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Ethiopia
Bale Mountains National Park and Rift Valley Lakes
Four-day Birding Trip: 28 April – 1 May 2017
My star bird for the trip, the unique Ethiopian Blue-winged Goose – a common highland species
Synopsis
The May Day long weekend presented an opportunity to escape the torrid heat of Djibouti (my
current work duty station) and embark on my first foray into birding in Ethiopia. My targets were the
unique highland endemics. After researching the options for an independent tour on-line, I settled
on a local guiding service recommended by Birdingpal.com. The tour is run by Mr. Meseret Mekuria: mesbuki@yahoo.com, mesiguide@yahoo.com, mesiguide@gmail.com. I can highly recommend Meseret
for his excellent field skills and good company.
After an on-line consultation, we settled on the following four-day itinerary:
Day 1. Drive to Bale Mountains National park via rift valley, with birding grounds including Bushoftu Crater lakes, Koka dam, Ziway and in the afternoon, Dinsho/Adelay grassland areas, also with roadside stops for any opportunity. Blue-winged Goose, Rouget's Rail, Abyssinian Longlaw are among expected endemic birds. Overnight Goba hotel. Day 2. Ahead to Sanatti plateau, high in the Bale Mountains park peaks (4377 ms.a.s.l) to spot the rare endemic Ethiopian Wolf. Abyssinian Catbird, White-backed Black Tit, Ethiopian Orioles, Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, Chestnut-napped Francolin and many more. Overnight back to Goba hotel.
Day 3. Drive to Lake Hawasa, in the rift valley, and on arrival search the United Africa hotel grounds for birds including African Pygmy Goose, African Black Crake, African White-backed Duck, Spotted Creeper and many more. Overnight, United Africa hotel. Day 4. Dawn birding along the lake Awassa and Fish Market areas and after late breakfast drive to the Lake Langano habitat, with acacia woodland and thickets. In the afternoon drive back to Addis Ababa, end.
The itinerary worked like a charm and provided a good range of varied habitat from the alpine
conditions along the highest roadway in Africa (Sanatti Plateau), to ancient highland Juniper Forests,
and the Lakes and savanna of the central Rift Valley. Having already birded extensively in West
Africa and twice previously in Kenya, many of the birds, especially in the Rift Valley bio-nome were
familiar, but the Ethiopian Highlands opened up a whole new raft of species to me. In all, 212 species
were seen with 65 being personal lifers.
The species accounts are listed in much the same the chronological order in which they were found
at each site. My Fieldguide was: Redman, Stevenson and Fanshawe: Birds of the Horn of Africa,
Princeton, 2nd Edition 2011.
Thursday, 27 April: Arrive pm at Addis Ababa from Djibouti. Overnight at the basic, but comfortable,
Adot Tina Hotel - close to the airport.
Friday, 28 April: Meseret was right on time for a dawn start at 06:00am. We immediately drove in
his well-equipped mini-van south of the capital to Debre Zeit, (ex. Bishoftu). Our first birding foray
was into farmland bordering a large dried out lake:
1. Yellow-billed Kite, Milvus (migrans) aegyptius
2. Dusky Turtle Dove, Streptopelia lugens
3. Sacred Ibis, Threskiornis aethiopicus
4. Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis
5. Common Fiscal, Lanius collaris
6. Speckled Pigeon, Columba guinea
7. Feral Pigeon, Columba livia domestica
8. Swainson’s Sparrow, Passer swainsonii – (Near Endemic Horn of Africa) – commonly
encountered throughout and found from 0-3000m (adult and juvenile illustrated):
9. Pied Crow, Corvus albus – common, but mostly only around human settlements
10. Red-eyed Dove, Streptopelia semitorquata
11. Laughing Dove, Streptopelia senegalensis
12. Greater Blue-eared Starling, Lamprotornis chalybaeus – this subtly beautiful bird was found
every day in good numbers and in a wide variety of habitats - up to 2400m
13. Speckled Mousebird, Colius striatus
14. Chestnut Sparrow, Passer eminibey – a small group was feeding on the ground near
agricultural fields; only one sighting on the trip
15. Red-billed Quelea, Quelea quelea
16. Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Uraeginthus bengalus
17. Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Merops (variegatus) lafresnayii – (Near-Endemic) range 500 -
2500m - commonly encountered in small groups
18. White-winged Cliff Chat, Thamnolaea semirufa – (Endemic ET/ER) – one seen briefly sitting
on a rock by the roadside, but it would not stick around for its photo shoot
19. Wattled Ibis, Bostrychia carunculata – (Endemic ET/ER) – a very common resident;
encountered throughout the central highlands and rift valley from 1500 – 4100m
20. Black-winged Lovebird, Agapornis taranta – (Endemic ET/ER) – another very common
species found in a wide variety of habitats of the central highlands up to 2750m
21. Baglafecht Weaver, Ploceus baglafecht – highly variable with three races occurring in the
region. The common weaver in the highlands from 1100-3000m
22. Abyssinian White-eye, Zosterops abyssinicus – commonly found at lower elevations
23. African Citril, Serinus citrinelloides – several seen in small groups in grassy borders
24. Grey-backed Camaroptera, Camaroptera brachyura abessinica – commonly encountered in
undergrowth
25. Hammerkop, Scopus umbretta
26. Yellow Wagtail, Motacilla flava
27. Black Kite, Milvus migrans – less common than yellow-billed
28. Hadada Ibis, Bostrychia hagedash
29. Marabou Stork, Leptopilos crumenifer – large numbers of colonial nesters in towns
30. Gull-billed Tern, Gelochelidon nilotica
31. White-winged Tern, Childonias leucopterus
32. Scarlet-chested Sunbird, Chalcomitra senegalensis
33. Pin-tailed Wydah, Vidua macroura
34. Red-billed Firefinch, Lagonosticta senegala
35. Streaky Seedeater, Serinus striolatus
36. Spur-winged Lapwing, Vanellus spinosus – commonly found along creek beds (dry and wet)
37. African Grey Flycatcher, Bradornis microrhynchus pumilus – we saw mostly individuals
hawking insects from low perches – most commonly encountered flycatcher
38. African Paradise-Flycatcher, Terpsiphone viridis ferreti
39. African Thrush, Turdus pelios - common and replaced by Mountain Thrush at higher elevation
40. Black-billed Barbet, Lybius guifsobalito – a single bird at mid-level in dry forest country
41. Variable Sunbird, Cinnyris venustus
42. Beautiful Sunbird, Cinnyris pulchellus
43. Eurasian Hoopoe, Upupa epops
44. Rüppel’s Weaver, Ploceus galbula
We drove to the Koka Dam and birded the lakeshore:
45. Long-tailed Cormorant, Phalacrocorax africanus
46. Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo
47. Pied Kingfisher, Ceryle rudis
48. Egyptian Goose, Alopochen aegyptiaca
49. Intermediate Egret, Egretta intermedia
50. Bronze Mannikin, Spermestes cucullata
51. Spectacled Weaver, Ploceus ocularis
52. Northern Masked Weaver, Ploceus taeniopterus
53. Hooded Vulture, Necrosyrtes monachus
54. Garden Warbler, Sylvia borin
55. Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea
56. Squacco Heron, Ardeola ralloides
57. Grey Heron, Ardea cinerea
58. Malachite Kingfisher, Alcedo cristata
59. Little Grebe, Tachybaptus ruficollis
60. Common (Dark-capped) Bulbul, Pycnonotus tricolor spurius – (Endemic) the race of south
central Ethiopia with a prominent yellow vent
61. Willow Warbler, Phylloscopus trochilus
62. African Fish Eagle, Haliaeetus vocifer – several birds patrolling the lake and perched on
overhanging trees
63. African Cuckoo-Hawk, Aviceda cuculoides – one immature bird was perched high in a tree;
and took some identification until it flew out above us; prominent white body and pied
streaked underwing.
64. Common Chiffchaff, Phylloscopus collybita
65. Black Saw-wing, Psalidoprocne pristoptera
66. Ethiopian Boubou – Laniarius aethiopicus – (Near endemic) – 0-3000m; a relatively secretive
species that is often heard before it is seen; we eventually saw two in thick bush country
67. Banded Barbet, Lybius undatus – (Endemic) – FC wooded habitats; 450 – 2750m – we only
saw one bird the whole trip
68. Nubian Woodpecker, Campethera nubica – only one seen
69. Montane White-eye, Zosterops poliogastrus – found in the higher elevations of C highlands
70. African Firefinch, Lagonosticta rubricata – one pair of the dark-billed species seen in close
company of Red-billed Firefinch
71. Tawny-flanked Prinia, Prinia subflava – common throughout
72. Ruppell’s Robin-Chat, Cossypha semirufa – C highland forest bird; these became more
common the higher we climbed into the mountains; one of my favourite birds of the trip for
its social antics and striking colours
We then proceeded to drive south to the Bale Mountains National Park, periodically stopping along
the way to investigate roadside sightings:
73. European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster – several flocks on migration
74. Red-billed Oxpecker, Buphagus erythrorhunchus – associated with livestock
75. Augur Buzzard, Buteo augur – this was the most common raptor of the trip; commonly
encountered even at the highest elevations; we saw mostly the pale bird + one dark morph:
76. Tawny Eagle, Aquila rapax – two seen
77. Barn Swallow, Hirundo rustica – common
78. Purple Roller, Coracias naevius – one seen perched on a telephone line near a town
79. Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus – very common around ploughed fields
80. Cape Crow, Corvus capensis – common at higher elevations, replacing other corvid species
81. Black-winged Kite, Elanus caeruleus – one seen in flight
82. Dark Chanting Goshawk, Melierax metabates – one perched in a tree
83. Wattled Starling, Creatophora cinerea – seen around cattle and in towns; to 2400m
84. Mocking Cliff Chat, Thamnolaea cinnamomeiventris – three seen during the trip
85. Northern White-crowned Shrike, Eurocephalus rueppelli – pairs seen on two occasions
86. White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Plocepasser mahali – very common
87. Somali Crow, Corvus edithae – also seen were hybrid Pied Crow x Somali Crow
Bale Mountains National Park (Gaysay Grasslands)
We entered the Bale NP in the late afternoon and initially birded the grasslands of the high plateau:
88. White-collared Pigeon, Columba albitorques – (Endemic ET/ER) – 1800 – 4200m; very
common and found in very large flocks at higher elevations
89. Tacazze Sunbird, Nectarinia tacazze – the common sunbird of highland forest; 1800 – 3900m
90. Moorland (Alpine) Chat, Cercomela sordida – the most common highland bird; seen on
almost every rock in alpine grasslands & moorlands
91. African (Ethiopian) Stonechat, Saxicola (torquatus) albofasciatus - a very distinct stonechat
of W & C Ethiopia - considered by some researchers to be a possible separate species; the
male is a completely pied bird; the 1st year seen had a very prominent russet brown chest
92. Red-breasted Wheatear, Oenanthe bottae – C grassland and moorlands, 950 – 3200m
93. Groundscraper Thrush, Psophocichla litsitsirupa – highland grasslands of ET/ER
94. Chestnut-naped Francolin, Pternistis castaneicollis – (Endemic ET/SO) highlands, moorland
and tree-line; 1750 – 3150
95. Brown-rumped Seedeater, Serinus tristriatus – (Endemic) common in scrub
96. Yellow Bishop, Euplectes capensis – 1800 – 3300m highlands
97. Wood Sandpiper, Tringa glareola – the only tringa seen in the mountains
98. Red-knobbed Coot, Fulica cristata – non-breeding
99. Blue-winged Goose, Cyanochen cyanoptera – (Endemic - highlands of Ethiopia) – common
in Alpine lake habitat
100. Rouget’s Rail, Rougetius rougetii – (Endemic ET/ER) grasslands/moorlands; v.
common and confiding
101. Ethiopian Cisticola, Cisticola (galactotes) lugubris – (Endemic ET/ER) – common
102. Slender-billed Starling, Onychognathus tenuirostris – LC alpine moorlands
103. Three-banded Plover, Charadrius tricollaris – a really beautiful alpine wader
104. Ethiopian (Black-headed) Siskin, Serinus nigriceps – (Endemic ET) – VC highlands
105. Thekla Lark, Galerida theklae – common; but the target Erlanger’s Lark eluded us
106. Yellow-billed Duck, Anas undulata rüppelli – common; even on small highland ponds
With the light fading and a fog rolling in, we drove to the comfortable Goba Hotel for the night.
Saturday, 29 April
Panorama of high country along the Sanatti Plateua at 4000m
We got an early start by birding the gardens of the Goba Hotel:
107. Mountain Thrush, Turdus (olivaceous) abyssinicus – the common Turdus of the
highlands
108. Brown Parisoma, Parisoma lugens – two birds seen in moorlands 3350-3700m
109. Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler, Bradypterus cinnamomeus – one bird well seen calling
loudly from a low perch inside undergrowth
110. Thick-billed Raven, Corvus crassirostris – (Endemic ET/ER) C 1200 – 4200m – fleeting
glimpses of one bird in flight; we later saw several gliding in a group of vultures
111. Red-chested Swallow, Hirundo lucida – one perched on a wire; 1200-3300m
Checkpoint onto the Sanatti Plateau and the highest road in Africa
Ethiopian Wolf, Canis simensis, is endemic to the highlands; my guide, Meseret said we were fortunate to have encountered
at least six wolves during the course of the day
After 30 minutes driving onto the plateau, we stopped to bird an area of Juniper forest:
112. Abyssinian Catbird, Parophasma galinieri – (Endemic) 1800 - 3600m
113. Brown Woodland Warbler, Phyllocopus umbrovierns – a few seen in tree canopy
114. Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, Melaeornis choclatinus – (Endemic ET/ER) - common
115. Red-winged Starling, Onychognathus morio – common around rocky cliffs
116. Spot-breasted Lapwing, Vanellus melanocephalus – (Endemic) C highland grassland
117. Abyssinian Longclaw, Macronyx flavicolis – (Endemic)– C moorlands
118. Moorland Francolin, Scleroptila psilolaemus – C 2400 - 4000m – we flushed several
birds at very close range on two occasions after hearing their chatter. Much less confiding
than the lower elevation Chestnut-naped Francolin
119. Malachite Sunbird, Nectarinia famosa – only one bird seen; feeding on lobelia flower
120. Wattled Crane, Bugeranus carunculatus – Meseret was delighted to locate a distant
pair preening near swampy area on a treeless hillside at circa 4000m; listed as VULNERABLE
121. Red-billed Chough, Pyrrhocorax pyrrhocorax baileyi – in sub-sahelian Africa, the
resident race baileyi is only found in the Bale and Simien Mountains of Ethiopia
122. Ruddy Shelduck, Tadorna ferruginea – two on alpine lakes
123. Eastern Imperial Eagle, Aquila heliaca – one in flight
124. Fan-tailed Raven, Corvus rhipidurus – common in small groups
125. Verreaux’s Eagle, Aquila verreauxii – UC to 4200m – one juvenile bird was seen
flying and then landed on a distant perch across the valley:
126. Mountain Buzzard, Buteo oreophilus – one gave us brilliant eye-level views as it
cruised the updraft along a glacial valley
127. Rufous-breasted Sparrowhawk, Accipiter rufiventris – uncommon; one flew in and
perched close; possibly attracted to Meseret’s whistling for Turaco (?)
128. African Hill Babbler, Pseudoalcippe abyssinica – brief glimpses of one bird attracted
to ‘phishing’
129. White-cheeked Turaco, Tauraco leucotis – (Near Endemic) 900-3600m; several birds
were found in a small group; (sadly, this is the point where my camera battery died!)
130. African Olive Pigeon, Columba arquatrix – one only
131. Abyssinian Ground Thrush, Zoothera piaggiae – we finally got views of this shy
skulker calling from inside the cover of a large juniper tree
132. African Harrier-Hawk, Polyboroides typus – one hunting low in the forest
133. Mountain Wagtail, Motacilla clara – a pair by a fast-flowing mountain stream
With rain starting to fall, we beat a retreat to the Goba Hotel for a second night. It had been a great
day’s birding. Still missing from our wish list were several endemics however which we were not to
find in the short time available to us in the highlands (but is a great excuse from another trip!):
Yellow-fronted Parrot, Poicephalus flavifrons – (Endemic) - 1150 - 3200m
Abyssinian (Golden-mantled) Woodpecker, Dendropicos abyssinicus - (Endemic ET/ER)
White-backed Black Tit, Parus leuconotus – (Endemic ET/ER) - 1800 – 3400m
Abyssinian Oriole, Oriolus monacha – (Endemic ET/ER) - 600-3000m
Erlanger’s Lark, Calandrella erlangeri – (Endemic CEt) – 1900- 3600m
Sunday, 30 April
After a hearty buffet breakfast at the Goba Hotel, we started the slow drive from the high plateau
down to the Rift Valley and our destination for our third night: Lake Hawasa. We birded a range of
geographically distinct areas from high grasslands to sandy semi-desert dotted with acacia trees:
134. Black-headed Heron, Ardea melanocephala
135. Steppe Eagle, Aquila nipalensis
136. Village Weaver, Ploceus cucullatus
137. White-backed Vulture, Gyps africanus
138. Grey-backed Fiscal, Lanius excubitorius – a small flock lined up on electricity wires
139. Superb Starling, Lamprotornis superbus
140. Brown-throated Martin, Riparia paludicola – seen often over rivers
On arrival at Hawasa, Meseret booked me into the very comfortable United Africa Hotel. No fewer
than four post-Lenten weddings were in full swing! Nonetheless, the gardens were full of birdlife
and we spent the afternoon birding the grounds and the lake area:
141. Woodland Kingfisher, Halcyon senegalensis
142. Pale Flycatcher, Bradornis pallidus parvus
143. Blue-spotted Wood-Dove, Turtur afer
144. Red-throated Wryneck, Jynx ruficollis – a confiding pair feeding in the open grass
145. Fork-tailed Drongo, Dicrurus adsimilis
146. Red-backed Shrike, Lanius collurio
147. Ring-necked Dove, Streptopelia capicola
148. Yellow (Black-headed) Wagtail, Motacilla (flava) feldegg – completely black top to
head; in one location close to Yellow Wagtail flava allowing for close comparison
149. Buff-bellied Warbler, Phyllolais pulchella – very small; a pair in tree canopy
150. Black-crowned Night Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax
151. Spotted Flycatcher, Muscicapa striata
152. African Dusky Flycatcher, Muscicapa adusta – common and frequently encountered
in a range of habitats from 1350 – 3000m
153. White-rumped Babbler – Turdoides leucopygia – (Near Endemic), groups of 6-10
154. African Pygmy-Goose, Nettapus auritus – great to find this species after much
searching in vain throughout West Africa (male – left & females - right and bottom):
155. White-backed Duck, Thalassornis leuconotus – another elusive species that is said to
be reliable at Lake Hawasa:
156. Great Egret, Ardea alba
157. White-winged Tern, Childonias leucopterus
158. Whiskered Tern, Childonias hybrida
159. Black Crake, Amaurornis flavirostra – very confiding and unconcerned by humans
160. Purple Heron, Ardea purpurea
161. Eurasian Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus scirpaceus
162. Blue-headed Coucal, Centropus monachus – 4 of these birds on exposed perches
163. Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Coccopygia quartinia – also known as East African Swee.
164. Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus
165. Common Bulbul, Pycnonotus barbatus schoanus – the plainer bulbul with dark brown
breast and white undertail-coverts
166. Sedge Warbler, Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
167. Little Weaver, Ploceus luteolus
168. Great Reed Warbler, Acrocephalus arundinaceus
169. European Roller, Coracias garrulus
170. Eastern Grey Woodpecker, Dendropicos spodocephalus – FC wooded habitats;
However, despite much searching, we were unable to locate the Spotted Creeper, Salpornis
spilonotus, that are reputed to frequent the garden.
Monday, 1 May
On my last day, we got a dawn start to catch-up with some species known to inhabit the gardens of
Hawasa Town:
171. Silvery-cheeked Hornbill, Bycanistes brevis
172. Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Treron waalia – a small flock feeding on ficus sp.
We travelled along the main highway to our next stop, Lake Langano, stopping along the highway
to see some interesting new birds:
173. White-headed Buffalo Weaver, Dinemellia dinemelli
174. Northern Red-billed Hornbill, Tockus erythrorhynchus
175. White-bellied Go-away-bird, Corythaixoides leucogaster – two birds in total
At Lake Langano, we entered a private lakeside resort for breakfast and then birded the extensive
gardens:
176. Hemprich’s Hornbill, Tockus hemprichii – common and vocal
177. Helemeted Guineafowl, Numida meleagris
178. Abdim’s Stork, Ciconia abdimii
179. Lesser Masked Weaver, Ploceus intermedius
180. Black-crowned Tchagra, Tchagra senegalus
181. Little Rock Thrush, Monticola rufocinereus –
182. Rock Martin, Ptyonoprogne fuligula
183. Northern Black Flycatcher, Melaenornis edoloides – adult and juvenile (right):
184. Horus Swift, Apus horus – C 900 – 1900m – several of this stocky bird by the lakeside
185. Abyssinian Wheatear, Oenanthe lugubris – (Endemic) – one male/female pair spied
on top of a rocky outcrop over the escarpment:
186. Boran Cisticola, Cisticola bodessa – one very vocal bird:
187. Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Tockus deckeni – female (left) and male (right):
188. White-rumped Swift, Apus caffer
189. Little Swift, Apus affinis
190. Namaqua Dove, Oena capensis
We departed Langano for our last Rift Valley stop, Lake Awasa. On the way, we saw:
191. Abyssinian Ground-hornbill, Bucorvus abyssinicus – male bringing nesting material
to his mate. I was greatly relieved to see this emblematic bird – indeed, it would have been
difficult to leave Ethiopia without seeing at least one!
Lake Ziwai
Lake Ziwai is well-known among birders as a place where fishermen unload their catch; and we were
impressed by the last number of species that inhabited the off-shore waters:
192. Spur-winged Goose, Plectropterus gambensis
193. Common Moorhen, Gallinula chloropus
194. Black-winged Stilt, Himantopus himantopus
195. Greater Flamingo, Ploenicopterus roseus – a large number of birds feeding, but at
some distance
196. African Spoonbill, Platalea alba
197. African Darter, Anhinga rufa -
198. Little Stint, Calidris minuta -
199. Temminck’s Stint, Calidris temminckii -
200. Common Sandpiper, Actitis hypoleucos -
201. Diderick Cuckoo, Chrysoccyx caprius – one heard calling form the neighbouring forest
202. Black Heron, Egretta ardesiaca – at least half dozen; some in distinctive fishing pose:
203. Great White Pelican, Pelecanus onocrotalus – common on the lake:
204. Plain Martin, Riperia riparia shoensis
205. White-winged Widowbird, Euplectes albonotatus – very common in small flocks
206. Yellow-billed Stork, Mycteria ibis – two juvenile birds resting on the lake shore:
With the afternoon wearing on, and me with a plane to catch back to Djibouti, we returned to Addis
Ababa, stopping only briefly at several roadside sites to pick up a few new species:
207. Long-crested Eagle, Lophaetus occipitalis
208. Chestnut Weaver, Ploceus rubiginosus – at Meki Town for a cold beer break
209. Saddle-billed Stork, Ephippiorhynchus senegalensis – a pair in a rice field
210. Goliath Heron, Ardea goliath – with the above species
211. Common Crane, Grus grus – we came across a large flock of birds on the outskirts of
Addis – probably preparing for their migration to Europe.
212. Rüppell’s Long-tailed Starling, Lamprotornis purpuroptera
Meseret deposited me at the airport right on time at 17:00. It had been a wonderful trip with
convivial company, comfortable lodgings and great birds. Plans are already afoot for another trip to
conquer the Somali region specialties…
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