African Emerald Cuckoo / "ሴቱ ቅጥ አጣ"
The angles weren't great and I couldn't avoid the branches, but I finally got a few descent shots of this dazzling bird. And in case you are wondering about the Amharic name, it is from what he sings :)
#BirdsSeenIn2023
Bahirdar, 🇪🇹
Posting this just so the world knows what a piece of shite
@CNN
is. When I say this, I mean it in its most literal meaning; CNN IS FAKE NEWS! It relay is.
Dear all;
Thank you for the many many messages you sent me over these last two months. I am well; just without internet is all. In these cruel times, let me bless your TL and screen with something beautiful for a change, even if just for one day.
Dideric Cuckoo
Bahirdar, Ethiopia
10K followers!
I am absolutely stunned! Never had I thought I would get anywhere near this number of a following. So, as a thank you to all 10,000 of you, here is an early release of my monthly lock screen image.
Your 📱 lock-screen for July - The African Emerald Cuckoo.
No pics from today; so I will bless your TL with this from a while back. It is is the one and only African Emerald Cuckoo. Just look at intricate embroidery !
Photographed in Bahirdar, Ethiopia
This footage broadcast by the TPLF shows trucks being used to transport its fighters. Note that the trucks have their license plates removed. I wonder why that is. Are these your "missing" trucks
@UNEthiopia
?
Stuart Devlinv - the Australian who designed the lion's head on the obverse side of Ethiopia's coins. Nothing captures the fierce patriotism of Ethiopians when it comes to their country more than this iconic symbol. Ethiopia's independence & sovereignty will never be on the table
Sorry
#Eritrean
soldiers believing that accusation of "looting & property destruction" in
#Tigray
. Now we know who's who & what has been doing in Amhara regional state
#TPLFTerroristGroup
.
FACT: There is currently no war or conflict in
#Tigray
. The war that is being fought is happening inside the Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia, not in Tigray.
Someone heard me say I needed a tripod; right here on Twitter. And look what they brought me :)
The generosity of some people is truly heart warming. Received with immense gratitude. Thank you so much🙏.
Guess who I finally crossed paths with! It's the magnanimous African Harrier Hawk! What a charismatic bird this one; perhaps second only to my old friend the Long-Crested Eagle.
Meanwhile, the White-rumped Babbler went
"I don't need to get ready; I was born ready!"
"OK! No need to brag" says I.
"Ain't bragging: it is merely a statement of a fact" says he.
#BirdsSeenIn2023
"I am gonna have my portrait taken. Let me just shuffle and ruffle a few rough feathers and stretch my feet. Gotta look good ... "
📸
"WTF! Dude...! I wasn't ready!"
A very unamused Lesser Blue-eared Starling
This is incredible! The Ethiopian diaspora raised 100million ETB ($2million+) in just three weeks for supporting communities affected by the ongoing TPLF invasion of the Afar and Amhara regions of Ethiopia. I am thankful and proud of each and everyone of you who donated 🙏
$2,000,000! We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your generous gifts and for standing up for our Ethiopia! It is your continued support that is giving hope for the victims of the conflict in our country.
🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹 🇪🇹
Eyezon Ethiopia!
If you had seen my earlier post and wondered why that bird was called "brown-throated" when it clearly is not (I bet you haven't), here is why. The species is named after the female; which is, as you can see, brown-throated.
#BirdsSeenIn2023
Bahirdar, Ethiopia.
In today's evening news, Amhara Tv included a segment on the victims of
#TPLF
's shelling of
#DebreTabor
town yesterday in which six members of one family were killed when an artillery shell struck their home.
Heart breaking💔
#TPLFTerroristGroup
I really don't get the purpose or function of the "nail" at the tip of the beak. Is it purely ornamental? Is it a grabbing/piercing tool? 🤔
Great White Pelican
📍Lake Tana, Bahirdar
#NefasMewcha
is in tatters after
#TPLF
's occupation which lasted a mere 4 days. Homes, businesses, offices, shops - all looted & destroyed. Residents speak of "three days of terror" during which
#TPLF
fighters went on a rampage - threatening residents who remained, & killing many
When one comes and lands right next to you in bright sunlight, you get to appreciate not just the intensity but also the diversity of colors on this
#bird
. Look at the colors on its leggings. Unreal!
Greater Blue-eared Starling
ዋርዳ/ማማት
When I decided to take bird photography seriously and work on a book about two years ago, my wife wasn't too happy about it. It meant I was giving up my career; a career I had worked hard for. But once she realized my heart was in it, she supported me fully and unreservedly.
May be he heard the Emerald Cuckoo stole the show and felt he had a little something to say about that. May be I caught him on his "date day". Eitherway, this Dideric Cuckoo was dashingly handsome :)
It's tricky with these cuckoos, it all comes down to the ambient light and angle
Sing your heart out
Looking good just isn't enough. You got to sing till your lungs hurt too. May be then you will get lucky :)
Male Dideric Cuckoo
Photographed in Bahirdar, Ethiopia.
CNN last week told the world that rebels were on the outskirts of Addis; and the BBC yesterday told the world US troops were ready to intervene in Ethiopia. Both of these stories were made up. The BBC later modified its headline as shown below.
This is why we say
#NoMore
lies!
Kingfishers all have a disproportionately large beak; and none more than this guy - the Grey-headed Kingfisher. Not a bird that I see very often and not exactly the most camera friendly of bird this. But today was a lucky exception.
#BirdsSeenIn2023
Fun fact: the African Fish Eagle can rotate its head a full 360°. Also another fun fact, I had to lug around a 4" telescope on a bike to record this footage:)
Hello
@WFP
@USAID
- here is news for you, straight from TPLF's mouthpiece. There is no famine in Tigray. In fact, TPLF fighters are apparently spoiled for choice when it comes to what to eat. So, reroute your aid convoys to where they are needed may be ... 🤔
Bahirdar Photography: From 2020 - 2023
I have come a long way since 2021 and it has been one hell of a journey. But like all journeys, I fear this one is coming to an end. Can't see myself doing in 2024 what I did for the last 3 years. Been a pleasure ladies and gentlemen 🙏
You all have that one itchy spot on your back that you can never reach with your hands right? Or is that just me🙄
Any way, that is the reason birds went with a beak and not hands. What good are a pair of hands if they can't let you scratch your back? No good!
Woodland Kingfisher
Au revoir፤ ዴክዳቻ፤ Auf Wiedersehen
I am turning a page in the book that is life, I am starting a new job from July.
Follow me at
@asrat_ag
if you like. It is OK if you don't.
It has been a blast.
Run into an old friend this morning. Hadn't seen him for a while and I was a little worried. We caught up on things his side and mine. This was his reaction when I told him I will soon be getting a 600mm lens :)
Long-crested Eagle
📍Bahirdar, Ethiopia
Dear
@ethiotelecom
; this info at the end of a call really serves no purpose than adding one extra thing to do after hanging up a call. Please, please remove it or give us a way to disable it.
Thank you.
Seems no one took up my challenge; so I guess I will 🙂
Here is another one with
#TricolorBills
The Great White Pelican
Photographed at Lake Tana
Bahirdar - Ethiopia
Upon seeing a
@USAID
vehicle today, I gave the driver and the occupant a big 👎. My first instinct was to give them the middle finger even. A year ago, I would have sworn to you I would never ever do such a thing. Dear
@PowerUSAID
, this will be your legacy; you politicized aid.
I finally got my portrait of this majestic eagle! He/she made me work hard for it but it finally happened! So I hereby call 2023 the Year of the African Fish Eagle
African Fish Eagle/የሰማይ ቀበሮ
Photographed in Bahirdar, Ethiopia
#BirdsOfTwitter
#BirdTwitter
#BirdsSeenIn2023
Twitter allowed a hashtag of a fake genocide trend for a whole year. When that fake genocide is debunked & Ethiopians start saying
#NoMore
to fake news aimed at propping up a murderous rebel group & toppling a legitimate, elected government,
@Twitter
starts censoring Ethiopians.
.
@Twitter
continues silencing pro-Ethiopian and pro-HoA voices that have been nothing other than civil, this kind of rampant hate speech is allowed to go on. This is why this is no more than a deliberate censoring political by Twitter.
#NoMore
to censorship
In celebration of the end of Bahirdar Photography, here is a thread of my top 10 favourite shots from the last three years.
#10
- "Knock on Wood" - Nubian Woodpecker pecking around. From June 2021.
While we are on finches, here is the quintessential African finch - the Red-billed Fire-finch; freshly out of the bath and looking a bit surprised to see me.
#BirdsOfTwitter
#BirdsSeenIn2023
Bahirdar, Ethiopia
Good morning.
የደላው ሙቅ ያኝካል አትበሉኝ እንጂ on this World Wild Life Day, I'd like to remind you that this world is not ours alone. I have seen so many trees disappear this year, including this tree on which this Woodland Kingfisher was displaying.
#WorldWildlifeDay
A conversation between
@StateDept
and
@reda_getachew
"We've sent you the latest intelligence on 🇪🇹n and 🇪🇷n positions. We've even highlighted and annotated the most important targets. Act on it".
"Oh! Thanks a million! Via e-mail?"
"No, via the BBC"
I just cleansed my timeline; unfollowed a bunch of people. Some of whom I had a lot of respect for. ለከፋፋይ፤ ለሚጠቋቆም፤ ለሴራ ተንታኝ የምሰጠው ጆሮ የለኝም። ምን እያረጉ ነው ሳይሆን ምን እያረግሁ ነው ነው ጥያቄው። እንትጋ ጎበዝ፤ ድል የትጋት ውጤት ነው
Has anyone noticed that this story doesn't actually contain any thing about kids being detained? Not a word in the entire text, just in the headline.
Now for the prize, guess why. 90% of readers wouldn't go beyond the headline. No need to bother with the details. Disinformation!
Good morning world
The Holy Synod of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahdo Church has called for a nationwide peaceful rally for this Sunday condemning the ongoing state sanctioned attack on the church, its clergy, and followers.
Sing your heart out
Looking good just isn't enough. You got to sing till your lungs hurt too. May be then you will get lucky :)
Male Dideric Cuckoo
Photographed in Bahirdar, Ethiopia.
Normally, I go out looking for them. But today, this Stripped Kingfisher came to my compound. Guessing word got around that everyone has had their portraits taken and this guy went "Whoa! wait a minute; free pics? Where does this guy live?". Explains why it was so eager to pose😍