Egypt Spots March 2012

Egypt Spots
First Day – Mena House Garden

1. Laughing Dove - shorter tail, tawny red, really pretty, really common
2. White Wagtail - little black and white, on ground, long tail, hoppy and fun
3. House Sparrow
4. Eurasian Hoopoe - totally casual hanging out in the grass... great fun to watch, saw two later in the day and then again got to show Jordan one outside the Giza Zoo, as she had missed the original sighting in Cairo.
5. Rock Dove - pigeon, beautiful green and pink necks
6. Turtle Dove - Dove, longer tail, not as common to see on the ground, but lots in the air
7. Common Bulbul - playing in the bushes
8. Hooded Crow - was surprised to see this one... didn’t realize there was a grey and black crow.  Saw them everywhere after the initial spot.
9. Kestrel Hawk - of some sort sitting on our porch, it was two feet from us when we saw it! and then it flew. =( couldn’t confirm... Kestrel,  lesser Kestrel, Eurasian Sparrow Hawk

Second Day - Cairo tour

10. Cattle Egret - Yellow head and bill, in water and in fields
11. Pied Kingfisher - after the first spot on a irrigation canal, we saw a bunch playing on the nile river.  Very common spot and fun bird to watch.
12. Barn Swallow - cool cause it reminds me of my grandpa, love the blue and yellow colors, very common out by the temples and tombs.  Haven’t seen it since I was little.

Abu Simbel

13. Common Buzzard (buteo buteo) barred tail and wings w/ dark
14. Sand Martin - Little bat like, white body, light wings, band across neck
15. White-crowned Black Wheatear - on fence
16. Clamorous Reed Warbler – little green, dainty
17. Graceful Prinia - little greyish, cool tail, hopping
18. Moorhen – Looks black but, super cool purple w/ red beak ending in yellow, red feet. GMarcia spot

             Repeat sighting: Barn Swallow, House Sparrow
Nile River Cruise
The gulls, terns and herons were difficult to distinguish the differences... had to double and triple check with the books and pictures and habits and habitats.  

19. Common Black-Headed Gull -  black beak, red feet and head,
20. Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nitotica) - black half head, black feet and bill
21. Grey Heron
22. Little Egret (black leg, black bill, tuft, yellow feet)
23. Eurasian Spoonbill (Super cool - flew over in a “V” flock in the setting sun, beautiful w/ black underwing stripe, and crazy shaped bill)
24. Pintail – black and white on neck
25. Shoveler – Amazing coloring
26. Western Reef Heron – Crazy chasing of fish (don’t sit still like normal Heron), yellow beak, black feet
27. Glossy Ibis - Flying overhead, long straight neck, curved beak, saw singles a couple    times.
28. Little Green Bee-Eater - very clear on a wire near temple, J had confirmation!  then saw twice again, beautiful green, couldn’t get picture, was thrilled for spot.
29. Rock Martin? little bat looking martin, totally pale, hanging in the desert.  Called Eurasian Crag & Martin (ptymoprogne rupestris), African Rock Martin (Pale Crag Martin)  Ptyonoporgne obsoleta,

Repeat sighting: Moorhen, Pied Kingfisher, Cattle Egret

Not confirmed: Duck/Goose with crazy coloring, red eye, thinking Egyptian Goose

Valley of the Queens

30. Brown-necked Raven - Was great to see a “regular raven” after all the grey and black ones..
31. Trumpeter Finch - grey w/ orange/yellow beak and feet, sitting on rail
32. Pallid Swift - little bat like, dark body, light wings
33. Nile Valley Sunbird - seriously cool long split tail, flitting around the flowers and the trees, great watching, when I first saw it it was drinking from a flower couldn’t get camera out fast enough before someone walked by and scared it.

Nile Cruise

34. Great Cormorant - cool white and black almost looks like a penguin.
35. Black Kite - this guy tortured me... saw it many times. Every time I would get the camera out it would disappear.  Or i would have the camera and it couldn’t focus or was stuck or out of batteries.  Finally got a picture on the last day.
36. Purple Swamphen (Allen’s Purple Gallinule) Name is confusing... but I can confirm the bird.  Cool purple with red feet and beak.

Luxor Temple Tours

37. Variant White Pigeon - Rock Dove (also seen later in trip)
1. Not confirmed:  Painted Snipe and other little grey/olive bird w/ red beak

Luxor Felucca

38. Spur-winged Lapwing (plover) saw earlier in trip also but couldn’t get pic the first time.
39. Purple Heron - great score
40. Black-winged Stilt - hiding in back of picture
41. Squacco Heron - shorter tan, crazy plumage, totally still!

Repeat sights:  Cattle Egret, Little Egret, many Pied Kingfishers were buzzing us.

Egypt notes - struggling with real name of some, written differently in three guides.  SOOOO excited to see such amazing exotic birds.  We’re changed!