Vultures

An African White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus) seen at the Estação Biológica do Garducho, near Mourão on 24th August is just the second record of this species for Portugal and only the fifth for Europe.

African White-backed Vulture (Tanzania)

It was seen at one of the vulture feeding stations set up in that part of Eastern Alentejo by the LIFE Lince Abutre project, which aims to contribute to the improvement of the survival, feeding and breeding conditions of the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) and the Cinereous or European Black Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in southeast Portugal but also benefits several other threatened species.

European Black Vulture (Portugal)

Only three weeks earlier, there was a remarkable report of five Rüppell’s Griffon Vultures (Gyps rueppelli), another African species, also in the Eastern Alentejo.  Sightings of Rüppell’s Griffons in ones and twos have become regular in Portugal and Spain in recent years, most of them at Tarifa and Sagres, with some speculation about how many different individuals might be involved, so the occurrence of five together was very interesting.

Rüppell’s Griffon (Ethiopia)

It is assumed that Rüppell’s Griffons and now White-backed Vultures mix with wintering Eurasian Griffons (Gyps fulvus) in West Africa, and then come to Europe with them.  Rüppell’s has also tried to breed in Iberia, in hybrid pairings with Eurasian Griffons, but to date there has not been any evidence of success.

Eurasian Griffon (Portugal)

Last year a Rüppell’s Griffon was wing-tagged in Portugal, and was subsequently seen in France and Spain, confirming that these birds range widely across the continent.

So now we have six species of vultures to look out for: European Black, Eurasian Griffon, Rüppell’s Griffon, Egyptian (Neophron percnopterus), African White-backed and Lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus).  Lammergeiers haven’t been seen here for a very long time but they have been re-introduced in Spain and individuals are known from satellite-tracking to have occasionally crossed the border to fly unseen over Portugal.

Egyptian Vultures (Ethiopia)

It is timely that we are writing about vultures as the first Saturday in September each year is International Vulture Awareness Day.  It also gives us an opportunity to draw attention once again to the on-line petition to ban the use in Europe of diclofenac, the drug that has been responsible for wiping out huge numbers of vultures in India, Pakistan and Nepal.  You can read more about that here and here you can donate towards efforts being made by Birdlife International to save vultures in Europe and Africa from the fate that has befallen so many in Asia.

Vultures need our help!

Ethiopia - Part 2

After arriving in Addis Ababa on an overnight flight from Heathrow we spent most of our first day in Ethiopia travelling north to Debre Libanos. Yellow-billed Kites, Pied Crows and Dusky Turtle Doves were among the first birds seen.

Erlanger's Lark

Our route took us across the Sululta Plain, undulating plateau grassland with frequent opportunities to stop for roadside birding. New and unfamiliar birds appeared one after the other! Many of them such as Wattled Ibis, Thick-billed Raven, Brown-rumped Seedeater and White-collared Pigeon would prove to be common but at this point they were just as exciting as Erlanger’s Lark and Long-billed Pipit which we saw only today. There was disappointment for those who missed seeing a Rüppell’s Robin-Chat, not knowing how many more we were going to see over the next two weeks.

We paused for lunch in the town of Sululta and for some of us this provided an early opportunity to sample the local staple, injera. It has to be said that it wasn’t wildly popular, being likened by those who tried it to foam-rubber carpet underlay! Soon we would get used to scouring menus for ‘safe’ alternatives! Omelette anyone?

Red-breasted Wheatear

By the time we reached the Ethio-German Park Hotel at Debre Libanos we had seen our first Egyptian and White-backed Vultures, Black-winged Lapwings, White-winged Cliff Chat, Pied, Isabelline and Red-breasted Wheatears, Groundscraper Thrush and lots of Moorland Chats.

Groundscraper Thrush

White-winged Cliff Chat

Lammergeier

Rüppell's Griffon

The hotel is wonderfully situated, perched on the cliff top overlooking the Jemma Valley. In no time we were standing outside watching Lammergeier, Rüppell’s Vultures, Tawny Eagle and Fan-tailed Raven soaring at eye level plus a distant Verreaux’s Eagle; Tacazze and Variable Sunbirds were an added distraction.

Tawny Eagle

Gelada

When we started birding the following morning it was cold with a stiff breeze, a reminder that we were at 2,400 metres above sea level. Erckel’s Francolin, Rüppell’s Black Chat, White-billed Starling and Ethiopian Cisticola were just some of our target species that were found quite easily close to the hotel. We also came across a troop of Geladas, grass-grazing primates that look like and are obviously closely related to baboons and which occur only in the Ethiopian highlands.

We had just a one-night stay in Debre Libanos and then returned to Addis. Next we would be heading for the Rift Valley lakes…