Ethiopia
Posted: July 24th, 2016, 7:52 pm
It’s been a while since I made post. This one is kind of lazy, but here’s the mammals I was able to get photos of.
My girlfriend Lindsay and I volunteered in Equatorial Guinea for the winter of 2014-15. On the way back we decided to take a 6 week layover in Ethiopia. A coworker, Ashleigh, who was volunteering in Ghana, joined us for most of the time. We were able to see most of the places we wanted with the exception of Gambella, which was expensive to get to, and potentially dangerous due to the civil war in neighboring South Sudan. For the first 23 days we rented a car and driver and toured the southern bird watching route. We mainly targeted mammals and scenery, which our driver took awhile to figure out.
Our first stop was Awash National Park, which is a desert park east of Addis Ababa. There is heavy grazing by local livestock in the park, with little left for the native wildlife. We still managed to see several species of mammals. Birds were spectacular here as well.
Beisa
Beisa by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Soemmering’s Gazelle
Soemmering's Gazelle by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We saw our first Salt’s Dikdiks of the trip.
Salt's Dikdik by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
This was my first Lesser Kudu
Lesser Kudu by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We saw a few Black-backed Jackals.
Black-backed Jackal by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We visited the hot springs in the park and managed to see our one and only Waterbuck of the trip.
Waterbuck by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
One of the park buildings has a night roost for a couple species of bats.
Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat
Sundevall's Leaf-nosed Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Egyptian Tomb Bat
Egyptian Tomb Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We then headed north to Ali Deghe reserve, as it is a great place to see Gerenuk, among other mammals.
Geranuk by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Golden Jackal, or African Wolf as it is now called.
Golden Jackal by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Grevy’s Zebra, the rarest species of Zebra, were quite skittish.
Grevy's Zebra by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Between parks we saw a few Hamadryas Baboons.
Hamahydras Baboon by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We visited a lodge, but didn’t stay near Ali Deghe and saw a few Common Warthogs.
Common Warthog by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
At a couple stops along the way we managed to see Gambian Sun Squirrel.
Gambian Sun Squirrel by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
As well as a Mauritian Tomb Bat.
Maurition Tomb Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
At Sof Omar Caves we saw several bats as well as some primates.
Large-eared Mastiff Bat
Large-eared Mastiff Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Egyptian Slit-faced Bat
Egyptian Slit-faced Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Grivet
Grivet by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Our next stop was headquarters of the Bale Mountains National Park at Dinsho.
Common Reedbuck
Common Reedbuck by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Mountain Nyala
Mountain Nyala by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Mountain Nyala 02 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We then headed up to the Senetti Plateau, with it’s abundant rodents.
Bale Mountains Rodents by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Ethiopian Mole Rat
Ethiopian Mole Rat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Starck’s Hare
Starck's Hare by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
And of course, a few Ethiopian Wolves.
Ethiopian Wolf by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Coming down the far side we came across a couple of Klipspringers.
Klipspringer by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
In Harenna Forest, we found some Mantled Guereza
Guereza Colobus by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Bale Mountains Monkey
Bale Mountains Monkey by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
As we were leaving very early in the morning, we were EXTREMELY lucky and ran into this African Wild Dog.
African Wild Dog by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We drove south east that day and saw some Striped Ground Squirrels.
Striped Ground Squirrel by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
In the evening we went spot lighting and saw a couple Senegal Galagos.
Senegal Galago by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
The next day we came across a couple sounders of Desert Warthog.
Desert Warthog by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We saw Gunther’s Dikdik often in the south.
Gunther's Dikdik by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Mago National Park was nice, and we could have spent more time there.
Olive Baboons
Olive Baboon by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Guereza Colobus
Guereza Colobus 2 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Heart-nosed Bats
Heart-nosed Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Common Genet
Common Gennet by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
At Nechisar National Park we were able to photograph Grant’s Gazelle
Grant's Gazelle by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Plains Zebra
Plains Zebra by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We visited a reserve that is only known for its Swayne’s Hartebeest.
Swayne's Hartebeest by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Oribi
Oribi by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Our last morning with a car we went to a lake to check out some Hippos.
Hippo by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We then headed north to the Danicle Depression, mainly to visit Erte Ale. Here’s the volcano.
20150416_222823 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
I did manage to see three new mammals.
Speke’s Pectinator, which is an awesome name.
Speke's Pectinator by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Cairo Mouse
Cairo Spiny Mouse by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Dorcas Gazelle
Dorcas Gazelle by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
The last stop of the trip was three days of hiking in the Simien Mountains.
We saw lots of Geladas.
Gelada 02 by curtisfrommichigan, on FlickrGelada 03 by curtisfrommichigan, on FlickrGelada 04 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Gelada 01 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Gelada 05 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Last mammal of the trip, Walia Ibex.
Walia 01 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Walia 02 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Species List
Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax
Rock Hyrax
Senegal Galgo
Grivet
Vervet
Bale Mountains Monkey
Guereza Colobus
Olive Baboon
Hamadryas Baboon
Gelada
Striped Ground Squirrel
Unstriped Ground Squirrel
Gambian Sun Squirrel
Ethiopian African Mole Rat
Northeast African Spiny Mouse
Black-clawed Brush-furred Rat
Ethiopian Arvicanthis
Blick’s Arvicanthis
Ethiopian Vlei Rat
Speke’s Pectinator
Naked Mole-rat
Crested Porcupine
Abyssinian Hare
Starck’s Hare
Egyptian Rousette
Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat
Heart-nosed Bat
Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat
Mauritian Tomb Bat
Egyptian Tomb Bat
Egyptian Slit-faced Bat
Large-eared Giant Mastiff Bat
Caracal
Serval
Common Genet
Slender Mongoose
Egyptian Mongoose
Common Dwarf Mongoose
White-tailed Mongoose
Golden Jackal
Black-backed Jackal
Ethiopian Wolf
African Wild Dog
Bat-eared Fox
Spotted Hyena
Aardwolf
Plains Zebra
Grevy Zebra
Desert Warthog
Common Warthog
Bush-pig
Hippo
Hartebeest
Dorcas Gazelle
Grant’s Gazelle
Soemmerring’s Gazelle
Gerenuk
Gunther’s Dikdik
Salt’s Dikdik
Klipspringer
Oribi
African Buffalo
Lesser Kudu
Bushbuck
Mountain Nyala
Greater Kudu
Common Reedbuck
Bush Duiker
Waterbuck
Beisa
Walia Ibex
My girlfriend Lindsay and I volunteered in Equatorial Guinea for the winter of 2014-15. On the way back we decided to take a 6 week layover in Ethiopia. A coworker, Ashleigh, who was volunteering in Ghana, joined us for most of the time. We were able to see most of the places we wanted with the exception of Gambella, which was expensive to get to, and potentially dangerous due to the civil war in neighboring South Sudan. For the first 23 days we rented a car and driver and toured the southern bird watching route. We mainly targeted mammals and scenery, which our driver took awhile to figure out.
Our first stop was Awash National Park, which is a desert park east of Addis Ababa. There is heavy grazing by local livestock in the park, with little left for the native wildlife. We still managed to see several species of mammals. Birds were spectacular here as well.
Beisa
Beisa by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Soemmering’s Gazelle
Soemmering's Gazelle by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We saw our first Salt’s Dikdiks of the trip.
Salt's Dikdik by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
This was my first Lesser Kudu
Lesser Kudu by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We saw a few Black-backed Jackals.
Black-backed Jackal by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We visited the hot springs in the park and managed to see our one and only Waterbuck of the trip.
Waterbuck by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
One of the park buildings has a night roost for a couple species of bats.
Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat
Sundevall's Leaf-nosed Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Egyptian Tomb Bat
Egyptian Tomb Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We then headed north to Ali Deghe reserve, as it is a great place to see Gerenuk, among other mammals.
Geranuk by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Golden Jackal, or African Wolf as it is now called.
Golden Jackal by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Grevy’s Zebra, the rarest species of Zebra, were quite skittish.
Grevy's Zebra by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Between parks we saw a few Hamadryas Baboons.
Hamahydras Baboon by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We visited a lodge, but didn’t stay near Ali Deghe and saw a few Common Warthogs.
Common Warthog by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
At a couple stops along the way we managed to see Gambian Sun Squirrel.
Gambian Sun Squirrel by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
As well as a Mauritian Tomb Bat.
Maurition Tomb Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
At Sof Omar Caves we saw several bats as well as some primates.
Large-eared Mastiff Bat
Large-eared Mastiff Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Egyptian Slit-faced Bat
Egyptian Slit-faced Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Grivet
Grivet by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Our next stop was headquarters of the Bale Mountains National Park at Dinsho.
Common Reedbuck
Common Reedbuck by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Mountain Nyala
Mountain Nyala by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Mountain Nyala 02 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We then headed up to the Senetti Plateau, with it’s abundant rodents.
Bale Mountains Rodents by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Ethiopian Mole Rat
Ethiopian Mole Rat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Starck’s Hare
Starck's Hare by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
And of course, a few Ethiopian Wolves.
Ethiopian Wolf by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Coming down the far side we came across a couple of Klipspringers.
Klipspringer by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
In Harenna Forest, we found some Mantled Guereza
Guereza Colobus by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Bale Mountains Monkey
Bale Mountains Monkey by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
As we were leaving very early in the morning, we were EXTREMELY lucky and ran into this African Wild Dog.
African Wild Dog by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We drove south east that day and saw some Striped Ground Squirrels.
Striped Ground Squirrel by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
In the evening we went spot lighting and saw a couple Senegal Galagos.
Senegal Galago by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
The next day we came across a couple sounders of Desert Warthog.
Desert Warthog by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We saw Gunther’s Dikdik often in the south.
Gunther's Dikdik by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Mago National Park was nice, and we could have spent more time there.
Olive Baboons
Olive Baboon by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Guereza Colobus
Guereza Colobus 2 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Heart-nosed Bats
Heart-nosed Bat by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Common Genet
Common Gennet by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
At Nechisar National Park we were able to photograph Grant’s Gazelle
Grant's Gazelle by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Plains Zebra
Plains Zebra by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We visited a reserve that is only known for its Swayne’s Hartebeest.
Swayne's Hartebeest by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Oribi
Oribi by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Our last morning with a car we went to a lake to check out some Hippos.
Hippo by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
We then headed north to the Danicle Depression, mainly to visit Erte Ale. Here’s the volcano.
20150416_222823 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
I did manage to see three new mammals.
Speke’s Pectinator, which is an awesome name.
Speke's Pectinator by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Cairo Mouse
Cairo Spiny Mouse by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Dorcas Gazelle
Dorcas Gazelle by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
The last stop of the trip was three days of hiking in the Simien Mountains.
We saw lots of Geladas.
Gelada 02 by curtisfrommichigan, on FlickrGelada 03 by curtisfrommichigan, on FlickrGelada 04 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Gelada 01 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Gelada 05 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Last mammal of the trip, Walia Ibex.
Walia 01 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Walia 02 by curtisfrommichigan, on Flickr
Species List
Yellow-spotted Rock Hyrax
Rock Hyrax
Senegal Galgo
Grivet
Vervet
Bale Mountains Monkey
Guereza Colobus
Olive Baboon
Hamadryas Baboon
Gelada
Striped Ground Squirrel
Unstriped Ground Squirrel
Gambian Sun Squirrel
Ethiopian African Mole Rat
Northeast African Spiny Mouse
Black-clawed Brush-furred Rat
Ethiopian Arvicanthis
Blick’s Arvicanthis
Ethiopian Vlei Rat
Speke’s Pectinator
Naked Mole-rat
Crested Porcupine
Abyssinian Hare
Starck’s Hare
Egyptian Rousette
Sundevall’s Leaf-nosed Bat
Heart-nosed Bat
Lesser Mouse-tailed Bat
Mauritian Tomb Bat
Egyptian Tomb Bat
Egyptian Slit-faced Bat
Large-eared Giant Mastiff Bat
Caracal
Serval
Common Genet
Slender Mongoose
Egyptian Mongoose
Common Dwarf Mongoose
White-tailed Mongoose
Golden Jackal
Black-backed Jackal
Ethiopian Wolf
African Wild Dog
Bat-eared Fox
Spotted Hyena
Aardwolf
Plains Zebra
Grevy Zebra
Desert Warthog
Common Warthog
Bush-pig
Hippo
Hartebeest
Dorcas Gazelle
Grant’s Gazelle
Soemmerring’s Gazelle
Gerenuk
Gunther’s Dikdik
Salt’s Dikdik
Klipspringer
Oribi
African Buffalo
Lesser Kudu
Bushbuck
Mountain Nyala
Greater Kudu
Common Reedbuck
Bush Duiker
Waterbuck
Beisa
Walia Ibex