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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.

Records from July -December 2008 not mentioned in previous Recent Reports include the following. At Abbasa fish farms, Sharqia, c.250 Glossy Ibises Plegadis falcinellus, including some recently fledged juveniles, were observed on 11 July; breeding of this species in the area was suspected some 15 years ago. Also recorded were up to 1,500 pairs of Squacco Herons Ardeola ralloides, several thousand Cattle Egrets Bulbulcus ibis in various colonies, up to 1,000 pairs of Little Egrets Egretta garzetta in scattered nesting sites, ten Grey Herons Ardea cinerea, up to ten apparently nesting Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola and c.50 pairs of Lesser Masked Weavers Ploceus intermedius.

At Sharm el Sheikh sewage pools, on 27 November, the following raptors were seen: a juvenile Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus, two juvenile Cinereous Vultures Aegypius monachus (a rare passage migrant and winter visitor), a Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus (late date), a Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus, a first-year Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca and an adult Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus.

Two White-tailed Lapwings Vanellus leucurus were at Fares, on a marsh next to the Nile, on 24 December. A Little Swift Apus affinis was seen at Sharm el Sheikh on 22 November; this is an unusual date for this mainly spring passage migrant. A Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva was at Lahami Bay Hotel, near Hamata, on the Red Sea coast, from 30 October to at least 4 November. A Palestine Sunbird Nectarinia osea was observed at St Katherine’s monastery on 26 November, whilst a flock of 15 Indian Silverbills Lonchura malabarica was at Sharm el Sheikh on 21 November.

In February - May 2009 the following were reported. On the Red Sea coast, a Striated Heron Butorides striata was seen 30 km south of Damietta on 13 March and two Goliath Herons Ardea goliath were at Wadi Lahami on 1 March, with one there on 1 May. Two Lappet-faced Vultures Torgos tracheliotus were 5 km north of Berendice on 28 February, and at least eight were seen at Shalatein, with at least nine there on 1 May. About 50 Kittlitz’s Plovers Charadrius pecuarius were counted at Wadi el Natrun on 23 May. Two Three-banded Plovers C. tricollaris were still present on 30 April at Tut Amon village, Aswan, where two were first seen a few years ago; two juveniles were also claimed on that date. A Lesser Sand Plover C. mongolus was found at Wadi Lahami on 1 May and a Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius at Abbasa, Sharqia, on 24 April. Seven White-tailed Lapwings in Dakhla oasis on 2 March, with five there on 3 March, probably from the same group, were the first for the Western Desert; this species is a scarce but regular passage migrant and winter visitor in Egypt, mainly recorded in the Nile Valley but also on the Red Sea coast. At least four African Collared Doves Streptopelia roseogrisea and a Namaqua Dove Oena capensis were observed at Shams Alam, Red Sea, on 1 May.

A Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus was claimed from Wadi Gimal, Red Sea, on 2 March. A male Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoprymna stayed at El Gouna farm, 20 km north of Hurghada, on 23–26 February at least. On 2 March, a Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon was found at Dakhla oasis; this might be the first for the Western Desert. An Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus was at Shams Alam on 1 May. A House Crow Corvus splendens was seen near Aswan on 25 March; this is remarkable, as the sedentary populations occur chiefly around Suez.

In July - December 2008 the following were reported. A juvenile Striated Heron Butorides striata was at Hurghada on 13 November. On 29–30 July, an adult Goliath Heron Ardea goliath was again seen at Wadi Lahami, where the species successfully bred in April 2006. A Steppe Eagle Aquila rapax and c15 African Skimmers Rynchops  lavirostris were observed on the Nile below Edfu on 5 November. The two Three-banded Plovers Charadrius tricollaris first reported
from Tut Amon resort village, Aswan, on 24 February were still present on 2 August. A snipe, presumed to be either a Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura or Swinhoe’s Snipe G. megala, was photographed at Sharm el Sheikh, Sinai, on 22 October.

A Common Gull Larus canus was seen north of Aswan on 9 December. On 19 November, at least two Siberian Buff-bellied Pipits Anthus rubescens japonicus were present at Sharm el Sheikh. If accepted, a Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea on the Red Sea coast at Lahami Bay Hotel, near Hamata, from 30 October to at least 4 November, and a juvenile Rock Sparrow Petronia petronia at Hurghada on 13 November are both first records for Egypt. Three Trumpeter Finches Bucanetes githagineus were observed at Komombo temple on 8 November.

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.

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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).

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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.

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Last page update 10th March 2010

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