Trip Participants: Douglas Barr, Richard Bonser, Andy Clifton and Angus Murray
Introduction
Having visited the country with my girlfriend in July 2005, and experiencing the area around Sharm el Sheikh, it was obvious that the country had a lot more to offer in terms of its birdlife. It was not too difficult to drum up enthusiasm for an early spring trip and, as such, four of us set out to visit the area around Cairo, the Nile Valley around Luxor and the Red Sea coast as far south as the administrative border with Sudan.
With only a week to play with, or a maximum of ten days at a push, it was decided that due to the time of year it would be better to visit the area around Abu Simbel on another trip and at a more productive time of year – although the ‘African specialities’ (Pink-backed Pelican, African Pied Wagtail, African Skimmer and Yellow-billed Stork) may be present in late March, the period of from May to September appears to be far more productive for these species upon collation of historical data.
Logistics and General Information
As we wanted to have a total of 7 full days birding, it was essential that we booked schedule flights for our departure (charter flights to tourist resorts such as Hurghada or Sharm el Sheikh would only allow 6 days of full birding) and hence we booked our flights through British Airways. We flew from London Heathrow on Saturday 18th March and arrived in Cairo late that same evening. We returned the London Heathrow on an early morning flight on Sunday 26th March.
Car hire was booked through the Holiday Autos website with Hertz as our ground agent for a total of circa £320 with a local charge for an additional driver. During our trip we managed to hit a rather large rock in the middle of the road on a convoy from Safaga to Luxor but, with the help of a local mechanic in Hurghada, we were able to change the tyre and unbuckle the wheel and return the vehicle in the state that we received it.
Overnight accommodation was found on arrival at each destination with the exception of our first two nights in Cairo where we booked into the Novotel Cairo Airport. The price of accommodation each night varied enormously with our hotel in Safaga costing UK£4 per night in comparison to the Movenpick on Crocodile Island at UK£40 per night – as would be expected, the quality of the accommodation was reflected in the price. After the previously mentioned first two nights, we stayed at the following hotels: -
20th March - Nile Valley Hotel in Safaga (UK£4 per person per night – basic)
21st March - Red Sea Diving Safari at Wadi Lahami (UK£30 per person per night for a chalet or UK£20 per person per night for a Bedouin tent with dinner, breakfast and lunch included in these prices – excellent with birding on your doorstep)
22nd March – Sea Garden Resort in Hurghada (UK£17 per person per night – good with the nearby port area and sea worthwhile for birding)
23rd March - Movenpick on Crocodile Island, Luxor (UK£40 per person per night – superb with excellent breakfast buffet and birding within the grounds)
24th March – Dome Marina Best Western at Ain Sukhna (UK£22 per person per night – good with the hotel grounds attractive for migrants)
25th March – night in the car en-route to Cairo Airport from Sinai
From previous experience and talking to many people who had been to Egypt, the country is not exactly known for its safe food. In fact, many people seem to shrug their shoulders and see upset stomachs as something that is inevitable with a trip to Egypt. With this in mind, the only local produce we purchased during the whole of our trip were bread, bananas and crisps despite the fact some of the hotels we stayed at included dinner and breakfast within the price. We brought an ample supply of food from the UK including tuna, corned beef etc to supplement our rather carbohydrate-based local produce diet.
Driving in Egypt is rather unpredictable, with the quality of roads being of extremely good quality although debris can encroach onto the asphalt without any warning – hence our previously mentioned experience on the convoy between Safaga and Luxor. Driving in Cairo is not for the feint hearted and is a rather big game of ‘chicken’ and, added to this, the signposting in Africa’s largest city is poor to non existent for those non-Arabic speakers. On a much more positive note, Egypt is exceptionally cheap petrol wise with filling our Hyundai up from empty costing no more than UK£5! We covered approximately 5000km by road during our 8 day visit.
Probably the most frustrating part of a trip to Egypt for anybody will be the unnecessary bureaucracy that can include convoys and contradictory information depending upon which official you speak to. To illustrate this, on 22nd March, we wanted to explore the coast to the north of El Gouna and at the checkpoint at this resort we were stopped and told that foreign nationals must be escorted north along the Red Sea to either Ain Sukhna or Suez in convoys leaving at 11.30am or 6pm. Realising we were not going to get through on this occasion, despite stating that we drove from Cairo to Safaga on our own a couple of nights previously, we turned back to Hurghada and then attempted to drive north the following evening through the same checkpoint and had absolutely no problem whatsoever.
It was only a few years ago that travel to the southern Red Sea coast was prohibited but we experienced absolutely no problems whatsoever. Be aware that you will go through a fair number of checkpoints, and you may be asked to produce your passports, but we were never asked more than the standard questions in pigeon English ‘where you go’ and ‘what nation’. I would offer the advice to hide your binoculars (and not have them dangling around your neck) when you go through each checkpoint (and also when you are in the town of Shalatein). Wherever we stopped we were always mindful to scan for military before we started birding as, with reference to one trip report, once you are politely arrested it can be a time consuming and rather infuriating procedure to prove that all you were wanting to do is search for birds!
Convoys
Following the Luxor Massacre in 1997 where 58 tourists were killed, Egypt has quite rightly become rather protective of its foreign tourists. This however necessitates rather painful bureaucracy for those who are more independently minded. Getting to and from the Red Sea coast to the Nile Valley is extremely difficult, and potentially not possible, without going in a convoy. We used two convoys – both between Safaga and Luxor (in both directions) – and please be aware that these can be rather fast paced with coaches attempting to overtake you at 120kph. In March 2006, as a foreign national, it was still not possible to reach Luxor from the towns of Marsa Alam or El Qesir and it seemed that all traffic to/from Luxor was going via Safaga. At the time of our visit, convoys were leaving Safaga at 7am and 6pm and leaving Luxor at 8am, 2pm and 6pm but please be advised that these times may vary and that it is best to approach the checkpoints in good time and ascertain the latest convoy information.
Literature
Egypt is a relatively large country with popular birding areas confined to only a small proportion of the country – Cairo and The Nile Delta, The Nile Valley around Luxor, Sinai (Sharm el Sheikh and its surroundings), The Red Sea Coast (Ain Sukhna south to the Egyptian administrative border at Shalatein) and Abu Simbel. ‘Finding Birds in Egypt’ by Dave Gosney, was the only ‘site guide’ that we brought with us and this can be purchased from Birdguides. Please note that, as a regular user of his guides, this is by far the most outdated and many of the sites documented in this publication have either been destroyed or indeed superseded by more recently discovered areas – in fact, the only areas I found this guidebook to be any use at all were on Crocodile Island, Luxor and the area around Ain Sukhna and Suez.
On a more general note, the Lonely Planet guide to Egypt proved useful and I obtained two maps of the country – Insight Flexi Map 1:930,000 and the Insight Travel Map 1:800,000 – both purchased from Stanfords. Please note that these maps were functional but lacking in detail and the latter did not actually cover the Red Sea to the south of Hurghada.
I have made detailed sketch maps of all of the sites that we visited and where we located certain species, so if you wish to have a copy of these please email me on richbonser8181@hotmail.com.
Websites and Acknowledgements
Information on birding in Egypt is relatively easy to get hold of on the web, and is certainly the best source of information for anybody considering a birding trip to this country. One good starting point for any proposed trip, to any country, is Travelling Birder where trip reports from a number of different sources (such as Birdtours, Surfbirds, OSME and Netfugl) are collated into one very useful and accessible list.
Particularly useful reports that I would recommend are those by Joakim and Elisabeth Djerf, Hugues Dufourny, Mans Grundsten, Michael Mosebo Jensen and Staffan Rodebrand. Additionally, African Birding Resources, Middle East Birdnet, WestPalBirds were useful sources of information in providing details of sightings in Egypt over the last couple of years. Most notably, the forum Egypt Bird Group has just been inaugurated and will provide useful information for anybody looking to go birding in Egypt in the future.
It must be noted that contacting Mindy Baha El Din (the lady who previously held the key for much of Egypt’s birding information) seems impossible despite the fact that the website Birding Egypt has recently been reactivated. Many birders, including myself, have tried several e-mail addresses for Mindy and gained no response. Upon speaking with a local birder and guide Ahmed Riad, it appears that Mindy is now a mother and has given up her duties of providing visiting birders with information on finding certain Egyptian specialities. Her husband, Sherif Baha El Din, has apparently moved away from birding and concentrates his time nowadays on reptiles.
I am extremely grateful to the following people in providing detailed information on certain species and particular sites that, without which, would have had a severe effect on the success of our trip – John Barclay, Pierre-Andre Crochet, Kris De Rouck, Hugues Dufourny, Dave Farrow, Justin Jansen, Dominic Mitchell, Andreas Noeske, Ken Shaw and Uwe Streese-Browa.
Itinerary
A brief outline of our trip is detailed below: -
Saturday 18th March arrived at Cairo airport late evening (already dark) and drove the short distance to the Novotel near the airport.
Sunday 19th March the morning and early afternoon spent at Abassa then spent the afternoon driving to Sinai for an evening visit to a Hume’s Owl site. Drove back to Cairo and the night (or what was left of it!) at the Novotel near Cairo airport.
Monday 20th March morning at Wadi El Natrum to the NW of Cairo, then the afternoon spent at Abassa. A 6 hour drive south after dark to Safaga with accommodation at the Nile Valley Hotel, Safaga.
Tuesday 21st March morning drive down the Red Sea from Safaga with birding stops made when appropriate (including Shams Alam resort), early afternoon at Hamata mangroves and the remainder of the day spent at Wadi Lahami. Overnight at Wadi Lahami Red Sea Diving Safari.
Wednesday 22nd March early morning birding at Wadi Lahami, then 1 ½ hour drive south to Shalatein and return northwards to Safaga (via birding stops at Wadi Gimal and Shams Alam) for 6pm convoy to Luxor. Unsuccessful attempt at convoy due to puncture and overnight at Sea Garden Resort, Hurghada.
Thursday 23rd March morning til early afternoon birding around Hurghada and El Gouna, then birding at mangroves to the south of Safaga til late afternoon. Convoy at 6pm from Safaga with arrival at Luxor 9.30pm. Night at Movenpick Hotel, Crocodile Island.
Friday 24th March morning birding around Crocodile Island. Convoy at 2pm from Luxor to Safaga and then a 4 hour drive to Ain Sukhna. Overnight at the Dome Marina Best Western, Ain Sukhna.
Saturday 25th March early morning birding around the Dome Marina Best Western, mid morning to early afternoon spent around Ain Sukhna and Suez Bay then drove to Sinai for dusk to visit Hume’s Owl site. 5 hour drive back to Cairo airport with night spent in the car.
Sunday 26th March early morning flight back to London Heathrow and arrival in Britain early afternoon.
Report Format
I have aimed to write this report considering two distinctly different types of birder. Firstly the ‘target species seen’ and ‘target species not seen’ sections will be of use to those individuals who are considering a similar trip to ourselves and have a distinct interest in the locations of specific species. Secondly, the daily sightings section will hopefully cater for those birders who are more interested in the avian diversity that is offered at each site or are largely confined to a specific geographic area due to, for example, a family holiday. Both sections should be used in conjunction with each other although most detail on individual sites will be contained within the ‘target species seen’ section. If you would like any information that you cannot find on this report, please feel free to e-mail me.
TARGET BIRDS SEEN
I have made detailed sketch maps of all of the sites that we visited, particularly with focus on target species, so if you feel that you would like further details on any of the species listed below, please feel free to email me.
Striated Heron
This species is regularly seen in the mangrove areas on the southern Red Sea coast, and indeed we located one in the mangroves to the north of the beached ship at Wadi Lahami on the morning of the 22nd March. It seems that other observers, in general, have more observations of this species than we did and another favoured site appears to be the mangroves at Hamata. Most notably, whilst birding in the Nile Delta at Abassa, we discovered a pair of birds by the weir on a tributary stream off the main Ismailiya canal just to the east of Abassa town on the road to Zagazig. Another bird was also seen at Crocodile Island on 24th March.
Western Reef Heron
This species is a common sight along the southern Red Sea coast with many individuals, of both colour morphs, located at mangrove areas and the adjacent coastline from Safaga south to Wadi Lahami.
Goliath Heron
Once a mythical bird to locate within the Western Palearctic and with the uncertainty of this species continued presence in Iraq due to obvious reasons, a visit to the now accessible southern Red Sea coast is imperative in order to locate this species. Knowing that this species had been sighted at two localities (Wadi Lahami and Marsa Hemira Mangroves (40km north of Shalatein)) in early February 2006 (per Uwe Streese-Browa), we began our search in earnest on the afternoon of the 21st March at the mangrove areas at Hamata and Wadi Lahami but without success. The following morning at 6.05 a.m., whilst scanning the mangrove area to the north of the restaurant and reception area at the Red Sea Diving Safari at Wadi Lahami, I picked up an adult Goliath Heron as it flew in strongly from the north and subsequently settled, and showed exceptionally well, in the main channel a couple of hundred of yards to the north of the beached ship within the mangrove area. Mans Grundsten’s report details his observations of this species at Hamata, Wadi Lahami and Kira ‘el Hiriwai in December 2004 and our sighting appears to concur with his suggestion that individuals commute between the various mangrove areas (in particular between Wadi Lahami and Hamata). Prior to leaving the UK, I compiled data with regard to the status of this species in Egypt since 1990 (from a variety of sources) and please find this tabulated below for reference: -
|
Location |
No. |
Date |
|
Aswan High Dam |
1 |
11th April 1992 |
|
Abu Mingar, off Hurghada |
1 |
31st December 1993 |
|
Abu Simbel |
1 |
2nd April 1994 |
|
Mangroves 36km south of Safaga |
1 |
6th May 1994 |
|
Abu Mingar, off Hurghada |
1 |
2nd September 1995 |
|
Mangroves 10km south of Safaga |
1 |
25th September 1995 |
|
5km south of Qesir |
1 |
25th September 1995 |
|
Lake Nasser |
1 |
30th September 1995 |
|
8km north of Aswan |
1 |
13th December 1995 |
|
Hamata Mangroves |
2 |
21st-22nd September 1999 |
|
Hamata Mangroves |
1+ |
22nd-23rd April 2000 |
|
Lake Nasser |
1 |
29th January 2001 |
|
Hamata |
1 |
14th April 2001 |
|
River Nile near Edfu |
1 |
19th June 2002 |
|
Hamata Mangroves |
1 |
10th December 2003 |
|
Hamata Mangroves |
1 |
19th August 2004 |
|
Hamata Mangroves & Wadi Lahami |
1+ |
4th December 2004 |
|
Kira 'el Hiriwai |
1 |
5th December 2004 |
|
Wadi Lahami |
1 |
6th November 2005 |
|
Wadi Lahami |
1 |
7th February 2006 |
|
Marsa Hemira, 40km north of Shalatein |
1 |
7th February 2006 |
Although the above undoubtedly does not list all records of this species, it certainly seems to favour the mangrove areas around Wadi Lahami and Hamata in recent years. Additionally, a couple of other (smaller) mangrove areas south of Wadi Lahami have produced records of this species recently: -
- Kira ‘el Hiriwai – accessed east of the military checkpoint a few km south of Wadi Lahami on the road to Ras Banas peninsular (before heading through the mountains in the direction of Berenice). Grundsten et al located a Goliath Heron to the west of the mangroves by an obvious wrecked ship within this huge bay in December 2004.
- Marsa Hemira Mangroves – located 40km north of Shalatein and noticeable from the main road between Berenice and Shalatein. An asphalt road leads off the main road to some buildings at the coast and when you reach the coast, drive north a short way to view the small lagoon and adjacent mangrove area. Please note that this site is sensitive and, at least on a couple of occasions recently, birders have been noticed by militaries and asked to leave the area – by politely explaining what you’re up to, at least one group of birders were allowed to stay. Streese-Browa et al managed to locate a Goliath Heron in the mangrove area here in February 2006.
Black Kite
The non-migratory Egyptian form ‘aegyptius’ was frequently seen in Cairo and the Nile Delta where the yellow bill (present on adults) and the more rufous tail and underparts distinguished from nominate birds seen on migration at Ain Sukhna and Suez on 25th March.
Lappet-faced Vulture
With the extirpation of this species from Israel within the last 15 years, the area around the frontier town of Shalatein (on the administrative border with Sudan) has become the best place to observe this species in the Western Palearctic. With upwards of 50 birds often present, this species is all but guaranteed in this area. Our first observation of this species, however, was to the north of the ‘usual’ area and was sat in the desert by the ‘Baranis 5km’ (Berenice 5km) sign if approaching from the north i.e. 21km south of Wadi Lahami. Due to the lack of carcasses around the camel market at Shalatein, our haul of at least 2 birds in this area was one of the disappointments of the trip. The strategy to locate this species at Shalatein is simple – make sure your optics are not on view as you head through the checkpoint at the west end of the town and then search from there (both in the sky as well as the adjacent acacia scrub). The camel market can be found by driving east towards the coast from the checkpoint and Co-op garage and turning right (south) into the town itself at any available opportunity.
Lesser Spotted Eagle
This species is a regular spring migrant in good numbers, as it is slightly further north-east at Eilat, and we witnessed a good passage of at least 235 birds on the morning of the 25th March in the Ain Sukhna/Suez area. As with the next species, it is very much trial and error in terms of finding the best spot to view migrating raptors. We found that the best site was 60km south of Suez near Ain Sukhna at the ‘El Sokhna resthouse’ on the west side of the main road leading up along the Red Sea to Suez – looking south-west, the birds closely hugged the mountain range just inland as they headed north on their migration. Another spot, mentioned in Gosney, at the quarries to the west of Suez town (reached from the Suez bypass) produced fewer birds and more distant views.
Steppe Eagle
As with Lesser Spotted Eagle, this species was seen on 25th March in the Suez area albeit in much smaller numbers – c.25 were seen in total. Once again, the El Sokhna resthouse was the best place to observe this species along with other eagles, buzzards, kites and vultures.
Purple Swamphen
The ‘green-backed’ form of this species, madagascariensis, is resident along the Nile becoming more common the further south you go. As such, we did not locate this species in The Nile Delta area around Abassa but 2 birds showed themselves in the reeds viewable from the bridge to Crocodile Island, Luxor on 24th March.
Painted Snipe
We located five individuals of this species (3 males and 2 females) at Abassa on 19th March. If coming from Cairo, you will reach the town of Bilbeis and then take the road to El Abassa that runs parallel with the canal – please note that the km checks are from this junction. The following three sites are where we noted this sought after species: -
1. After 12.8km you will notice a Shell garage on the left hand side of the road and then 0.2km beyond this is a pull in that overlooks a marshy area and some small fishponds. We flushed a male Painted Snipe (as well as 2 Jack Snipe and at least 20 Common Snipe) in the marshy fields directly below where you park the car.
2. Driving a further 4.5km along the road to Abassa (so 17.5km from the junction), you will see a network of large fishponds on the left hand side of the road (which held 28 Senegal Thick-knees during our visit) and immediately after this, there is a track off the main road that allows access – it initially takes you into a small copse with a couple of houses (if you reach a pale green warehouse you’ve gone too far). Follow this track straight ahead, keeping the fishponds on your left and a rather dry canal on your right, and scan the canal banks for Painted Snipe. We located three birds (2 females and a male) immediately north of the first bridge and were lucky to have crippling views of this species as it fed out in the open at point blank range.
3. When you reach the small (and dusty) town of Abassa from the main road, head across the canal on the road bridge and take the 1st left into the town itself on the dirt track. Once through the town, you’ll go through some arable land and over a small canal. After this you’ll reach the large network of fishponds and, by driving along the network of tracks, we were fortunate to encounter a male Painted Snipe in one of the reed-fringed ditches.
Senegal Thick-knee
Despite being an Egyptian speciality within the Western Palearctic, this species is relatively common where it is present. Our first sightings were on the morning of the 19th March at Abassa where 28 were noted on the dry banks of the fishponds 17.5km from the junction in Bilbeis along the road running parallel with the canal (see site 2 under Painted Snipe). Additionally, whilst driving back to Cairo the same day, 2 birds were seen in flight over the main canal itself near Bilbeis. The next day when we revisited the Abassa area, 2 birds were noted on the small fishponds near the Shell garage (see site 1 under Painted Snipe for more detailed directions). This species is not present on the Red Sea coast so our next, and final, sighting was of a pair at Crocodile Island, Luxor on 24th March where they were seen roosting at close range by the track just south of the bridge over to the island.
Kittlitz’s Plover
At least fifteen individuals of this rather attractive sand plover were noted at Wadi El Natrum, to the north-west of Cairo, on 20th March. This site is the most reliable spot for this species in Northern Egypt (it is commonly recorded around Abu Simbel) and, although sporadically recorded in the Abassa and Ismailiya area, my advice would be to spend a morning travelling to El Natrum in order to guarantee observing this species. Once you’ve turned off the main Cairo – Alexandria road to ‘El Natrum’, you’ll almost immediately enter the village and after a short while will need to turn left in the centre of this village by the statue. The road will open out after leaving the village with the lake viewable to your right and there is an obvious right turn that allows you to drive (on asphalt) to the muddy margins at the northern end of the lake where this species was present in amongst large gatherings of Kentish Plovers and Little Stints.
Sooty Gull
Considerably scarcer than the next species, and with a more southerly distribution in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf, one should still expect to locate a few Sooty Gulls on any visit to the southern Red Sea. The area around Hurghada is traditionally as good a bet as any and 2 adults favoured the small harbour to the north of the ‘main strip’ during our visit whilst additionally we saw 3 birds in the bay at Wadi Lahami on the morning of 22nd March.
White-eyed Gull
Good numbers of this species were seen around Hurghada port and harbour (located at the north end of this holiday resort) on 23rd March, with at least 50 birds seen. Other than at this locality, its absence was rather surprising.
Crested Tern
From various trip reports that I had researched prior to our visit, this species seems relatively nomadic in its habits but the large majority of observers seem to connect with it. As such, we headed along the southern part of the Red Sea on 21st March in the hope that we would locate this species but failed at sites such as Marsa Alam, Hamata and Wadi Lahami. It was not until we had reached further north on 23rd March that we located 2 birds just to the north of Hurghada town as they perched close inshore on posts by Moussa Shrimps and Fish farm. This site is located on the Hurghada to Cairo road c.3km north of the Esso garage on the northern outskirts of Hurghada and just south of the ‘Cairo 450km’ sign – pull into the area of half-built buildings and view the bay from here.
Crowned Sandgrouse
This species is apparently the most common sandgrouse along the southern Red Sea coast. All of our sightings were chance encounters as we were driving. At least 30 birds showed exceptionally well 70km south of Safaga mid morning on 21st March – there seemed to be a small pool (puddle of water) in the desert here and a lot of activity was noted at c.9am in the morning. Our other, and final, sightings came on the 22nd March as we were driving south from Wadi Lahami to Shalatein – 3 birds 20km south of Wadi Lahami (and 6km north of Berenice) and a flock of 20 flew over the road 27km south of Wadi Lahami at the junction of Bernice airport and the road block.
African Collared Dove
This is most definitely a speciality of the southern Red Sea with records largely confined the coastline to the south of Safaga. Our sightings were very much by chance in that we located 2 doves by the roadside 23km to the north of Marsa Alam. After stopping the car, we obtained excellent views of a pair of displaying African Collared Doves on the wall of the Hotel ‘Calimera, Balboa Hotel and Resort’ – located immediately south of a sharp right hand bend at the most northerly end of a string of development to the north of Marsa Alam town. We did not specifically search further for this species and did not note any other individuals. However, a favoured spot has been the large acacia scrub area to the south of the Co-op garage at Shalatein and other records have come from Shams Alam resort, Wadi Gimal and Hamata mangroves. Additionally, a couple of weeks prior to our visit 3 birds were seen in the mangrove area 18km south of Safaga.
Senegal Coucal
Within Egypt, this superb species is primarily confined to the Nile Delta area around Cairo. Since the demise of Gebel Asfar, and although the species does still occur at this site, most observers have found this species in the Abassa area. Unlike some species, there is no ‘regular spot’ but by birding the area and listening for their distinctive call, you would be unlucky not to find this species. One showed extremely well in the trees at the entrance to the track to site 2 (see directions under Painted Snipe) on 19th March and, on 20th March, another was noted in the arable area to the south of Abassa village (and to the north of the small canal bridge) along the track to the large area of fishponds (‘site 3’ under Painted Snipe). Additionally, we heard one calling distantly at Wadi El Natrum on 20th March.
Hume’s Tawny Owl
As this species is no longer regularly recorded by visiting birders to Israel with the demise of Hadoram Shirihai’s ‘military-like’ operations, the dry wadis of Sinai may represent the best chance to observe this species in the Western Palearctic. On two visits, one on the 19th and the other on the evening of the 25th, we successfully managed to observe this species in a dry wadi in southern Sinai. Due to the fact that publishing sites for this species is likely to render disturbance, I have refrained from giving the details of the exact locality of where we saw this species.
Little Green Bee-eater
The ‘green-throated’ Egyptian race cleopatra was easily observed at Abassa, where it was common in the arable area immediately to the south of Abassa village along the track to Abassa ponds. Additionally, several of this species were seen on Crocodile Island, Luxor in the dry area to the south of the track to the Movenpick hotel and immediately south-west of the bridge. Similar to other Egyptian races of species (such as savignii Swallows and pygmaea Yellow Wagtails), cleopatra Little Green Bee-eaters are confined to the interior of the country around The Nile and are absent from the Red Sea (or at least in our experience they are).
Barn Swallow
The race savignii, or ‘Egyptian Swallow’, was frequently encountered around Cairo at sites such as Abassa and also further down The Nile at Crocodile Island, Luxor. The nominate race was a common sight along the Red Sea coast.
Yellow Wagtail
The endemic, non-migratory race pygmaea was observed on a couple of occasions during our trip. Our first observations were at least 3 birds around the ‘Kittlitz’s Plover site’ at Wadi el Natrum where birds could be seen feeding on the muddy margins and singing from the adjacent juncus clumps. A further male was located the same day, 20th March, in the damp meadows and agriculture near the Shell garage at Abassa (see Painted Snipe for more detailed directions). ‘Black-headed Wagtail’ was a common bird in suitable habitat along the Red Sea coast.
Clamorous Reed Warbler
After targeting this species on a recent visit to Israel, it was a nice surprise to find how common and obliging this species is within Egypt, or certainly within the environs of The Nile. This species was common, and often showed very well, in the Abassa area and at least half a dozen birds were observed in suitable habitat at Crocodile Island, Luxor.
Nile Valley Sunbird
Restricted to the Nile Valley (as its name suggests), the only site we saw this species was in the grounds of the Movenpick Hotel on Crocodile Island. At least ten birds were seen, including a few males in full attire, and they are pretty much guaranteed around the gardens of this decent hotel.
House Crow
This species is a very common resident in the town of Suez. Otherwise our only sightings involved a handful of individuals near the port of Safaga early morning on 21st March.
Red Avadavat
This introduced species can be found, according to previous trip reports, in varying numbers at Crocodile Island, Luxor. Additionally, there is an additional population of this species in Egypt around Cairo in the Nile Delta. Our sightings came from the former site where, after a fair amount of searching, up to 3 birds were located on 24th March. After walking over the bridge to Crocodile Island from ‘the mainland’, turn immediately left (south) onto the track that runs alongside the reed fringed bank (with an area of fields on your right) and, after a few hundred yards, the track will bend right by an area of dry reeds immediately in front of you. This is where we located our birds and at least one bird was singing from within these reeds. Additionally, the fields adjacent to the security hut just on the ‘mainland’ side of the bridge appear to be the most reliable spot in this area judging from the information I gathered prior to my trip.
TARGET BIRDS MISSED
This section details the species that have occurred and been seen by other observers at the sites we visited during our trip. It should be noted that many of the species mentioned in the section weren’t exactly ‘missed’ by ourselves due to the fact that they are summer visitors and we knew that our trip was too early to see them. In essence, the only species that we expected to see but did not in reality was Streaked Weaver. The other Egyptian specialities – Pink-backed Pelican, Yellow-billled Stork, African Skimmer and African Pied Wagtail – do not occur on the Red Sea coast or Cairo area, and a trip to Abu Simbel is essential to see these species within the Western Palearctic.
Brown Booby
This pelagic species occurs regularly within the Red Sea region. Most records come from boat trips to the islands off Hurghada although seawatching anywhere along the Red Sea may allow a chance encounter with this species.
Red-billed Tropicbird
A rare bird in Egypt with only sporadic records of this quality species along Egypt’s southern Red Sea. A couple of weeks prior to our visit, one was noted off Hurghada but there are no reliable sites that can be recommended in order to see this species.
Verreaux’s Eagle
An extremely rare bird in the Western Palearctic, and indeed in Egypt. However, with the species not being regularly recorded in Israel or Jordan, Egypt may well become the place that birders go to in order to see this species within the Western Palearctic region. Records at Gebel Elba (south of Shalatein) in November 2000, one in Sinai at the Nabq Protectorate in April 2002 and one on the southern Red Sea coast at Wadi Gimal in October 2003 prove that this species occurs at least sporadically in Egypt.
Sooty Falcon
Like several other species listed below, we did not expect to see this species due to the time of year of our visit. During the summer months, regular sightings of this species have come from Hurghada, Shams Alam and the area around Hamata.
Crab Plover
One of the most attractive and unique of the world’s shorebirds, Crab Plover is regular in the Hamata mangroves area from at least June until September with three figure counts by no means unheard of (see Hugues Dufourny’s report for more details).
White-cheeked Tern
We were too early for this species as it does not return to its Egyptian summer range until at least mid April. It is a common species though when it is present and you should expect to encounter this species along the coast from Hurghada southwards during this period.
Bridled Tern
Present in the southern Red Sea in small numbers, and a visit to the Hamata area in September would be the best bet to connect with this species. For example, 17 were seen off Hamata in September 2003 (see Hugues Dufourny’s report for more details).
Egyptian Nightjar
Although by far the best place to see this species in Egypt is around the temple at Abu Simbel, it has been noted around floodlit areas in Hurghada previously. Additionally, it is apparently widespread around open ground within the Nile Delta although I was unaware of current sites for this species here.
Black-crowned Finch Lark
There have been sporadic records of this relatively nomadic species around the town of Shalatein. However, our itinerary did not allow us to search the area as well as you may need to find this species (if it is there at all on a regular basis).
Black Bush Robin
Occurring regularly to the south of Shalatein at Gebel Elba (currently it is not possible for Westerners to travel here without gaining prior written permission), this species should occur in the extensive acacia scrub around the town of Shalatein.
Streaked Weaver
Despite extensively searching areas that had previously attracted this species in the Abassa area, our searching proved fruitless. It is known to be a nomadic species and the information that we used was that found in Michael Mosebo Jensen’s trip report. Subsequent to returning from our trip, and knowing that I will need to go via Cairo to reach Abu Simbel in the future, I have gained further sites for this species within the Abassa area so please email me if you require further details. Otherwise, Richard Hoath reports he has noted this species several times in the area around the Nile Barrages – they breed on the east bank of the western branch of the river just north of the road bridge that crosses the river.
DAILY SIGHTINGS
This section aims to detail my observations on a day-to-day basis and can be used as a narrative in conjunction with the previous sections. Although some detail is undoubtedly contained below, if you are looking for more specific information on certain species then I would certainly have a look at the ‘target species found’ section.
Saturday 18th March
We arrived at Cairo International airport late evening and, after eventually sorting out the car, we headed off the short distance to the Novotel close to the airport to gain some well deserved sleep.
Sunday 19th March
Rising shortly before first light and taking a load of bread and croissants from the breakfast buffet, we headed off through the Cairo suburbs in a north-easterly direction towards our first birding area, Abassa. Laughing Doves and Hooded Crows were the common roadside species, as they were to be throughout the majority of the trip, with other birds noted on the drive to Bilbeis being a handful of Black Kites (of the form aegyptius), a few Hoopoes and lots of Cattle Egrets.
In the town of Bilbeis, we took the turn to ‘El Abassa’ and this road lead us directly parallel with the Ismailiya canal where lots of Pied Kingfishers and a couple of White-breasted Kingfishers were seen by the roadside. The birding sites are located on the left hand side of the road if coming from Bilbeis and the first place (for full directions see site 1 under Painted Snipe in the ‘Target Species Found’ section) that we stopped was…
13km east of Bilbeis (and 0.2km beyond the Shell garage) on the road to Abassa
We parked our car a couple of hundred metres beyond the Shell garage and walked down to the fields immediately in front of us (a small fishpond area is located just beyond and to the left). Before we had even started birding, I managed to sink my only pair of shoes in some rather smelly mud providing a rather unpleasant smell for everybody else for the rest of the day. Anyway, by walking across the matrix of paths across the damp field, a male Painted Snipe was flushed but only seen by one member of the team – despite further searching we couldn’t relocate this bird although a pleasant surprise were 2 Jack Snipes flushed along with the larger numbers of Common Snipe. Spur-winged Plovers and Graceful Prinias were everywhere, and vocal with their presence, and a couple of savignii race Swallows flew over exhibiting their reddish underparts. A Bluethroat showed well rummaging around a vegetated area whilst a male Northern Wheatear was presumably a migrant making use of the ample food supply. After giving up on our Painted Snipe hunt, we walked a few yards to the adjacent fishpond area where, as predicted, birds were plentiful – a Clamorous Reed Warbler and a Sedge Warbler, lots of Pied Kingfishers and White-breasted Kingfishers (as well as a Common Kingfisher that was not so common) as well as a couple of Little Egrets and ten Squacco Herons amongst the extremely common Cattle Egrets.
Having exhausted this site, we got back in the car and headed for a further 4.5km along the main road, in the direction of Abassa, to an area of large fishponds (see site 2 under Painted Snipe in the ‘Target Species Found’ section for full directions).
Fishponds and dried up canal 17.5km east of Bilbeis on the road to Abassa
We turned off the main road onto a track by a blue house and as soon as we got out of the car looked to the fishponds to our left and found 28 Senegal Thick-knees roosting on the dry banks of the nearest fishpond. Whilst admiring this species, Common Bulbuls and a handful of Clamorous Reed Warblers were vocal in the trees and bushes beside us whilst other species seen on this pond included a Little Ringed Plover, many Spur-winged Plovers and Little Egrets as well as a Grey Heron, a Green Sandpiper and a couple of Common Sandpipers. Once finished here we drove up the track for a few hundred metres, with the fishpond to our left and a fairly dry irrigation canal to our right, and at the first bridge over this canal we stopped the car and scanned. Immediately, in my true fashion, I got rather excited as I pulled my binoculars up to my eyes and located a superb female Painted Snipe sitting no more than 20 yards away! We carefully got out of the car, set our scopes up and truly regretted the fact that none of us were digiscopers… and then, a further two male Painted Snipes came out of the reeds and joined the female – absolutely superb stuff. Along with a Black-shouldered Kite in the distance, the odd Crested Lark here and there, this experience was certain to be the highlight of our first day birding in Egypt. Fully satisfied, we retraced our steps back to the entrance area and the surrounding trees when, whilst driving, the distinctive call of Senegal Coucal could be heard close by. After very little time at all, this red eyed monster of a bird was found crawling amongst the tree tops and provided us with excellent views – and to cap things off, a Little Bittern was seen in the adjacent reed fringed channel.
We then headed along the main road, passing a rubbish dump area that gave off a rather foul stench but hundreds of Cattle Egrets seemed to like it nonetheless, and turned right over the main canal towards Abassa town and then took the first left through this dusty, deprived town and into the area of arable land and fishponds just beyond the town itself (site 3 under Painted Snipe provides more detailed access directions).
Abassa fishponds
Having driven south along the dirt track through the small town of Abassa, we soon reached a rewarding area of farmland located to the north of a bridge over a small reed-fringed canal. Four Little Bee-eaters (of the race cleopatra) sallied from wires, a Southern Grey Shrike (of the race elegans) here was our only one of the trip whilst Clamorous Reed Warblers, Bluethroats and a superb group of 6 Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters were also present. Heading over the bridge, we shortly reached a large network of fishponds where the ubiquitous Cattle Egrets dominated along with smaller numbers of Squacco Herons – ‘typical’ fishpond birding was had here with a Glossy Ibis, 2 White Storks, 10 Coot, a handful of Little Grebes, a Whiskered Tern, a couple of Night Herons, a Temminck’s Stint, an Osprey and a Wood Sandpiper noted. Typical fishpond birding that is until we encountered a male Painted Snipe on the track ahead of us on the eastern section of these ponds.
By now it was early afternoon and we headed back along the main road to a small area of reeds near to a green warehouse (and a couple of hundred yards to the east of the site where we located Senegal Thick-knee, Painted Snipe and Senegal Coucal). Having held Streaked Weaver in previous years, our search was unsuccessful largely due to the strong winds and, although we located 3 Ruff and a few Night Herons here, we really had to think about what we should do for the afternoon as we felt the wind would severely hamper our search for Streaked Weaver. And on this note, we took the typically rational spur of the moment decision to drive 4 ½ hours to southern Sinai so that we would get to the Hume’s Owl site just before dusk.
Southern Sinai
It’s not often that you visit 3 continents within 24 hours but, by virtue of driving through the tunnel under the Suez Canal, that’s exactly what we’d done as we’d only arrived from the UK within the last 24 hours. Anyway, enough with this rather pointless fact… the drive proved rather uneventful (which is always a good thing in Egypt) with a scattering of Brown-necked Ravens throughout the journey and a couple of Eastern Mourning Wheatears in southern Sinai. We arrived at the site just before dusk and within a few minutes a Hume’s Owl flew from the dramatically shaped wadi cliffs before it disappointingly headed off over the plateau. Despite searching for a further couple of hours after dark (with the use of a high powered light) there was no further sign… but our activities predictably attracted the interest from the local Bedouins who proved to be a mild annoyance.
After the drive all the way back to Cairo, we eventually reached the Novotel at Cairo airport where we were to spend a second and final night. Three and a half hours later, we were up again, somewhat tired, but pumped up for our final day in the field around Cairo.
Monday 20th March
Setting off early again, we didn’t get too embroiled in the traffic around Cairo as we headed north-west from the city itself along the main road to Alexandria. Gaining a view of the Giza Pyramids, literally just beyond the Cairo sprawl, was undoubtedly the highlight of the drive – it’s not every day that you take in one of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World whilst en-route to a birding site.
Wadi El Natrum
We took the clearly signposted junction ‘El Natrum’ off the main Cairo to Alexandria road and followed this road into the bustling village itself. In the village centre, we branched off to the left by a statue and followed this road out to where the lake could be visible in the distance to our right. Before you reach a mosque, take an asphalt road to the right and this will bring you to the shallow margins of the lake where we located at least 15 Kittlitz’s Plovers upon arrival. Views of waders at this site are excellent and we were once again ruing the fact that none of us were photographers – other shorebirds here included at least 50 Kentish Plovers, a couple of hundred