Birding with Ram Gopalakrishnan: Ethiopia: amazing birding in an off-beat destination

Familiar story: wife has a conference in Africa so husband tags along in the hope of squeezing in some birding in a destination well off the beaten track, unlike Masai Maara or Victoria Falls, previous conference venues!

This time it was Addis Ababa, capital and international gateway to Ethiopia, at a height of 2400 m and a few kilometers west of the iconic African Rift Valley. Our interest was not just in the historical relevance of this ancient, never-colonized African country but its natural beauty and the 860 plus bird species we could potentially encounter in a variety of habitats, from the highlands to the Rift Valley lakes down south and finally the scrub forests in the east. We were here in August in the monsoon season and kept our fingers crossed that we would encounter birds in spectacular breeding plumage rather than a four-day washout!

Our guide Zelalem Haile Michael first took us north on the main highway, surrounded by pasture and agricultural lands, to Debre Libanos, 110 km north of Addis in the Jemma Valley escarpment. A couple of bizarre-looking Thick-billed Ravens foraging at a rubbish dump was our first endemic and a marsh yielded several more: a flock of White-collared Pigeons, an Ethiopian thrush, a family of Blue-winged Geese and a Wattled Ibis. The relatively smaller Hooded Vulture yielded some close-up shots of its naked pink head and fine downy “hood”. A horde of these along with the bigger White-backed Vulture and Ruppell's Griffon around a carcass was a sight for my sore Indian eyes, unused to a diclofenac-free environment! Highlight of the route was a rare Blanford's Lark, a difficult to spot endemic with a rufous crest.

Debre Libanos is the site of an ancient 13th century Ethiopian Orthodox Church monastery, the biggest in Ethiopia. A central plateau at 3000 m similar to Addis, without the traffic and human interference, it is perfect for highland endemic species. The stunning blue, black and yellow facial coloration of the Ethiopian Bee-eater greeted us as we sat down for lunch. The Baglafecht weaver gave it close company in the color race, ie till we saw the red and azure blue contrasts of the Red-cheeked Cordonbleu. The endemic list swelled with the thoroughly drab Abyssinian Slaty-flycatcher and the all black Ruppell's chat. The alpha male led a troop of ground-dwelling of Ethiopia endemic Gelada Monkeys, with their characteristic heart shaped red chest markings. Vervet Monkeys did what monkeys do: steal fruit from a residence. We rounded off a most productive day with our final endemic, the Abyssinian Catbird and the unbelievably colored Yellow-bellied Waxbill.

Next day we drove south towards Lake Langano located at 2000 m in the Rift Valley, with a couple of stops on the way. Lunch was on the windy rim of Lake Bishoftu, a crater lake: hundreds of tiny Red-billed Queleas, tiny weaver like birds, rose and settled in unison and the obligatory African Fish-eagle did its thing on the water. Ubiquitous Marabou Storks dotted the plains as we headed to Lake Langano, a uniquely brown colored waterbody on account of its slight salinity. We were greeted by a pair of charismatic large hornbills: the Abyssinian Ground-Hornbill foraging on the ground and the Silvery-cheeked Hornbill with its huge casque. A pair of Saddle-billed Storks at the lake edge and a close up of a sleeping African Scops Owl rounded off the day. Promising!

The peace of dawn ushered in a magical morning at the lake. Dozens of nests of a noisy colony of nesting Village Weavers almost made a tree droop at the water's edge. A Malachite Kingfisher was the prince among the commoners, the Pied Kingfishers. The grounds of the Hara Langano lodge made for perfect morning birding. Fawn-breasted Waxbills with their cute red bill made for a nice photo-op. The endemic and threatened Yellow-fronted Parrot joined a party of bizarre looking (and named) Bare-faced Go-away-birds. A Red-collared Widowbird was in its finest Sunday suit (ie breeding plumage). A tiny Northern Red-fronted Tinkerbird, a mini barbet, showed off its red front. A near endemic bushshrike, the Ethiopian Boubou and the Banded Barbet, with its barred belly, were followed by a Sulphur-breasted Bushshrike, and finally the endemic Black-winged Lovebird. All resulting in a most satisfying breakfast!

After breakfast we drove to the nearby Abidjatta Shalla National Park, a wooded savannah full of acacia trees. A massive Somali Ostrich greeted us as we entered, and Crested Francolins kept their distance on the path ahead of us as we set out on foot. The small white Von Der Decken's Hornbill and its Northern Red-billed cousins (of Zazu fame) allowed us close up shots. A waterhole was the perfect setting for a succession of small and pretty creatures to quench their thirst and perform their afternoon ablutions.

Watching a few bathing Northern Red Bishop's breeding plumage in bright sunlight was like watching a color fashion show. In succession they came:

Crimson-rumped and Black-cheeked Waxbills, Ruppell's Weavers, Cutthroats (ridiculously named finches after the patch of red on the male's throat), cordonbleus, Chestnut Sparrows, Namaqua Dove and finally the Little Weaver, the smallest of the clan. We had to drag ourselves off for lunch.

In the afternoon, we headed east into the nearby Bishangari Lodge, whose grounds housed an unspoilt forest of ancient and massive acacia and moraceae fruiting trees, and was host to a different set of spectacular birds. A pair of Double-toothed Barbets, named after the two serrations on their upper bill was followed by a White-cheeked Turaco whose call titillated us for a long time before we finally spotted its beautiful red beak, double white marks on its face and green and olive body. A couple for the ages!

The meadowland near the lake provided for rich sightings: a Mountain Gray Woodpecker, a group of Blue-naped Mousebirds and Black-billed Woodhoopoes which allowed us to photograph them feeding on the ground. A group of Black-and-white and Bronze Mannikins hungrily guzzled insects and seeds on the meadow. It was worthwhile sinking a boot into a puddle of mud to get a close up shot of the lovely African Pygmy Kingfisher, a woodland rather than water inhabitant. We rounded off the day with an African Harrier-Hawk, whose unusual habit of foraging on eggs and nestlings sets it apart from other raptors. What a packed day!

Next day a Dark Chanting-Goshawk (named after its habit of swaying as if chanting in prayer!) greeted us at dawn as we headed back north and then east towards Awash National Park. A stop at Lake Ziway was notable for the endemic Ethiopian Cisticola and a majestic Woodland Kingfisher. Ethiopia abounds in weaver species and their nests were everywhere: they were confusingly similar despite their full breeding plumage. As we went down to 400 m into the Rift Valley, temperatures rose and the habitat became drier. The Awash River is the lifeline of this part of the country and squawking African Gray Hornbills greeted us as we entered, soon followed by Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbills. Miniature Salt's dik-diks were the soup (antelope) of the day here, no doubt for the jackal-like African Golden Wolf that crossed in front of us. An Eastern Paradise-Whydah in majestic breeding plumage has to be the longest tailed bird relative to its size! White-throated Bee-eaters rivaled their Little and Ethiopian cousins with their austere white. Striped, Gray headed and Malachite Kingfishers made sure their family was noticed and rollers weren't left behind: Lilac-breasted, Purple and European. Typical scrub jungle habitat surrounded us as we headed on a looping trail by vehicle, the foot trails being too flooded to walk. A pair of pretty Somali Buntings with their yellow breast posed for a photo: commoner Striolated and Cinnamon-breasted Buntings followed. A Rosy-patched Bushsrike hadn't forgotten its trademark patch on its breast. A Black-chested Snake-Eagle glowered in the setting sunlight as we left this completely different habitat with a swollen bird count.

Ethiopia does not have the well oiled tourist friendliness of Kenya or Tanzania: binocular permits are needed to bring your own pair and the lodges are less luxurious and accessible only through rough dirt roads. Nothing that a passionate birder can't overcome, but the slow worldwide decline in pristine habitats and biodiversity has not spared this country. Pressure for development and land has boxed off natural habitats and invaders like Prosopis julliflora and lantana have taken over much of the countryside. It will take a major effort to preserve the country's natural bounty for generations to come.

Thankfully, not a drop of rain disturbed our birding despite this being the rainy season. Go birding in Ethiopia if you get the chance!