Birding/ Bird watching in Ethiopia - November 2019

Birding/ Bird watching in Ethiopia with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia - Classical Endemic Birding Tour Ethiopia

Day 18:
- Morning, continue Birding Yabelo Area and drive to Awassa.

Another early start this morning will afford us the time to begin our journey back north. We will spend 7 hours of the day driving north toward Lake Awassa (a distance of approximately 320 km on a bad gravel road), another Rift Valley Lake just south of Lakes Abijata, Shala, and Langano, breaking up the drive with some stops for birding as appropriate. We will arrive at our hotel late in the afternoon, and can take time to bird around our hotel and in nearby areas we can expect to see Grivet Monkey and the handsome Guereza (a species of Black-and-white Colobus) as well.

Night in Awassa, Africa United Group Hotel near the lakeshore.

CANCELLED

Political trouble in the Bale Mountains area and they have closed the area. So we have to change our schedule.

Morning, drive to Dinsho; Afternoon birding Around Dinsho

Day 18: Bird watching in Dinsho

If we wish to do so, we can go birding early this morning in the area around the Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel.

We will drive to the Bale Mountains National Park headquarters in Dinsho. We will spend our afternoon birding along the trails here. Our primary targets here are Chestnut-naped Francolin and, with some luck, roosting African Wood Owl and African Long-eared (Abyssinian) Owl.

Bale Mountains National Park

We will also keep our eyes out for endemics such as Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher, Thick-billed Raven, and Ethiopian Siskin. Dinsho is also one of the best places to find the rare Mountain Nyala, which is found only in a handful of high-elevation areas of Ethiopia east of the Great Rift Valley, and Menelik’s Bushbuck, an endemic, dark-colored, long-haired subspecies of the widespread Bushbuck.

Third night in Goba, Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel

Wednesday 6 ^th of November 2019 and we left Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel after breakfast. Toast and Addis Tea and a glass of juice. We drove north and we arrived about 1 hour later. We had to pass a gate and we were in the Bale Mountains National Park. We picked up a guide from the park before we continued in to the park.

We drive by some kind of deer and we stop to try to take pictures of a Chestnut-naped Francolin before we continue towards a lodge. Reaching the lodge and I was surprised to discover a lot of people and cars. Many people are obviously coming here for camping.

Gate to Bale Mountains National Park, Dinsho Headquarter

Gate to Bale Mountains National Park, Dinsho Headquarter

Chestnut-naped Francolin

Chestnut-naped Francolin

We go to look for birds

Bale Mountains National Park, Dinsho Headquarter

We get out of the car and we start to look for birds around the restrooms. I spot a Yellow-bellied Waxbill back at the parking and I walk down along the dust road leaving my Guide behind.

He had a lot of friends coming as guides bringing bird watchers. Nice to walk around by myself for a while and my Guide discussed the latest bird watching adventures.

I see an African Dusky Flycatcher and when I am back at the parking my Guide show me a Yellow-fronted Parrot. But the Yellow-fronted Parrot is too high up in the tree for the pictures to be any good. The parrot was busy eating and I waited in vain for the bird to come closer. Back in the car and we continued north leaving the HQ behind.

Yellow-bellied Waxbill

Yellow-bellied Waxbill

African Dusky Flycatcher

Yellow-fronted Parrot

Picture not good enough for the bird to make it to my list of observed birds

Today's track at Dinsho Park HQ

eBird Report

Bale Mountains - Dinsho Park HQ, Oromia, ET Nov 6, 2019 08:08 - 10:03
Protocol: Traveling
3,33 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 Days Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia
5 species

Chestnut-naped Francolin 5 Family
Yellow-fronted Parrot 3
Abyssinian Thrush 1
African Dusky Flycatcher 1
Yellow-bellied Waxbill 2

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61219503

We continued towards West for an hour or so before we left the paved road getting on a dirt track on our right hand side. Didn´t take long before we were in the middle of the wilderness. Driving through the bush land and suddenly we reached a stream that we had to cross.

There were two African Black Ducks in the stream and I tried to take pictures. But the birds was very scared and they swam away as soon as they saw us.

Across the stream and my Guide discover an African Stonechat couple and we stop. I get out to try to get a few pictures but I really don´t come close enough for any good pictures.

The female was pretty close but the male was too far away. By the time I reached the bush the birds took off and I went back in to the car.

At Dinsho Wetlands

At Dinsho Wetlands

Crossing a stream

Crossing a stream

African Black Duck

Female African Stonechat

Female African Stonechat

Male African Stonechat

Stop to take pictures of the African Stonechat

We continued through the grass land and we stopped at a group of deer. I went out to walk down to the deer to get some pictures. Our park Guide followed me. He found a wild hog skull but the tusks was missing and I was disappointed. Would be nice to find some “magic” tusk for our Time keeper on board m/t Rita Maersk.

Well, Rita is sold and now they have put m/t Ribe Maersk on the trade between Bongkot and Map Ta Put now. So they want to old team from Rita to move to m/t Ribe Maersk now. And I am looking for tusks to bring to our Time keeper for his magic.

Wild hog skull

I come pretty close

I come pretty close

Walking back to the car

Today's track at Dinsho wetland

eBird Report

Bale Mountains - Dinsho wetland, Oromia, ET Nov 6, 2019 10:19 - 11:09
Protocol: Traveling
4,27 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 Days Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia
4 species

African Black Duck 2
Ethiopian Cisticola 1
African Stonechat 2
Moorland Chat X

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61219512

We leave the wetland and we drive back to the hotel in Goba. We have seen many of the Ethiopian Cisticola in the Bale Mountains area, but no pictures. We spotted the bird just outside Goba and we stop to try to get some pictures. There was also Yellow Bishop that I could not get on pictures.

But I was very happy to have got pictures of the beautiful Ethiopian Cisticola. We continued to the hotel and we arrived 10 minutes later.

Stopping to take pictures of the Ethiopian Cisticola

Ethiopian Cisticola

Ethiopian Cisticola

Ethiopian Cisticola

Ethiopian Cisticola

Ethiopian Cisticola

Back at Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel I went to look for birds around the hotel with my Guide. But there wasn´t really many birds and it was getting too dark for any pictures.

But we got a good constitutionalout of it. I had tea and toast as supper and the evening was spent in my room.

Today's track at Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel

eBird Report

Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel, Oromia, ET Nov 6, 2019 15:35 - 15:57
Protocol: Traveling
0,64 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 Days Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia
2 species

Northern Fiscal 1
Brown-rumped Seedeater 1

View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S61221149

Last night at Goba Wabe Shebelle Hotel and we will leave for the last hotel on this trip tomorrow morning, then I will spend the rest of my days in Ethiopia on Radisson Blu in Addis Ababa. So I was pretty excited as I will soon be able to have nice food again after 20 days of toast and tea.

Click HERE to find out if we see any birds tomorrow.

Tweet

OK, it has come to my knowledge that we have senior citizens visiting my web page. How hard can it be? So it's not very easy for them to see the blue coloured links to the next page.

Jiffy (also jiff)

noun [in SING.] informal a moment: we'll be back in a jiffy.

ORIGIN late 18th cent.: of unknown origin.

So as you understand, in a jiff pretty much depends on your internet.

So I put a “Next” button here and I hope that there isn't any problem to understand how to use that one. So just CLICK the “Next” button on your left hand side and you will be on the next page in a jiff!

Marunong ka mag-tagalog? Walang problema! Magpunta sa kabilang pahina pindutin ang “NEXT” button sa itaas

Faites vous parlez le français? Pas de problème! Pour arriver à la page suivante faites s'il vous plaît un déclic le bouton “Next” ci-dessus!

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คุณพูดภาษาไทยได้ไหม ไม่มีปัญหา ถ้าคุณต้องการไปหน้าถัดไป ให้กดปุ่ม “Next” ข้างบนนี้

Вы говорите по-русски? Просто нажмите синюю кнопку "Next" с левой стороны и Вы моментально переместитесь на следующую страницу!

E ni Svenskar och inte förstår Engelska så ska ni skämmas. J och Björn, med det menar jag inte att alla mina stavfel ska ältas varje gång vi träffas.

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