Ethiopia Trip 2019

Bale Mountains National Park and Rift Valley Five day (4½ really) Birding Trip: 16-20 March 2019

Jack Winterbottom and Heather Alexander Guide: Meseret Mesbuki

Table of Contents Itinerary Summary ...... 1 Day 01 – Saturday 16 March ...... 2 Day 02 – Sunday 17 March 2019 ...... 8 Day 03 – Monday 18 March 2019 ...... 11 Day 04 – Tuesday 19 March 2019 ...... 13 Day 05 – Wednesday 20 March 2019 ...... 15

Whilst planning a Holy Land trip to Israel in March 2019 and deciding to also do a Victor Emmanuel Nature Tours (VENT) of the spring migration through southern Israel, we realised we had a six day window between the two and it is only a 4 hour flight on Ethiopian Airlines between Tel Aviv and Addis Ababa. We checked out Birding Pal; Meseret came highly recommended (although the report was from 2007) and wrote to him via email ([email protected] although [email protected] is the better address. He replied within two days (allowance being made for a bird guide being in the field!) and we developed a 4- day trip which expanded by one day when our Israel plans became solid. Our targets were any Ethiopian , a pretty easy task for Meseret. We highly recommend Meseret as a very accomplished birder with huge bird knowledge, quite prepared to call it as it is (including uncertainty), highly personable with excellent knowledge of his country, and just good fun. Having been raised in the Bale Mountains area, he knows lots of people and all the good sites to bird and stay at.

Itinerary Summary

Day 01 Drive through the Rift Valley to the Liben Lodge at Meki on the shore of Koka. Birding at wetlands at the Awash River (west of the road) and the grounds of Liben Lodge. Any sites looking promising or where birds seen whilst travelling.

Day 02 Pre-breakfast bird around the grounds of Liben Lodge then on to the Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel at Goba stopping specifically at Bale Mountain NP at Dinsho, a small wetlands/dam area on the southern side of the Centre of Peaks range where the road drops into the plain where a small sliver of the Bale Mountains NP goes across the plain and any birds seen whilst travelling.

Day 03 Short pre-breakfast bird then an early (8am) start to drive to the Sanatti Plateau high in the Bale Mountains on possibly the least maintained road I have ever been one, especially in a Toyota Highace van. Ethiopian Wolf and Lammergeier were targets here. Return to the hotel at Goba for a pre-diner bird in the grounds and a second night.

Day 04 Short pre-breakfast bird then retrace our outward journey back towards Addis for 220km (5 hours) staying at the United Shebelle Hotel on the shores of Lake Awassa at Hawassa. Later afternoon bird in the grounds.

Day 05 Long pre-breakfast bird on the shores of Lake Awassa then return to Bole Airport stopping at Hotel Francis ?? in Meki for a pit stop (birded).

As neither of us had birded in before, it was going to be a tick festival. The final total for the trip was 172 . A few birds had already been ticked elsewhere in the world (that sounds posh – really means Australia). Black-tailed Godwit (JH), Whiskered Tern (JH), Intermediate Egret (JH), Little Egret (JH), Great Egret (JH), Cattle Egret (JH), Glossy Ibis (JH), Eurasian Hoopoe (JH – Israel), White- winged Black Tern (JH), Wood Sandpiper (J), Common Sandpiper (JH),

The personal lifers total was 161 for Jack and 162 for Heather.

Day 01 – Saturday 16 March We arrived at 0600 at Bole Airport from Tel Aviv on a Boeing 737-800 which replaced the Boeing 737_MAX 800 scheduled on that service! There were about 100 or so folk on the flight. Only three of us were entering Ethiopia! The rest walked on to the transit lounges. Evidently Ethiopian Airlines is the largest African carrier and has a very good safety record. We walked down into the immigration hall and were greeted by a chap who asked us if we had visas. We did as we had done the e-visa thing (cost USD$52) and had a hard (H) and soft (J) copy of the visa. He directed us to a line. The official directed us back to the start of the line saying he didn’t do e-visas. ?? Well, it seems we hadn’t looked around hard enough when coming down the stairs and the e-visa booths were a 180o left turn, not a 90o left turn which we had done. Got in the correct line and all was sweet. We did notice that no-one was using the visa-on-arrival queue. Once out of customs and into the arrival hall, we could see a few people waiting but no Meseret with WINT on a sign. A local approached us and told us that only official guides now waited in the hall. The rest were out in the car park so we went out there and Meseret spotted us and came over. Remember that only three of us had come off the flight so he didn’t have many new arrivals to choose from! We loaded up into his 4WD HiAce van and off we went. At 20-40kph. In quite amazing traffic. On quite amazing (..ly bad and congested) roads. In an amazing amount of smog – vehicles and breakfast fires. As in anywhere in the world, there are always birds at a car park at an airport. Usually plastics/ferals (sparrows/starlings/blackbirds in Australia). So the first bird was a sparrow!!

1. Swainson’s Sparrow 2. Black Kite (Yellow-billed) Milvus nigrans 3. Egyptian Goose 4. Red-eyed Dove

5. Rouget’s Rail 6. Spur-winged Lapwing 7. Wattled Ibis 8. Barn

Roadside birds on the way to Liben Lodge at Meki included ... 9. Western Yellow 10. Red-billed 11. Black-winged Bishop 12. 13. 14. Red-billed Buffalo-Weaver 15. Brown-rumped Seedeater 16. Greater Blue-eared Starling 17. Superb Starling 18. Fan-tailed Raven 19. 20. Blue-breasted Bee-eater 21. Dusky Turtle-Dove 22. Speckled Pigeon

We stopped at a very nice wetland with open water where the road crosses the Awash River near lake Koka at (GRID REF) 23. Northern Shoveler 24. Garganey 25. Spur-winged Goose 26. Eurasian Black-winged Stilt 27. Pied Avocet 28. Black-tailed Godwit 29. Ruff 30. Whiskered Tern 31. Abdim’s Stork 32. Marabou Stork (there were hundreds mixing with cattle, goats and humans on a paddock beside the lake)

33. Goliath Heron 34. Intermediate Egret 35. Sacred Ibis 36. African Spoonbill 37. Eurasian Marsh Harrier

We reached Liben Lodge about midday. It stands on the edge of Lake Koka, separated from the reed-lined shore by about 200 metres of common grassland. As March is the end of the dry season and there was no feed anywhere, there were plenty of cattle, goats, donkeys and horses plus attendant boys of all ages (it was a Saturday hence no school – school is taken very seriously in Ethiopia – compulsory for all children [to an age we were unable to determine]). At any other time of the year, a fair proportion of these would have been elsewhere but the Rift Valley was as brown as brown could be. There was no green feed anywhere which meant the atmosphere was perpetually filled with dust generated by feet, hooves and tires travelling all which ways all the time – walking animals to and from water etc etc. We had breakfast/lunch. Eggs is a staple but there is no bacon. The coffee is very good, best without milk. Milk is unavailable so that is good. After lunch and a snooze we met up with Meseret and birded the grounds until about 5pm when most of the animals and attendants had moved away back home. 38. Little Egret 39. Cattle Egret 40. Glossy Ibis 41. Black-crowned Crane 42. Black-breasted Snake-

43. African Marsh Harrier 44. Eurasian Hoopoe 45. Pied Kingfisher 46. Northern Carmine Bee-eater

47. Eurasian Wryneck 48. Eurasian Kestrel 49. Isabelline Shrike 50. Grey-backed Fiscal 51. Northern Fiscal 52. African Paradise-Flycatcher (hawking the light fittings on the verandah of the restaurant)

53. Pale 54. Common Bul Bul 55. Northern Crombec 56. Zitting Cisticola 57. Siberian Stonechat 58. Rüppell’s Starling 59. Red-billed Oxpecker 60. Beautiful Sunbird 61. Variable Sunbird 62. African 63. White-browed Sparrow-Weaver 64. Vitelline Masked-Weaver

65. Rūppell’s Weaver 66. Namaqua Dove

We walked the 3-400 metres to a structure owned by the lodge on the lake. 67. African Hobby – This was a great bird that Heather spotted hawking for roosting weaver birds in the reeds. It was only the second time Meseret had seen it so a really good bird for him!

68. African Fish-Eagle

69. 70. Great White 71. Yellow-billed Stork 72. White-winged Black Tern (White–winged Tern in the guide. That caused a bit of confusion. Non-breeding with the earmuffs) 73. Wood Sandpiper 74. Common Sandpiper 75. African Jacana 76. Red-knobbed Coot 77. Eurasian Moorhen 78. Hottentot Teal 79. African Pygmy-Goose 80. White-faced Whistling-

Day 02 – Sunday 17 March 2019 Being so close to the equinox meant that the sun was up at 7 so first reasonable light was about 6.30/6.40 so we were out at 6.30. 81. Red-cheeked Cordonbleu. This is a very special bird. A termite mound next to the room had been worked on overnight by the residents (termites) and had not dried out yet so was a “moist” black colour and soft compared to the usual light grey, hard soil. Cordonbleu and Greater Blue-eared Starlings had learnt that the fresh material meant an easy breakfast and several of each were feasting.

82. Mourning Collared-Dove 83. Ring-necked Dove 84. White-browed Coucal 85. Speckled Mousebird 86. Woodland Kingfisher 87. Ethiopian Boubou 88. Red-chested Swallow 89. Ethiopian Swallow 90. Winding Cisticola 91. African Stonechat 92. 93. Scarlet-chested Sunbird 94. Lesser Masked-Weaver 95. Knob-billed Duck 96. 97. Lesser Moorhen 98. Grey-hooded 99. Great Cormorant 100. Grey Heron 101. Great heron 102. Squacco Heron 103. Habada Ibis

We left about 0900 and headed south on the Addis-Nairobi Road, spending literally the rest of the day getting to Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel at Goba about 1800.

We saw some birds circling something (we were unable to determine what the source of interest was) about 100 metres from the roadside and stopped. This was in farmland and we were soon besieged by teenagers. Meseret (able to talk the language and really a bit of a wag) told them we were looking to steal a girl! That created lots of laughter and smiles. It seems the priority in Ethiopia is to make sure you are okay, offer help and then join in to see what you are up to. 104. Egyptian Vulture 105. White-headed Vulture 106. Lappet-faced Vulture 107. Hooded Vulture

We stopped at a small dam to check out the birdlife and were again besieged by kids, this time youngsters. We were soon distracted by them wanting a look through the bins and the camera which we were more than happy to oblige with. High fives all around to finish off. 108. Blue-winged Goose 109. Yellow-billed Duck 110. Little Grebe

At Dinsho we turned off into the Bale Mountain NP where the following very special birds were seen. We also saw Nyala and Bohor Ridgeback.

111. Abyssinian Ground-Thrush 112. Abyssinian Catbird 113. Brown Woodland-Warbler 114. White-backed Black-Tit

115. Chestnut-naped Francolin

116. Abyssinian Owl

Roadside birds on the way to Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel at Goba included ... 117. White-collared Pigeon 118. Cape Crow 119. Croaking Cisticola 120. Broad-ringed White-eye 121. Moorland Chat 122. 123. Streaky Seedeater 124. Ethiopian Siskin 125. Common Buzzard

126. Augur Buzzard

127. Abyssinian Roller

128. Rufous-crowned Roller

Day 03 – Monday 18 March 2019 A day in the Bale Mountains getting as high as 4,200 metres. Targets were the Ethiopian Wolf, successfully seen, and, for Jack, the Lamb-eater. Pre-breakfast birding in the hotel grounds yielded … 129. Abyssinian Thrush 130. Tacazze Sunbird 131.

The Sanatti Plateau yielded … 132. Ruddy Shelduck 133. Common Swift 134. White-rumped Swift 135. Bearded Vulture (Lammergeier)

136. Barbary Falcon ( of Peregrine Falcon)

137. Red-billed 138. Thekla’s Lark 139.

Meseret spotted a single male Ethiopian Wolf. He (the wolf) was eating a meal (probably a rat which gets to about 3 kg – the ones we frequently saw were small 4-500g jobs) which took quite a few minutes to get down. He was about 150 metres away (maybe more) and the heat haze (even at 4,200 metres and with a stiff breeze making a jumper essential) meant the shots were “hazed” Then he set off at an angle getting closer to us until within perhaps 50 metres. Much better shots. On the return trip down the dirt road, we spotted another Ethiopian Wolf passing by a couple of cattle freely grazing in the highland plains.

The hotel runs its own generator for power. The afternoon is a favourite time for no power. It came on again at about 6pm. It goes off during the night for about 8 hours. Room service provides a candle for just such a time! For dinner we had a traditional Ethiopian meal which provides many small dishes of all sorts of local cuisine; all with injera, the sourdough bread. It was delicious.

Day 04 – Tuesday 19 March 2019 We decided to bird in the garden of the Hotel in Robe from 0630, following a good night’s rest. No new birds but excellent images taken of Bagflecht's Weaver, Tacazze Sunbird and Abyssinian Thrush. We travelled 220km to Hawassa taking about 5 hours. 140. Spot-breasted Lapwing

141. Lesser Kestrel 142. Thick-billed Raven 143. Red-breasted Wheatear

The United Africa Shebelle Hotel has a big garden, Vervet and Colobus Monkeys, small macrobat and even a squirrel. We birded the gardens from about 4pm. 144. Helmeted Guineafowl 145. Blue-headed Coucal

146. Double-toothed Barbet (A youngster being fed right near the nest hole)

147. Banded Barbet

148. Blue-spotted Wood-dove 149. Nubian Woodpecker 150. Red-faced Crombec 151. Willow Warbler 152. Green-backed Camaroptera 153. Abyssinian White-eye 154. White-rumped Babbler 155. Dusky-brown Flycatcher 156. Reichard’s Seedeater 157. 158. Red-billed Firefinch

159. Straw-tailed Whydah

Many of the trees in the garden are Australian natives; callistemons and grevilleas (Silky Oaks). Indeed, many of the trees in Ethiopia were of Australian origin. There were many eucalypts, most showing evidence of coppicing – for firewood and construction.

Day 05 – Wednesday 20 March 2019 Before we headed back to Bole Airport for a 1430 check-in, we birded the “lakeside promenade” and concrete jetty into Lake Awasa before a quick breakfast and departure. 160. Fulvus Whistling-Duck 161. White-backed Duck 162. Black Crake

163. Thick-knee (heard) 164. Long-tailed Cormorant 165. Malachite Kingfisher These totally trusting birds landed on reeds within one metre of us, carefully scanning the water for a potential meal. Hard not to get a fantastic shot.

166. Black-headed Batis 167. Sedge Warbler 168. African Reed Warbler 169. Northern Black-flycatcher 170. Bronze Mannikin

We stopped at a hotel in Meki for a pit stop and found our last two species in the trees there. 171. Common Chiffchaff 172.

Eventually we got onto the freeway, arriving at Bole Airport at 14hr00. Administration was as per all international airports in the world these days and we were away by 17hr00.