Records and photographs for Around the Region should be sent as soon as possible after the event to Around the Region, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U.K.  You can also email records bu using the form below.

The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Alexander Abuladze, A. Alsirhan, Dr Svetlana Annenkova, Vaughan Ashley, Dawn Balmer, Andrew Bailey, Jamie Buchan, Mark Chichester, Tom Coles, Judy Dawes, Jeff Delve, Hugues Dufourny, Pekka Fagel, Peter Flint, Brian Foster, Ramezanali Ghaemi, George Gregory, Nader Hamidi, Tomas Haraldsson, Peter Kaestner, Brendan Kavanagh, Abolghasem Khaleghizadeh, Howard King, Guy Kirwan, David Murdoch, Khaled al Nasaralla, Uzi Paz, Yoav Perlman, Kalle Raino, Colin Richardson, Nir Sapir, Dave Sargeant, Michael Schulz, Marius Teeuw, David Whaley, Ingo Waschkies, Frédéric Vanhove, Frédéric Veyrunes, Laurent Veyrunes, Sidonie Veyrunes, Peter Wilson and Süreyya Ysfendiyaroglu.

At least 400 Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca were counted along the Nile on the 27 January. Four (3 adults and 1 juvenile) Common Crane Grus grus were seen coming into roost at Naama Bay sewage ponds on 18 Dec 2004, and were seen again flying on 23 Dec 2004; a scarce bird in winter. Fourteen Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis on Elephantine Island (8 on one side, 6 on the other) on 1 January was a large count for the Luxor area. On 27 January two Kittlitz's Plovers Charadrius pecuarius were at Abbassa fish ponds NE of Cairo. A female Pintailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata near Naama Bay on 18 December 2004 (and again five days later) is the 1st record (this issue) of this species in Egypt since one collected at Rafa on 14 November 1917. A Senegal Coucal Centropus senegalensis and several White-breasted Kingfishers Halcyon smyrnensis were at Abbassa fish ponds on 22 January. A Cyprus Pied Wheatear Oenanthe cypriaca was seen at a regular wintering site at Abu Simbel on 30 Dec 2004. More unusually, up to two Fieldfare Turdus pilaris were at Naama Bay sewage ponds on 18, 23 and 24 Dec 2004; a rare species in south Sinai.