Lake Awassa

Friday 28th

After breakfast, we drove the short distance to Awassa, where we checked in to the No.2 Hotel, right by the lakeshore. While the electrics, water supply and Simon's health were all a bit erratic, the setting was superb - loads of egrets, ibises (of four species!), cormorants, pelicans and passerines just a few yards from our rooms, plus Hamerkop nests in the trees, with Egyptian Geese nesting on top of them. Julia found a Spotted Creeper right by the car-park, and there were Banded and Double-toothed Barbets to enjoy as well.

After lunch in town (Simon dipped out, still feeling very unwell), we all went for a walk along the bustling embankment of the lake. Despite there being lots of people about, there were birds in profusion: Grey-headed, Woodland, Pied and Malachite Kingfishers, Common Waxbill, African Black Crake, Temminck's Stint, African Pygmy-goose, Whiskered Tern, Lesser Swamp Warbler, Blue-headed Coucal, and for the real aficionados, a Lesser Black-backed Gull of the form fuscus, aka Baltic Gull.

We enjoyed the sunset by the hotel bar, and then headed off back into town to the bustling Pinna restaurant once more, for a thoroughly excellent evening meal. We were home by just after 2100, and there was electricity!

Saturday 29th

Simon had a thoroughly miserable night: feverish, viral and pretty grim all round. But he dragged himself to breakfast, and felt better for something to eat.

At 0800, we drove the short distance to Awassa fish market, where dozens of Marabous, kites, cormorants, pelicans and other scavengers darted about amongst the crowds of people. Amazing to see! Although the site was very foetid and smelly, we had a good hour's birding around the hill on the lakeshore. New birds were Spotted Redshank and Senegal Thick-knee, plus Banded Barbet, Village Indigobird, Bruce's Green Pigeon and a ridiculously tame troupe of Colobus Monkeys, one of which placidly sat eating biscuits from our hands!

But it was now time to start off back towards Addis, and we hit the road at about 1030. We stopped for lunch at Ziway once again, and had a brief return visit to the fish dock here, where Temminck's Stint, Black Crowned Crane and African Pygmy-goose were the highlights.

The rest of the journey back to Addis was quite quick and easy, with just a few birds along the roadside, such as Common Crane, Long-crested Eagle, Crowned Plover and Black-winged Kite.

We arrived back in time for a hour's rest at the Lalibela Hotel, ate our evening meal, and then transferred to the airport at about 2115, saying fond farewells to the excellent Yilma and Andreas. The flight, we found, was unfortunately routed via Rome making it a ten hour flight. But the good news for Julia and me was that after a seating allocation cock-up, we got bumped up to business class! Result!

We arrived back in a cold and grey London on schedule at about 0730, and we were home by 1000. Ethiopia and 2007 complete!