Bird-Watching
Every one loves watching birds and listening to their songs. This page
however targets bird-enthusiasts that watch birds either for hobby and/or
professional publishing and classifying studies.
Bird watching needs
the instincts, patience and maneuvers of a hunter, as it is indeed
hunting, where the camera replaces the rifle.
More than 850 bird species are found in Ethiopia, of which about 33 are endemic.
Ethiopia’s diverse habitats, highlands, lowland, forests, lakes, wetlands
and river-line systems provide sites for wintering or passage birds.
Ethiopia therefore is truly an ornithological paradise, that never
disappoints bird lovers that traveled thousands of miles just to see their
beloved specimen.
DET does not have professional Bird guides, as bird-guide training are
not given locally.
Nevertheless, through accumulated experiences, our
guides are now in a position to lead bird-watchers to the specific bird
sites and achieve successful sightings of most of the
endemics.
Although luck plays some role, the chances of successful
viewing are increased by taking various factors such as location, climate,
time of day and local vegetation changes into consideration.
We have served quite a few professional bird-watchers that have toured
round the globe in search of endemic birds. All of them have testified
that their bird-watching experience in Ethiopia ranks among the best.
Note: Serious bird watchers such as those that would like to
publish their sightings are advised to either bring a professional
bird-guide with them or refer to the various documents published on the
Internet on bird-watching in Ethiopia. There are also a number of
well-written and well revised bird-books to refer to.
Bird Watching Itineraries
Most bird watching itineraries are in the south of the country. An
itinerary in search of all of Ethiopia’s endemic birds would take a
minimum of 3 weeks, but shorter tour of about 10-15 days which would
guarantee seeing most of the endemics and several hundred other species
could be set up. For more, see the 'Birding Trips' in 'Available Trips' page.
Main Bird Sites
Important bird Areas of Ethiopia, published by the Ethiopian wildlife
and natural history society, provides a list of 69 sites, spread
throughout the country, with much work in identifying and classifying new
sites still to be done. Thus, for professionals studying birds, Ethiopia
offers diverse habitats not yet explored and published.
Mixing Bird-Watching with other Tours
Although your main focus is birding, it is cost effective to add or
extension visits to the historic and/or cultural sites.
Hence, if you want to extend your birding trips, please go to the Trip Adjusting page,
and indicate your preferences and additional vacation days for the extended trip.
