Enjoy a full day of birding in the stunning Central Highlands today, as we travel 1-hour northwards to the high-altitude Sululta Plains on the northeast side of Entoto Mountain.
Over 53 different bird species have been recorded here, including endemic highland grassland species such as the Erlanger’s Lark, Erckel's francolin, Red-chested swallow, Somali crow (Brown-necked raven), Botta’s wheatear, Ethiopian cisticola, Pectoral-patch cisticola and African quailfinch. You can also hope to see the Citril, Tacazze sunbird, Brown-rumped seedeater, Streaky seedeater, Mountain thrush, Greater blue-eared glossy starling and Swainson’s sparrow.
We continue a further 1-hour to where these seemingly endless plains dramatically drop off into the Blue Nile drainage system. Perched on the edge of this gorge is Debre Libanos Monastery, one of Ethiopia's most sacred Christian sites. Here we walk down to the old Portuguese Bridge and enjoy an included packed lunch, with stunning views over the Nile Gorge.
We will concentrate our search here for the Rüppell’s vulture, Verreaux's eagle (Black eagle), Lammergeyer, Augur buzzard, Lanner falcon, Yellow-billed kite, Hooded vulture, Lappet-faced vulture, Nyanza swift, Hemprich's hornbill, Red-rumped swallow, Abyssinian black wheatear, Mocking cliff chat, Reichenow’s serin and Cinnamon-breasted bunting. Endemics we will be looking out here include Abyssinian slaty flycatcher, Rüppell's chat, White-winged cliff chat and White-billed starling. In the remnant montane forest around the monastery we may see species such as the White-cheeked turaco, Lemon dove, Dusky flycatcher, Banded barbet, Red-faced cisticola, Klaas’s cuckoo, Brown woodland warbler, Abyssinian woodpecker, White-backed black tit and Abyssinian oriole.
The Gelada baboon (the 'bleeding heart monkey') can also be seen in this region. In the late afternoon we drive 2-hours back to Addis Ababa.