Ethiopian Endemics II Trip Report

Ethiopian Endemics II Trip report st th 1 to 19 February 2014 Northern Carmine Bee-eaters by David Erterius Tour Leaders: Wayne Jones & David Erterius Trip report compiled by Wayne Jones RBT Ethiopian Endemics II Trip Report February 2014 2 Tour Summary Ethiopia regularly hits the top of the list of favourite African birding destinations. Despite the fast- expanding population, the entire country is packed with avian species and one cannot fail to enjoy the myriad of bright birds, special mammals, spectacular scenery, and superb coffee and wonderfully friendly people! Due to the dry conditions in many parts of the country the birding is also often relatively easy and there are so many endemics and specials on offer. On Day 1, the arrivals day, some guests birded the lush gardens of our hotel in Addis Ababa, finding such specials as Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, Rüppell’s Robin-Chat and Tacazze Sunbird. But the birding really began in earnest the following morning when we arrived at Lake Chelekcheka just after dawn. Hundreds of Common Cranes roost at the lake and they were slowly filtering out to feed in neighbouring fields, creating a glorious cacophony as they went. The lake was full of ducks and waders, including Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Garganey, Eurasian Teal, Black- winged Stilt, Spotted Redshank and Wood Sandpiper. Along the lake margins we found African Citril, Northern Red Bishop, Ethiopian Cisticola, Rüppell’s Weaver, Erlanger’s Lark and the fantastic little Quailfinch. With our tummies starting to ask questions we moved on to nearby Lake Bishoftu to have breakfast. Black-winged Lovebird by David Erterius Our restaurant was perched on the steep slopes of the deep lake allowing to look down on the scrubby woodland below. Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Mocking and White-winged Cliff Chats, a male Western Marsh Harrier, Black-winged Lovebird, Speckled Mousebird, Ethiopian Boubou, Singing Cisticola and the dazzling Scarlet-chested Sunbird put in an appearance. There were also a number of Pink-backed Pelican and Little Grebe out on the dark blue-grey water. We then hit the road again, slowly decreasing in altitude as we drove through the central Rift Valley. Our next stop was Koka Dam, but we got a little waylaid en route by an Abdim’s Stork and wonderful Abyssinian Ground Hornbills. The dam itself was highly productive, with views of White-faced Duck, Intermediate Egret, Yellow-billed Stork, African Fish Eagle, Black-headed Gull and Whiskered Tern. We also found four Black Crowned Cranes in the form of incredibly distant, heat haze-blurred shapes nestled in the water hyacinth. Thankfully this would not be our only sighting of these sought-after birds, but more on that later! Next was Lake Ziway, where had a delicious fresh fish lunch before once again lifting our binoculars in the direction of an array of exciting birds. We had super sightings of the gorgeous African Pygmy Goose, the scarce Lesser Jacana, a Knob-billed Duck, Malachite Kingfisher, Black-tailed Godwit, Marsh Sandpiper, Greenshank, Little Ringed Plover Guereza Colobus by Wayne Jones and Hottentot Teal. Meanwhile the fish-gutting area alongside RBT Ethiopian Endemics II Trip Report February 2014 3 was closely attended by tolerant Marabou Storks and Great white Pelicans. After visiting another quiet corner of the lake, which held Black Crake, Black Heron, Northern Carmine Bee-eater, Grey Kestrel and Common Snipe, we re-joined the main road for the final stretch to Awassa. The following day we had a highly productive stroll around the hotel grounds and to the lakeshore. Highlights included Red-throated Wryneck, African Spotted Creeper, Nubian Woodpecker, Red-faced Cisticola, White-backed Duck, Common Waxbill, African Reed Warbler, White-rumped Babbler, Little Weaver and White-browed Robin-Chat. On the mammalian side, the exquisite, shaggy Guereza Colobuses kept us entertained until we were ready to board the bus. Today would be a long day’s driving! As we passed through nearby Shashemene we enjoyed great views of the impressive, brutish-looking Thick-billed Raven. Driving towards Dodola, our lunch-stop, we steadily increased in altitude and Acacia woodlands gave way to large expanses of grassland (and cropland – Ethiopia is a highly populous country). A welcome birding stop along the way yielded an assortment of highland birds such as Abyssinian Longclaw, Moorland Chat, White- collared Pigeon, Groundscraper Thrush, Red-throated Pipit African Spotted Creeper by David Erterius and Red-breasted Wheatear. We chugged up the Bale Mountains, where we saw a magnificent Bearded Vulture, Yellow Bishop, endemic Blue-winged Goose, Yellow-billed Duck and, with the invaluable assistance of local spotters, a Cape Eagle-Owl tucked away in a thicket. Once in the National Park we saw our first big game – Mountain Nyala, Bohor Reedbuck and Common Warthog. We eventually made it to Goba, our home for the next three nights. The next morning we boarded the bus in the cold pre-dawn darkness and began the long journey to Sof Omar, where the main target would be the localized Salvadori’s Seedeater. Our effort was rewarded with a sighting of two of the sought-after seedeaters, along with Brown-tailed Rock Chat, Shining Sunbird, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Red-headed Weaver, African Hawk-Eagle, Mountain Wagtail, Northern Crombec, Acacia Tit, Black-headed Oriole, Red-fronted Tinkerbird, Black-billed Wood Hoopoe, Grey-headed Batis, Slate- coloured Boubou, Egyptian Vulture, Grey- headed and Orange-breasted Bushshrikes, Blue-winged Goose by David Erterius Mottled Swift, Shikra and remarkable views of two Scaly-throated Honeyguides. On our way back to Goba we stopped at a small wetland where we found just under 200 of one of Ethiopia’s most striking endemics, the Spot-breasted Lapwing. Then we quickly headed to Dinsho, which we’d passed through the previous day, to the Bale Mountain National Park headquarters. Here a local guide was waiting to show us Abyssinian Owl and African Wood Owl. We had mind- RBT Ethiopian Endemics II Trip Report February 2014 4 blowing views of the former perched on a rock, carefully examining us, while the latter showed relatively well in a dense tree. On Day 5 we headed further up the Bale Mountains on one of the most anticipated excursions of the tour – the Sanetti Plateau. We birded a juniper forest on the slopes and picked up Abyssinian Ground Thrush, White-backed Black Tit, Brown Woodland Warbler, Abyssinian Catbird and Montane White-eye. Climbing higher, the forest vegetation – and farmland, within the national park – changed abruptly into hardy monotone heathers and everlastings, and we saw our first Giant Lobelias just below the summit. All the while we had to share road space with inquisitive Rouget’s Rails and Chestnut-naped Francolins. It was a brilliantly clear day and the view from the plateau was incredible. We got out and walked the bare landscape in search of Moorland Francolin, of which three provided the briefest of flushed flight views. Thankfully we had a phenomenal sighting of nine birds right alongside the road the following morning to make up for the poor showing. Thekla Larks were in abundance, and we also saw African Ethiopian Wolf by Wayne Jones Snipe, Ruddy Shelduck, Steppe Eagle, Red- billed Chough and Starck’s Hare. But the main focus of almost any trip to the plateau is to see the rarest canid in the world, the Ethiopian Wolf, and possibly also its main prey item, the slug-like Giant Root Rat. We were delighted to find, throughout the day, four of each! We traversed the highest all-weather road in Africa and dropped down the other side of the plateau into the huge Harenna Forest. Unfortunately the forest was rather quiet and after lunch we headed back over the plateau for our last night in Goba. The following day we once again crossed the mighty plateau and found three Brown Parisomas of the Bale Mountain race before driving through the vast Harenna Forest. Beyond the forest dry Acacia woodland dominated and at our lunch stop we picked up White-headed Buffalo Weaver, White-browed Scrub Robin, Marico Sunbird, Northern White-crowned Shrike, White-crested Helmetshrike, Brubru and Abyssinian Scimitarbill. As we wound our way to Negele we saw Hemprich’s Hornbill, Red-and-yellow Barbet, Lilac-breasted Roller, African Wattled Lapwing, Pygmy Falcon, Black-crowned Ruspoli’s Turaco by David Erterius Tchagra, Northern Brownbul, Shelley’s Starling and the major target for the day, Ruspoli’s Turaco! On Day 7 we arrived at Liben Plain around sunrise and walked the area in a line hoping to flush the critically endangered Sidamo Lark among the many Somali Short-toed Lark, Plain-backed Pipit and Pectoral Cisticola. Eventually, after we’d almost given up, a bird was spotted and we all had excellent views before settling down to a delicious field breakfast. Our appetites satiated, we RBT Ethiopian Endemics II Trip Report February 2014 5 continued past the plain, finding White-crowned Starling and Shelley’s Sparrow towards the very dry and hot Acacia woodland of the Bogol Manyo road. The drive and various stops yielded Somali Crombec, Striped Kingfisher, Boran Cisticola, Three-streaked Tchagra, Rosy-patched Bushshrike, Eastern Yellow- billed, Northern Red-billed and Von der Decken’s Hornbills, Pygmy Batis, Pringle’s Puffback, Gillett’s Lark, Scaly Chatterer, Gabar Goshawk and Hunter’s Sunbird. The next morning we set out very early as we had a long distance to cover over suboptimal roads. On the plus side, we saw a Spotted Hyena, White-tailed Mongoose Vulturine Guineafowl by David Erterius and African Wild Cat while driving in the dark. By the time the sun “pinkened” the sky we were in truly wild and magnificent Ethiopia – still untouched and barely populated.

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