A trip report by:
Michael Mills (1), Claire Spottiswoode (1), Duan Biggs (2),Gus Mills (3)
and Peter Osborn (4)
(1) Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology,
University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
(2) P.O.Box 106, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa
(3) Private Bag X402, Skukuza, 1350, South Africa
(4) Burns Farm, Fordyce, Banffshire, AB45 2DL, United Kingdom
Please
email Mike, Claire
or Duan for a print-friendly
Word version of this trip report
There is also a quicker-downloading, photo-free version on Mike's
web site
1.
Introduction
Pre-trip Planning - General Information - Water Supply - Food - Health
- Money - Accommodation - Climate - People - Time - Getting Around - Car
Hire - Travel Logistics - Flights - Public Busses - Taxis - Security -
Birds- Endemic Birds by Habitat- Useful Reading - Acknowledgements
PRE-TRIP
PLANNING
The members of our tour party changed quite considerably from the original
planning, and MM only finalised arrangements in October. Our group consisted
of four South Africans, namely Michael Mills, Gus Mills, Claire Spottiswoode
and Duan Biggs and one Brit, Peter Osborn. Michael started planning this
trip in about March of 1999. Gus had been invited to attend a workshop
entitled "Ethiopian Wolf Conservation Strategy Workshop - Charting
a future for Ethiopia's Afroalpine flagship". This was organised
by his friend, Dr Claudio Sillero (hereafter Claudio), in the Bale Mountains
National Park, Ethiopia, from 18-21 November 1999. It sounded like a perfect
opportunity to visit one of the African countries we wanted to travel
in most. Michael started reading up and planning an itinerary, and spread
the news amongst friends in order to find some travel companions. In particular,
Claudio helped tremendously in planning the trip, most especially with
car hire arrangements, for which we are most grateful.
GENERAL
INFORMATION
General travel and introductory topics are well covered in both the general
travel guides, the Bradt Guide by Phillip Briggs (1997 edition) and the
Spectrum Guide (1995 edition).
WATER
SUPPLY
One of our biggest hassles was taking in enough fluids, particularly in
Gambela. Non-carbonated mineral water is hard to find in Ethiopia, and
it may be wise to stock up when in Addis Ababa, where it is sold quite
widely, albeit at a price (min 1 USD per 1.5l bottle). Additionally, it
is advisable to have a reliable and efficient water purification device.
This was one thing we skimped on, an omission that we later bitterly regretted.
Chlorine tablets are fairly effective, but the taste is not very pleasant,
and good drinking water can make the world of difference to the enjoyment
of the trip. Inexpensive and widely available bottled drinks include beer,
carbonated mineral water (Ambo) and Pepsi, Mirinda and 7-Up, and the Coca-Cola
equivalents. A great change from these is freshly squeezed, cheap fruit
juice available at some bars and pastry shops, as well as excellent strong
and sweet black coffee and spicy tea.
FOOD
The Ethiopian stable, injera (a sour, thick pancake made of an endemic
grain, tef) and wat (a stew, usually spicy and containing meat - often
goat) seems to be available everywhere, and is cheap and filling, if not
to everyone's taste. Most of the cheap, small, private hotels also offered
pasta or other western dishes. The larger towns had pastry shops supplying
very good doughnuts, cakes and different types of bread. Highly recommended
are government hotels and the smarter, larger private hotels. They generally
serve excellent western meals such as a large plate of steak and chips
for between US$1 and US$2. The Ethiopia Hotel in Gambela was particularly
good.
HEALTH
Malaria occurs in the moister, lower-lying areas of Ethiopia, and we all
took prophylactics (Lariam). The sanitation related diseases Hepatitis
A and E, and typhoid occur widely, but taking the appropriate inoculations
can reduce the risk of contracting these diseases. A yellow fever vaccination
is compulsory, and a vaccination certificate must be submitted with your
visa application. While we were also fairly careful with what we ate and
drank, we still managed to pick up some nasty diseases between the five
of us. One of us came down with hepatitis A after returning to South Africa.
In retrospect, we were quite daft not to have had a Hepatitis A innoculation
before leaving. Briggs also has some good advice that should not be taken
lightly.
MONEY
The Ethiopian currency, the Birr, was trading at an exchange rate of 8.1
Birr to 1 US$ during Nov/Dec 1999. It is safest to take US$ travellers'
cheques and some cash. Money can be exchanged at any branch of the Commercial
Bank of Ethiopia and at some government hotels. Exchanging money was usually
a lengthy process, but we never encountered any unpleasantness. In our
experience the quickest place to exchange money was on arrival at the
airport. N.B. Departure tax is US$10 and has to be paid in US$ cash.
ACCOMMODATION
We used budget accommodation throughout our trip. Cheap hotels averaged
between US$2 and US$3 per night. If the first hotel we visited looked
uninhabitable, we generally found something slightly better after a look
around. We are particularly grateful to our driver Abebe in this regard.
At many of the hotels, especially those in more remote areas, hygiene
conditions were appalling. Camping out in the bush was more pleasant.
The Bradt guide contains information on all classes of accommodation.
Generally prices of upmarket accommodation change little, but smaller
and cheaper accommodation is a continuous state of flux, so information
may become quickly outdated. The driver of your vehicle is likely to have
good knowledge on which hotel best suit your requirements. The Debre Damo
Hotel (Asmara Road) in Addis Ababa provided for good, cheap accommodation
and excellent, friendly service. The only clean accommodation in Gambela
appears to be the rather expensive Ethiopia Hotel. The manager kindly
permitted us to camp in the hotel grounds, after a little persuasion,
allowing us to leave the spectacularly squalid hotel where we spent our
first few nights.
CLIMATE
Rain falls mainly from June to October, making road travel very difficult
at times. We are let to believe that the best time to visit for bird watching
is between September and December. We hardly encountered any rainy weather
except for brief showers at Debre Libanos and Gambela. The highlands have
a temperate climate and can get very cold at night, dropping well below
freezing in high-lying areas such as the Bale and Simien mountains. If
you are going to camp in the Bale mountains, warm gear is essential during
winter. The rift valley and lowlands are warm, even in winter, so take
suitable clothing. The western lowlands around Gambela are tropical and
unpleasantly humid and hot, even during the dry season. At night, temperatures
dropped little, making it very difficult to sleep. It is advisable to
take a mosquito net if planning to visit Gambela, or be prepared to pitch
your tent in your hotel room.
PEOPLE
On the whole people were incredibly friendly and helpful, though sometimes
so-called 'faranji hysteria' - excessive attention towards foreigners
- while usually good-natured, did hinder birding somewhat, particularly
at Debre Libanos, Nechisar and at a lake near Dire Dawa. Naturally, the
more popular tourist destinations attract very persistent beggars.
TIME
One of the first Ethiopian peculiarities we encountered was their different,
yet practical, time system. Ethiopian time runs on a twelve-hour clock,
staring at around sunrise (6 a.m.) and completing the first cycle at around
sunset (6 p.m.). Thus when dealing with locals you need to make sure that
you are referring to the same time - there is always six hours difference.
GETTING
AROUND
Car
Hire
We were very fortunate with car hire. Claudio kindly organised us a very
favourable deal for the first 23 days of the trip, of a Toyota Landcruiser
and driver from Rocky Valley Safaris in Addis Ababa. Our driver, Abebe
Sbesbe, was wonderful - not only an excellent driver, but also an extraordinary
Landcruiser mechanic, and a great personality with a marvellous sense
of humour. Abebe looked after his car (and us) very well. Although it
was fairly old, he kept it running smoothly for the full duration of the
trip, despite taking some very rough roads. After 23 days of travelling
with Abebe, we would strongly have recommend Rocky Valley Safaris, and
most particularly Abebe. Regrettably, and for reasons that remain unclear,
our trip caused much unhappiness with Rocky Valley Safaris and put us
in a position of great disfavour. Hence, we hesitate to recommend this
travel outfit to anyone wishing to arrange an expedition-style trip to
Ethiopia.
Travel Logistics
The road conditions in Ethiopia are generally very poor, and it essential
that any birding group hire a 4x4 if they intend to visit areas anywhere
off the main roads. Road repair was underway between Addis and Debre Zeyit
(and ultimately to Awasa and Djibouti), and between Addis and Jimma and
Addis and Woldiya. We generally found a 400km trip to be a whole day's
drive. It appears to be imperative to carry extra fuel containers as backup,
as often the supply of fuel is uncertain in the more remote areas. We
were however informed that fuel was far more widely available than it
had ever been before, and that things were steadily improving in this
regard. Road signs appeared to be virtually non-existent, and of course
in this respect Abebe's knowledge was invaluable. Our maps (a Michelin
Map of North-East Africa, and a government-printed map) were fairly accurate
but suffered from the evident limitations of their small scale.
Flights
The very modern and well-organised fleet of Ethiopian Airlines cover an
extensive network of internal flights. We took one internal flight, from
Addis to Gambela at US$100 per person, payable only in USD (travellers'
cheques accepted).
Public
Busses
Good information on the public bus service is available in the Bradt Guide.
Public busses are a very cheap way of getting around (about US$10 to travel
the 700km (3 days) from Gambela to Addis). We only used this form of transport
from Gambela to Addis. Due to the poor road conditions, the busses understandably
move slowly. The busses are full, but not at all overloaded, and those
we took were safely driven. We certainly found bus travel to be a great
way to soak up the cultural atmosphere of Ethiopia and talk to the locals.
Taxis We used local taxis in Jima and Addis Ababa. The minibus
taxis, which follow fixed routes, are much cheaper than the sedan taxis.
We found hotel staff in Addis Ababa to be very helpful with regards to
taxi routes.
SECURITY
During the time of our visit, the border dispute with Eritrea made the
extreme north of the country, including the historical area around Axum,
out of bounds. This region is of considerable historical interest, although
doesn't lie on the standard birding circuit. At the time of our visit,
was trouble with Somali bandits made the road from Bale to Negele (in
the south-east) out of bounds, and a trip down to Bogol Manyo (on the
Kenyan border) was also impossible , due to rebel activity from the Oromo
Liberation Front. Driving from Yavello towards Negelle, we were forbidden
to proceed beyond Melka Ghubda, thus precluding looking for two localised
endemics, Sidamo and Degodi Larks. The areas affected by banditry and
rebel activity presumably change quickly, so local advice should probably
be sought once in the country. Even if safety is not a problem, some of
the more remote areas, especially towards Somalia in the east, should
be visited with at least two vehicles. It would also be advisable to be
completely self-sufficient with respect to petrol and water. The situation
of unrest during our visit seemed well controlled. Abebe had the valuable
foresight to take us to the local authorities in Yabello to get a letter
of permission to travel eastwards towards where the OLF was active. There
were military roadblocks in this area of unrest, where officials informed
us of the situation and ultimately prevented us from entering certain
areas that were said to be dangerous. Incidentally, many men outside of
the large towns openly carry automatic weapons, although fortunately were
without exception friendly and welcoming!
BIRDS
About 840 species have been recorded in Ethiopia, of which about 30 are
endemic to Ethiopia and Eritrea. Most of these endemics are quite easy
to see (they are listed per habitat below), and are concentrated in the
central and southern parts of the country. Ethiopia also boasts numerous
near-endemics, which include Erckel's, Moorland and Chestnut-naped Francolins,
Sombre Rock-chat, Black-billed Woodhoopoe, White-winged Dove, Jubaland
Weaver, Somali Short-billed Crombec, Gillett's Lark, White-rumped Babbler
and Red-breasted Wheatear.
ENDEMIC BIRDS BY HABITAT Highland grasslands: Wattled Ibis, Blue-winged Goose, Rouget's
Rail, White-collared Pigeon, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Abyssinian Longclaw,
Black-headed Siskin Rocky areas and cliffs, mainly in the highlands: White-winged Cliff
Chat, White-billed Starling, Ruppell's Black Chat, and Thick-billed Raven Forests, mainly in the highlands: Yellow-fronted Parrot, Black-headed
Forest Oriole, Abyssinian Woodpecker, Black-winged Lovebird, White-cheeked
Turaco, Abyssinian Catbird, White-backed Tit, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher,
Banded Barbet. Other species:
Degodi Lark: Dry bushland around Bogol Manyo in the extreme southwest
Sidamo Lark: Open grassy savannah in the Negelle area, in the southwest
Stressman's Bush Crow and Whitetailed Swallow: Arid Acacia savannahs around
Yabello, in the far south
Salvadori Serin: discovered in 1980; restricted to the area around Sof
Amor, with recent records from the area between Negelle and Bogol Manyo
Ankober Serin: cliff faces and adjacent grasslands, mainly on the Ankober
Escarpment in the Ankober area
Harwood's Francolin: large river valleys in the central highlands; most
accessible along the Jemmu river
Ruspoli's Turaco: Remnant forest patches in the south of the country;
highly localised; best seen at Arero forest
Nechisar Nightjar: one specimen collected as a roadkill from the Nechisar
National Park.
USEFUL
READING
The two bird books we had on the trip were Ber van Perlo's Illustrated
Checklist of the Birds of Eastern Africa and Zimmerman, Turner and
Pearson's Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania. Although van Perlo
was great to have as it is the only book to illustrate all of Ethiopia's
birds, it contains numerous inaccuracies. The distribution maps are understandably
approximate, but were nonetheless extremely helpful. Zimmerman et al.
was great to have on the trip. Whenever there was confusion, Zimmerman
et al. solved the problem. The illustrations were generally very accurate,
and the text superb. An excellent publication that gives detailed vegetation
information as well as more background on the areas and good birding info
is Important Bird Areas of Ethiopia: a first inventory by Tilahun,
Edwards, and Wgziabher, and published by the Ethiopian Wildlife and Natural
History Society (1996). Wheatley's Where to Watch birds in Africa
(Helm, 1995) gives only very brief overview of the main sites. Additionally,
we consulted three very helpful trip reports: Shirihai & Francis,
Baha El Din & Baha El Din, and the classic by Webb et al.
We took both the Bradt Guide to Ethiopia by Phillip Briggs (1997
edition) and the Spectrum Guide to Ethiopia (1995 edition) on our
trip. The Bradt guide offered excellent practical information on where
to stay and eat and how to get around, whereas the Spectrum guide generally
gave better information on vegetation, rainfall, geography and history.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This trip would have been impossible without the help of many people.
We would especially like to thank Dr Claudio Sillero of the Ethiopian
Wolf Conservation Programme and of Oxford University for his extremely
generous help and hospitality. We are also very grateful to our excellent
driver, Abebe Sbesbe of Rocky Valley Safaris. Steve Rooke
of Sunbird kindly provided us with information and lent us a trip report
when we met him in Wondo Genet, and Prof. Rolf de By (The Netherlands)
and Dr Peter Ryan (South Africa) assisted us with references before
our trip. We're also grateful to Drs Roger Safford and Nigel
Cleere (U.K.) for identifying our Star-spotted Nightjar photos from
Nechisar, and to Louis A. Hansen (Denmark) for providing further
references about Gambela.
Detailed
Itinerary
DAY 1: 14 NOVEMBER (ADDIS TO JEMMU RIVER VALLEY
VIA SOLULTA PLAINS)
We four South Africans arrived in Addis Ababa early on the 14th, after
our seven-hour flight from Johannesburg. Abebe (our driver) met us at
Bole International Airport with our hired vehicle. We went straight to
the Debre Damo Hotel in Asmara Road (recommended by Claudio), where we
made bookings for later in the trip, and they kindly allowed us to leave
some supplies for the Gambela section of our trip in their storeroom.
In the hotel yard we notched up the first of our lifers, Brown-rumped
serin. After visiting a supermarket to get some basic supplies, including
bottled, non-carbonated water, we headed northwards out of Addis towards
Debre Libanos. We made our first stop for a walk on the Solulta Plains,
after about 30km. Amongst the many common species we found the only Ortolan
bunting of the trip. Other species of note included a large flock of Black-winged
plovers, and five endemics namely Black-headed siskin, Abyssinian longcalw,
Blue-winged goose, Wattled ibis and White-collared pigeon. Further on
we found our first Common cranes feeding in small flocks in the grasslands,
and had a Lammergeyer pass low over the car. At the town of Muka Turi
, we turned eastwards and headed towards the spectacular Jemmu river valley.
Half-way down the descent into the valley, we stopped near a large white
cliff face on the left-hand side of the road. Here we were rewarded with
Ruepell's black chat, Hemprich's hornbill, White-billed starling and Abyssinian
black wheatear. On reaching the valley floor we headed straight to the
Jemmu river, stopping on the way for Speckle-fronted weaver and African
silverbill in agricultural lands. We spent the last hour of daylight birding
around the bridge at the river. At dusk we continued on to Alem Katema,
one hour's drive further. We stayed in a cheap hotel at Alem Katema on
Abebe's recommendation, although it may in retrospect have been more pleasant
to camp at the Jemmu River.
DAY
2: 15 NOVEMBER (JEMMU RIVER TO ADDIS VIA DEBRE LIBANOS)
Up at about 4:30, we left for the Jemmu River arriving just before sunrise.
Our main target bird here was the highly localised endemic, Harwood's
francolin. We crossed the bridge and followed the road for about 100m.
At about 7am we heard the first francolins calling a long way upstream.
We left the road and made our way to the river's bank. After about 30
minutes we located an individual on a rocky outcrop in the middle of the
river, from where it was calling. We managed to get good views, and later
saw one calling from an exposed branch on the edge of some adjacent cultivated
fields, and one walking in the open in the riverbed. Other birds seen
during the course of the morning, along the river and in the surrounding
vegetation, included Vinaceous dove, Grey-headed batis, Montagu's harrier,
Black-billed barbet, Nubian shrike, Crimson-rumped waxbill and Bush petronia.
After a few hours we made our way back to the main Addis - Bahar Dar road,
stopping for Blue-breasted bee-eater and Nyanza swift at the "white
cliffs" along the escarpment. On reaching the road we turned northwards
and continued on to Debre Libanos, stopping along the way to admire a
troop of Gelada baboons for an hour or so. Soon after arrival it started
to rain quite heavily, so we waited a while till the storm had passed.
After paying our entrance fee to the local pastor, we made our way into
the surrounding forests. Here we notched up Rufous-chested sparrowhawk,
White-cheecked tauraco, Singing cisticola, Abyssinian slaty flycatcher,
White-backed tit, Lemon dove, Slender-billed starling, Banded barbet (a
pair in a fig tree along the small stream just below the monastery - they
were nesting just above the showers) and Black-headed forest oriole. Before
returning to Addis we made a brief stop at the Portuguese Bridge, were
we had rather distant views of White-winged cliff chat, and Blue rock
thrush. After dark we made our way back to Addis (about three hours),
where we spent the night in the Debre Damo Hotel.
Male Gelada Baboon near Debre Libanos
DAY
3: 16 NOVEMBER (DEBRE ZEYIT, LAKES ZIWAY AND LANGANO AND WONDO GENET)
We started early on our way to Sheshemene, making various birding stops
along the way. The first of these was at Lake Hora, Debre Zeyit. The most
interesting species here were Bruce's green pigeon and Gull-billed tern.
Our next stop was at Lake Ziway, where African pygmy goose was the most
notable of our finds. Between Lakes Ziway and Langano we took a short
walk in some good looking woodland, and were rewarded with Black-billed
woodhoopoe, Northern black tit, Lesser whitethroat and many others. Shortly
afterwards we saw the first of many groups of Abyssinian ground hornbill.
The grounds of the Wabe Shabele Hotel at Lake Langano, produced numerous
roosting Slender-tailed nightjars, Little weaver and Little rock thrush.
We then made our way to Wondo Genet, not far from Sheshemene, were we
birded in the late afternoon. At Sheshemene we saw our first impressively
equipped Thick-billed raven. The Wondo Genet hotel grounds were unproductive
so we made our way up to the quarry, stopping on the way to admire Abyssinian
ground thrush on the open forest floor, and a single Black-winged lovebird
perched on top of a tree. The forested gorge above the quarry produced
our main target species, Yellow-fronted parrot. Their shrieks revealed
their presence and we managed to locate a number of birds, including a
pair coming out of their nest hole. We spent the night in the "Abyccinia
Hotel" in the nearby village and had quite a good meal at the Wondo
Genet Hotel. Whilst having dinner there we were fortunate to meet up with
the Sunbird group lead by Steve Rooke, who kindly gave us some useful
information, including the Shirihai & Francis trip report.
DAY
4: 17 NOVEMBER (LONG-EARED OWL, AND DINSHO, BALE MOUNTAINS NP)
We started early and were treated to a lovely Golden jackal along the
road near Shashemene. We made a few birding stops on the way to Dinsho,
headquarters of the Bale Mountains National Park (BMNP). One was at the
well-known African long-eared owl stakeout (at the rectangular stand of
Eucalyptus trees, 53km towards Goba from the Goba turn-off Shashemene),
and others for roadside views of Mountain Nyala, Rouget's rail and Red-billed
Chough. Claudio Sillero was at the park headquarters to meet us and showed
us where to set up camp. We spent the afternoon birding in the forest
around the park headquarters, finding Menelik's bushbuck, Abyssinian ground
thrush, White-backed tit, noisy groups of Abyssinian catbird, Chestnut-naped
francolin and Brown woodland warbler. In the late afternoon one of Claudio's
colleagues kindly took us to a nearby Ethiopian wolf den. Here we were
treated to views of two cubs and two adults, with Stout cisticola and
a single Serval cat only briefly arresting our attention. On the way back
to Dinsho, after dark, we flushed two Montane nightjars from the road.
Ethiopian Wolf
DAY
5: 18 NOVEMBER (DINSHO AND WEB VALLEY, BMNP)
We spent the early morning around the park headquarters. Cinnamon bracken
warblers skulked in the thick scrub, and a pair of Mountain buzzards was
also present in the area. During the rest of the morning we sat in on
the beginning of the wolf workshop, where we learnt a great deal about
the problems facing the conservation of the Ethiopian wolf. In the afternoon
the workshop started in earnest, so we headed up into the Web Valley (25km
SW of Dinsho, at 3500m altitude). The scenery was spectacular, and equally
so the birds and other animals, which included Abyssinian hyrax, Starck's
hare and numerous Ethiopian wolves. Carefully checking all the eagles
in the area, we managed to find one individual of Africa's only known
Golden eagle breeding population. Spot-breasted plovers and Rouget's rail
were fairly numerous on the open meadows, and we also saw a pair of Wattled
cranes with a large chick. As it was getting late a pair of Moorland francolin
crossed the road in front of us to round off a most enjoyable afternoon.
Once back at the park headquarters we met up with the fifth member of
our group, PO, who had just arrived from England. At night we heard, from
the camp site, Montane nightjar and African wood owl calling.
DAY
6: 19 NOVEMBER (SOF OMAR) We got off to an early start for the long (time-wise)
drive to Sof Omar, about 140 km east of Dinsho. We made a few stops along
the road where we spotted birds such as White-rumped babbler, and where
some bridge reconstruction was necessary. Our most significant stop en
route was made about 20km before Sof Omar, that produced, amongst others,
Dodson's bulbul (Pycnonotus barbartus dodsoni), Somali golden-breasted
bunting, Nightingale, Olivaceous warbler and Northern grey tit, and a
putative Salvadori's serin (very brief views). On reaching the edge of
the dry river valley at Sof Omar we got out and walked down the road to
the riverbed. On the way we were rewarded with a pair of Brown-tailed
chats on the road verge. However, we didn't dawdle, as we could hear serins
calling from the Acacias in the riverbed below. On reaching the riverbed
the serins stopped calling for a while and our attention was shifted to
Shining sunbird, Pygmy batis and a number of more common species. Shortly
the serins started calling again, and we managed to track them down, confirming
them to be the highly localised Salvadori's serin. At first they frustrated
us, showing only for poor views, but after a bit of persistence we all
obtained very good views. After having a quick but highly recommendable
look at the mystical caves (not an easy task to negotiate as the locals
were in discord since the previous chief had passed away recently), we
started on the long drive back to Dinsho. The most notable sighting on
the way back was a strikingly graceful male Pallid harrier.
The Sanetti Plateau from Mt Tullu Deemtu
(4337m), Bale Mountains National Park
DAY
7: 20 NOVEMBER (SANETTI PLATEAU AND HARENNA FOREST)
After some discussions the night before, we had to make a slight change
in plan and decided to go to the Harenna forest for the night. To be able
to do this we needed a guide. We left around 11am, as we could only inform
the parks officials of our intent in the morning. En route to Harenna
we crossed the Sanetti plateau where the crisp air, icy cold lakes and
giant lobelias treated us to a highly memorable visual display. Ruddy
shelducks, Pintail and Shoveller added some colour to the waters, and
we also saw another Golden eagle near Mt Tullu Deemtu, the highest peak
in southern Ethiopia (4337m). On the southern side of the plateau we started
descending through the various zones of vegetation such as giant heath
forest, bamboo forest etc. After we had descended some way we took a suitable
track and found a spot along a stream where we could set up camp. It was
already getting dark so there was little time for birding. After dark
we went for a fairly uneventful night drive, with African civet being
our most interesting find, and a leopard called close to our camp all
night.
Giant Lobelias on the Sanetti Plateau
DAY
8: 21 NOVEMBER (HARENNA FOREST AND SANETTI PLATEAU)
At sunrise we started birding along the main road through the forest.
During the morning we saw a number of forest species, but the highlight
was undoubtedly African hill babbler, which was often heard calling from
the mid- and lower-strata. CS also saw Narina trogon, and a Grey woodpecker
us caused some confusion as it did not show the ostensibly characteristic
barring on the wing and tail edges, which distinguish it from the similar,
but absent, Olive woodpecker. At around midday GM and some of the other
"workshoppers" met us briefly for lunch and a bit of birding.
After lunch we ascended onto the Sanetti plateau, where were fortunate
to see two solitary Ethiopian wolves hunting for small mammals. In the
juniper-Hagenia forest just on the Sanetti side of the juniper plantations
just south of Gobe, we stopped for a short while, and quickly managed
to track down our target species, Abyssinian woodpecker, as well as plenty
of Abyssinian catbirds, White-backed tits and Cinnamon bracken warblers.
As it started getting dark, we headed back to Dinsho.
The Harenna forest, Bale Mountains National
Park
DAY
9: 22 NOVEMBER (DINSHO TO AGERE MARYAM)
After we bade Claudio and others goodbye, we headed back into the rift
valley, stopping en route for PO to tick African long-eared owl. Our initial
plan was to stop for the night at Awasa and bird around the lake. However,
as we were approaching Awasa the weather looked poor, so we decided to
press on southwards. We reached Agere Maryam some time after dark, and
spent the night in a rather dingy hotel (with a red light at the front
door!). The day was noteworthy for its lack of birds. Grey-backed fiscal
near Awasa was the most interesting.
Peter, Gus, Claire, Duan, Abebe and
Mike, just north of Yavello
DAY
10: 23 NOVEMBER (YAVELLO AREA)
A much better day than the previous. We continued south towards Yavello,
making our first stop on reaching more open, dry country. Here we were
rewarded with Spotted morning warbler, Shelley's starling, Common rock-thrush
and numerous others. A superb Green-backed eremomela was a welcome surprise.
A bit further, a yell of STOP-STOP-STOP brought us an abrupt halt near
a pair of startlingly woodhoopoe-shaped (in profile!) Golden-breasted
starlings, on top of an acacia. Further south, about 50 km out of Yavello,
the interesting flight pattern of White-crowned starling caused us to
stop, accompanied by our first Stresseman's bush crow. During the rest
of our time in the area we saw many more. At Yavello we had a good lunch
at the Star Restaurant found a suitable hotel for the night and then paid
a visit to the local administration offices, where Abebe obtained for
us a letter which allowed us to move freely through the area. It was worth
the wait, not only for Barefaced go-away, but also because the letter
was invaluable when we later needed to get through some official roadblocks.
After sorting all this out we headed back northwards for about 10 km before
turning right onto the well-signposted Did-tuyara Ranch track, where we
hoped to find White-tailed swallow. On the way we found Kori Bustard on
the side of the road. At the housing complex (about 3 km from the main
road) we were granted permission to do some birding on the ranch. We took
the left-hand fork beyond the houses and drove down into an acacia-filled
valley. Bush birds abound and we saw the first Blue-naped mousebirds and
Orange-bellied parrots of the trip. We were also rewarded with our main
target, White-tailed swallow, when DB spotted a single individual some
distance away, flying over the woodland. Although the bird was quite far
away, the light was excellent and we obtained good views. Other notable
species seen here were Stresseman's Bush-Crow, Red-necked falcon and Black-bellied
Korhaan. We then returned to our hotel in Yavello just before dark.
Bush-crow habitat at Did-tuyara
DAY
11: 24 NOVEMBER (YAVELLO TO ARERO FOREST)
We left Yavello at sunrise, first popping into Steve Rooke's site for
White-tailed swallow, but without success. We had to make do with Chestnut
sparrow and Rosy-patched shrike. We then headed for Arero, stopping along
the way if we saw something of interest. In the roadside thorn-veld we
found Kirk's dik-dik, Tiny cisticola, Pale prinia, Banded parisoma, Black-faced
waxbill and numerous others. On reaching Arero we obtained permission
to visit the nearby forest. After passing a small patch of Juniper-Olive
forest just north of Arero, we passed through a more open area where we
found Black-capped sociable weaver and Black woodhoopoe. We however pushed
on to the main forest where we hoped to find the highly localised Ruspoli's
Tauraco. A 1991 article (including a good map) by Yilma Dellelegn (Walia
13: 29-35) was very helpful here. After travelling some distance into
the forest, we made a stop and walked a while. Shortly afterwards a tauraco
was spotted in a roadside Juniper. The bird was elusive and we chased
after it for some time, only glimpsing it, but its white crest indicated
that it was most definitely Ruspoli's. Not satisfied with our views we
continued a short while on and were soon rewarded with excellent views
of a single bird, giving an intriguing almost squirrel-like rattling call.
Once the bird had moved off we reassessed our situation. In order to get
an early start the next morning we decided to head back towards Arero
and camp nearby in the forest. We picked a roadside campsite on a road
branching off to the left of the main road, seeing a pair of Lesser Kudu
along the way.
DAY
12: 25 NOVEMBER (ARERO TO MELKA GHUBA AND BACK TO WACHILE)
We started on the very poor road to Melka Ghuba at around 6 am. Our first
stop produced Abyssinian scimitarbill and Pringle's puffback. Thankfully
we joined up with a much better new road which goes via Wachile. About
200m after joining the new road we stopped where there was a clearing
from the roadworks on the right hand side. A flowering Erythrina tree
hosted a number of sunbird species, including Hunter's, Shining and Eastern
violet-backed. While mimicking a Pearl-spotted owl I managed to attract
a number of birds, such as Pringle's puffback, into a nearby bush. Suddenly
a black-and-white Laniarius shrike popped out of the foliage and training
my binoculars on it I saw flashed of red behind the head as it hopped
agitatedly around - Red-naped bush shrike! Unfortunately it didn't stay
long and we were left with the feeling that we could have had better views.
We pushed on to Wachile, spotting Ethiopian swallow when we had to stop
at a checkpoint in Wachile village. We stopped for breakfast soon after
Wachile and found Black-throated barbet and Eastern yellow-billed hornbill.
A bit later we had Brown-necked raven overhead. Between Hudat (Black-capped
Sociable Weaver in the village) and Melka Ghuba we made a quick stop and
found Somali long-billed crombec and Yellow-vented eremomela. By the time
we reached Melka Ghuba it was already hot and there was little bird activity.
We went into town and were told at the checkpoint that we could go no
further, for safety reasons. We returned to the vicinity of the river
and worked hard to find Three-streaked tchagra, Red-fronted warbler and
Rufous bush chat in the low scrub. DB also found Heuglin's courser. However,
we could not find White-winged dove anywhere. As we were about to turn
back to Wachile at about 4pm, CS spotted a dove perched on top of a tree
across the river. It took flight and we could clearly see the white in
the wing. We decided to stay a short while longer and were soon rewarded
with nearby views. In good spirits, we headed back for Wachile. After
a few kilometres we were elated to find a flock of Vulturine guineafowl
on the roadside - our only group of the trip. As time was running low
we sped back to Wachile without stopping and set up camp a few kilometres
beyond the village.
DAY
13: 26 NOVEMBER (WACHILE TO KONSO)
At sunrise we started on our way to Yavello. We made a few stops along
the way, but saw nothing of particular interest. We stopped for breakfast
at the Red-naped bush shrike spot, hoping to locate it again. I heard
a species of Laniarius calling in the nearby bushes and it proved to be
our bird. We were treated to superb views of this secretive species as
it skulked around the thick vegetation. A few hundred metres down the
road we located Bare-eyed thrush and, some time later, White-bellied canary
and a Heuglin's courser roadkill. We reached Yavello around midday, stopping
for a leisurely lunch before continuing to Konso. The first section of
the Konso road was very good and we quickly completed the first 80 km.
However the last 40 km stretch was in poor condition and we had to move
slowly. Along this stretch we spotted a single Lichtenstein's sandgrouse
sheltering in the shade of a bush, but not much else. The scenery was
however spectacular and it was special to see the ancient agricultural
techniques of the locals. We reached Konso just before dark and checked
into the hotel on the left-hand side of the road, just before the traffic
circle.
DAY
14: 27 NOVEMBER (KONSO TO NECHISAR NP, ARBA MINCH)
We spent the morning visiting some of the local villages with a guide,
Alemitou, from the Konso Culture Office. At around 10am we headed through
rolling hills to Arba Minch, stopping briefly for a roadside view of Woodchat
shrike, African openbill and White-headed vulture. We had an excellent
lunch at Rosa's restaurant, and stocked up of pastries before entering
Nechisar NP. We paid our entrance and camping fees at the park headquarters
and obtained permission to do a night drive. It is important to note that
the park entrance fee is for single entry only. For example, if we wanted
to go back to Arba Minch for a meal we would have to pay to re-enter!
The park officials also wanted us to take a guide. As we didn't have any
room and saw no need for it, we insisted that Abebe was our guide and
that he knew his way around the reserve. They seemed happy with this,
so we went to set up camp in the groundwater forest along the Kulfo river.
By the time we had done this it was almost dark and there wasn't much
time for birding. The most interesting record was a Yellowbill calling
from just across the river, and Freckled nightjar and Verreaux's eagle
owl calling after dark.
The Nechisar Plains
DAY
15: 28 NOVEMBER (NECHISAR NP)
The first two hours were spent birding along the forest edge adjacent
to the river. It was a very frustrating morning - Double-toothed barbet
flashed overhead, Bruce's green pigeon was heard only, and we could not
locate Banded wattle-eye which was calling nearby. PO saw Half-collared
kingfisher along the river, but not much else. As it was a weekend, a
number of local children were in the reserve, and a group of them took
to following us around very noisily, hindering our bird-watching and causing
much irritation. Somewhat fed up with them we left for the Nechisar plains,
crossing the spectacular "bridge of heaven" along the way. Perched
on a tree on the banks of Lake Abaya was a single Osprey, and in the bush
we found a small flock of Chestnut weavers. On the plains were herds of
Grant's gazelle, Plains zebra and Swayne's hartebeest. For lunch we made
our way to the shores of Lake Chamo, passing herds of cattle and small
settlements on the way. Settlement by locals seems to be a big problem
in most of the reserves we entered in Ethiopia, although it is illegal.
The area around Lake Chamo was particularly heavily settled, and although
we did see a Long-legged buzzard we decided to head for the hot springs
for a more peaceful lunch. We spent the heat of the day in the shade along
the Semale River, where we saw Scaly-throated honeyguide. A quick visit
to the hot springs produced nothing of great birding note, and we decided
to head back onto the plains. Heading towards the "Bridge to heaven"
we turned right onto a track just beyond the plains. There were few birds
around, but the scenery was breathtaking and we thoroughly enjoyed the
sunset from our vantage point. Once it was dark we took out the spotlight
and our camera gear. The first few nightjars we saw were all Slender-tailed.
After a short while we saw a small dark nightjar in the road in the road.
From what we could see, it was definitely different. I connected the spotlight
to my portable battery, and CS and I slowly made our way towards the bird.
CS took a few photos while I held the spotlight. She then took the spotlight,
making her way to its front, while I stalked around the back. I then got
close enough to throw my jacket over it and pick it up. We checked the
wing and tail pattern with all the nightjars illustrated in Van Perlo
and Zimmerman. None except for Star-spotted matched, but it is meant to
have two conspicuous patches on the throat which our bird lacked. After
taking photographs and field notes, we released it. Once back home it
was positively identified as Star-spotted with the help of Roger Safford
and Nigel Cleere; please also see the following publication: Mills, M.
& Spottiswoode, C. 2000 Photospot: Star-spotted Nightjar. African
Bird Club Bulletin 7(2): 141-143.) We then continued on back to camp.
We saw many nightjars, but all were Slender-tailed, and by the end of
the evening we had seen 21. Lions roared around out tents all night; we
also heard African wood Owl calling and, some distance downstream, a Pel's
Fishing Owl.
Star-spotted Nightjar
DAY
16: 29 NOVEMBER (NECHISAR TO AWASA TO LANGANO)
Once again we birded in the forest along the river around our campsite.
This time we had much better luck, having good views of Double-toothed
barbet, African thrush and Banded wattle-eye. At about 09h00 we left Nechisar
NP and headed towards Sheshemene, and then onto Awasa. We arrived at Wabe
Shabele Hotel No. 2 in the early afternoon, and birded the gardens and
lake frontage. The most interesting species seen were Black egret, Fawn-breasted
waxbill (one sub-adult), Hunter's sunbird, Black-winged lovebird, Scaly-throated
honeyguide, Gull-billed tern and Banded barbet. There were also large
flocks of Silvery-cheeked hornbill in the fruiting fig trees, together
with a few Violet-backed starlings. We then moved onto Hotel 1 to try
and find a Spotted creeper for PO, which we managed to do successfully,
as well as a single Blue-headed coucal. After dark we drove to Lake Langano
where we pitched tent at the excellent camp site (hot showers included)
of the Bekele Mola Hotel.
DAY
17: 30 NOVEMBER (LANGANO TO DEBRE BIRHAN VIA ADDIS)
Up early for some birding around the lake, we made for the area where
we had heard thick-knees calling during the night - they proved to be
Senegal. We saw a good number of species, including Northern black tit,
White-winged cliff chat, Abyssinian black wheatear, Banded barbet, African
pygmy kingfisher, but only Ruppel's weaver was new for us. We then drove
directly to Addis, seeing en route Common crane, Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse
and Chestnut sparrow, and arrived at midday. After visiting the Ethiopia
Airways office and shopping for supplies, we had a superb lunch at the
nearby Ras Hotel. Leaving Addis we headed north to Debre Birhan. Arriving
after dark, we spent the night at the very pleasant Hellen Hotel.
Escarpment near Ankober
DAY
18: 1 DECEMBER (TO METAHARA/AWASH VIA ANKOBER AND MELKA GHEBDU RIVER)
Up early again, we headed straight for Ankober, stopping along the way
for White-winged cliff chat (9.8km from the Helen Hotel in Debre Birhan).
We didn't spend too much time as we wanted to get to the spots where other
groups had seen Ankober serin. We spent a good few hours walking along
the cliffs, and in the adjacent grasslands and cultivated fields where
others had had success. Luck was however not on our side, and we left
Ankober only at midday without having found our target species. Our rewards
included a flight view of Erckel's francolin along the escarpment, Lammergeier,
White-winged Cliff Chat just below Ankober village, and other highland
species such as Blue Rock Thrush, Verreaux' Eagle and Ruppell's Black
Chat. We continued past Ankober and down the escarpment, making our next
stop at Melka Ghebdu River (there is no village!). In the first tree we
stopped under was a calling serin. We managed to locate it and it proved
to be the highly localised Yellow-throated. We saw a number of individuals
in the acacias along the river, as well as Yellow-breasted barbet. (Francis
and Shirihai write in their trip report that Yellow-throated serin may
in fact be a hybrid between Yellow-rumped and White-bellied. The amount
of yellow and its positioning of the chest/breast/throat varied quite
a lot between the different individuals we saw, adding strength to this
argument.) We then moved on towards Awash, knowing that we had a lot of
driving still to do. After some time we passed through an area of dry
thorn scrub and made stops for Hamadryas baboon (a wonderful animal),
three separate Arabian bustards, Eurasian wryneck, Common ostrich, Great
grey shrike and Egyptian vulture. As we continued the track became progressively
less distinct, and we started losing our way. We obtained directions form
a number of the local Afar people, but only on our fourth were we successful.
By the time we were put back on the correct route it was already getting
dark and we still had some distance to cover, so we were reluctant to
stop. We flushed many nightjars off the road, and also saw a single Violet-tipped
courser, a seldom-recorded species in Ethiopia. We arrived at Metahara
at about 21h00 and checked into one of the numerous hotels. Although the
trip between Ankober and Awash/Metahara provided fantastic scenery and
some very good birding, it clearly has its risks. Webb et al. were, by
their own admittance, lucky to find their way as easily as they did, and
we were informed by locals that the previously most direct road to Awash
had washed away and was impassable. The condition of the road is very
poor, and careful consideration should be made about taking this route.
An obvious advantage would be to have a driver whom had done the trip
before, but even so, allowance should be made for a full day to complete
this trip.
The road from Ankober to Awash
DAY
19: 2 DECEMBER (AWASH NP: AWASH RIVER AND PLAINS) We drove eastwards from Metahara, completing the 40km
trip to the entrance of Awash NP by 06h30. Our aim was to go straight
to Mount Fentalle, but to do so we needed a guide. Unfortunately there
were no guides available at the time, so we organised to pick a guide
up early the next morning, and decided to bird the Awash plains and Awash
River instead. Before reaching the open grasslands, we passed an area
interspersed with bush. Here Ashy cisticola was common, and we saw a number
of Straw-tailed whydahs in breeding plumage. Our first stop on the grasslands
was made when we saw some small larks flying around adjacent to the road.
After repeatedly flushing the birds and finally having one perch briefly
on top of a bush, we positively identified them as Singing bush lark.
Not long afterwards we started seeing Red-winged larks perched on the
isolated bushes scattered across the plains. Amazed by the grace and elegance
of African swallow-tailed kite, which was hunting over the grasslands,
and Somali fiscal perched on top of acacias, we slowly made our way to
the Awash River. We spent most of the day in this area, only going to
Kereyou lodge around midday for some drinks. Frustratingly we saw very
little in the area, the highlights being Thrush nightingale, Bruce's green
pigeon, Banded wattle-eye in the thickets along the river. We drove back
to the entrance gate to be out by 6:30 pm and enquired about the possibility
of taking a night drive in the area; unfortunately, we were refused permission
to do so. Instead, we drove back to Metahara and continued on for about
15km, and took a track leaving the road soon after crossing the railway.
We drove along for about 10 km, without seeing a single nightjar, and
so decided to cut our losses and head back to Metahara. Mammals at Awash
included Soemmering's gazelle and Beisa oryx on the plains and Lesser
kudu and Salt's dik-dik in the thicker bush.
DAY
20: 3 DECEMBER (AWASH NP (MOUNT FENTALE) TO HIRNA)
We met our guard at the entrance to Awash NP at 06h00, and headed straight
for Mount Fantalle, approaching from the west of Metahara. Just west of
Metahara the main road passes through Lake Beseka on the lava flow from
Mount Fantalle's 1820 eruption. We stopped here briefly to admire a pale
grey Western Reef Heron, a rare inland vagrant to Ethiopia. We reached
the rim of the crater at about 09h00 (10km from the main road, before
it really heated up. Boran cisticola was common in the surrounding bush,
their distinctive calls revealing their presence. I (MM) then walked along
the crater rim, to the right of where we parked, in the hope of finding
Sombre rock chat. All I could find was a single Fox kestrel flying along
the rim of the crater, giving great views of its upper-, and under-wings.
Without finding the rock chat I returned to the car. We were just about
to leave when a group of chats was spotted some way down the crater rim,
directly below where we had parked at 1560m a.s.l. Scoping them we confirmed
them to be Sombre rock chat. Happily we descended, stopping en route for
another pair of Sombre rock chat at 1250m. On reaching the base of the
mountain we flushed some larks from beside the track. After careful observation
we confirmed them to be Gillett's. Previous groups have reported them
from the Awash plains, but according to Zimmerman et al., they are birds
of hard stony ground and sparse thorn-country, and not grasslands. This
type of habitat abounds on the lower slopes of Mount Fentalle, and it
may be worthwhile checking this area for Gillett's in the future. Lastly
we saw a group of vultures around a carcass shortly after the junction
with the road north from , including 5 Egyptians and Lappet-faced. We
then started on the long journey to Harer in the east. Some 60km east
of Awash we stopped along a narrow, steep-sided stream where a pair of
Bristle-crowned starlings were perched on the telephone/power line. We
arrived at Hirna just after dark, and spent the night here.
The rim of the crater at Mount Fantalle
DAY
21: 4 DECEMBER (TO HARER VIA DIRE DAWA)
We drove straight from Hirna to Dire Dawa without stopping. The habitat
in this area was quite different, so we continued past Dire Dawa for about
5km towards Somalia. Along a dry gully we found Blackstart, and on the
edge on an adjacent field, Somali fiscal. We then returned to Dire Dawa
for lunch at the Ras Hotel (Upcher's warbler in the gardens), and thereafter
dropped PO off for his flight back to Addis. Then onto Harer, stopping
along the way at a large lake 4km east of the Dire Dawa turn-off, which
held Garganey, Pintail, Shoveller, Eurasian wigeon, Black-tailed godwit
and Little ringed plover. We spent the afternoon visiting the historically
fascinating city of Harer, and in the evening were treated to a hyaena
feeding ceremony by the famous "Hyaena-Man" of Harer, an event
that was particularly meaningful to GM.
The hyena-man of Harar
DAY
22: 5 DECEMBER (HARER TO AWASH)
This was a day of a lot of driving and little birding. Nothing noteworthy
was seen, other than Bristle-crowned starling at the roadside. It took
all day to drive from Harer to Awash.
Giant Phasmid near Dire Dawa
DAY
23: 6 DECEMBER (AWASH TO ADDIS VIA DEBRE ZEYIT AND AKAKI WETLANDS)
Passing Lake Beseka, we saw Western reef heron again. Driving straight
to Debre Zeyit, we visited Lakes Bishoftu (Tufted duck and Booted eagle),
Bishoftu Guda (Black-billed barbet) and Cheleleka (Red-billed teal and
Great crested grebe). Thereafter we visited Akaki wetlands, about 30km
south of Addis. Unfortunately most of the lakes were on the far side of
the river, so we could not get close enough to identify most birds. We
did however see quite a few Black-crowned cranes. We spent the night at
Debre Damo Hotel, and had a farewell dinner for Abebe and GM, who was
returning to South Africa the following day.
Egyptians Plovers in Gambela
DAY
24: 7 DECEMBER (ADDIS TO GAMBELA)
GM flew to South Africa, and MM, CS and DB took the thrice-weekly flight
to Gambela, stopping in Jima. Coming in to land at Gambela the sky was
very hazy from the smoke of many bush fires, but we could see that extensive
woodlands covered the area. We managed to hitch a lift to the Ethiopia
Hotel in Gambela (about 15km) on an aid vehicle, as there is no formal
transport between the two. We enquired about camping, but the receptionist
said that it was under no circumstances possible to camp at the hotel.
Disappointed, we went to the Tourist Hotel, where we spent the first three
nights. (However, the noise from the bar, heat of the rooms and filthy
ablution facilities made things very unpleasant. Eventually we returned
to the Ethiopia Hotel and were permitted to camp after speaking to the
manager - to whom we are most grateful, as this was a vast improvement
and made the last few days of our stay far more pleasant!) Our first destination
was the National Parks office, where we had been given the name of someone
who could give us advice. As we were crossing the bridge over the filthy
little stream that runs through town, I heard CS behind me exclaim "EGYPTIAN
PLOVER"! Rendering us almost speechless was a trio of plovers on
the squalid bank below. We moved off the bridge (Steve Rooke had told
us that people had been arrested for birding from the main bridge in Gambela)
and enjoyed views of these splendid birds in their filthy surrounds -
quite a contrast. Each time we crossed the bridge during our stay we kept
a special look out for them, but only saw them on three other occasions.
We then proceeded to the park office to track down our contact. He was,
however, very elusive and although we visited two different offices about
five times each, we never found our man. Before it got dark we walked
out of town along the Itang/Dembidolo road, quickly notching up Little
green bee-eater and Brown-backed woodpecker before it got dark.
The Gambela-Dembidolo road
DAYS
25-29: 8-12 DECEMBER (GAMBELA)
During our time at Gambela we managed to cover the area near the town
quite extensively on foot and by hired bicycle. We'll deal with this area
section by section, but for a more detailed and fully referenced account,
please also see the following article: Spottiswoode, C. & Mills, M.
2000 Records from Gambela, western Ethiopia. African Bird Club Bulletin
7(2): 97-100. Click
here for an online version of this article on the African Bird Club's
homepage.
Additionally,
we have a detailed sketch map of the Gambela area, showing all the sites
described below. We hope to post a version here soon, but in the interim
please free to email us
for a copy if you are interested.
Dembidolo/Itang
road: Within easy walking distance of the
town, there is some good woodland. Further from town there are some impressive
granite domes which rise out of the flat planes. Foxy cisticola, Green-backed
eremomela, Chestnut-crowned sparrow-weaver and Little green bee-eater
were common here. Other species seen were a pair of Gambaga flycatchers
in a fig tree on the first rise out of town, Red-throated bee-eater along
a small stream, Brown-rumped bunting in a newly-burnt open area, Black-faced
firefinch, Black woodhoopoe, Yellow-breasted hyliota, Black-headed gonolek
and Pygmy sunbird.
Baro
River downstream of Gambela: there was a
narrow track running westwards from the town, following the banks of the
river. Red-throated bee-eater was seen along the riverbanks, as well as
Senegal thicknee. In some of the remnant thickets along the river we saw
a single Snowy-crowned robin-chat. Seedeaters abound in the grassy areas,
and included Fawn-breasted and Black-rumped waxbill and also a single
family of Bar-breasted firefinch. Blue-headed coucal was common. There
is also a road further away from the river (the continuation of the road
passing the petrol station), heading out of Gambela in this direction.
First it goes through the floodplain (Moustached warbler and Blue-headed
coucal) and then quickly peters out to a narrow track which went through
a patch of fairly tall, moist woodland. In the woodland we saw Black-faced
firefinch, Yellow-breasted hyliota, Black-billed wood dove, a group of
five Swallow-tailed bee-eaters, Green woodhoopoe, Lizard buzzard, Pygmy
sunbird and Black-rumped waxbill.
Metu
road: this road goes through mature woodland,
and hosted many of the species seen along the Itang/Dembidolo road. Additionally,
we recorded Levant sparrowhawk, Brown babbler, Black-billed wood dove
and Grey woodpecker. Additionally, CS and DB saw a single Bittern in the
floodplain just upstream from the main bridge across the Baro river.
DAY
30-33: 13-16 DECEMBER (GAMBELA TO ADDIS VIA METU AND JIMA)
As we were travelling by bus, there were almost no opportunities for birding.
Sightings of interest were of a flock of Black Crowned cranes between
Jima and Addis, and of numerous Banded Barbets in the town of Metu.
DAY
34-35: 17-18 DECEMBER (ADDIS ABABA)
We visited the National Museum, Mercato (an extensive market) and other
spots around Addis Ababa, before flying back to South Africa on the 18th.
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