Ethiopia - Day 3 (03/11/19) - Awash National Park, Lake Ziway and Abidjatta-Shalla National Park

We started the morning with an early breakfast and we did some birding around our accommodation at Awash Falls Lodge. We didn't have particularly long due to a long drive ahead to Ziway but birds of note included an African Fish Eagle perched on top of the trees above the falls, a Giant Kingfisher which flew down river and a Yellow-billed Stork passed overhead. On our way back to the main gate we added an Isabelline Wheatear and Abel spotted a Golden-backed Jackel which showed nicely however as Dad and I were in Car 2 we only obtained brief views. Just as we were leaving the Jackel I picked up a ringtail Pallid Harrier over the bushveld but it didn't hang around. A bit further up the track we also added an Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill which showed nicely in a bush on the side of the road.

As we left Awash National Park next stop was a small town just on the outskirts where we stopped in a local cafe to have a smoothie which we were informed was infamous. Our drivers dropped us off and Abel walked us in and it was an experience to say the least. The smoothie was very nice but I felt that we wasted quite a lot of time which could've been spent birding elsewhere. We also had quite a lot of attention from the locals who were friendly but inquisitive. Whilst we waited on the side of the very busy and dangerous road for our drivers to pick us up we saw c20 Wattled Starlings and a flock of ten Great White Pelicans flew over the town. Our drivers picked us up and we were on our way to Ziway. Birds of note enroute included a Short-toed Snake Eagle, seven Fan-tailed Ravens and a Abyssinian Roller.

Abel our guide buying some local oranges

Our cars parked up in the local town near Awash for the infamous smoothie

Upon arrival in Ziway, we went to the Ziway Betelham Hotel for lunch and ordered food. We were then told we had 1 hour to walk down to the lake with Abel. We passed through the Haile Resort and the bushes here held a White-browed Sparrow Weaver, a Pectoral-patched Cisticola, two Beautiful Sunbirds, three Blue-breasted Bee-eater, three Village Weaver, a Ruppell's Weaver and two Speckled Mousebirds. Upon arrival at the edge of the lake we were greeted by a security guard who kindly allowed us access and a  vast array of waterbird species. Within c40m of us there were a Pied Kingfisher, two Long-tailed Cormorants, five Grey-headed Gulls, c5 African Jacanas, three Squacco Herons, a Malachite Kingfisher, a African Darter, c40 Great White Pelican, c20 Egyptian Geese, two Spur-winged Plover, a Little Egret, a Spur-winged Goose, a Woodland Kingfisher, three Great White Egrets, a Hamerkop, a Black-headed Wagtail and an African Snipe. Whilst a little further out there was a Whiskered Tern and a Western Marsh Harrier and three African Fish Eagles passed over. The stand out bird here though was a Northern Carmine Bee-eater - a bird I have wanted to see for a long time. Sadly we had to head back for lunch and on our way back we added two Grey-backed Fiscals and 30 Brown-throated Martins hawking overhead. Lunch was now served and we all tried a local dish which consisted of small bits of cooked meat with a side of bean sauce, not the best but it was food!

African Darter with fish, Lake Ziway, Ethiopia

Great White Pelicans, Lake Ziway, Ethiopia

Black-headed Wagtail, Lake Ziway, Ethiopia

It was now time to leave Ziway and our next stop of the day was at Abidjatta-Shalla National Park enroute we added our first Superb Starlings of the trip feeding on the side of the main road. We birded the bushveld here and the first bird we saw was a female Somali Ostrich. We moved around the corner to a waterhole where we found a Black-cheeked Waxbill as well as a Reichenow's Seedeater and two Warthog. Moving on a little further we had two White-rumped Swift pass overhead and grazing nearby were three Grant's Gazelles. We also spotted an African Harrier Hawk circling high and a pair of Von Der Decken's Hornbills were in a nearby bush. We approached some buildings and the bushes around them held three White-winged Blacktits, two Cut-throat Finch, a Pied Wheatear, an Upcher's Warbler and a Cardinal Woodpecker. The rest of walk was reasonably productive and before getting back to the cars we added Mouse-coloured Penduline Tits, a pair of Bearded Woodpeckers, a pair of Slaty Boubou (a bird we narrowly missed at Awash) and a Red-bellied Parrot. Whilst our guide showed us a roosting Barn Owl in an old water tower and a Steppe Eagle also passed over head.

Pied Wheatear, Abidjatta-Shalla National Park, Ethiopia

Slaty Boubou, Abidjatta-Shalla National Park, Ethiopia

Somali Ostrich, Abidjatta-Shalla National Park, Ethiopia

We had a short drive (c20 minutes) at the end of the day to the Sabana Beach Hotel located on the edge of Lake Langano. The accommodation was very good and the food was very nice although I wasn't feeling too good so went to bed for an early night.