Egypt - Warm, dry and sunny - Pat and I have just returned from an anniversary trip to Egypt during which time we spent three days in Cairo and seven days on a Nile river boat cruising between Luxor and Aswan. We visited all the main tourist sites around Cairo such as the city museum, pyramids at Giza and Saqqara as well as the ruins at Memphis the capital of ancient Egypt. Between Luxor and Aswan we visited the impressive temples at Karnak and the avenue of sphinxes at Luxor, Kom Ombo and Philea Island, the high dam and Lake Nasser at Aswan, a mosque, a Coptic cathedral and a bazaar in Aswan, plus various other historical and sites of interest in between, as well as plenty of birding locations en-route.
For the British birder this part of Egypt falls into the Western Palearctic zoogeographical zone, so many of the species are familiar to us with the Collins Bird Guide easily coping with some of the more localised and unfamiliar birds. This is not a particularly species-rich area of Africa (we only logged 90 species) compared to some countries south of the Sahara which can be overwhelming, although certain wetland birds were present in huge numbers; eg Cattle Egret, Furruginous Duck and Moorhen. That said this was not a specific birding trip, but if it had been my tally could easily have been doubled with the help of a local guide. Throughout the trip Common Bulbul, Laughing Dove and Hooded Crow were common and widespread, as was the Indian House Crow in Cairo. Black Kites were also a common sight, even in the city centres but other raptors were few and far between with several Long-legged Buzzards and Spotted Eagles noted on farmland and mountain sides respectively, a dozen Marsh Harriers along the river, a couple of Kestrels and Levant Sparrowhawks, plus a stunning, and unexpected, Lanner Falcon in the Valley of Kings. Hirundines were well represented, mostly Barn Swallows, including many of the rusty-red breasted race savignii along with a few Red-rumped Swallows and Sand Martins, plenty of Crag Martins and several Rock Martins in the mountains, plus Pallid Swifts. Small flocks of Trumpeter Finches were noted around the temple ruins as well as the occasional Serin while the best views of Little Green Bee-eaters was of a flock of 20 in a wadi at Saqqara, although they were seen at various other wetland habitats.
Along the banks of the Nile and associated drainage ditches, canals, marshes and flooded fields herons and egrets were everywhere; Cattle Egrets being the most numerous and at dusk huge flocks could be seen flying to roost along with Little and a few Great White Egrets. Glossy Ibis, Grey, Purple, Night and Squacco Herons were also abundant, while the commonest waterfowl were Ferruginous Ducks and Moorhens, sometimes in flocks of a hundred or more along with Coots, Dabchicks, Pintails, Shovelers, Pochards, Teals, Wigeons and several Garganey. Purple Swamphens were plentiful in the marshes, while waders noted included scores of Spur-winged Plovers, Black-winged Stilts and Common Sandpipers, plus a few Ruff and Snipe. Black-headed Gulls were commonplace along the river Nile alongside Whiskered Terns, mostly in non-breeding plumage, plus Common and Black Terns and a single Gull-billed Tern near Luxor. Pied Kingfishers were omnipresent throughout the river cruise, at times even settling on the taffrail as depicted below.
However, my favourite site was the botanical gardens on Kitchener Island, Aswan and the surrounding wetlands where I logged four lifers with the help of a very knowledgeable local guide. Most of the birding throughout the holiday was done from a boat, which was fine, but difficult for photography so it was good be on terra firma in the garden for the star bird of the trip, the Nile Valley Sunbird. At least ten were noted mostly feeding on blooms high up in the canopy, apart from a pair attracted to a white-flowering shrub low down and by a footpath affording superb views. The trees were alive with migrant warblers, mostly Chiffchaffs, Blackcaps, Willow and Wood Warblers, plus a Golden Oriole in the tree-tops and a Hoopoe foraging in leaf litter. The rocks below the jetty delivered another new bird, and the only ones we saw - a flock of six Senegal Thick-knees! The guide took the boat in for a close-up without disturbing the waders as they posed, sporting a much heavier bill than our similar Stone Curlew as well as lacking a white shoulder bar. Around the next bend, amongst a group of herons, the guide called out Striated Heron (another new bird) which only showed briefly in flight before crashing into cover and out of sight, but appearing much smaller and darker than Night Heron, presumably of the Middle Eastern race, brevipes.
We then spent a couple of hours with the guide in a small boat sailing around a nature reserve that took in a series of cataracts and whirlpools affording fleeting glimpses of Graceful Prinias amongst the papyrus reeds, plus Zitting Cisticola and a singing Clamorous Reed Warbler. Many more wetland birds went onto the trip list including White-breasted Kingfisher and Masked Shrike, plus an Osprey, and two Turtle Doves on passage. On the west bank where the Sahara Desert nudged the river I was checking through several Desert Wheatears when the guide picked out a smart grey-backed wheatear with a black face topped off with a broad white eye stripe. When it flew it showed a rusty rump and dark tail denoting Red-rumped Wheatear, a new bird for me and a complete surprise, but not to the guide who said that they had recently colonised this area of the desert. On the debit side, as waders are my favourite birds, I was keen to reconnect with Egyptian and Kittlitz`s Plovers that I`d previously seen in the Nile delta, but the guide said that both species were rarely seen now between Luxor and Aswan due to habitat destruction and human disturbance.
In summary, a fantastic trip that took in not only the wonders of the ancient world but also some excellent birding, of which four were lifers and many others that I hadn`t seen for ages. However, on a more reflective and sober note whenever I return from foreign parts it makes me appreciate how fortunate we are living in the western world as life for the average Egyptian is just about survival in a rapidly changing world; it`s almost as though we had come from a different planet. To finish on a positive note I would like to mention our brilliant tour guides: Michael in Cairo and especially Hany on the riverboat who`s knowledge and personality was a credit to his country, and not forgetting Mohamed the bird guide. And finally to our riverboat table-mates: Mark and Sue, Richard and Julie, Jimmy and Jean for conversation, companionship and plenty of laughs along the way.
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