Ethiopian Wolf. The plateaux can be reached by two means of transport: hiring a 4WD in Addis Ababa and driving up there with a driver or by foot. Due to a lack of money we opted for the latter. We walked in a four day loop through the higher regions, starting in Dinsho at the National Park office (see previous entry) and ending at the road running through the Sanetti Plateaux where we hitched a ride back to Goba on a sand truck.

A trek like this needs proper preparations, for you need a guide, at least two horses and thus two horse keepers, food and a tent (which we brought ourselves, but can be hired). For food we had bought 1/2 kg pasta, 1 kg rice and some tomato sauce at Dinsho to make some really basic meals, however our guide, Edris (+251912255403) who knows some birds, and the horse keepers brought their own food (make sure they do!) and mixed theirs together with ours to make some lovely meals. For water we just drank from the streams in the mountains without filtering, for our UV-filter had a low battery, however we did not get sick.

One of our two baggage-carrying horses

The entire trek we did was 80 or 90 km long and on some parts very hard, but it is totally worth it for you walk through stunning scenery and it gives you an opportunity to explore this part of Ethiopia a bit more. It is also possible to extend the trek into the remnant Herenna Forest which is seldom visited and should provide some good bird watching and probably even better mammal watching.

Afro-alpine plateaux (picture taken by Anna van der Kaaden)

On the first day we walked from Dinsho (circa 3000 m.a.s.) to the first campsite, which is also the base for the Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Program (EWCP) at 3500 m.a.s. This part of the trek is 15 to 20 km long an not as demanding as the next two days as the altitude is not too high and the road fairly good and not too long. During this part of the trek the following birds were noted: Wattled Ibis (numerous), Yellow-billed Duck, Mountain Wagtail, Lanner, Chestnut-naped Francolin (only near the headquarters of the National Park), Spot-breasted Plover (a flock of 20 at higher altitude), White-collared Pigeon (numerous), Red-breasted Wheatear, Lesser Grey Shrike (a juvenile. A funny place for this migrant to turn up!), Yellow Bishop (veru numerous in breeding plumage at lower altitude), Ethiopian Cisticola (very numerous and often together with the previous species), Ethiopian Siskin (numerous, especially around streams) and Rouget's Rail (surprisingly only one was seen this day)

Thekla Lark (Galerida theklae)

Moorland Chat (Pinarochroa sordida)

Yellow Bishop (Euplectes capensis)

Besides the birds, the Bale Mountains offer some good mammal watching with the very rare (around 250 individuals) Ethiopian Wolf being the star. We saw one today digging out a Giant Root Rat (also endemic). Starke's hares (endemic) were also noted. The plateaux which has to be crossed to reach the first campsite used to be a good site for Wattled Crane but we could not find them.

The First Campsite

On the second day we walked around 20 km from 3500 m.a.s. to 4000 m.a.s. and this day is more demanding than the previous one, but also more rewarding as the highland marshes tend to get better and the human population of this part is very close to zero. This leaves you in a nearly undisturbed place. Birds noted on this day included: Blue-winged Goose (still quite scarce), Wattled Ibis (less common than on the previous day), Lammergeier, Lanner, Steppe Eagle (early migrant) Chestnut-naped Francolin (sporadic), Rouget's Rail (four were noted, often between the few cows in the beginning of the day), African Snipe, White-collared Pigeon (still numerous), Ethiopian Cisticola (much less common than yesterday) and Ethiopian Siskin (very common).

Ethiopian Siskin (Serinus nigriceps)

Ethiopian Cisticola (juvenile) (Cisticola lugubris)

Augur Buzzard (Buteo augur)

Today also interesting mammals were noted: three seperate sightings of Ethiopian Wolves, many Giant Root Rats and even more Ethiopian Meadow Rats (more often heard than seen) and also a few nice Ethiopian Rock Hyraxes were seen.

Ethiopian Wolf (Canis simensis)

The third day was the most strenious day as we walked 25 to 30 km from 4000 m.a.s. to 4200 m.a.s.  We took a different route than initially planned, because our guide knew a very nice lake somewhere, but in the end he just wanted to go there so he could sleep in a hut... However the walk was very interesting as we finallly reached the Sanetti Plateaux on this day, yielding the following species:  Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose (more numerous now), Ruddy Shelduck (numerous), Golden Eagle, Lanner (up to ten individuals!), Steppe Eagle, Lammergeier, Wattled Crane (we found a pair close to the lake were we stayed for the night), White-collared Pigeon, Cinnamon-bracken Warbler, Slender-billed Starling and Abyssinian Owl (one heard during the night at the campsite, but I was to tired to make a sound recording).

Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis) at very close range

Blue-winged Goose (Cyanochen cyanoptera)

A pair of Wattled Cranes (Grus carunculata)

This day proved also to be the most interesting day for the mammals as five Ethiopian Wolves, six Klipspringers, some Starke's Hares and many Ethiopian Rock Hyraxes were noted.

Ethiopian Rock Hyrax (Procavia habessinica)

The last day of the trek was ridiculously short and I think we walked part of the fourth day on the third day to reach the lake. We stayed at the same altitude and walked for three hours before we reached the road and returned to civilization. During this short walk large numbers of Spot-breasted Plovers (150 or more) were noted as well as small numbers of Blue-winged Geese, Ruddy Shellducks, Rouget's Rails and Ethiopian Siskins.

Spot-breasted Plover (Vanellus melanocephalus)

For me the entire trek was a terrific but exhausting experience and the area around the road through the Sanetti Plateaux proved best for birding, therefore I don't recommend the trek to birding crews. However I do recommend the trek to people with a little more time and a slim budget for it have been four wonderful days. For those planning a trek like this make sure to pack good rain clothing and warm clothes and sleepings bags besides the other stuff, for once wet (and we had rain every day) you will freeze your ass off!

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Dinsho

Dinsho is the tiny gateway town to the Bale Mountains National Park and is now quite easy to reach, even with pukblic transport, since the Shashemene - Robe road has been upgraded in 2010 or 2011. The Headquarters of the National Park are situated a bit out of the village and are surrounded by lovely montane forest that hosts several good endemics. It is possible to stay at the headquarters for 140 Birr for a double. Among the endemics possible are Chestnut-naped Francolin (easy), Wattled Ibis (dead easy), Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher (easy), Abyssinian Catbird (this is probably the best place in the world to see this species), White-backed Black Tit (fairly easy), Ethiopian Siskin (fairly easy) and Abyssinian Woodpecker (which we did not find).

Chestnut-naped Francolin (Pternistis castaneicollis)

Besides the endemics, Dinsho is also known to be one of the best sites for Abyssinian Owl. Ask the staff if they want to show the bird at its roost to you for a reasonable (see previous entry) price. They might also be able to show Montane Nightjar and African Wood Owl to you, but we didn't for the guy didn't show up and he still ows us money. Therefore I advice you to pay after you have completed your search. Some interesting non-endemic birds we have seen included: Abyssinian Ground Trush, Moorland Chat, Malachite Sunbird, Brown Woodland Warbler and Montane White-eye. On top of the avian specialities of this site, some really stunning (endemic and non-endemic) mammals can be seen here at very close range. The star is the endemic Mountain Nyala, but Bush Buck, Bush Duiker and Common Warthog also occur here.

Mountain Nyala (Tragelaphus buxtoni)

Bush Buck (Tragelaphus scriptus menelikii)

Common Warthog (Phacochoerus africanus)

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Lake Langano

Lake Langano is located on a 4,5 hour mini-bus drive from Addis Ababa and offers some very fine birding. There are several hotels and ecolodges on the western and southern shores that offer good accomodation and fine birding within the hotel grounds. All are quite expensive so we camped at the Wabe Shabelle Hotel on the western shore to save money. If you arrive by public transport at Lake Langano and you want to stay at any of the western shore hotels, just ask the driver to drop you of at the dirt road leading from the Addis-Shashemene highway to the hotel of your choice. From there it is approximately a 3 km walk but you can also hire a horse cart. The southern shore ecologdes are very expensive and difficult to reach without public transport, but the birding seems to be very good...

The birding in and around the hotel grounds of the Wabe Shabelle hotel can be very productive and we managed to see a lot common Acacia scrub species like Namaqua Dove, White-Bellied Go-away-bird, Superb Starling, Northern White-crowned Shrike, White-browed Sparrow-weaver, Crested Francolin, Little Bee-eater and many more.

White-bellied Go-away-bird (Corythaixoides leucogaster)

Beautiful Sunbird (Cinnyris pulchellus)

Red-cheeked Cordon-blue (Uraeginthus bengalus)

Speckled Mousebird (Colius striatus)

Little Bee-eater (Merops pusillus)

The lake itself offers not to many waterbirds but Gull-billed, Whiskered and White-winged Terns winter here an can be seen together with the resident Grey-headed Gulls and African Fish Eagles. It is also possible to swim in the lake since it is one of the few Bilharzia, Crocodile and Hippo free lakes of Ethiopia. The water is quite brownish but nice.

The special drawcard of the Wabe Shabelle Hotel are the owls, because the hotel staff keeps track of the roosting sites of several owl species like Greyish and Verraux' Eagle Owl and Northern White-faced Owl. However the only owl we have been shown was Greyish Eagle Owl.

I want to make a small note here: the staff should be paid, but a fair, not an execessive amount of money should be given, for a high price like 20 euro (400 Birr) is an amount of money which is out of proportion in a country were people pay 10 Birr for a warm meal for two people. 20 euro does not seem much, but in Ethiopia it is. Also paying large sums of money does not always benefit the birds as the throwing of stones at owls to pester them out of their hiding places is common practice in Ethiopia, just to make sure they recieve the ridiculous price. Keep this in mind! We paid 50 Birr for the Greyish Eagle Owl, which we saw twice and another 50 for some Four-banded Sandgrouse.

Four-banded Sandgrouse (Pterocles quadricinctus)

Greyish Eagle-owl (Bubo cinerascens)

The Sandgrouse you could possibly find by yourself. Look in the grasslands behind the graves on the southern side of the gravel road halfway between the hotel and the tar road. Besides the Owls some other scarce species can be seen here like the near-endemic Rueppels Weaver, Red-throated Wryneck, Lappet-faced Vulture, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Black-winged Lovebird and Eastern Olivaceous Warbler which where all seen well.

African Harrier-hawk (Polyboroides typus)

On the other side of the tar road lies the Shaala - Abiata National Park which offers some different bird species, however we didn't visit this area. If you want to go from Lake Langano to Shashemene or Addis just hitch a ride at the tar road. You'll probably get a ride quite quickly for you are a faranji (most probably).

Ethiopia September - October 2012 - Addis Ababa

This trip lasted one month and focussed excludingly on South Ethiopia. Due to a lack of money the entiere trip was done using public transport. This made some species very difficult to see, but in total around 320 species were recorded and the entire trip costed only 650 euro (without plane ticket). the trip started and ended in Addis Ababa, of course, and this post focusses on the birding within the capital.

When arriving in Addis the first two endemics can virtually be seen from the airport exit in the form of White-collared Pigeon and Thick-billed Raven. The birding within the capital is surprisingly good and several more endemics can be seen. We stayed in a small guesthouse in the Bole Road area called Almaz Pension. The birding within its tiny garden was relatively good with the endemic Brown-rumped Seedeater and the near-endemic Blue-breasted Bee-eater and Swainson's Sparrow showing in quick succession. Baglafecht Weavers and Red-billed Firefinches also breed in the garden.

Brown-rumped Seedeater (Serinus tristriatus)

Most birders stay in the Ghion Hotel with its extensive wooded grounds, but this was too expensive for us. We tried to get into the hotel gardens, however the guards refused to let us in on the obvious grounds that we were wearing flip-flops and thus not appropriately dressed for Ethiopia... If you manage to get into the hotel grounds, keep an eye out for Brown Parisoma, Black-winged Lovebird and other forest species. A small chirch aith some wooded grounds proved to be a reasonable back-up with Wattled Ibis and Black-winged Lovebird (both endemic) seen on two different dates.

Also check the sky above Addis regularly as White-backed and Hooded Vultures as well as Tawny Eagles and plenty of Yellow-billed Kites and sometimes Peregrines soar over. Other good species observed included Tacazze Sunbird, Moutain Thrush, Rock Martin, Nyanza and White-rumped Swift, Dusky Turtle Dove, African Dusky Flycatcher, Village Indigobird and Pin-tailed Wydah.

Tacazze Sunbird (Nectarinia tacazze)

For more information on birding in Addis and the rest of Ethiopia have a look at "Where to Watch birds in Ethiopia" by C. Spottiswoode, M. Gabremichael and J. Francis.