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.