Ethiopia Omo Valley Extension – Birding & Tribal Cultures II 4th to 11th November 2016 (8 days) Trip Report Bull jumping ceremony by Markus Lilje Trip report compiled by Tour Leader: David Erterius & Heinz Ortmann Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia – Omo Valley Extension II 2016 2 Tour Summary The first morning of the first day of this extension into the Omo Valley and its unique tribal cultures was spent birding the lovely gardens of our hotel in Addis Ababa. Although located amongst the hustle and bustle of a large capital city, the extensive garden provides significant habitat for a number of special bird species. Overhead we came across a variety of species, which included Red-rumped Swallow, Hooded Vulture, Yellow-billed Kite, Pied Crow and several Rock Martins. The noisiest inhabitants were undoubtedly the many Wattled Ibises that roosted in some of the larger trees in the garden. Blue-breasted Bee-eater, Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, African Paradise Flycatcher and African Dusky Flycatcher were perched in various places, hawking the numerous flying insects present in the gardens. On the lawns and in the undergrowth, Abyssinian Thrush and Rüppell’s Robin-Chat were two of the more obvious species seen well during our amble through the gardens. Tacazze Sunbird, Baglafecht Weaver, African Grey Woodpecker, Eurasian Blackcap, noisy Speckled Mousebirds, Ethiopian Cisticola and Montane White-eye all added to an impressive ‘garden’ list on the first morning. A plethora of seeding grasses meant that seedeaters were prominent, with all of Village Indigobird, Swainson’s Sparrow, African Citril, African Silverbill, Brown-rumped and Streaky Seedeaters all seen in good numbers. A relaxing morning with many birds was an ideal introduction to what lay ahead for the group. Our second day began with a further walk around the hotel garden in an attempt to try and find some of the birds we had not seen the previous day. Tawny-flanked Prinia and Mountain Wagtail were welcome additions to the list of birds seen in the garden with many species seen the previous day also making an appearance. Our first port of call was a visit to the Ethnological Museum in Addis Ababa. It was a fantastic look into many of the different parts of Ethiopian culture and the country’s rich and diverse history. This museum is set within the former palace of Haile Selassie and Thick-billed Raven by Markus Lilje is surrounded by the beautiful fountains and lush gardens of the University’s main campus. It also provided some theoretical background and an introduction to some of the tribes that we were to visit later in the week. Having had an enjoyable and eye-opening morning, we made our way to the airport for our flight to south-west Ethiopia and the town of Arba Minch, where our journey proper into the Omo Valley was to begin. Having landed and gathered all our gear, we were met by our drivers and set out for our lodge for the night. It was decided that we make the most of the remaining daylight hours by doing some birding along the roadside. More common and widespread species that were seen for the first time included Fork-tailed Drongo, Rattling Cisticola, White-browed Sparrow-Weaver, Speckled Pigeon, Dusky Turtle Dove, Red-eyed and Mourning Collared Dove, Barn Swallow and Lilac-breasted Roller amongst others. The five Broad-billed Rollers seen on this afternoon represented the only ones for the entire extension and main tour! Another standout sighting was that of a distant male Black-bellied Bustard seen in flight. Hundreds of Wattled Starlings were joined in the farmlands by Red-billed Quelea, Common Bulbul, Northern White-crowned Shrike, Red-cheeked Cordon Bleu, Whinchat, Pied Wheatear, and Grey-backed and Northern Fiscals, to name a few. Dark Chanting Goshawk, large Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia – Omo Valley Extension II 2016 3 Tawny Eagle and the interesting looking Long-crested Eagle perched prominently on dead snags, whilst the denser roadside thicket held Spectacled Weaver, Reichenow’s Seedeater and several stunning male Beautiful Sunbirds. Northern Carmine Bee- eaters and Grey-headed Kingfishers were amongst those perched on the roadside telephone wires, from where they searched for any tasty morsel nearby. Crested Francolin was flushed from the road edge and we had our first looks at the colourful Red- bellied Parrot. Noisy Silvery-cheeked and African Grey Hornbills provided further avian highlights during what proved to be a very successful and enjoyable late afternoon of birding. We arrived in the late afternoon at our wonderful lodge overlooking Lake Chamo and Lake Abaya, where some of the guests were fortunate to spot a few Waterbuck and Common Warthog in the more open areas of Nechisar National Park. Our next day in south-west Ethiopia began with some birding along the entrance road of Nechisar National Park. Highlights here included Tambourine Dove, a pair of Von Lake Chamo fisherman by Adam Riley Der Decken’s Hornbills, Northern Crombec, Striped Kingfisher, White-bellied Go-away-bird, a beautiful male Nubian Woodpecker, Greater Honeyguide, Slate-colored Boubou and Northern Puffback. Having had a good birding stint here, we made our way to the jetty and onto a boat for what would turn out to be a wonderful trip on the scenic Lake Chamo. Having done no birding in wetter areas meant that almost all species seen were new for the tour. More common species included Egyptian Goose, Grey and Black-headed Heron, Western Cattle, Little and Great Egrets, Grey-headed Gull, and Whiskered and Gull-billed Terns. Shorebirds were also present, with a good diversity of species seen, which included Common Snipe, Temminck’s Stint, Marsh, Wood and Common Sandpipers, Spur-winged Lapwing, Common Greenshank, Black- winged Stilt and African Jacana, all seen along the extensive shoreline and exposed muddy areas. Raptors seen well included the iconic African Fish Eagle, Hooded and White-backed Vultures and the first sighting of the attractive Augur Buzzard. Nile Crocodile and Hippopotamus were seen at various places along the shoreline and in the water, providing a nice complement to all the birds that we were seeing. Woodland, Pied and Giant Kingfishers were noisy and conspicuous perching on dead branches along the water’s edge. Striated and Goliath Heron, Reed Cormorant, Great White and Pink-backed Pelican, Knob-billed Duck, Western Yellow Wagtail, Brown-throated and Sand Martin, and Yellow- billed and Marabou Storks were other notable highlights during our wonderful boat trip. Once back at the parking lot, we were entertained by the resident Grivet Monkeys before seeing Bushbuck on our way out of the park. Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia – Omo Valley Extension II 2016 4 Our travels took us to the town of Konso and our lunch stop at a nearby lodge. As always, there were many birds around, with Greater Blue-eared Starling, Black-headed Oriole, Fan-tailed and Thick-billed Raven, African Thrush, Bruce’s Green Pigeon, Scarlet-chested and Variable Sunbird, Red-headed Weaver and Black-billed Barbet all seen well whilst we attempted (with mixed success) to eat our lunch. After lunch, our journey took us to the town of Turmi and our lodge. Unfortunately, our visit to a nearby tribe had to be postponed and so we continued to our lodge. On the way, the roadside birding stops produced Superb Starling, Northern Wheatear, Long-billed and Tree Pipit, Woolly-necked Stork and Intermediate Egret, amongst others. Notable mammals included two lovely Black-backed Jackal, Common Dwarf Mongoose and Salt’s Dik-Dik. We arrived at our lodge having had a rewarding day of travel. Our Omo Valley adventure continued with a visit to a village of Vulturine Guineafowl by Markus the Karo tribe on the banks of the impressive Omo River. Along Lilje the way, we had a fantastic sighting of three Black-faced Sandgrouse – a species we would not see on the main tour! Several Bateleur, prominently perched Eastern Chanting Goshawk and a Little Sparrowhawk were new raptor species seen as we made our way to the village. Migrant species were also evident, with Isabelline and Red-backed Shrike, and Eastern Olivaceous, Willow and Garden Warbler all seen well. The dry woodland habitat would produce several notable highlights, including a female Buff-crested Bustard, Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse and a wonderful flock of about 30 of the much sought-after Vulturine Guineafowl being the main highlight. Telephone wires had Purple Roller, and Blue-cheeked and Northern Carmine Bee-eaters perched at various places, with terrestrial species such as Crowned Lapwing and Helmeted Guineafowl also found on a number of occasions. Northern Red-billed, Von der Decken’s and Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill, colourful and noisy Red-and-yellow and D’Arnaud’s Barbet, Abyssinian and Black Scimitarbill, as well as Red-billed and White-headed Buffalo Weaver were some of the other dry woodland specials of the area that we came across before reaching the village. More widespread species included Emerald- spotted Wood Dove, Chestnut Sparrow, White-browed Coucal, Red-billed Firefinch, African Grey Flycatcher, Eastern Violet-backed Sunbird, and Rüppell’s and Magpie Starlings. Once at the village, we also managed to find a few birds of interest along the Omo River. A single Senegal Thick-knee was scoped from a distance but was soon outdone by the discovery of at least two Egyptian Plovers! A very interesting and bizarre bird of uncertain taxonomic Egyptian Plover by David Hoddinott Rockjumper Birding Tours www.rockjumperbirding.com Trip Report – RBL Ethiopia – Omo Valley Extension II 2016 5 affinity, it came as a surprise to find it and even allowed some of the villagers to have a look at the bird through the scope! Having had a quick tour and some insight into the Karo tribe that morning, the afternoon was spent at a rather special occasion at a nearby Hamar (Hamer) tribe village where we were privileged to watch a young man partake in the ‘bull jumping’ ceremony.