I have just returned from 2 weeks in Hurghada and a Nile Cruise from Luxor to Aswan from 2.04.18 to 08.05.18. I kept a list for each as they are such different habitats. The weather was hot in Hurghada averaging 27-34 degrees C with 2 days with high minds and sandstorms. The weather down the Nile was blisteringly hot with lows of 38 and highs of 46 degrees C, even the Egyptians were complaining.

I will start with the Hurghada birds which were seen mainly from the Hotel and the surrounding seafront. 44 birds in total in Hurghada.
Cormorant
Western Cattle Egret
Western Reef Egret
Straiated Heron
Western Osprey
European Honey Buzzard
Euraisian Sparrowhawk
Levant Sparrowhawk
Black kite (ssp aegyptus)
Harrier species possibly Montagu's
Common Sandpiper
Ruff
Slender Billed Gull
White Eyed Gull
Sooty Gull
Caspian Tern
Lesser Crested Tern
Black Tern
White Winged Black Tern
Feral Pigeon
Eurasian Collared Dove
Laughing Dove
Barn Owl
Barn Swallow
Red Rumped Swallow
Sand Martin
House Martin
Eurasian Crag Martin
Eurasian Kestrel
Common Swift
Ring Necked Parakeet
Euraisian Bee Eater
Water Pipit
Tawny Pipit
Western Yellow Wagtail
Spotted Flycatcher
Whinchat
Eastern Olivacious Warbler
Lesser Whitethroat
Hooded Crow
House Sparrow
White Crowned Wheatear (in desert on way to Luxor)
Brown Necked Raven (in desert on way to Luxor)

I spent 7 days cruising down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan on 30 April -8th May.

Ferruginous Duck (seen in flocks of up to 10)
Mallard
Egyptian goose
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great White egret
Little Egret
Western Cattle Egret
Squacco Heron
Straiated Heron
Black Crowned Night Heron
Eurasian Spoonbill
Little Bittern
Goliath Heron (6 seen in total in Aswan area)
Great White Pelican (2 seen at Edfu)
Western Osprey
Black Shouldered Kite
Black Kite
African Swamphen
Moorhen
Black Winged Stilt
Spur Winged Plover
Common Sandpiper
Senegal Thick Knee (4 seen on Nile at Aswan)
Whiskered Tern
White Winged Black Tern
Feral Pigeon
Laughing Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Pallid Swift
Common Swift
Pied Kingfisher
Little Green Bee-eater
Eurasian Bee Eater
Blue Cheeked Bee Eater
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Kestrel
Hooded Crow
Brown Necked Raven (in valley of the Kings)
Crested Lark
Rock Martin (at Karnak)
Barn Swallow
Sand Martin
House martin
White Crowned Wheatear (at Abu Simbel)
Masked Shrike
Common Bulbul
Clamorous Reed Warbler
Graceful Prinia
Eastern Olivacious Warbler
Nile Valley Sunbird
Water Pipit
House Sparrow
Western Yellow Wagtail

A total of 55 for the Nile Valley, which was a great week with the highlights being Nile Valley Sunbird, Black Shouldered Kite and African Swamphen. Also Great White Pelican was a great spot with close views. Two real bonuses are the difficult Western Palaearctic birds Goliath Heron and Senegal Thick Knee. Three other excellent birds were Little Bittern, Ferruginous Duck and Blue Cheeked Bee Eater. Also the another speciality bird was the Clamorous Reed Warbler which was heard constantly but seen less so right down the Nile.

Highlights for Hurghada were levant Sparrowhawk, Straiated Heron, White Crowned Wheatear and Brown Necked Raven of which the last three were seen in both areas. Trip total of 74 birds in all.

Lawrence

I have just returned from 2 weeks in Hurghada and Luxor from 20.01.15 to 03.02.15. I kept a list for each as they are such different habitats. The weather was excellent averaging 22-25 degrees with only a couple of less warm days with Northerly breezes.

I will start with the Hurghada birds which were seen mainly from the Hotel and the surrounding seafront. I had one trip to the desert for a couple more birds. The gull watching was particularly good and rather pleasant as it was done from the sun lounger with a Rum and Coke.
Brown Booby
Cormorant
Grey Heron
Western Reef Egret
Common Sandpiper
Black Tailed Godwit
Slender Billed Gull
Black Headed Gull
White Eyed Gull
Sooty Gull
Caspian Gull
Armenian Gull
Lesser Black Backed Gull
Caspian Tern
Feral Pigeon
Eurasian Collared Dove
Laughing Dove
Common Kingfisher
Eurasian Kestrel
House Crow
Hooded Crow
Chiffchaff
Sardinian Warbler
Bluethroat
Blue Rock Thrush
White Wagtail
House Sparrow
Mourning Wheatear (in desert the other side of the airport)
Also in the desert a flock of unidentified Sandgrouse too far away for anything conclusive. That is 29 in all in that area.

I spent 2 days in the Nile Valley and Luxor on 28-29th Jan. We stayed overnight on a cruise ship on the Nile so I was able to get some great birding in. Most of the birds were seen from the ship moored by the Luxor Bridge. Some were seen from a small boat trip taken from Luxor which I can recommend as a great way to see birds as they were totally unfazed by our presence so making close watching easy. I also got a couple in the Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple.

Cormorant
Grey Heron
Purple Heron
Great White egret
Little Egret
Cattle Egret
Squacco Heron
Glossy Ibis
Black Shouldered Kite
Marsh Harrier
Black Kite
Purple Swamphen
Black Winged Stilt
Spur Winged Plover
Common Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Black Tailed Godwit
Ruff
Temminck's Stint
Common Snipe
Black Headed Gull
Gull Billed Tern
White Winged Black Tern
Feral Pigeon
Laughing Dove
Barn Owl (at Karnak)
Pallid Swift (in valley of the Kings)
Pied Kingfisher
Little Green Bee-eater
Eurasian Hoopoe
Eurasian Kestrel
Hooded Crow
Crested Lark
Rock Martin (at Karnak)
Barn Swallow
Chiffchaff
Zitting Cisticola
Graceful Prinia
Nile Valley Sunbird
White Wagtail
Water Pipit
Trumpeter Finch (in valley of the Kings)
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
Yellow Wagtail ( I am still working on the sub-species of this as it was radically different from any form I have ever encountered, I will edit and add when I know) It would seem to be
M. f. pygmaea (A. E. Brehm, 1854) Egyptian yellow wagtail from the description but I have as yet to find any photos or illustrations to confirm.

A total of 45 for the Nile Valley, which was a great couple of days with the Nile Valley Sunbird being an absolute joy as I got close views of a pair. Even though seen before Black Shouldered Kite was superb and I have always wanted to see Purple Swamphen.

Total for an excellent holiday was 62 including the Sandgrouse.

Lawrence





-- Edited by Lawrence Hindley on Saturday 7th of February 2015 07:17:27 AM

There's a good web site for the area-sinaibirds.com,which gives all the important sites essential for any holiday visit such as the the location of the local sewage works etc.Should give you enough gen to plan some birding trips there,I went in spring several years ago,primarily to see Sooty Gull,a species I'd missed on several visits to Israel in the eighties.The spring passage was very poor compared to Israel,but not sure whether Autumn passage is any better.However if you've not visited this part of the world before there should be a few new birds to see.

Hello, Anyone on the forum been to Sharm el Sheik in Egypt please? Off there for a week in a couple of weeks time so any gen would be appreciated. Cheers e