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A Report from birdtours.co.uk

Aswan (Movenpick) & Abu Simbel, Eygpt 30th November-6 December 2010,

Graeme Wright

Although not a bird watching holiday this week in did provide a lot of opportunities for birding.  I was based in the Movenpick Hotel Aswan (http://www.moevenpick-hotels.com/en/pub/your_hotels/worldmap/aswan/overview.cfm) which is situated on Elephantine Island ie in the middle of the River Nile. 

The back of the Movenpick faces the Botanical Garden on Kitchener’s Island and there are notable flows of birds past the hotel in the morning (must be great on passage).  Although there is considerable building work going on at the moment, as the hotel extends, there are benches facing the river that over look a small beach and some Papyrus Reeds and from there you can see almost everything the island has to offer.  I think this beach will probably survive the redevelopment so all should be well

In addition I took a couple of Fleicia rides around the other Nile Islands at Aswan (cost around £7 an hour).

Out side the Island I also spent a night at Abu Simbel (to see the temples) it also provided some interesting additions to my holiday list.  I stayed at the Eskaleh (http://www.eskaleh.net/) and the Thomas Cook holiday rep (Asem) there is a local and can arrange bird watching trips (which I only learnt to late when I got there) you can contact him at asem_scorpio@yahoo.com phone 0103331920

Top 5 birding moments

Bird List

1. Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca
2 flying north along the Nile at breakfast on 17th

2. Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
9 flying south along the Nile at breakfast on 17th

3. White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
A raft of
150 lifted off from the West Bank of the Nile opposite the hotel, circled then flew south on 17th

4. Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Up to 12 seen daily along the Nile

5. Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutes
2 in reeds on east of Kings Island on 14th

6. Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Up to 4 regularly roosting in trees along driveway and near swimming pool

7. Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Seen daily, max 30 on 13th

8. Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides
Seen daily, max 20 on 14th

9. Little Egret Egretta garzetta
Seen daily, max 24 on 11th

10. Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Seen daily, max 4 on 14th and 15th

11. Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
1 in reeds on east of Kings Island on 15th

12. Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Seen almost daily, max 44 on 13th

13. Black Kite Milvus migrans
Seen daily, max 11 on 15th

14. Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
1 seen daily over reeds on west of Kings Island

15. Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
1 on 12th, 14th and 15th on east side of Kings Island

16. Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
1 around Kings Island on 12th, 14th and 15th

17. Little Crake Porzana parva
Male and female seen in reeds on east of Kings Island on 13th

18. Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Up to 12 seen daily around Kings Island

19. Eurasian Coot Fulica atra
Seen on the Nile on 11th, 12th and 15th. Max 23 on 12th

20. Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Seen regularly in reeds around Kings Island, max 6 on 15th

21. Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
1 on 14th in reeds and 1 on 15th in flight along Nile

22. Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
1 on muddy scrape on east side of Kings Island on 16th

23. Spur-winged Plover Vanellus spinosus
Up to 8 seen daily around Kings Island

24. Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii
 1 on 15th and 2 on 16th on muddy scrape, east Kings Island

25. Little Stint Calidris minuta
1 on 15th on muddy scrape, east Kings Island

26. Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
1 on 15th on muddy scrape, east Kings Island

27. Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
1 on 11th on north-west bank of Kings Island

28. Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa
3 in flight heading south along Nile at breakfast on 17th

29. Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
2 on 15th on muddy scrape, east Kings Island

30. Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus
7 in flight heading south along Nile on 17th

31. Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica
seen in flight along Nile on 14th, 15th and 17th. Max 4 on 17th

32. Black Tern Chlidonias niger
12 seen in flight heading north along Nile on 14th

33. White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
Up to 3 seen regularly in flight over Nile

34. Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida
Up to 6 seen regularly in flight over Nile

35. Feral Pigeon Columba livia (domest.)
Seen daily, especially in Luxor and around the Temple

36. Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur
Seen regularly around Kings Island, max 6 on 12th

37. Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
40+ seen daily around Kings Island

38. Pallid Swift Apus pallidus
Seen regularly in flight over Kings Island, max 10 on 15th

39. Hoopoe Upapa epops
Seen regularly around Kings Island, max 12 on 13th

40. Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis
Up to 12 seen daily fishing from Nile-side trees on the Island

41. Little Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis Cleopatra
Up to 12 seen daily around Kings Island

42. Crested Lark Galerida cristata
Up to 8 seen daily around Kings Island

43. Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica savignii
Seen daily, max. 30 on 16th

Hirundo rustica rustica
1 seen on Kings Island 13th to 17th incl.

44. Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta
Seen on 15th, 16th and 17th. Max 4 on 16th

45. Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis
Seen on 13th, 16th and 17th. Max 4 on 16th and 17th

46. Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus
Seen on 13th, 16th and 17th. Max 3 on 16th and 17th

47. White Wagtail Motacilla alba alba
Up to 4 seen daily around Kings Island

48. Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava flava
Seen daily around Kings Island, max 27 on 13th

48b. Motacilla flava thunbergi
1 on 17th on muddy scrape, east Kings Island

49. Bluethroat Luscinia svecica cyanecula
Seen in reed-beds; 1 on 11th, 3 on 15th and 2 on 17th

50. Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus
1 in garden on north-west of Island on 11th, 14th and 15th

51. Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis
Up to 6 seen daily in reeds around Kings Island

52. Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curraca
Up to 4 seen daily around Kings Island

53. Eastern Orphean Warbler Sylvia crassirostris
2 on 11th and 1 on 12th on Kings Island

54. Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis
Up to 10 seen daily in reeds around Kings Island

55. Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus
Seen in reeds, 1 on 14th, 6 on 15th & 3 on 17th

56. Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus
Up to 3 seen most days around Kings Island

57. Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Up to 3 seen most days around Kings Island

58. Turkestan Shrike Lanius phoenicuroides
1 in trees to south-east of Kings Island on 16th

59. Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus
1 in garden trees to north-west of Kings Island on 11th

60. Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus
Up to 8 seen daily around Kings Island

61. Nile Valley Sunbird Anthodiaeta metallica
Up to 6 seen daily around Kings Island

62. Hooded Crow Corvus cornix
Up to 24 seen daily around Kings Island

63. House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Common and abundant – seen daily

64. Red Avadavat Amandava amandava
Up to 5 seen regularly in reed-beds around Kings Island

 
Other sightings

Plain Tiger butterfly – 1 or 2 seen regularly on the south-west edge of Kings Island
Yellow Pansy butterfly – 1 seen on the grass around the bungalows
African Migrant butterfly – Seen daily on the flowers around the grounds
Long-tailed Blue butterfly – seen regularly on the south of Kings Island
Millet Skipper butterfly – 1 seen on the reeds on the north-east edge of Kings Island
Bat species – seen twice outside our room
Brown Rat – seen twice on the east edge of Kings Island
Moorish Gecko – seen regularly in the evening around the buildings
Wall Lizard sp. – good numbers seen daily throughout Kings Island
Blue-tailed Damselfly – 1 seen on the north-east border of Kings Island
Violet Dropwing dragonfly – 1 or 2 seen regularly on the east edge of Kings Island
Banded Groundling dragonfly – 1 to 3 seen regularly on the track surrounding Kings Island
Hawker dragonfly sp. – 1 seen on the north-east border of Kings Island and 1 around the bungalows

Graeme Wright [dddongle@msn.com]

 

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