Wild Images, a division of Birdquest, specializes in wildlife photographic tours worldwide. Wild Images' exciting programme of tours includes both group and individual departures, and features such destinations as Hungary, Spitsbergen, Tanzania (Serengeti & Ngorongoro), India, Japan, Baja California, the Galapagos, Antarctica, South Georgia & The Falklands and the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand & Australia. Click on the picture above to visit the Wild Images website.
Ocean Adventures, a division of Birdquest, specializes in wildlife-orientated expedition cruises all over the world. As well as our Birdquest/Ocean Adventures group trips, there are many cruises available for individual bookings. These feature Spitsbergen, Greenland, Iceland, the Scottish Islands, Siberia (including the Kurils, Commanders, Kamchatka, Chukotka and the Bering Strait), Antarctica, South Georgia, the Falklands, the South Atlantic Islands, the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand & Australia, the Western Pacific and many other venues. Click on the picture above to visit the Ocean Adventures website.
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ETHIOPIA
Sunday 23rd November - Sunday 14th December 2008
János Oláh
Our 2008 Ethiopia tour was again a very successful one to this amazing country! We managed to see most of our targets including all the generally accepted endemics and we recorded a very respectable total of 521 species. The general idea for this tour started in 1998 when Nik made a highly successful “Birdquest Expedition” to the ‘roof of Africa’. However it quickly developed to a ‘classic’ tour with a challenge to find all the Ethiopian endemic birds on a regular basis. The exact number of actual endemics varies with the vagaries of modern taxonomy but Birdlife International’s Important Bird Areas of Ethiopia lists sixteen for Ethiopia with a further fourteen shared with the recently ‘split’ Eritrea. This total includes the virtually mythical Nechisar Nightjar (described from the remains of a single decomposing wing), which has still never been seen alive! Ethiopia in the last 50 years was mostly known for its wars, droughts and famines, despite its immense cultural and natural beauty and history. The estimated population of 80 million people suggests, however, that the pressure on the country’s poorly protected National Parks, reserves and natural world is huge and with an extremely rapid population growth it will surely intensify more. It looks as if this is yet another destination that should be visited before it is too late.
This year the most memorable tour highlights were: the fantastic views of the elegant Spot-breasted Plovers at Sululta Plains, the endemic or near-endemic Serins such as Yellow-rumped (White-throated), Yellow-throated, Ankober and Salvadori’s; the impressive Arabian Bustard at Awash; a roosting Cape Eagle Owl and a pair of delightful Montane Nightjars near Dinsho; an African Crowned Eagle at Harrena Forest, a pair of the charismatic Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco near Negelle; the superb selection of larks like Erlanger’s, Red-winged, Gillett’s, ‘Degodi’, Sidamo Long-clawed, Somali Short-toed, Short-tailed and Chestnut-headed Sparrow throughout the country; several Somali and Temminck’s Coursers and even a pair of the amazingly patterned Heuglin’s Coursers at Bogol Manyo; a puffed up male Pringle’s Puffback looking like a pom-pom as he chased his mate through the bush; several duetting Red-naped Bush-shrikes and the fantastic Stresemann’s Bush Crow near Yabello. We also managed to see a great selection of francolins, namely the localised Moorland, the endemic Harwood’s, the noisy Clapperton’s, the near-endemic Chestnut-naped and Erckel’s plus the widespread Crested and Coqui Francolins. Other avian delights included: the large Somali Ostrich; the endemic Wattled Ibis and Blue-winged Goose; the very attractive African Pygmy Goose; the fearless Rouget’s Rail; the charismatic Wattled Crane; the localised White-winged Dove; the endemic White-collared Pigeon and Yellow-fronted Parrot; Black-winged Lovebird; the near-endemic White-cheeked Turaco; the handsome Donaldson-Smith’s Nightjar; the noisy Black-billed Wood-hoopoe; Hemprich’s Hornbill; the endemic Banded Barbet; the dry-country specialist Yellow-breasted Barbet; the golden-backed Abyssinian Woodpecker; the endemic Abyssinian Longclaw and White-tailed Swallow; the variable plumaged White-rumped Babbler; the shy Scaly Chatterer; the skulking endemic Abyssinian Catbird; the little-known Sombre Rock Chat; the endemic Rüppell’s Black Chat and White-winged Cliff Chat; the ground-dwelling Abyssinian Ground Thrush; the endemic Abyssinian Slaty Flycatcher; the near-endemic Somali Long-billed and Short-billed Crombecs; Yellow-vented Eremomela; ‘Bale’ Parisoma; the endemic White-backed Black Tit; Taita and Somali Fiscals; the endemic Abyssinian Black-headed Oriole and Thick-billed Raven; Somali Crow; White-billed, Bristle-crowned, Slender-billed, Shelley’s, Sharpe’s and White-crowned Starlings; Nile Valley and Black-bellied Sunbirds; Shelley’s Rufous and Parrot-billed Sparrows; Rüppell’s and Juba Weavers; the endemic Black-headed Siskin and Brown-rumped Seed-eater. We also recorded some rare migrants like Ménétries’s Warbler and Cinereous Bunting. Special mention must also be made of the 33 species of mammals, with unforgettable views of the Mountain Nyala and the stunning Ethiopian Wolf. As always, the variety and grandeur of the scenery was awesome and the people were generally friendly and welcoming. Fortunately, neither political nor tribal tensions affected us this year and the weather was generally hot, dry and sunny with bright blue skies that supported the country’s claim to thirteen months of sunshine!
The air holidays shown are ATOL Protected by the Civil Aviation Authority. Our ATOL number is ATOL 2937.
ATOL protection covers those booking a tour with us that includes a flight from London or elsewhere in the United Kingdom, regardless of where in the world you live.
Birdquest Ltd is Registered in England, Company No. 01568270. The address of our registered office is Two Jays, Kemple End, Stonyhurst, Clitheroe, Lancashire BB7 9QY
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