Prince Ruspoli Turaco 11/03/10

The road from Goba to Negele Borena is a long long way. We crossed again the plateau and got the last sighting of the Simien wolf, a place and a mammal that will stay in our heart for ever, we descend the escarpment and we cross the Harenna forest. Only today we actually realised how big it is, we drive for hours in a never ending forest of huge trees. There is people around, old man harvesting honey and young girls weaving baskets but the area still look pretty wild.

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Out of the forest the landscape is quite wild, harsh and thorny but pristine, we have no time to stop but some birds are so colourful that even from the car you can spot and id them easily like the blue breasted bee eater and like the most beautiful starling I have ever seen, the Golden breasted starling.

We cannot stop because we have to reach the Genale river, the habitat of one of the more localised birds of Ethiopia, the Prince Ruspoli Turaco.

We are crossing a woodland of acacias dotted by the white spot of the giant rooty base of the elephant foot, one of the strangest thing ever. This shrub develops a foot up to 2 meters of diameter completely out of proportion compared to the foliage.

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Around 20 km from the river the first turaco crossed our path, it as stunning as unmistakable with its white crown. We are jumping with joy and we got other 2 in the next 5 km, the second one was special, we had time to get out of the car and follow him between bushes and trees, we had a great view of it, but we could not take any picture because there was always something bin between.

The birds is so special and although we were already happy and satisfied we were waiting to see more close to the river. This did not happen, there are no more trees close to the river and we had no time to walk.

Negele Borena’s hotel is a rat’s hole and the restaurant even worst. But nothing can change our mood after the turaco

I just forgot to mention a wonderful Abyssinian ground hornbill

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