Limestone Birding Trip Reports

 

 Sinai peninsula (Egypt) - 4th to 11th October 2009

Birdwatching trip by Skua Travels - Cascina Picus

(text by Domen Stanic and photos by Domen Stanic and Matteo Skodler)

 

This trip was organised by the Italian associacion Cascina Picus, with the intent to witness to the great raptor migration. Obviously there were also other local and migratory birds to look for. With approx. 30 tour participants our "base" was established in the Sharm El Sheik area, so we could regularly visit some nearby birding hot spots. The places we visited were: Naama Bay pools, Nabq National Park, Ras Mohammed National Park, Feiran oasis and the St. Catherine monastery.

Below there's a list of the species (just the ones I've seen) with all the acknowledgements:

Key: P= Naama Bay pools, N= Nabq National Park, R= Ras Mohammed National Park, F= Feiran oasis, C= St. Catherine monastery, D= desert road to St.Catherine, S= Sharm El Sheikhs’ surroundings, H= our hotels’ area.

In red= lifers

(Photos on the bottom)

White Pelican: 1x P

Night Heron: S

Mangrove Heron: 2x at N and 1x at H

Cattle Egret

Squacco Heron

Reef Heron

Grey Heron

White Stork: large numbers at P and R

Black Stork: 1x at R

Glossy Ibis: 3x at P

Spoonbill: a medium sized flock at R

Garganey: P

Egyptian Vulture: P, R

Osprey: almost everywhere on the coasts

Imperial Eagle: 1x at R

Lesser Spotted Eagle: regular at P and R

Greater Spotted Eagle: at P and R

Steppe Eagle: some at P and R (also perching on the ground like hens!)

Short-toed Eagle: common migrant

Booted Eagle: P, R, S, H

Bonelli’s Eagle: 1x at F and 2x at C

Black Kite: very common

Marsh Harrier: 3x R

Montagu’s Harrier: 1x R

Pallid Harrier: both males and females at P, R

Long-legged Buzzard: 1x at P and 1x at R

Steppe Buzzard (ssp. lifer)

Honey Buzzard

Sparrowhawk

Levant Sparrowhawk: P, R, S

Kestrel

Hobby: 1x R

Sooty Falcon: a couple of birds (adults) at R

Sand Partridge: 1x at D and a pair at C (seen very well!)

Common Crane: R

Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Greater Sand Plover: a flock at N

Grey Plover: 1x N

Spur-winged Lapwing: P, S

Turnstone: P, N

Dunlin

Temminck’s Stint

Little Stint: H

Wood Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Redshank: N, S

Spotted Redshank

Greenshank

Black-tailed Godwit: 1x P

Bar-tailed Godwit: a flock at R

Curlew

Whimbrel: R

Snipe

**PINTAIL SNIPE (Gallinago stenura)**: 1x ind. was present at the Naama bay pools for some days; first seen on the 5th of October 2009

Slender-billed Gull: R

Sooty Gull: some ADs and 1x juv at N

White-eyed Gull: N, R, H

Caspian Tern: R, N

Lesser Crested Tern: 1x at N

Black Tern: P

Whiskered Tern: P

White-cheeked Tern: a flock at R

Spotted Sandgrouse: two flocks at R

Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse: about 10-15x in flock at P in the evening

Rock Dove

Collared Dove

Turtle Dove

Laughing Dove: the commonest bird

Barn Owl: 1x singing at H

Common Swift: R

Hoopoe: S, F

Kingfisher

Bee-eater

Roller: 1x juv. perching on rocks at S/H

Wryneck: 1x S

Crested Lark: H

Short-toed Lark: a flock at S

Desert Lark: D

Bar-tailed Lark: R

Sand Martin

Rock Martin

Barn Swallow

Red-rumped Swallow: R, S

Tawny Pipit: 1x R

Richard’s Pipit: 1x H

Red-throated Pipit: common migrant

White Wagtail

Grey Wagtail

Yellow Wagtail

Spectacled Bulbul: some at F

Bluethroat: 1x first winter female at R and 1x female/1^st winter at H

Common Redstart: common in hotel’s gardens and oasis

Northern Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear: 1x at H, 1x at R

Desert Wheatear: R, D

Blackstart: 1x F

Black-eared Wheatear: D, H

Mourning Wheatear: 1x R

Hooded Wheatear: 1x D

White-crowned Wheatear: D, F, C

Whinchat

Lesser Whitethroat: F, R, C

Common Whitethroat: 2x R

Scrub Warbler: at least 2x at C

Sedge Warbler: 2x H

Reed Warbler: H, R

Willow Warbler

Wood Warbler: R

Spotted Flycatcher

Red-breasted Flycatcher: 1x H, 1x F, 1x C

Masked Shrike: H, F, R

Southern Grey Shrike: 1x D

Brown-necked Raven

House Crow: 1x S (eating a dead cat!)

Tristram’s Starling: some at C

House Sparrow

Sinai Rosefinch: some at F and some at C

House Bunting: 1x female at F

  Pintail Snipe (first three pics)

 

  Steppe Eagle                               Egyptian Vulture

  Steppe Eagle

  Sooty Falcon

  Striated Heron

  Lesser Crested Tern

  Greater Sand Plover

  White-crowned Wheatear

  Spectacled Bulbul

                                                                                             Sinai Rosefinch (by Matteo Skodler)

 

                                                                                            Sand Partridge (by Matteo Skodler)

  

                                                                                           Richard's Pipit (by Matteo Skodler)

 

                                                                                               House Crow (by Matteo Skodler)

 

Some other pics here.