EGYPT
Bird Trip Report
14 - 31 March 2002

Just back from a 18 days birding trip in Egypt with Eric Didner and Olivier Chaline. We had a rental car and traveled in the Sinai, along the Red sea coast down to Shalatein, and in the Nile valley from Luxor to Abu Simbel. We had to travel in convoy from Safaga (south of Hurghada) to the Nile valley (Louxor), then from Luxor to Asswan, and from Asswan to Abu Simbel. Abu Simbel to Asswan was without convoy (!; don't ask me why), but Asswan - Luxor and Luxor - Safaga in convoy again. Around Asswan and Louxor we were free to travel in a radius about 10 to 20 km around the cities. But birding around Asswan was made immposible by soldiers which prevented reaching the shores or using optics anywhere near the Nile. So we had to concentrate on touristic places (Philae temple, Elephentine island) or in the desert. Shalatein was not a problem to reach, but once there we were forbiden to go to the sea (!, don't ask me why) and to take pictures (which we did nevertheless). So may be we missed Crab plover and Goliath Heron because of that???

Traveling around was not a problem. People were extremely cool. Much less stress than in Morocco. 18 days without a problem except a flat tire.

Mindy Baha El Din was extremely helpfull in preparing the trip. We cannot recommend to much anybody planning a trip to Egypt to contact her in advance. We would have missed Painted Snipe and Hume's Tawny Owl without her advice. Gosney's where to watch birds in Egypt was usefull, but is of little help for the really difficult species, while the other specialities
were easily found without its help.

We hope to prepare a detailed trip report but here are the most interesting observations. Forgive the messy presentation and bad spelling. I just wanted to share some usefull, in case anybody is interested in going there this spring. Many omissions of course. I have not resisted highlighting the lifers for me (*).

In Luxor, we concentrated our birding on Crocodile Island.

In Abu Simbel, there is a road northward in one of the Nubian village which allows exploration of many bays along a large part of the shore of Lake Nasser. Gosney's plans are completely out of date for Abu Simbel, but you can still recognise the "bays" he recommends, which are much less interesting in the areas further north along this new road.

We had a Brown Booby (*) at Hamata.

A few Striated Herons at Hmata, many more Green Herons in the Nile valley (Luxor, Assouan).
Squacco heron everywhere, Little Bittern in the Fayoum (with one Bittern).

Egyptian geese (*) easy at Abu Simbel.

We had both Crested (*) and Lesser crested terns easily. They were found together in El Shukna (= Ain Sukna) and along the Sinai coast near Abu Rudies. Both species were also seen in several other points along the western Sinai coast or the southern Red sea coast.

No White-cheeked terns (argh). Too early.

Sooty gull (*) were seen from Hurghada southward.

Huge numbers of White-eyed gulls in Hurghada.

Other gulls there included armenicus (many), cachinnans (a few), heuglini (a few) and fuscus (a few).

We had a migrating 2nd summer Great Black-headed Gull along the western Sinai coast.

We had a Long-tailed skua in Hurghada with a few Artic skuas.

Hundreds of Spotted sandgrouses along the Zafarana - Fayoum road.

Hundreds of Crowned sandgrouse on the Red Sea coast south of Safaga.

Greater-sand plovers easy from Hurghada southward.

Two Terek Sandpipers at Hamata.

Marsh Sandpipers at Abu Simbel and lake Qarun.

Senegal thick-knee(*) easy along the Nile valley: Luxor (Crocodile Island), Assouan, Abu
Simbel.

Many Kittlitz's Plovers (*) at Abu Simbel.

Painted Snipe (*) !!! What a bird! I have to admit I was not prepared to something as spectacular as this bird. We saw 11 + 4 in two mornings in the Fayoum (thanks to Mindy!). Close views of birds on the ground, males and females, calls: everything we were dreaming of.

We had one Little crake on Crocodile Island (in the reed fringed channel about 200m before the bridge).

Purple gallinule were not found where Gosney had them, but were very easy further south, in the marshes at the southern tip of Crocodile Island which are best viewed from the road that follows
the Nile southward south of the entrance of Crocodile Island.

A Demoiselle crane (*) migrating with cranes at Suez was one of the highlight of the trip.

Raptor migration was spectacular between Suez and north of Hurghada, much less so further south. The best place was west of Suez, near the new harbour of Ain Sukna. Steppe Eagle and vulpinus Common Buzzard were the most common species, with Black kites, Long-legged buzzard; Short-toed
Eagles, Lesser spotted eagles, Booted eagles all seen. Very small numbers of Levant Sparrowhawk (1), Bonellis's eagle (1), Peregrine (1), Hen Harrier (1, Hurghada), Pallid harrier (3, Hamata, Abu Simbel, Fayoum), Sparrowhawk (Sharm El Sheikh, Gouna). Nice views of Lanner (south of Safaga) and Barbary (Abu Simbel, Ain Sukna).

A special paragraph devoted to vultures, with one Griffon, many Egyptian and at least 11 Lappet -faced vultures (*) in Shalatein. You just have to find the camel market. You'll find the bird there.

We had Senegal Coucal (*) in the Fayoum (I missed it) and many of them at Gebel Asfar, especially in the orchards between the village and the sewage (nearly birdless now) (see Gosney).

Gebel Asfar is the only place where we had Smyrna kingfisher (many of them).

Pied Kingfisher were common everywhere (well, as long as there is water).

Little green bee-eaters were common in Luxor and the Fayoum + Gebel Asfar, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater was abundant in Gebel Asfar (migration?), in the Fayoum (southern shore of Lake
Qarun) + were migrating along the Red Sea coasts.

We had two African collared doves (*) at Abu Simbel, not in the villages but in the new plantation down the blue petrol station along the main road leaving Abu Simbel toward Aswan. There were with a Collared dove, so be carefull when identifying African Collared doves there!!!

Great views of Hume Tawny Owls (*) (yes!!!!!!) in the Sinai. Took us three nights. On the first two nights, my hooting did not convince the male (we did not have a tape). Then on the third night, I managed to call convincingly enough : the male flew straight toward us and landed on a rock less than 10 meters away. The rest is history: 20 mn of superb views in the
scope, at distance between 10 and 30 meters in the flash light. The bird was totally unconcerned by our presence, but obviously a bit nervous about a possible rival. We did not call it back during 20 mn, by the way, a bit of inital excitment was enough. We would not have tried to keep it busy so long!

An Eagle Owl (ascalaphus) was in a rocky wadi near the new dam at Aswan.

There was a very strong migration of Short-toed lark along the Red Sea coast. Quite a few Bimaculated larks among them.

One Calandra Lark at Gouna (El Gouna), just N of Hurghada.

Desert lark was easy in all desert habitats except the flat deserts along the southern Red Sea where we had Bar-tailed desert larks.

Hoopoe lark quite widespread.

Desert, Mourning, White-crowned Black and Isabelline wheatears widespread in good habitats.

Two Hooded Wheatears at Ain Sukhna, at an hotel close to a small military post (very nice soldiers, prepared some tea for us after we asked them to use their jetty to watch the famous jetty at Ain Sukhna, which they agreed to) south of the famous Ain Sukhna hotel (closed, no way we could get in).

Several sightings of African Pied Wagtails (*) at Abu Simbel, on rocky shores north and south of the temple.

Rock martin unmissable.

A few Crag Martin in Sharm El Sheikh.

Passerine migration was generally low. Good sites were the plantation in Sharm El Sheikh (3 Collared flycatchers, Eastern Bonelli's warblers, Red-throated and Tree pipits, several Nightingales and a bird which called like Thrush Nightingale (we did not see it and eastern populations of Nightingales are said to call similarly), Masked shrikes, Reed and Sedge Warbler, our only Blackcap of the trip, ...) and the golf of Sharm El Naga (10 km N of Safaga) (lots of wagtails and pipits, larks, Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin, Quails, one Ruppell's warbler, the only Willow warbler of the trip,...).

Only notable passerines were one Cyprus Pied Wheatear (*) near Wadi Feiran (Sinai).

10 Syrian Serins (*) in the village of Sainte-Catherine (not in the monastery), with a pair of Sinai rosefinch near the monastery (+Tristam's Starling there).

Trumpeter finch were only seen in the valley of the Kings (Luxor).

Avadavat (*) in the cereal fields just before the bridge of Crocodile Island.

Nile Valley Sunbird (*) (fantastic bird!!!) were common all along the Nile from Luxor to Aswan in all habitats with trees.

Clamorous Reed Warbler(*) easy all along the Nile.

It was too early for many passerines (no hippolais warblers except Olivaceous, no Garden Warbler,...).

Too early for African specialities at Abu Simbel (no pelicans, no yellow-billed storks,...).

Too early for seabirds in the Red Sea.

And we have crocodile (Crocodylus niloticus) on our WP list! One adult at Abu Simbel.

A fantastic trip all in all, even if I would recommend trying one month later.

Don't hesitate in contacting me if you need more info.

Pierre-Andre Crochet
Laboratoire de Biogeographie et Ecologie des Vertebres
EPHE - c.c.94
Universite Montpellier II
Place Eugene Bataillon
34095 Montpellier