African Fish-eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

 

African Fish-eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer)

A few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Ethiopia. I was completely bowled over by how beautiful a country this is-far from my ill-conceived perceptions of what I would find which were mainly based on memories from Live Aid. As well as beautiful mountains, lakes and lush countryside, the birdlife seemed to be remarkably tame and approachable which was great for photography.

We were fortunate to have an excellent guide to show us around, Merid Gabremichael, who runs his own birdwatching company in Ethiopia, ‘Birding Abyssinia‘. If you ever get the chance to visit Ethiopia, and I strongly suggest that you do if you can, then you should also consider using Merid as your guide! With his Rastafarian dreadlocks, great birding skills and lively company, every day in his  company was an adventure!

There are several beautiful rift-valley lakes in Ethiopia-whilst we were exploring Lake Ziway I took the chance to photograph this impressive African Fish-eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer), who appeared to have stolen a fishy snack from the local fishermen! African Fish-eagles occur south of the Sahara in Africa and, as their name suggests, are usually found around lakes. A wonderful bird in a wonderful country.