Sof Omar

We headed on the long, bumpy drive to Sof Omar, leaving the hotel early doors and driving a lot of the way in the dark. Once the sun rose above the hills we started seeing a few birds such as Kori Bustard, Chestnut-naped Francolin, Eastern Chanting Goshawk, Rosy-patched Bush-shrike, Boran Cisticola, and a trio of new hornbills: Von Der Decken’s, Northern Red-billed and Eastern Yellow-billed. 

Boran Cisticola

Rosy-patched Bush-Shrike

The road became almost impassable as it went down into the valley but our landcruisers made light work of it and after parking in the shade of some acacia trees we set out on a walk to see what was around.

I thought it was rather quiet here and we failed to get definitive views of Salvadori’s Seedeater apart from a dubious flyover. But we did see a bunch of good birds including Shikra, Verreaux’s Eagle, Crested Francolin, Emerald-spotted Wood Dove, African Orange-bellied Parrot, White-bellied Go-Away-Bird, Levaillant’s Cuckoo, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Cardinal Woodpecker, White-browed Coucal, Rufous Chatterer, Northern Brownbul, Brown-tailed Rock-Chat, Northern Crombec, Grey-headed Batis, Northern White-crowned Shrike, Brubru, White-crested Helmet-Shrike, Grey-headed Bush-Shrike, Acacia Tit, Shining Sunbird, Bristle-crowned Starling, Yellow-spotted Petronia, Red-headed Weaver and Purple Grenadier.

Cardinal Woodpecker

Driving back towards Goba across the huge open plains with arable fields either side had a few good birds such as Black-winged Kite, Rattling Cisticola, Pallid Harrier, Lanner, African Stonechat, and we also heard a calling Common Quail.