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Ethiopia Mega 27Th January to 19Th February 2018 (24 Days) Trip Report

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Ethiopia Mega 27Th January to 19Th February 2018 (24 Days) Trip Report Ethiopia Mega 27th January to 19th February 2018 (24 days) Trip Report Male Gelada by Heinz Ortmann Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: Heinz Ortmann Photographs by: Angie Cederlund & Heinz Ortmann Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia Mega 2018 2 Tour Summary This inaugural Rockjumper Ethiopia Mega tour began in the capital of Addis Ababa with some relaxed birding in the gardens of our hotel. Overhead we found the first Hooded Vultures and Yellow-billed Kites of the trip. The noisy Wattled Ibis was one of the first Abyssinian specialities to be found in the garden. One of the more interesting features of generally all birds in Ethiopia is the confiding nature of most species that allows for, at times, incredibly close up sightings of species that are usually more skittish elsewhere. The gardens dished up a number of widespread and common African species including Red-eyed African Pygmy Kingfisher by Angie Cederlund Dove, Speckled Mousebird, African Paradise and African Dusky Flycatchers, Tawny- flanked Prinia, Swainson’s Sparrow and Baglafecht Weaver to name a few. A few Common Chiffchaffs were the first migrants to be found by us on this tour with several individuals present in the gardens. Both Brown-rumped and Streaky Seedeaters were particularly common and there were many Dusky Turtle Doves and Abyssinian Thrushes to be seen on the garden lawns. In the larger flat-crown Acacia trees we managed to locate a pair of Brown Parisoma and later in the afternoon were delighted to find the attractive White-backed Black Tit as well. Tacazze Sunbird, Rueppell’s Robin-Chat and Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher were other specials that caught the eye and provided a further nice introduction to Ethiopia and some of its special birds. The second day of the tour began with a visit to Lake Chelekleka near the town of Debre Zeyit (Bishoftu) in the early morning. A quick stop at some fruiting Ficus trees produced Bruce’s Green Pigeon and a pair of Black-billed Barbet to kick off a bumper day of birding. The sheer number of birds once we got to Lake Chelekleka was quite phenomenal. White-faced and Fulvous Whistling Ducks, Northern Shoveler, Northern Pintail, Common Crane, Black Crowned Crane, Gull-billed Tern, Yellow-billed, Marabou and White Storks, Black-tailed Godwit, Temminck’s Stint and Spotted Redshank were some of the notable species seen. The outstanding highlight was almost certainly finding an incredibly rare migrant to these parts, a Citrine Wagtail in amongst the many shorebirds and several other wagtail species present at the lake edge! Later that morning having had an extremely successful time at Lake Chelekleka we made a quick visit to Lake Bishoftu. Much deeper than the previous lake that we visited there was very little in the way of birds on the actual water but a number of species were found in the steep woodland along Buff-bellied Warbler by Angie Cederlund Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia Mega 2018 3 the lake edge. Mocking Cliff Chat, Singing Cisticola, Blue Rock Thrush, Red-winged Starling, Rueppell’s Weaver. Red-billed Firefinch and Variable Sunbird were all seen well. Our long drive to Lake Langano from Lake Bishoftu was interrupted by a few well-timed birding stops. The first was at the water hyacinth covered Koka Dam or Lake Koka. Eurasian Wigeon, superb Black Crowned Cranes, Goliath Heron, Little Ringed Plover and a Short-toed Snake Eagle were some of the highlights in the short time spent in this area. Abyssinian Ground Hornbill (male) by Angie Cederlund We arrived at Lake Ziway for a late lunch. Having ordered our food, we decided to make the most of our time whilst waiting for lunch to arrive by birding the nearby lake edge. This proved a rather rewarding decision as we found a number of interesting species and some in seriously good numbers not dissimilar to the morning stop at Lake Chelekleka. Ruff, Kittlitz’s Plover, Collared Pratincole, Common Snipe, Hottentot Teal, Garganey, African Fish Eagle, African Jacana and Pied Kingfisher were some of the species seen exceptionally well here. The fairly long drive also produced a number of raptors including Hooded, Rueppell’s and White-backed Vulture, Tawny, Steppe and Great Spotted Eagle, Black and Yellow-billed Kite, several Augur Buzzards as well as Montagu’s and Western Marsh Harrier quartering in a leisurely fashion over open areas along the way. A group of four Abyssinian Ground Hornbills and good numbers of Northern Carmine Bee- eater also provided us with good views during the course of the day. Having had an amazing day of birding we arrived in the late afternoon at our lovely accommodation on the western edge of Lake Langano. There was still some time for a last bit of birding in the wonderful grounds before dark. Rock Martin, White- browed Sparrow-Weaver, Red-faced Crombec, Little Rock Thrush, Blue- breasted Bee-eater and Buff-bellied Warbler were just some of the species seen before we made our way to dinner. This had been an incredible day with further species such as Western Black- headed Batis, White-bellied Go-away-bird, Slate-coloured Boubou, striking Lilac- breasted Roller and the attractive Eurasian Western Yellow Wagtail by Angie Cederlund Hoopoe also added to the list during this incredible first full day of experiencing just how ‘birdy’ Ethiopia really can be. Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia Mega 2018 4 Our second full day began before daybreak with a drive on a dusty gravel road to the south eastern edge of Lake Langano. Here we hoped to pick up a number of forest and riparian woodland species in the early hours just after dawn. Unfortunately, the only views of Yellow-fronted Parrot were distant and mostly in flight but we did at least manage to find many other specials whilst exploring the area. Hemprich’s and Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, Black- billed Wood Hoope, Red-shouldered Cuckooshrike, Ethiopian Boubou, a stunning male Narina Trogon, Banded and Double-toothed Barbet, Red-capped Robin-Chat and Brown-throated Wattle- eye were some of the highlights amongst a variety of other interesting species. We also had great looks at a group of Guereza Colobus monkeys sunning themselves high up in the large trees early in the morning. Roosting Northern White-faced Owls by Angie Cederlund On the way back to our accommodation we made a quick visit to another lodge in search of a few owl species sometimes possible at their respective day roosts. Little did we know that on this day we would find as many as three different species of owl! We had exceptional looks at Northern White-faced Owl, Greyish Eagle-Owl and Verreaux’s Eagle-Owl whilst there. Other notable species included Abyssinian Wheatear, Black-winged Lovebird, Von der Decken’s Hornbill, Rufous Chatterer and Crimson-rumped Waxbill. After a bit of time off we made our way to Lake Shala and Lake Abijatta in the Shalla-Abijata National Park for the remainder of the late afternoon and early evening. The Greater and Lesser Flamingos were a very distant sight on the lakes. Black-necked Grebe, Cape Teal and Senegal Thick- knee were other new additions to our growing trip list. Dark-chanting Goshawk, Little Bee-eater, Guereza Colobus (male) by Angie Cederlund White-winged Black Tit, Pygmy Falcon, Bearded Woodpecker and Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were all seen superbly during a rather hot afternoon. Whilst driving through this conservation area there were also sightings of some of the mammal species that still occur in the area. Common Wrathog, Golden Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia Mega 2018 5 Jackal and several Grant’s Gazelle provided something a little different to the many birds also seen. Upon arrival at our lodge there was very little daylight left and we decided on having a relaxed evening with the highlight being several Slender- tailed Nightjars seen well in the lodge’s parking lot! The following morning there was a bit of time before breakfast for some casual birding in the grounds before starting the journey towards Goba. We picked up several of the commonly seen species before beginning the journey towards Goba. Our first stop for birding was a roadside wetland and damp grassland to search for Abyssinian Longclaw in particular. We had great views of the longclaw as well as distant looks at the first Rouget’s Rail of the trip. White- collared Pigeon, Wattled Ibis, Thekla’s Lark and a few Yellow-billed Duck were present in the area as well. We continued onwards on the long road to Goba with some rain and cooler weather Abyssinian Owl by Angie Cederlund around for most of the day. The highlands produced Red-billed Chough, Rouget’s Rail, Augur Buzzard, Thick-billed Raven and several African Stonechat along the way before our lunch stop. After lunch there were a number of stops along the way in search of several key species for this tour. The first of these stops was at a roadside quarry where several children excitedly met us and immediately gestured to the large juniper trees where we would find a roosting Cape Eagle-Owl! This was an excellent find, and one of the main targets for this trip. A small flock of Slender- billed Starling, the by now common Abyssinian Thrush and Yellow-crowned Canary provided small distractions from the stunning owl that was viewed in the scope. Another stop was at a small roadside wetland at the edge of the Bale Mountains National Park.
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