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The following records of sightings are largely unconfirmed and have been published in the Bulletin of the African Bird Club for information only. Some of these records were originally published in Dutch Birding, Birding World and Sandgrouse.
In July 2007 - April 2008 the following
were reported. A Brown Booby
Sula leucogaster flew past Ras
Mohammed on 3 November and two were at
Hamata Pier on 21 January, with one
at Wadi Gimal on the same day. Seven Striated
Herons Butorides striata seen at the
First Cataract Island, Aswan, on 5
December, is a relatively high number. At a
roost at Abassa 4,557 Cattle Egrets
Bubulcus ibis were counted on 20
July. A Goliath Heron Ardea goliath
was seen in Wadi Lahami on 30
October,
with two there on 22 January. Three immature
White-fronted Geese Anser
albifrons arrived at Nabq Bay, south
Sinai, from the north-east on 17
January and were still present on 27
January. A Bonelli’s Eagle
Hieraaetus fasciatus was found in
mountains by the Qena–Safaga road
on 26 July
and another near Dudaim on 17
January. An adult Verreauxs'
Eagle Aquila verreauxii flew over
Na’ama Bay water treatment ponds
on 3 December.
Purple Swamphens Porphyrio porphyrio
were seen at Ain Sukhna, Suez,
on 17 March. Two Three-banded Plovers
Charadrius tricollaris stayed near Tut
Amon resort village at Lake Nasser
from 24 February. On 17 January, 138
Eurasian Dotterels C. morinellus were
found near Dudaim and a
White-tailed Plover Vanellus leucurus
south of Edfu on 28 February. On the
Qu’lan Islands, c.500 pairs of White-cheeked
Terns Sterna repressa and 42
pairs of Bridled Terns S. anaethetus
were counted on 22 July. On 24 July, a flock of 69 African Skimmers
Rynchops flavirostris was observed on
the Nile Islands.
A pair of African Collared Doves
Streptopelia roseogrisea with seven
Eurasian Collared Doves S. decaocto
was seen at Wadi Lahami on 23 July.
A pair was also at Abu Ghusan on
the same date; the species appears well established
in desert fringes and
mangroves in south Sinai, with, e.g.
up to seven at Nabq Bay golf course,
two in the Nabq Protected Area on
21 January, and at least ten around
St. Catherine’s Monastery on 25
January. A pair of Namaqua
Doves Oena capensis was in the Abu
Simbel area on 25 July and a female
was seen 15 km north of Safaga, at
Soma Bay, on 13 October; the species was
common at Nabq Bay, where a
nestling fledged on 24 January, and
several were seen around St.
Catherine’s Monastery on 25 January. In southern Egypt, several were
observed during April. On 24 October, a
Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula
krameri was seen briefly at Hurghada.
A Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei photographed
on Philae Island on 6
December was the fourth record for
Egypt of this probably underrecorded
species. Four Egyptian
Nightjars Caprimulgus aegyptius were
at the water purification works in
Abu Simbel at dusk on 23 July.
An Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula
was claimed from Nabq Bay golf
course, south Sinai, on 15 January. At least nine African Pied
Wagtails Motacilla aguimp were
recorded in the Abu Simbel area on
24 July. A
Richard’s Pipit Anthus richardi was
photographed at El Gouna on 3
October.
Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus
occurred at Mövenpick Resort Hotel,
El Quseir, on 14 February (two) and
near Tut Amon resort village on 16
February (three). On 4 February and
14 March, Black Scrub Robins
Cercotrichas podobe were seen at El Gouna. Two Fieldfares
Turdus pilaris perched in palm trees
must have made an incongruous
sight at the Nabq Bay golf course on
26 January. An Upcher’s
Warbler Hippolais languida was seen
in the gardens of the Albatross Resort
Hotel in Hurghada on 13 August.
On 8
March, a female Cyprus Warbler
Sylvia melanothorax was trapped at
the Hurghada sewage works and two
were seen in Nabq. An African Desert Warbler
S. (nana) deserti was identified north
of Hamata Pier on 22 January. On 21 July,
3,811 House Crows Corvus splendens
were counted leaving a roost in Suez
town. Two Cape Crows C. capensis
were reported at Shalateen, southern
Red Sea, with Brown-necked Ravens
C. ruficollis on 29 November. On the
same day, 66 Brown-necked Ravens
were found at Ras Garib checkpoint.
In May–November 2007, the following were reported. In northern lake Nasser, three Pink-backed Pelicans Pelecanus rufescens and 12 Yellow-billed Storks Mycteria ibis were c.20 km north-east of Garf Husein on 23 May, whilst six Pink-backed Pelicans and 11 Yellow-billed Storks were at Abu Simbel on 26–27 June, and 20 and 101, respectively, on 17 July. A Striated Heron Butorides striata flew across the Nile at Zamalek on 27 November.
An Oriental Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus flew south-west over Sharm el Sheikh, South Sinai, on 27 October and 23 Lappet-faced Vultures Torgos tracheliotus were at Shalatee on 28 June. A pair of Bonelli’s Eagles Hieraaetus fasciatus, a rare resident, was seen at Sharm el Sheikh on 18–19 May. At Abu Simbel, three African Skimmers Rynchops flavirostris were observed on 26–27 June and 17 July. Two Three-banded Plovers Charadrius tricollaris were at Tut Amon on Lake Nasser, Aswan, on 25 October. At Hamata mangroves, a Namaqua Dove Oena capensis was seen on 25 June. A Desert Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus was seen at night in the centre of El Gouna, north of Hurghada, and later photographed roosting on the terrace of a house during the day in early October.
Three African Pied Wagtails Motacilla aguimp were at Abu Simbel on 26–27 June. At Sharm el Sheikh, an Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula and a Siberian Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens japonicus were found on 4 November (with another Buff-bellied Pipit over Ras Muhammed on 1st), and five Richard’s Pipits Anthus richardi on 2nd. A Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus inornatus was seen at St Katherine on 31 October and a Steppe Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis pallidirostris at Nabq on 2 November.
In October 2006 - February 2007, the following were reported. Fourteen White-tailed Lapwings Vanellus leucurus were counted at Lake Qarun, 2 km from Faiyum, between 21 January and 16 February. In the Red Sea mountains 30 km west of Hurghada, Hume’s Owl Strix butleri was heard on 24 December. An immature Black Scrub Robin Cercotrichas podobe was at Marsa Alam, Wadi Gamla, southern Red Sea, on 13 - 14 November, again later the same month and on 1 January; this would constitute the second record for the country and the first outside Abu Simbel. Also there was a Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus on 30 December - 1 January. The first Pied Stonechat Saxicola caprata for Egypt, if accepted, was photographed at El Gouna, Red Sea, on 2 - 3 October. On 27 October, Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus was reported at Aswan; this would be another first for Egypt, if accepted as a wild bird.
The first Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii for Egypt, a bird photographed on Crocodile Island, Luxor, on 24 April 2004, was published in 2006 (Alula 12: 114–119).
Reports from the period March - July 2006 include the following. Two Pink-backed Pelicans Pelecanus rufescens were seen at Abu Simbel on 10–11 April. Also there in April were up to 25 Yellow-billed Storks Mycteria ibis, with at least 38 on 19 July. Two Green-backed Herons Butorides striata in the Abassa region on 19 March were probably the first for the Nile delta. Single Goliath Herons Ardea goliath were seen at Wadi Lahami on several dates in March and May, with an immature there on 14–15 July, and at Shalatein on 22 May. At the latter, up to 28 Lappet-faced Vultures Torgos tracheliotus were counted in April–May.
A Baillon’s Crake Porzana pusilla was watched at Abu Simbel on 2–3 April. On 20 July, an adult Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus was observed at Lake Nasser. African Collared Doves Streptopelia roseogrisea were reported from Abu Simbel (one on 30 April) and north of Marsa Alam (up to four in March–May). At least three African Pied Wagtails Motacilla aguimp were seen at Abu Simbel on 10–11 April.
Records from the period November 2005 - April 2006 include the following. A Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus was at Hurghada on 25 February. A Green-backed Heron Butorides striata and two Goliath Herons Ardea goliath were found at Wadi Lahami and Marsa Hemira mangroves on 7 February. Two Three-banded Plovers Charadrius tricollaris were seen in the Aswan area on 25-30 January; at least one was still present on 10 February. A first-winter Kittlitz's Plover C. pecuarius was observed on Crocodile Island, Luxor, on 19 November. A pair of African Collared Doves Streptopelia roseogrisea was displaying 23 km north of Marsa Alam on 21 March. At El Gouna, north of Hurghada, a Richard's Pipit Anthus richardi was seen on 23 March, with two there on 9-12 April.
Records from the period September 2005 - January 2006 include the following. An adult Goliath Heron Ardea goliath and a first-winter Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus were at Wadi Lahami on 6 November. Twenty Red-breasted Geese Branta ruficollis were observed from a cruise boat on the Nile at Esna, in late November. At Ain Sukhna, an adult Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga was seen on 30 December and 2-4 January, and an immature and four adult Steppe Eagles A. nipalensis on 2 January. At least 29 Lappet-faced Vultures Torgos tracheliotus were counted at Ber Shalatan on 18 September. A Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo was seen in a flock of 130 Common Cranes Grus grus at Hurghada on 10 October. A female Namaqua Dove Oena capensis was photographed at Wadi Gama on 19 October. The latter species was also reported from Hurghada airport during October. A Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoprymna was observed at Giza pyramids on 16 November.
Last page update 24th November 2008
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