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How many species can you expect to
see on a non-stop birding safari in Ethiopia, Uganda and Kenya?
Ethiopia - An endemic treasure There were
noises of utter madness when I announced a 7 week non-stop birding
Safari in Ethiopia, Uganda and ending in Kenya. By the time we
had booked our 18 flights in total, there were signs of post-election
violence in Uganda, but Birders are risk takers, especially if they have
set themselves a target. Our
target was to see if we could add another 500 new species to our list of
800 plus Southern African birds. Pursuing bird numbers is not the reason
why I am a bird watcher. I
fell in love with birds and travelling, but I have to admit that setting
a target like this is an exciting part of birding, as long as it doesn’t
become an obsession to see bird numbers and no longer appreciate the
birds and their marvellous behaviour. On the first of
March 2011 we arrived in Addis Ababa where we were met by local birder
and guide, Bayou Elias, who would guide us on a 20 day safari taking us
to Ethiopia’s top birding habitats - the central Abyssinian plateau;
home to high altitude species like the endangered Ankober Serin and
Spot-breasted Lapwing, the adjacent high altitude mountain forests with
endemic species like White-cheeked Turaco and Yellow-fronted Parrot, the
Abyssinian rift valley and the exciting southern plateau; home to
the endangered localised endemic Ruspoli’s Turaco and Stresemann’s Bush
Crow and the Liben plains to search for the Liben Lark that could become
extinct within this decade. We literally
began our safari with a bang. Very early, on the first morning in Addis
Ababa a loud explosion shook me out of my bed. I asked for a wake-up
call but this was outrageous. I nearly pulled the mosquito net out of
the ceiling as I tried to reach for the door. More and more
explosions followed. Were we under siege by Somalian terrorists? The next moment
a friendly face appeared in front of me. ”Morning, luggage ready?” asked
Elias with a map in his hand. “Let me
introduce you to Bruke our driver” he continued. Neither of them showed
any concern about the heavy bombardment in the background.
“What are
those...?” I asked. “Oh that! It’s a
public holiday and those are cannons firing.
The artillery fires a shot for every religious group in Ethiopia
to commemorate their role in creating a land of peace and harmony.”
replied Elias with a big smile on his face. Ethiopia has a
population of about 85 million people and has almost the same number of
different cultures and languages.
About a thousand years ago Ethiopia became a predominantly
Orthodox Christian and Muslim state, miraculously without any conflict.
This remarkable achievement certainly adds more flavour to Ethiopia’s
unique character. Both these
religions taught Ethiopian’s to respect nature. The Ethiopian
hospitality is also very different to what we are used to in our Western
culture. They show their hospitality in many ways especially in sharing
their food and coffee. On several occasions we were invited to drink
coffee or to share a piece of “Njera”,
something like a huge pancake made of local wheat, with a total
stranger. Despite all this
positive awareness Ethiopia’s fast growing population and demand for
food have pushed mch of its unique wildlife to the brink of extinction.
Giraffes, Lions and Rhinos have already disappeared from Ethiopian soil.
There are about 300 Ethiopian Wolves left, where they once roamed on the
Abyssinian plateaux. The
Walia Ibex and Gelada Baboon are now also critically endangered. However, it
seems that most bird species are still doing very well in Ethiopia.
Ethiopians do not kill birds to eat, though cranes may sometimes come
under fire when they feed on farmer’s precious crops.
Habitat destruction still remains
the main threat to Ethiopia’s diverse birdlife.
In spite off this we have witnessed on more than one occasion how
Ethiopians showed that they do care.
En route to Bale
Mountains we came across a small tribe next to a busy road who protect a
Greyish Eagle Owl. I will never forget the small shepherd boy who ran
more than a mile just to help us locate the Owl.
To the south of Ethiopia’s plateaux lies another small town where
you can literally stop anywhere and ask for someone to guide you to
Ruspoli’s Turaco. It is obvious that the people of this town do not only
know the name of this endangered bird, but also protect the remaining
fig trees where a few are resident amidst the growing agricultural
activities and herds of cattle. The next day we
encountered another small flock of Ruspoli’s Turaco, this time even
closer to a human settlement than the previous day.
On an early morning excursion searching for the illusive
Harwood’s Spurfowl, we suddenly found ourselves surrounded by a group of
shepherd boys who’s only English words were: “ Hardwoods Francolin”.
They guided us directly to a steep mountain slope where we found this
threatened endemic species quite easily.
We have also witnessed Garganey, White-backed Ducks and
Hottentot Teal, normally shy birds, swimming undisturbed between the
boats of fishermen adjacent to a very busy fishing community at one of
the lakes in the Rift valley. Where else in Africa would you find Ground
Hornbills in between ploughed lands and surrounding settlements in
groups of three. With the
experience of a passionate bird guide, the assistance of his patient
driver and the holy symbiosis between local people and their birds, we
manage to see a total of 414 species of birds, 207 were new,
78 near endemic and 24 endemic (including those overlapping with Eritrea)
27 species of mammals including the endangered Gelada Baboon and
Ethiopian Wolf.
Ethiopia’s bird diversity and kind people certainly contribute to making
it one of Africa’s top birding destinations in a forgotten Eden and is a
must visit for every passionate birder.
Bird facts:
800 species of birds
18 only confined to the political boarders of Ethiopia
14 are shared with Eritrea
214 are palaearctic migrants
6 species are critically endangered
Travelling advice:
Go birding with an experienced bird guide or tour company.
Do not expect luxuries like warm water and flushing toilets.
Do not take photos of camel shepherds and their camel.
Take warm clothes when birding the Abyssinian plateau (4600 meters above
sea level).
Best time: Oct-Dec after the rains.
Uganda- Full house: Shoebill, Pittas, Kingfishers and Hornbills
Birder’s can sometimes relay stories about their birding trip and what
they have seen, making it sound just too good to be true.
It can sound just like another fishing story, over exaggerated
and full of bragging about how he arrived just at the right time at the
perfect spot to catch the big one. One of my best birding friends
usually remarks on such a story: “If I haven’t seen it, I can’t believe
it.”
Birding in Uganda left me with such a story and I know that even my good
friend will not believe me, but if you don’t I’ll join you on another
trip to convince you that Uganda certainly offers one of the best
birding destination in Africa.
When we arrived at Entembe one of our bags had stayed behind in
Ethiopia, but there was no time to waste because the big one was waiting
- the Shoebill.
Mutebi Hassan, our guide for the next two weeks, promised that he would
make a few phone calls and have the baggage delivered in Kampala, but
our schedule was very tight and we had to hurry to swamps to search for
the Shoebill.
“What is the chance to see one?” I asked Hassan.
“On a lucky day...no problem, but we have missed it a couple of times.”
he replied. Our tour plan was so tight that there was only this one
opportunity to see if we could locate this pre-historic looking bird
with the scientific name
Balaeniceps Rex.
Whilst rowing through narrow channels on a papyrus swamp, adjacent to
Lake Victoria, I knew why it could sometimes be very difficult to see
it.
I will never forget when Hassan calmly tapped my on my shoulder and
said: “If you look on your right hand at five o’clock you will see your
Shoebill.”
After observing this bizarre bird from a distance I pushed my luck a bit
further asking Hassan if his team of rowers could try to get us closer
for better photo opportunities.
“On a lucky day we can get very close, but if it flies it’s gone.” he
warned.
The photo says it all, it was our lucky day and we were at the right
place at the right time, but for what happened next and the day after
that and for the next ten days, I have nothing but my word in spite of
the fact that it sounds just like one of those too good to be true
fishing stories.
Who will believe you if tell about a single tree standing knee-deep in
the water with at least five species of Weavers, including the Orange
Weaver and Golden-backed Weaver or if I tell about a feeding flock in
the Bwundi forest with Red-tailed Ant-thrush, Red-throated Alethe and
Equatorial Akalat feeding together on Safari ants.
Two days later in the Semiliki Forest our birding luck continued when I
saw a Black Dwarf Hornbill and lifer for Hassan after visiting the
forest for 17 years. Within
the next 24 hours Red-billed Dwarf Hornbill, White-crested, Black
Casqued Wattled Hornbill, Piping Hornbill and African Pied Hornbills
followed. This was Hassan’s first full house of Hornbill in 17 years.
However, this was not yet my ultimate birding experience, it happened at
Kibale Forest. On an early morning excursion before sunrise, we headed
deep into the forest in search of the Green-breasted Pitta.
I have not even seen an African Pitta before and gave up after a
couple of long and expensive journeys to Zimbabwe and Central
Mozambique. The anticipation
was almost unbearable when we heard the first calls of a displaying
Pitta, but the excitement was suddenly damped by the rumble a fast
approaching thunderstorm.
Our guides now realising that it would soon rain, pushed forward through
the thick undergrowth to try and locate the Pitta before the rain won.
The first rain drops started to came down and for a moment or two it
seemed as if we had lost the race, but then another Pitta called very
close to us and then came those words that can make a man’s heart stop
beating: ”Quick, over here!”
Just as I positioned myself to see the vent and tail of the
Green-breasted Pitta, another Pitta came from nowhere.
It dived onto our Pitta and chased it off it’s perch.
The disappointment lasted only a
second...the intruder was now perching on the same branch and much more
exposed than the first one. This time I was spot on...but when I focused
my binoculars on it, I discovered that it was an African Pitta and not a
Green-breasted Pitta.
Then, in front of us unfolded an even a more bizarre story. The African
Pitta who had chased the Green-breasted Pitta off his perch, had spotted
the Green-breasted Pitta again and launched another attack. This time it
chased the Green-breasted Pitta to a clearing in the forest where we
locate it easily and give us time to get a few close-range photos of it
before the rain started to pour down in buckets full.
A few minutes later we walked
into a troop of Chimpanzees.
By this time we had not seen any new Kingfishers until birding the Royal
mile at Bidongo forest. First Shining Blue, then Chocolate-backed, then
Blue-breasted and finally Dwarf Pigmy Kingfisher. Who will ever believe
me?
We had seen 426 species in total over a period of two weeks, 49
Albertine Rift endemics and other near endemics including other rarely
seen species like Nahan’s Spurfowl, Grauer’s and Neumann’s Warbler and
20 mammals of which 9 new primates, including the endangered Mountain
Gorilla.
Kenya - filling in the gaps I have to be
very careful not to disappoint with my Kenya birding experience.
By the time we had arrived at Mombassa to meet with our guide
Joseph.... fatigue was setting in and the humidity did not help our
condition. Our main aim was
to see if we could fill the gaps and see the remaining 85 species, to
reach our target. Our itinerary
began at Mombassa, from there to Mnt. Keneya, Lake Baringo and Kakamega
forest. Little sleep and long distance travelling were now taking their
toll on us. Birding Sekoke
forest was not easy, but after three days of hard core birding in the
rain we were rewarded with Sekoke Scops Owl, Golden Palm Weavers,
Mombasa Woodpecker, Sekoke and Malindi Pipit, East coast Boubou,
Short-tailed Batis, Scaly Babbler and Red-tailed Ant-thrush. Finally we
started to fill in the gaps. Tsavo West produced Somali coursers which
we had missed in Ethiopia.
Tsavo East produced Somali Tit which we had missed in Ethiopia. Mt.
Kenya produced Hartlaub’s Turaco and Red-fornted Parrot which we dipped
on in Uganda. We had also seen Little Rock Thrush and Bristle-crowned
starlings, which we had missed in Ethiopia and at Kakamega forest we saw
Yellow-bellied Wattle-eye and Kakamega Greenbull which we had missed in
Uganda. In the end,
Kenya won with 446 species over a period of 13 days. We had seen 69 new
species, but 49 were endemic and near endemic.
In spite the
fact that we missed our target by seventeen birds, we once again
realized that birding was not about perusing a total, but about the
privilege of being out there and the joy of pure luck - when they show
up and not because you were at the right spot at the right time. Seven
weeks in East Africa was indeed the ultimate birding experience.
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