Ahh, those Thick-knees...

Ever since I saw my first Stone Curlew way back who knows when I've had a thing about thick-knees, the birds that is. They are such prehistoric-looking and cryptic shorebirds - how could you not be moved by such creatures? There are only nine species scattered across the globe, two in the Americas, two in Australia, and the rest in Eurasia and Africa. They are often to be found in hot dry regions, though some are habitually tied to water, either on intertidal mud flats (Beach Thick-knee) or rivers and streams (Water and Great Thick-knees). For the arid-loving species the best way to find them is to drive around in the heat of the day and look for resting birds hiding from the sun under a flat-topped acacia.

The two birds above are Water Thick-knees. They are quite widespread throughout Africa south of the Sahara, though they only just creep into the very southern edge of Ethiopia, where this pair were photographed. Superficially similar to Senegal Thick-knee and Stone Curlew, it does have a distinctive white bar across the upper part of the grey wing panel that is bordered with black only on the upper edge.


The most distinctive species is the Spotted Thick-knee above. It differs from the rest by exhibiting a beautiful effect of barring and spotting on the mantle and wings and lacks the grey wing panel found on the other species. We were getting worried about this one but luckily found some roosting birds as we drove south towards Awash National Park.


The Senegal Thick-knee is perhaps the most widespread thick-knee in Ethiopia, though we didn't see too many. Not dissimilar to both Water Thick-knee and Stone Curlew, note that the grey wing panel shows just a single blackish bar across the upper edge with no white. This one was photographed near Lake Langano in the Rift Valley.


Finally the Stone Curlew or, as it is called these days, the Eurasian Thick-knee. This species is a winter migrant to Ethiopia and we found one roosting flock of about 15 birds passing the heat of the day under some acacias near the shore of Lake Abijatta in the Rift Valley. Again, rather similar to Senegal Thick-knee but the wing panel is less grey and more washed-out looking and has an obvious white bar across the top edge that is bordered with black on both sides. Also, thay are a bit shorter-legged and more chunky than the other species shown here.

Well, I hope you now have a vast appreciation of thick-knees and agree with me that they are indeed fascinating birds. Hmmm, what shall I tackle next...

Par for the Course...

In the old world there is a small tribe of shorebirds called Coursers. Many live in Africa, but some also in the Middle East and south-central Asia. On our trip we saw three species in Ethiopia and another (Cream-coloured) whilst in UAE. Mostly they live in deserts or savannah and many are crepuscular or noctunal in their habits, passing the heat of the day under the shade of an acacia tree or something similar.

The species above is the Three-banded or Heuglin's Courser. It is a beautifully plumaged bird, very cryptic when at rest in the daytime. We got lucky when Darrell flushed a pair by accident in the acacia woodland north of Yabello whilst looking for other birds. They were very wary and I was fortunate to get these photos.


Another view of the Three-banded Courser showing the remarkably bulbous head shape that is typical of these birds. Note also the complex scaly plumage that helps to break down the outline of the bird thus affording even greater camouflage - well, okay, admittedly not so great when the bird is in a ditch!


This is a Somali Courser. A plain customer that lives in more open desert-like savannah. This bird was part of a flock of nine that we found on the outskirts of a town called Bogol Manyo in the extreme south of the country - not too far from the home of the Somali Wheatear. Indeed we went on to see many of these delightful birds in the surrounding area - 40 plus one day I think?

This species is a recent split from the more northerly Cream-coloured Courser, though not all authorities agree on this point. It is mostly slight plumage differences that set them apart, notably the amount of black on the underwing - more extensive in Cream-coloured.


Lastly a rather distant Temminck's Courser. We found a pair on the Liben Plains near Negelle where we were looking for larks. Good job because they were the only ones we clapped eyes on throughout the whole trip. Too bad I could get closer for a better series of photos because it's a beauty to be sure. Generally similar to both Cream-coloured and Somali but is a little darker on the upperparts and has that lovely rust-and-black combination on the belly.

For our next workshop we'll tackle the Thick-knees!

More from the Northeast...

I have a few minutes to spare so thought I'd post a few more bird photos from Ethiopia. BTW - sorry about the lack of moth pix but it just isn't the season right now. Give me a month and...

The handsome creature above is that vision of loveliness, the Marabou Stork. It is common wherever there is water and as such is particularly numerous in the Rift Valley. I rather like 'em, so what does that say about me?


Another oddly attractive Rift valley bird is the Hammerkop above. The sole member of its own family this strange waterside bird can be quite common in appropriate habitat. Is like a cross between a stork and a heron...


My favorite pigeon of the trip was this one - the lovely Lemon Dove. It took a while to find the first one, but then there was a small avalanche of sightings. I crept up on this one and took a nice series of photos, like this one. Is a beautiful woodland dove that is rather cryptic and shy. The colors just glow when the dappled light catches it right. It is fairly common in well-wooded valleys.


One of the most unusual of finches is this one, the Cut-throat Finch. It is pretty widespread and is easy to see in acacia woodland and scrub. The male has the most unusual plumage feature of the blood-red chin strap, obvious in this photo. Sweeney Todd couldn't have done a better job!


Another striking bird that recently paid a visit to the barber is this amazing male Rosy-patched Bush-Shrike! Is not a difficult bird to find due its very loud vocalizations and its habit of sitting up whilst doing so. At other times though they can be rather skulking and cryptic. The female lacks the extensive rosy patch and has a white throat bordered with black and just a smudge of rose on the breast. It is endemic to NE Africa.


One of the most enigmatic birds of the whole trip, and indeed in the whole of Africa, is the Stresemann's Bush Crow. It is a small, largely terrestrial crow that is closely related to the Ground Jays of central Asia. Unique plumage and habits makes one wonder why it is not in its own monotypic family? It is endemic to a very small part of southern Ethiopia but is, thankfully, common in savannah around the town of Yabello. Often found in gangs, they are confiding and amusing to watch. They often probe into holes in the ground or in tree roots with their slightly decurved bills. The bare blue skin around the eye is a curious feature. There has been some concern that overall numbers have been declining of late. As far as I could see none of its habitat was being formally protected...


I loved these sprite-like birds! Batises are small shrike-like flycatchers that are common in a variety of dry woodlands. There are three species in Ethiopia, this is a female Grey-headed Batis, the male sporting a black breast band. They remind me of tiny versions of the new world Shrike-Vireos, though they tend to sit more upright.


An ancient tree somewhere in the savannah near Bogol Manyo...

Birds from the Horn of Africa...

A few more bird pix from Ethiopia. I loved the kingfishers, but there again kingfishers are brilliant everywhere one goes. This little sprite is the African Pygmy Kingfisher. It is pretty widespread but very nice nonetheless. I had to stalk this one a bit in order to obtain some photos, but the time invested was well worth it - foil-wrapped eye candy!


There are few woodpeckers in Ethiopia - less than ten I think - and this is certainly the nicest and most range restricted. It is a male Abyssinian Woodpecker. We did well for this small 'pecker and recorded it at a few highland sites. This one was photographed in the Jemma Valley north of Addis.


There can be few families that sum up the uniqueness of avifauna of the African continent better than the turacos. It was a treat for me to see five members of this endemic family on this trip. This gem is a White-cheeked Turaco. They are medium-large birds that live in a variety of savannah and forest habitats, often in groups.


Rollers are amazing birds. This is an Abyssinian Roller, easily told by its long tail streamers. Many other rollers exhibit the wonderful sky blue and chestnut colors worn by this species, but none have such long streamers. This wonderful bird was pretty common in acacia woodland in the Rift Valley.


The ubiquitous Hoopoe! A fantastic-looking creature what with its banded plumage and expanding head. I well remember my very first Hoopoe flying along the cliffs at Foreness in Kent, UK way back in 1977. I was totally flabbergasted! But one gets over such things...


We did well for pigeons and doves in Ethiopia. One of the more colorful members of this tribe was the lovely Bruce's Green Pigeon. Not particularly common so I was lucky to get close enough to this obliging individual. Beautiful plumage innit...


Cuckoos were a real bust though and when I get around to writing the trip report there will be a glaring gap where the cuckoos should have been. I think it was a bad time for them since they were obviously not singing whilst we were there. In the last week or so I had a bit of a push with trying to lure a few in with playback. We had one response - from this lovely Klaas's Cuckoo - and that was about it! Next time maybe? Luckily most are pretty widespread.


The Somali Golden-breasted Bunting is really quite common in the southern half of Ethiopia where it likes to live in acacia savannah and scrub. It is easily pished in and is often one of the most conspicuous birds due to its confiding nature and flashy plumage.


And lastly a really flashy Northern Carmine Bee-eater! A large and dashing species it can be pretty common on occasion. I was happy to see this one because if you ever see a TV show about Africa this species is ALWAYS present!! More to follow...

The Mothman goes to Abyssinia...

I recently returned from a great trip to Ethiopia. I was there with some friends from Sarnia, Ontario and UK. This was my first trip to Africa and I was totally awestruck with just about everything I heard and saw. Indeed, I'm already planning my return! Anyway, one of my objectives for this trip was to photograph as much as possible with my recently acquired Canon 40D camera. I was pleased with some of the results and thought I'd share a few images with you lot out there - I hope you like them...

BTW, the striking bird above is d'Arnaud's Barbet - quite fantastic isn't it? We saw several in the acacia dominated savannah near the town of Yabelo in the south of the country. It is quite a large barbet, about the size of a starling, and is rather crinkly and spotty in appearance.


The beautiful Beisa Oryx, quite common in Awash national Park which is south-east of Addis Ababa.


Much of the south looks a bit like this, rather arid with sparse scrubby vegetation. Is a bit hot too!


The highlands are quite different, being somewhat cool and often shrouded in mist...


This was my personal favorite bird of the trip, and the one I was most anticipating - the lovely, and quite rare, Somali Wheatear. Trust a transplanted Brit to choose a wheatear as his best bird! Is very nice though isn't it...


The large and showy Arabian Bustard is another "top ten" bird. Generally scarce over its global range, Ethiopia seems to be the best country in with to see this terrestrial giant. We saw several north of Awash National Park.


A displaying African Black-headed Oriole. Quite nice, if you like yellow birds...


A nice view of the subtle Somali Bee-eater. Most members of this family are overly colorful, but I liked this one best.


A confiding Malachite Kingfisher - generally the commonest kingfisher in the wetlands of the Rift Valley. Stunning bird!


Another barbet, this time the endemic Banded Barbet. Rather scarce throughout the highlands.


Finally, yer typical African sunset.

I'll post more photos, hopefully with better descriptions next time, in the near future...