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Port el Kantaoui 28th June 2014 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Phil Owen
- Start date
Mark Lew1s
My real name is Mark Lewis
I was there in early spring a few years ago - in a similar situation to you - i.e. a non-birding holiday with a few grabbed moments...
The golf course at Port el Kantoui was my main haunt - good for migrants, but I guess that might not be the case at this time of year. Of the resident species, I had desert grey shrike, north african blue tit, and north african chaffinch, as well as sardinian warbler, and pallid swift.
I also had a wee trip to hergla salt pans - the water levels were too high for waders but I had slender billed gull and greater flamingo on the pans. In the farmland around I had stone curlew and great views of barbary partridge. It's easy and affordable to do this by taxi from PeK.
Finally, We signed up to one of the organise excursions in the hotel, that went south towards the desert (eg towards tatouine, chott el djeridd, Douz etc). It was very very frustrating as we spent so much time in the minibus but it did stop every now and again, and over the course of the trip I picked up trumpeter finch, hoopoe lark, mourning wheatear, desert wheatear, thekla and short-toed lark, house bunting, brown necked raven, and rather annoyingly, a heard only egyptian nightjar...
The golf course at Port el Kantoui was my main haunt - good for migrants, but I guess that might not be the case at this time of year. Of the resident species, I had desert grey shrike, north african blue tit, and north african chaffinch, as well as sardinian warbler, and pallid swift.
I also had a wee trip to hergla salt pans - the water levels were too high for waders but I had slender billed gull and greater flamingo on the pans. In the farmland around I had stone curlew and great views of barbary partridge. It's easy and affordable to do this by taxi from PeK.
Finally, We signed up to one of the organise excursions in the hotel, that went south towards the desert (eg towards tatouine, chott el djeridd, Douz etc). It was very very frustrating as we spent so much time in the minibus but it did stop every now and again, and over the course of the trip I picked up trumpeter finch, hoopoe lark, mourning wheatear, desert wheatear, thekla and short-toed lark, house bunting, brown necked raven, and rather annoyingly, a heard only egyptian nightjar...
Stephen Dunstan
Registered User
I thought it easiest for anyone doing holiday research to update an old thread rather than add another for my trip.
As well as the species Mark mentions Laughing Dove, Spotless Starling and Serin were evident around the resort. When the wind blew Scopoli's Sheawaters and Gannets could be seen from the balcony.
At the fish farm at Hergla I saw large numbers of Slender-billed Gulls, up to 16 Caspian Terns and there were good numbers of herons and egrets, several wader species and a flock of Black-necked Grebes. Flamingos were feeding nearby and there were Barbary Partridge in nearby fields.
The site of Oued Sed is a £10-15 return taxi journey from Port El Kantoui, and you pass it on the airport transfer. Here I saw Purple Swamphen, Spotted Crake, Blue-headed and Spanish Yellow Wagtails and wader species including Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover and others.
We had a guided trip to Ichkeul. On this highlights were Moussier's Redstart, Black Wheatear, Long-legged Buzzard, Rock Sparrow, Short-toed Eagle and Ferruginous Duck. It was a long drive though, I thought it was well worth it but anyone considering it might want to bear it in mind.
In a week that was certainly not flat out birding we saw over 100 species. The people who took is to Ichkeul still take people south for the desert specialities.
Stephen
As well as the species Mark mentions Laughing Dove, Spotless Starling and Serin were evident around the resort. When the wind blew Scopoli's Sheawaters and Gannets could be seen from the balcony.
At the fish farm at Hergla I saw large numbers of Slender-billed Gulls, up to 16 Caspian Terns and there were good numbers of herons and egrets, several wader species and a flock of Black-necked Grebes. Flamingos were feeding nearby and there were Barbary Partridge in nearby fields.
The site of Oued Sed is a £10-15 return taxi journey from Port El Kantoui, and you pass it on the airport transfer. Here I saw Purple Swamphen, Spotted Crake, Blue-headed and Spanish Yellow Wagtails and wader species including Marsh Sandpiper, Black-winged Stilt and Kentish Plover and others.
We had a guided trip to Ichkeul. On this highlights were Moussier's Redstart, Black Wheatear, Long-legged Buzzard, Rock Sparrow, Short-toed Eagle and Ferruginous Duck. It was a long drive though, I thought it was well worth it but anyone considering it might want to bear it in mind.
In a week that was certainly not flat out birding we saw over 100 species. The people who took is to Ichkeul still take people south for the desert specialities.
Stephen
