The morning started well with a murder. A murder of Somali Crows gathered outside Goba. The Oxford Dictionary indicates that this collective noun for crows originates from the 15th century, when it was common for crows to feed on the carcasses of other dead crows. As a South African, I am much more familiar with the collective noun of a parliament of crows – being a group of old birds making a lot of noise but not getting much done.
We headed up the slopes of the Bale Mountains to bird the Sanetti Plateau. This plateau dominates the northern section of these mountains. It is an extraordinary landscape of alpine moorlands, mist-enshrouded peaks, shallow depressions and small lakes. It also boasts the largest tract of Afro-alpine vegetation, at 3,800 to 4,200 m in altitude, in continental Africa. These highlands are the only known sub-Saharan breeding sites for the palearctic Red-billed Cough, Golden Eagle and Ruddy Shelduck. We dipped on the Golden Eagle, but did manage to find the other two species.
Ethiopian Siskins, endemic to the highlands of Ethiopia, were abundant in the moorlands, while Spot-breasted Lapwings and Blue-winged Geese frequented the alpine lakes. A profusion of rather tame Moorland Chats hopped on the ground or perched on low bushes. We found a single Red-throated Pipit, which was strange, as trip reports indicate that they are common in these high grasslands. A Steppe Eagle patrolled the sky, canting its head to one side, staring at us inquisitively. It was most probably looking for an easy lunch from amongst the numerous – but very alert – Ethiopian Meadow Rats and Starck’s Hare that surrounded us.
A most amazing highlight was to find three Ethiopian Wolves on the Sanetti Plateau. An adult pair, with a youngster tagging along, were hunting rodents in an open meadow. The imperilled Ethiopian Wolf is one of the world's rarest canids, and Africa's most endangered carnivore. They are found only in the mountains of Ethiopia, where some 500 survive in isolated populations, with more than half residing in the Bale Mountains. I was extremely privileged to find these guardians of the roof of Africa.
