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ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa

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ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa A Tropical Birding Set Departure February 12—March 1, 2014 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken during this trip by Ken Behrens unless noted otherwise TOUR SUMMARY This was the new version of our set-departure trip, designed to take in virtually all of Ethiopia’s endemics in just 17 days of birding, plus arrival and departure days. Instead of offering the south only as an extension, we have included it in the main tour. This is both because the itinerary makes sense run in this way, and because few people want to miss the birds of the south such as the Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco. This shortened itinerary proved to be very well designed, though definitely fast-paced. We racked up 515 species of birds and 43 mammals in just 17 days of birding. As usual, this haul included virtually all of the Ethiopian and Abyssinian (shared with Eritrea) endemics. Among these, highlights included hefty Blue-winged Goose, elusive Harwood’s Francolin, dapper Spot-breasted Lapwing, stunning White-cheeked and Prince Ruspoli’s Turacos, diminutive Abyssinian Woodpecker, Black-winged Lovebird, Yellow-fronted Parrot, extremely rare Sidamo Lark, nutcracker-like Stresemann’s Bush-Crow, White-tailed Swallow, and melodious songster Abyssinian Catbird. Ethiopia: Birding the ‘Roof’ of Africa Feb. 12-Mar. 1, 2014 But endemics are only part of the picture in Ethiopia. It also offers excellent general African birding, from abundant Palearctic migrants, to Afromontane forest species, to teeming Rift Valley wetlands, to Somali-Masai biome birds in the dry lowlands. Non-endemic prizes included Vulturine Guineafowl, Clapperton’s Francolin, Secretary-bird, Lammergeier, massive monkey-eating Crowned Hawk-Eagle, Arabian and Hartlaub’s Bustards, Black Crowned-Crane, 3 species of sandgrouse, rare White-winged Collared-Dove, massive Cape Eagle-Owl, African Long-eared Owl, Donaldson-Smith’s and Star-spotted Nightajars, Half-collared Kingfisher, Silvery-cheeked Hornbill (by the dozens), Double-toothed Barbet, Scaly-throated Honeyguide, Pygmy Falcon, Pringle’s Puffback, Red-naped Bushshrike, African Spotted-Creeper, extremely local Boran Cisticola, Yellow-vented Eremomela, Black Scrub-Robin, Abyssinian Ground-Thrush, and Nile Valley Sunbird. Finally, it must be said that birds are only a part of the pleasure in travelling in Ethiopia. It is a spectacularly beautiful mountainous country, and many parts of it seem frozen in time and much as they were in the middle ages. Ethiopian cuisine is delicious, and most people find dining an unexpected pleasure in a country that is internationally stereotyped as a land of starvation! Doro wot, tibs, and “fasting food” usually rank among the favorites of visitors. Accommodation has always been the “Achilles Heel” of Ethiopia; many potential visitors didn’t want to deal with the poor hotels that we formerly had to use in some locations. The great news is that Ethiopian hotels are improving at a remarkable rate. This can be demonstrated concretely by a look at the hotels that we now use on our set-departure tour. We stay in 12 different hotels during the 19- day tour. Half of these are brand new or fairly new, ranging from only a few months old to about Handsome endemic Abyssinian Siskin. Ethiopia: Birding the ‘Roof’ of Africa Feb. 12-Mar. 1, 2014 10 years old. Two lodges have recently been completely renovated, while one is in the process of expanding and renovating. Only three of the hotels are more than 10 years old. Ethiopia’s hotel boom has been going on for some time, with the accommodations on a birding tour steadily improving. But until recently, there was still one place on a birding tour where you still had to endure two nights in a horrible hotel: the southern town of Negele. That town’s Green Motel was a byword among birders; a hotel so bad that it was legendary! It was so bad that I once had a whole tour group make shirts (green of course) after the trip that read “I survived the Green Motel”! For many people, the prospect of the Green Motel was enough to dissuade them from taking a birding tour to Ethiopia. I am happy to report that within the last year, not one but THREE new hotels have opened in Negele. All of them are comfortable, with hot water and decent beds. What this means, is that it’s possible to do a full birding tour of Ethiopia without staying in a basic hotel. To be sure, Ethiopia is not yet on the same level as destinations like Namibia and Tanzania, where you can stay at excellent lodges for the duration of a tour. But it certainly doesn’t deserve the dire reputation that it still maintains. These days, Ethiopia’s birding tour accommodations are easily on par with those of more-visited countries like Ghana or Uganda. Ethiopia has always been a wonderful destination for its abundant endemic birds and mammals, beautiful mountain landscapes, fascinating history, and friendly people. Thankfully, it is quickly becoming a destination that allows people to experience these wonders while staying in very nice lodges and hotels. Already, it is possible to do a birding tour Yellow-breasted Barbet is a bird of far northern Africa Ethiopia without that just gets into Ethiopia. Ethiopia: Birding the ‘Roof’ of Africa Feb. 12-Mar. 1, 2014 spending one night in a bad hotel. If you have ever crossed Ethiopia off your list of possible trips due to the idea that its hotels were diabolical, think again! All the participants gathered in Addis Ababa, at the Ghion Hotel, which is famous among birders for its extensive and beautiful grounds. Some people were lucky enough to strike early, finding an Abyssinian Woodpecker right in the garden! During an afternoon walk, the completed group found an excellent variety of birds around the hotel, including a surprising fly-over Mountain Buzzard, Nyanza Swift, Banded Barbet, Lanner Falcon, Brown Warbler (Parisoma), Tacazze Sunbird, and Yellow-bellied Waxbill. Early the next morning found us striking out across the plateau north of Addis Ababa, where we would spend the day birding the open plains, and forest and scrub along the edge of the Jemmu Valley. The Suluta Plain is a high-elevation grassland that holds a variety of wintering Palearctic and locally breeding birds. Although it is filling up with people and houses at an alarming rate, it still holds a lot of birds. A baby Gelada Baboon near the Portuguese Bridge. Here we found Blue-winged Photo by Alan McBride. Goose, Wattled Ibis, Abyssinian Longclaw, Erlanger’s Lark, and Ortolan Bunting. The late morning’s location was the small side valley that holds the monastery of Debre Libanos – one of the holiest sites for the Ethiopian Orthodox church. While the lingering presence of the namesake saint may be disputed, the presence of many interesting and range-restricted bird species is undeniable. We found White-cheeked Turaco, Dark-headed Oriole, White-backed Black-Tit, and Abyssinian Woodpecker. Our morning had been so good that we had time for a siesta before doing some afternoon birding. Birding until dusk at the Portuguese Bridge, we added Mocking and White-winged Cliff-Chats, Little Rock Thrush, and Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, as well as a small Ethiopia: Birding the ‘Roof’ of Africa Feb. 12-Mar. 1, 2014 group of the well-known Gelada Baboon. The escarpment edge near the Portuguese Bridge closely resembles the area where the Geladas were filmed for the TV series Planet Earth. This spot offers spectacular animals in a spectacular setting, and is not to be soon forgotten by anyone who loves the natural world. At this spot, we also picked up a major bird bonus, an Ankober Serin, which has been seen only a handful of times at this site. We woke up extremely early, and headed for the Jemmu Valley. Along the way, we enjoyed some incredible spotlight sightings: Grayish Eagle-Owl, Golden Jackal, Bat-eared Fox, White- tailed Mongoose, Spotted Hyaena, and African Wild Cat. Our main target on this day was Harwood’s Francolin – one of the Ethiopian endemics with the smallest range, and certainly one of the most difficult to see. Thankfully, the people who live in the valley have clued into the desires of birders, and now use great skill and enthusiasm to locate the bird for us. As usual, we enjoyed excellent view of this beautiful francolin Fox Kestrel, a scarce bird that is beautiful and elegant in flight. before eating a field breakfast, though not without some edging up and down a steep slope. We also spotted Erckel’s Francolin, White-billed Starling, Verreaux’s Eagle, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Long-billed Pipit, and Red-collared Widowbird. After that great start, the rest of the day was spent at the bottom of the Jemmu Valley – an area that has an odd mix of species - highland birds, lowland birds, and a handful of birds normally found farther west in Ethiopia. The birding was excellent, with highlights including Fox Kestrel, Green-backed Eremomela, Vinaceous Dove, Eurasian Wryneck, Black-headed Batis, Woodchat Shrike, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Foxy Cisticola, Rufous-tailed and Blue Rock- Thrushes, Lesser Blue-eared Glossy-Starling, and big numbers of Chestnut-crowned Sparrow- Weavers and Speckle-fronted Weavers. Late in the afternoon, we made the drive up out of the Jemmu and across the plateau to the town of Debre Birhan. This is one of the most beautiful Ethiopia: Birding the ‘Roof’ of Africa Feb. 12-Mar. 1, 2014 drives in all of Ethiopia, and one that I greatly enjoy every time. Along the way, we spotted a Lammergeier that flew just over our heads, shooting the edge of the escarpment.
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