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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

2017 Western Palearctic Big Year (1 Viewer)

Jos Stratford said:
Another country off the birding maps for a while.

But hadn't they been forewarned? Did they also try to bring in telescopes or big telephotos? Not very clever to arrive with high profile optics when the warning of confiscation was already out there - they should have just brought discreet compacts or something.

I guess they could get hold of some cheap binoculars or something to get all the required species, but that's a bit of a spanner in the works!
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say its off the map, just be smart. I walked through teh airport with all my optics a few weeks back and a couple colleagues passed through there yesterday with no problems
 
They have managed to enter (with some optics at least) via Turkey now - and have Senegal Thick-knee as well as better mood now!
(according facebook)
 
Maffong said:
They flew from Casablanca to Hurghada via Cairo, where the optics were confiscated. Now they left Egypt and will try to reenter with a direct flight to Hurghada from Istanbul. Hopefully they'll have better luck this time.
Click to expand...

Ha ha ha, they stood a good chance of getting arrested this time ...if I were a suspicious immigration officer and someone was flying in and out of the country like a yoyo, I might give them a second glance, especially if arriving with a bucketload of optics which had been confiscated just days earlier (if this gets officially recorded, perhaps unlikely in Egypt?).

Personally I would say they were being a bit foolish here if they really tried to re-enter a mere two days later with items that had already been confiscated.
 
Jos Stratford said:
Ha ha ha, they stood a good chance of getting arrested this time ...if I were a suspicious immigration officer and someone was flying in and out of the country like a yoyo, I might give them a second glance, especially if arriving with a bucketload of optics which had been confiscated just days earlier (if this gets officially recorded, perhaps unlikely in Egypt?).

Personally I would say they were being a bit foolish here if they really tried to re-enter a mere two days later with items that had already been confiscated.
Click to expand...

Don't think they did, I think the two who were already in Egypt stayed there, before being joined by the third member who was always intended to arrive from Istanbul to Hurghada.
 
They have one scope but no bins. I guess they'll make sure to get all targets but not much else. Maybe they can buy some cheap optics somewhere...
These are the remaining possible species in Egypt, in bold are the must-gets, in italic are unimportant ones
Scopoli's Shearwater
Yelkouan Shearwater
Balearic Shearwater
Red-billed Tropicbird
Yellow-billed Stork
Yellow Bittern
Goliath Heron
Pink-backed Pelican
Dalmatian Pelican
Brown Booby
Bearded Vulture
European Honey Buzzard
Cinereous Vulture
Lappet-faced Vulture
Verreaux's Eagle ???
Yellow-billed Kite
Corn Crake
African Swamphen
Demoiselle Crane
Kittlitz's Plover
Three-banded Plover
Eurasian Dotterel
Greater Painted-snipe
Great Snipe
Black-winged Pratincole
African Skimmer
Saunders's Tern
White-winged Tern
Long-tailed Jaeger
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
Senegal Coucal
Red-footed Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon
Sooty Falcon
Eurasian Hobby
Lesser Grey Shrike
Bimaculated Lark
Great Reed Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Olive-tree Warbler
Common Grasshopper Warbler
River Warbler
Garden Warbler
Ring Ouzel
Thrush Nightingale
European Pied Flycatcher
Red-breasted Flycatcher
Cyprus Wheatear
Kurdish Wheatear
Nile Valley Sunbird
Pale Rockfinch
Streaked Weaver
Red Avadavat
African Pied Wagtail
Cinereous Bunting

It seems they are heading south first and they have already picked up Sooty Gull and Senegal Thick-knee. I guess next will follow Greater Painted-snipe, Nile Valley Sunbird, Yellow-billed Kite, African Swamphen along the Nile possibly somewhere near Luxor. Half a day will suffice I guess.
Next would probably come Abu Simbel with Goliath Heron, Pink-backed Pelican, Yellow-billed Stork, Yellow-billed Kite, African Swamphen, Kittlitz's Plover, Three-banded Plover, Greater Painted-snipe, African Skimmer, Nile Valley Sunbird, African Pied Wagtail possible. I would stay at least three days.
Next I'd go to Wadi Lahami to find Yellow Bittern, Goliath Heron and keep an eye open for Sooty Falcon and then search for Lappet-faced Vulture at Bir Shalatein before heading back north again. Two days here should be enough.
Next I'd try for the Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse at Sandafa on 1 or two mornings. If Yellow-billed Stork or Lappet-faced Vulture are still missing one should try to get the birds reported recently from Ras Ghareb.
And then 2 days should be spent in the Nile delta at Abassa for Greater Painted-snipe, Kittlitz's Plover, Senegal Coucal and Streaked Weaver. Finally a pelagic on the Sinai to get Saunder's Tern and add not so important Brown Booby and Red-billed Tropicbird and if not seen until now secure Sooty Falcon.

I don't believe Verreaux's Eagle or African Silverbill are viable.

I have never birded Egypt, so what are your thoughts on this itinerary?
 
They added three of the four predicted additions plus White-winged Tern. Last update was in early afternoon so I guess they have proceeded towards Aswan.
 
DanielDoer said:
They have managed to enter (with some optics at least) via Turkey now - and have Senegal Thick-knee as well as better mood now!
(according facebook)
Click to expand...

It makes you realise how lucky the two record-breaking world listers (Noah and Arjan) were. As far as I can recall they had no such hiccups despite travelling to many countries.
 
dan pointon said:
Three-banded Plover, Yellow-billed Stork and (if needed) Red Avadavat added this morning
Click to expand...

May i ask where you got that info? Kittlitz' Plover also in the bag and a boat trip planned for tomorrow. Interesting to read that Yellow-billed Stork is common. If they got the Wagtail too they'll only have Goliath Heron, Pink-backed Pelican and Skimmer left, so I guess they can leave Assuan the day after tomorrow already and go to the coast
 
Maffong said:
May i ask where you got that info? Kittlitz' Plover also in the bag and a boat trip planned for tomorrow. Interesting to read that Yellow-billed Stork is common. If they got the Wagtail too they'll only have Goliath Heron, Pink-backed Pelican and Skimmer left, so I guess they can leave Assuan the day after tomorrow already and go to the coast
Click to expand...

You can find this information in comments under their last facebook post with a video of a silly Kittlitz Plover walk...
 
Maffong said:
May i ask where you got that info? Kittlitz' Plover also in the bag and a boat trip planned for tomorrow. Interesting to read that Yellow-billed Stork is common. If they got the Wagtail too they'll only have Goliath Heron, Pink-backed Pelican and Skimmer left, so I guess they can leave Assuan the day after tomorrow already and go to the coast
Click to expand...

Just direct contact. Vested interest in their success/local bureaucracy as going to Egypt myself in a few weeks.
 
Last edited:
Muppit17 said:
....
Grasshopper Warbler this is another easy one that could slip through the net. They need to get in the Ural Mtns otherwise they will have stopped reeling by the time they are back in Sweden etc
....
Click to expand...
Around here at least, Groppers go on singing through most of July and on-and-off into August - I can't see it being a major problem.
 
Apparently there aren't any African Skimmers in Egypt at this time of year! Poor research there.... All updated on the blog with the Wagtail and the Pelican bagged.
 

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