Tuesday 5 th
of November 2019
and we left the hotel in the morning. I was ready with my breakfast just after 7. Toast and Addis Tea and as it was breakfast I was offered a glass of juice. It will be my Guide and Driver as usually and we will have an extra Guide from the park with us. They were waiting outside the restaurant and we took off when I came out to the parking. We drove up the mountain and we reported at the gate at the entrance to the park.
Entrance to the Bale Mountains National Park - Sanettie Plateau
Entrance to the Bale Mountains National Park - Sanettie Plateau
Sanettie Plateau
Sanettie Plateau
Wood Sandpiper
Spot-breasted Lapwing
Augur Buzzard
Augur Buzzard
We drive up to the Sanettie Plateau and we drive south keeping our eyes out for wolfs and birds. We pass a Sanpiper and we have a discussion which it was. My Guide thought it was a Common but I said that it wa snot a common as it did not have the white “wedge” in front of the shoulder. I had to check the picture, a very bad picture, but when I zoomed in we discovered white spots and then we knew that it was a Wood Sandpiper.
We spotted a new bird for me, the beautiful Spot-breasted Lapwing. We also saw an Augur Buzzard sitting on a rock and I managed to get a few pictures. We see a lot of birds, a beautiful Ruddy Shelduck. But it was very cold so to get out of the car was really not an option with my safari uniform. And I was very disappointed with the Rouget's Rail.
The picture from yesterday was, well, garbage. And we saw plenty of them today and same as with the lark, impossible to focus on the bird.
Ruddy Shelduck
Sanettie Plateau
Sanettie Plateau
Sanettie Plateau
Sanettie Plateau
The clouds coming up over Sanettie Plateau
The clouds coming up over Sanettie Plateau
The clouds coming up over Sanettie Plateau
We are at the south end of the Sanettie Plateau and we go out of the car to enjoy the view. We can see the cloud coming up over the Sanettie Plateau. We turn around and we start to drive north again keeping our eyes out for wolfs.
We had have no luck with the wolfs by the time we reached the north gate.
Today's track at Bale Mountains National Park - Sanettie Plateau
eBird Report
Bale Mountains National Park - Sanetti Plateau, Oromia, ET Nov 5, 2019 07:44 - 11:21
Protocol: Traveling
16,2 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 Days Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia
13 species
Blue-winged Goose X
Ruddy Shelduck 2
Yellow-billed Duck 1
Chestnut-naped Francolin X
White-collared Pigeon X
Rouget's Rail X
Spot-breasted Lapwing X
Wood Sandpiper 3
Steppe Eagle 1
Augur Buzzard 1
Thekla's Lark X
Moorland Chat 1
Ethiopian Siskin X Many
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61195111
We had put the gate to the Bale Mountains National Park behind looking for birds along the road. Suddenly my Guide spot a Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler. The same bird we tried to see back at the Gemessa Gedel where I had suffered from altitude sickness.
We stopped and I went out from the car, it was not so cold here, a wee bit chilli, but it was nice to walk around chasing the birds trying to get pictures. I see two Cinnamon Bracken-Warblers in the bushes and I gave it a try with my camera.
Cinnamon Bracken Warbler
Streaky Seedeater
Streaky Seedeater
Streaky Seedeater
Streaky Seedeater
We stop to look at the Cinnamon Bracken Warbler
Moorland Chat
Moorland Chat
Today's track at north entrance to Bale Mountains National Park
eBird Report
Outside North entrance to Bole Mountain National Park, Oromia, ET Nov 5, 2019 11:23 - 12:24
Protocol: Traveling
4,3 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 Days Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia
6 species
Rouget's Rail 1
Cinnamon Bracken-Warbler 2
Abyssinian Catbird 2
Abyssinian Thrush 2
Moorland Chat X
Streaky Seedeater 3
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61195110
I was happy when we left, I had seen quite a few birds. We stopped to have a look at the Abyssinian Catbird. But they were too far away for any pictures. It was lunch time and we drove back to the hotel. We stopped to buy some chocolate bars on the way.
Back at Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel and I had tea and toast for lunch before I went to my room to check today's pictures.
I left my room at 3 thirty to go look for birds around the hotel. The first bird I spotted was a Rüppell's Robin-Chat on the parking. Walking around the compound and I spotted a few birds before I was giving up. The pictures was not any good due to a crazy ISO speed. It was really dark as it was overcast.
Abyssinian Thrush
Picture not good enough for the bird to make it to my list of observed birds
Abyssinian Thrush
Picture not good enough for the bird to make it to my list of observed birds
Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher
Picture not good enough for the bird to make it to my list of observed birds
Today's track at Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel
eBird Report
Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel, Oromia, ET Nov 5, 2019 15:29 - 15:57
Protocol: Traveling
0,83 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 Days Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia
5 species
Thick-billed Raven 2
Abyssinian Thrush 3
Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher 1
Rüppell's Robin-Chat 1
Brown-rumped Seedeater 5
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61197317
I spent the rest of the day in my room, feeling better, much better but I was still a little sick so I rest is needed. We will go to Dinsho tomorrow and you can find out if we find any birds by clicking HERE
And we are of course hopefor good weather.