Egypt - Mansoureya & Talae Areas

[said]

These are some birds that i have encountered during a visit to a friend's villa in an area called al Talae in the road to 10th of Ramadan city near Cairo.
The most interesting record is an Abyssinian Roller that i saw on top of a tree there. It Was distinctive with it's blue Terquios wings and back color.
Other records included:
Laughing dove
Common bulbul
White Wagtail
House Sparrow
Cattle egret
Common Buzzard
Sooty Falcon

Another Trip to my farm in Mansoureya Area during last February:
-6 Black Birds
-More than 25 Raptor that looked like a black kite but i couldnt identify the species exactly due to their high flying level.
- Lots of Laughing Doves
- 1 rock dove
- Lots of white Wagtails
- More than 20 Grey ducks were flying on a low level and then came down but couldnt identify the species. I thought they might be greylag geese, but i know that they are not common in Egypt during migration and also the size of these birds was less than a Goose. It happened that a Swan was hunted by the farmers near the farm long time ago ( 4 Years ago).
- 3 Common Bulbul
- 5 little Blue cheeked Bee eaters
- 25 Cattle Egret
- 1 Eurasian or Pharoah Eagle owl at night , Recoginzed the large size and the bloody red eyes. I guess Eurasian.
- More than 45 house crow.
-2 Abbysinian Rollers seen early in the morning.


Also recorded 1 red fox and a 2 European Chameleon.


The latest Observation i would like to add is at Al Gezira Club in Cairo on the 18th of April 2003. Where i recognized 3 Ring Necked Parakeet on trees near the golf Area . i Guess this is interesting and i think there is more Parakeets there.

[Edward]

Thanks for the report Said, I would especially like to see the Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and Abyssinian Rollers which are amongst my favourite families of bird.

[Steve Lister]

Are you sure about the three Abyssinian Rollers ? Seeing even one would be a very rare sighting. I think they have only been seen in Egypt on a very few occasions, and always in the very south, around Lake Nasser.

Steve

[Andy Thatcher]

Have to agree. Been to Egypt and the Cairo area a couple of times and have yet to see Abysinian Roller.

[Sal]

Blue-cheeked bee-eaters and and Abysinian roller would be great! Thanks for the report Said.

[Charles Harper]

Salaam! Very interesting report from an under-reported part of the world-- hope to hear more from you, Said!