Saturday 26 th
of October 2019
and I was very happy when we left the shite hole C- Lale Resort Hotel behind. We stopped in town to look for fresh bread. And we went to the butcher to buy bone for the Lammergeier before leaving for Ethio-German Park Hotel in Debre Libanos. We also look for a battery lantern as I really don't need any more experience of staying in a pitch dark hotel room for 12 hours.
We left Fiche behind and it took about 30 minutes to reach Ethio-German Park Hotel in Debre Libanos. What a place this was, located just at the edge of the cliff with an almost vertical mountain side. It was built by a couple, the man from Ethiopia and the wife from Germany. They built the place and it looks like, well, reminds about German houses.
The man died and the German girl moved in to town and the place is more or less only a small restaurant today. This was a birders paradise and a place I would like to have owned as it is now looking to fall in to decay.
My Guide had bought a bone
At Ethio-German Park Hotel, Debre Libanos
We put the bones at the cliff edge
We put the bones at the cliff edge
We watch the bones from the restaurant
We walk down to the cliff edge to put the bones and we walk back to the table outside the restaurant. They have tea and nothing else and we are drinking tea waiting for the vultures. Early morning and the air is not warm enough for the vultures to be able to fly at this altitude. As soon as the air is warm the vultures will start soar over the mountains.
But we are not bored while waiting for the air to get hot. There are many birds outside the restaurant and what a gorgeous morning it was. Great view, great weather and great birding while enjoying great tea.
Male Baglafecht Weaver
Male Baglafecht Weaver
Female Baglafecht Weaver
Female Baglafecht Weaver
Female Tacazze Sunbird
Female Tacazze Sunbird
Female Tacazze Sunbird
Heuglin's White-eye
Heuglin's White-eye
Heuglin's White-eye
Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher
Swainson's Sparrow
Little Rock Thrush
View over the gorge from the restaurant
Fan-tailed Ravens have found the bone
Blue-spotted Wood Dove
Blue-spotted Wood Dove
One eagle and one vulture have found the bones
It was getting warmer and we were soon looking at vultures soar over the mountains. One eagle and a Hooded Vulture was soon landing at the bones. The eagle and the vulture enjoyed the bones until one Rüppell's Griffon land.
The Rüppell's Griffon is taking one of the bones and put it on the cliff edge. Then the bird turn around and rip the other bone from the Hooded Vulture. The Hooded Vulture is smaller than the Rüppell's Griffon. Now we have more Rüppell's Griffons arriving and one Bearded Vulture, also called Lammergeier. The Lammergeier and the Rüppell's Griffon are eating bones.
And they are so big so they can take the bone and drop them from great height so crack them so they can eat what’s inside the bone. They take quite big bones, but we realised that we had forgot to split the legs. We have two whole legs and when they bones are together with the knees it is a wee bit too heavy for them to lift.
So now they bring the bones to the edge in order to push them out from the cliff.
Joined by a Black Kite
Rüppell's Vulture
Rüppell's Vulture took the bone from the Hooded Vulture
We can see the size difference between the vultures. And a Fan-tailed Raven enjoy the bone on the edge
Rüppell's Vulture pulling the second bone to the cliff edge
Soon the air over the mountain is full of vultures
We were too far away for any good pictures of the “bone action” down at the cliff edge. There were more Rüppell's Vultures landing on the cliff. After a while we spotted a Lammergeier coming in for landing on the cliff.
The bones where soon on the cliff edge and the vultures pushed them over the edge and one Rüppell's Vultures and the Lammergeier was looking over the edge to look for the bones. Well, me and my Guide went to the car and we left the Ethio-German Park Hotel in Debre Libanos behind bound for Addis Ababa.
Rüppell's Vulture
One Lammergeier have arrived to have a look at the bones
Looking down the cliffs for the bones
Today´s track at Ethio-German Park Hotel, Debre Libanos
eBird Report
Ethio-German Park Hotel, Debre Libanos, Oromia, ET Oct 26, 2019 07:19 - 09:32
Protocol: Traveling
1,28 kilometer(s)
Comments: 20 day Ethiopian birding tour with Flamingos Tours Ethiopia. Me and my guide looking for birds at the Ethio-German Park Hotel
20 species
Blue-spotted Wood-Dove 1
Bearded Vulture 1
Egyptian Vulture 3
Hooded Vulture 1
White-backed Vulture 2
Rüppell's Griffon 8
Hemprich's Hornbill 2
Pied Crow 1
Fan-tailed Raven 3
Singing Cisticola 1
Barn Swallow X
Common Bulbul 1
Heuglin's White-eye 2
Abyssinian Slaty-Flycatcher 1
Little Rock-Thrush 1
Tacazze Sunbird 1 Female
Variable Sunbird 1
Baglafecht Weaver 6
Rüppell's Weaver 1
Swainson's Sparrow 1
View this checklist online at https://ebird.org/checklist/S60930367
It was a paved road leaving Debre Libanos and I was told that it should be a good road all the way down south to Bethelem Hotel in Ziway. Well, good road, the road is paved OK but there were still potholes and we were not making much of an average speed. And I was delirious in the back seat thinking about lunch at Sheraton.
I have not had have any real good food since we left Addis Ababa and Sheraton should have good food, at least this is what I expect.
Approaching Addis Ababa and they had Police controls, well, they are all over Ethiopia. Check-point, but for what I don't know, most of the time they just wave us by. But the access road to Addis was blocked by busses and trucks at the check-point.
Lunch buffet at Sheraton Addis Ababa and the food was excellent
Lunch at Sheraton Addis Ababa
Lunch at Sheraton Addis Ababa
Lunch at Sheraton Addis Ababa
Lunch at Sheraton Addis Ababa
I could hardly move when we left Sheraton. Now we have a few hours to get to Bethelem Hotel in Ziway. Highway from Addis Ababa and the last stretch will be on a good paved road as I was told by my Guide. We drove through Addis and the traffic was terrible and it took an hour to reach the highway. The new toll way going south.
We stopped at Hyio Café along road A7 after having been driving through the town of Mojo at the tool way exit. Hyio Café is located in the strawberry fields along A7. We drive towards Ziway on a road that is in terrible condition in some area, but the road is paved.
We pass many fields and suddenly in one field, we discovered Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill walking on the field, one male and three females. We stopped and I got out in the field to try to get pictures of the Hornbill.
Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill in the field
Male Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
Female Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
Male / Female Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
Male / Female Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill
Grey-backed Fiscal
Grey-backed Fiscal
Grey-backed Fiscal
Grey-backed Fiscal
Back in the car and we continued towards Ziway. We stopped at a shop to see if they had any lanterns, but no luck and we continued to the hotel. We spotted a Grey-backed Fiscal sitting on a wire outside the hotel, we stopped and I got out to take a few pictures of the bird.
We entered the hotel compound and I checked in. My Driver and Guide will come to pick me up tomorrow morning at 7 o'clock and we will cross the road to go bird watching at Ziway Lake. We bought raspberries and strawberries at Hyio Café, and this is what I will eat for dinner tonight.
Raspberry and strawberries from Hyio Café
Raspberry and strawberries from Hyio Café
Coming in to my room and I liked the room. Clean and everything was working as it should. The bathroom had warm water and I could use the table for my computer. Good, maybe I can go through some of the bird pictures during the evening. I was happy with the room, a great room compared to some of the places I had lived at so far.
I spent the night in my room eating raspberry and strawberry. I just left the room to go see if any of the staff had a USB charging cable for my phone. But no one had a USB C connection. I forgot my USB cable in the car, well, I hope the battery will last until 4 o'clock when the alarm is set to go off so I can have raspberry and strawberry for breakfast.
My room at Bethelem Hotel, Ziway
My room at Bethelem Hotel, Ziway
We will do bird watching at Lake Ziway tomorrow morning before we drive south to the 10000 Flamingos Lodge where we will spend the night. My Guide and Driver will come to pick me up at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning. Click HERE
to find out if I see any birds tomorrow.