Here is a brief report of my trip to Sharm el Sheikh from 24 to 30 September 2010. We basically divided our activities between birding in the morning and snorkelling in the afternoon. Temperature was in the range of 37 to 41 degrees centigrade which made many birds hide during the day. And it kept us from being out all day as well.
Places visited:
- (1) Sharm Pools (waste water treatment), where we were not allowed to drive in by taxi, unlike earlier when my brother visited the place. The checkpoint guy said they no longer allowed tourists in there. Yet, there were lots of quad trips that drove around, some even including going onto the dams just to scare away all the resting White Storks. As the attached first picture shows. On the first visit, we walked in on the road a bit further south, and on the second visit I walked around the fenced-in Eucalyptus patch to the north. That walk requires about an extra 30 minutes each way, but it allows at least to get to the place.
- (2) Ras Mohammed National Park where there was some problem because the guy in charge at the gate hassled our taxi driver. No wonder he has a very low opinion of the local police. This guy simply misused his power by trying to require documents that the taxi driver does not need.
- (3) Golf course, where I was finally allowed to rent a cart for 85 LE to drive around. But it took a bit of discussing first, and the passport was needed (as always outside the hotel anyway).
- (4) Nabq Protected Area, where we were able to go a bit further than the first Bedouin village before the road became too tricky for our regular taxi vehicle.
We did all our visits by taxi, always with the same excellent driver which my brother had got to know on previous visits. His name is Mohamed Shafek, and he can be reached on his mobile phone 002 0102348897. He speaks reasonably good English, and most of all, he is a very reliable and very kind person. To be highly recommended to any birder who wants to visit the area. He is usually working for a few weeks at the time and then goes back home to Cairo for a week or so. So one might not be able to have him available. But when he is there, try to contact him. He is also quite reasonable in what he charges. As an example: driving up to the Sharm pools from our hotel and coming back a few hours later to pick us up cost 90 LE.
There are also two e-mail addresses, but he can only reply when he is in Cairo: [email protected] and [email protected]
I had Mohamed bring me to the Sharm pool area or the golf course and pick me up there at a specific time. And he was always there on time.
Birding highlights:
- There was unexpectedly intensive migration of raptors and White Storks at the Sharm pools and at Ras Mohammed NP. With amazingly different species compositions on the different days.
- Sooty Falcon was the main reason for the trip at this time of year. And we had excellent views of it right along the main road at Ras Mohammed NP at mid day. (second picture, not cropped)
- The sought after sandgrouse were finally found on the second visit to the Sharm pools. There were only Spotted Sandgrouse, and they first appeared at about 07:20 hours. An estimated total of around 50 birds was seen in flight only. If I had tried to see them at the water, I would have had to scare off the storks myself. And the sandgrouse would have been warned then way ahead. The last calls of sandgrouse were shortly before 9 AM, but the main activity was only between about 07:25 and 07:40. It was about that time when we arrived at the place on the first visit, so we must have missed the birds then by just a few minutes.
Species list:
Locations in part given by the numbers from above. Names and sequence follow the new second edition of Birds of the Middle East.
Garganey (3)
Black-necked Grebe (3)
Black Stork (1) estimate around 50
Western White Stork (1) thousands, (2) many hundreds, (3) a few
Glossy Ibis (1)
Eurasian Spoonbill (4) 2 mangroves
Black-crowned Night Heron (3)
Squacco Heron 1 coast rock from hotel garden
Striated Heron (2) 1 immat
Grey Heron various places, but mainly (4)
Little Egret (1) and (3)
Western Reef Heron (4)
Osprey (2) and (4)
Black Kite major migration (1) and (2) hundreds
Egyptian Vulture (2) about 12 resting
Short-toed Snake Eagle (1) and (2)
Western Marsh Harrier (1)
Pallid Harrier (1) and (2)
Levant Sparrowhawk (1) and (2) thousands migrate
Eurasian Sparrowhawk singles various places
Steppe Buzzard (1) and (2), some migrate with Black Kites
Lesser Spotted Eagle (1) and (2) singles mixed in
Steppe Eagle (1)
Booted Eagle (1), (2), (4) small numbers
Common Kestrel various places
Sooty Falcon (2) and most likely (4)
Spur-winged Lapwing (1) and (3)
Grey Plover (4)
Common Ringed Plover (2), (3) and (4)
Kentish Plover (4)
Greater Sand Plover (4)
Whimbrel (2)
Eurasian Curlew (2) and (4)
Common Redshank (3)
Common Greenshank (1), (3) and (4)
Green Sandpiper (1)
Wood Sandpiper (3)
Common Sandpiper (3)
Little Stint (2) and (3)
Curlew Sandpiper (2), (3) and (4)
Ruff (3)
Ruddy Turnstone (4)
White-eyed Gull mainly hotel area plus only about 1 at (4)
Sooty Gull (4) only, but the common dark gull there
Slender-billed Gull (2)
Caspian Tern (2) and (4)
Lesser Crested Tern (2) and (4)
Black Tern (1) and (3)
Spotted Sandgrouse (1)
Rock Dove/Feral Dove often, also come to drink from mountains to (1)
African Collared Dove (3) common there
Laughing Dove many places
European Roller (3) 1
Eurasian Hoopoe (1) and (3) singles
Common Kingfisher (2) mangroves; plus hotel area
European Bee-eater migration many places, mostly early part of stay
Masked Shrike (3), plus probably (2)
Red-backed Shrike (2) many immat with possible other species mixed in
Southern Grey or Lesser Grey Shrike immat (2) 1 seen from front only
House Crow Sharm old town area
Brown-necked Raven (2) and possibly Sharm
Bulbul sp, likely White-spectacled, but not certain; hotel garden
Crested Lark (3)
Greater Short-toed Lark (2) and (4)
Sand Martin (2)
Pale Crag Martin (3), (4) and hotel area
Common House Martin (1) and (3)
Red-rumped Swallow hotel area
Barn Swallow many places
warbler sp. grey appearance like Upcher's hotel area; the only warbler seen!
European Robin hotel area one call of what must likely have been this species
Whinchat (2) several resting in groups in full sun
Isabelline Wheatear (2), (3) and likely (4)
Northern Wheatear (2)
Spotted Flycatcher (2), hiding in shaded place
House Sparrow many places, but mostly only to be heared
White Wagtail hotel area 1
Yellow Wagtail (3) and hotel area feasting on caterpillar-like insects
Red-throated Pipit (3) and hotel area
In addition, there were a few unidentified immature small terns, and shrikes.
The hotel area referred to above was in the southern-most area next to the light-house.
Places visited:
- (1) Sharm Pools (waste water treatment), where we were not allowed to drive in by taxi, unlike earlier when my brother visited the place. The checkpoint guy said they no longer allowed tourists in there. Yet, there were lots of quad trips that drove around, some even including going onto the dams just to scare away all the resting White Storks. As the attached first picture shows. On the first visit, we walked in on the road a bit further south, and on the second visit I walked around the fenced-in Eucalyptus patch to the north. That walk requires about an extra 30 minutes each way, but it allows at least to get to the place.
- (2) Ras Mohammed National Park where there was some problem because the guy in charge at the gate hassled our taxi driver. No wonder he has a very low opinion of the local police. This guy simply misused his power by trying to require documents that the taxi driver does not need.
- (3) Golf course, where I was finally allowed to rent a cart for 85 LE to drive around. But it took a bit of discussing first, and the passport was needed (as always outside the hotel anyway).
- (4) Nabq Protected Area, where we were able to go a bit further than the first Bedouin village before the road became too tricky for our regular taxi vehicle.
We did all our visits by taxi, always with the same excellent driver which my brother had got to know on previous visits. His name is Mohamed Shafek, and he can be reached on his mobile phone 002 0102348897. He speaks reasonably good English, and most of all, he is a very reliable and very kind person. To be highly recommended to any birder who wants to visit the area. He is usually working for a few weeks at the time and then goes back home to Cairo for a week or so. So one might not be able to have him available. But when he is there, try to contact him. He is also quite reasonable in what he charges. As an example: driving up to the Sharm pools from our hotel and coming back a few hours later to pick us up cost 90 LE.
There are also two e-mail addresses, but he can only reply when he is in Cairo: [email protected] and [email protected]
I had Mohamed bring me to the Sharm pool area or the golf course and pick me up there at a specific time. And he was always there on time.
Birding highlights:
- There was unexpectedly intensive migration of raptors and White Storks at the Sharm pools and at Ras Mohammed NP. With amazingly different species compositions on the different days.
- Sooty Falcon was the main reason for the trip at this time of year. And we had excellent views of it right along the main road at Ras Mohammed NP at mid day. (second picture, not cropped)
- The sought after sandgrouse were finally found on the second visit to the Sharm pools. There were only Spotted Sandgrouse, and they first appeared at about 07:20 hours. An estimated total of around 50 birds was seen in flight only. If I had tried to see them at the water, I would have had to scare off the storks myself. And the sandgrouse would have been warned then way ahead. The last calls of sandgrouse were shortly before 9 AM, but the main activity was only between about 07:25 and 07:40. It was about that time when we arrived at the place on the first visit, so we must have missed the birds then by just a few minutes.
Species list:
Locations in part given by the numbers from above. Names and sequence follow the new second edition of Birds of the Middle East.
Garganey (3)
Black-necked Grebe (3)
Black Stork (1) estimate around 50
Western White Stork (1) thousands, (2) many hundreds, (3) a few
Glossy Ibis (1)
Eurasian Spoonbill (4) 2 mangroves
Black-crowned Night Heron (3)
Squacco Heron 1 coast rock from hotel garden
Striated Heron (2) 1 immat
Grey Heron various places, but mainly (4)
Little Egret (1) and (3)
Western Reef Heron (4)
Osprey (2) and (4)
Black Kite major migration (1) and (2) hundreds
Egyptian Vulture (2) about 12 resting
Short-toed Snake Eagle (1) and (2)
Western Marsh Harrier (1)
Pallid Harrier (1) and (2)
Levant Sparrowhawk (1) and (2) thousands migrate
Eurasian Sparrowhawk singles various places
Steppe Buzzard (1) and (2), some migrate with Black Kites
Lesser Spotted Eagle (1) and (2) singles mixed in
Steppe Eagle (1)
Booted Eagle (1), (2), (4) small numbers
Common Kestrel various places
Sooty Falcon (2) and most likely (4)
Spur-winged Lapwing (1) and (3)
Grey Plover (4)
Common Ringed Plover (2), (3) and (4)
Kentish Plover (4)
Greater Sand Plover (4)
Whimbrel (2)
Eurasian Curlew (2) and (4)
Common Redshank (3)
Common Greenshank (1), (3) and (4)
Green Sandpiper (1)
Wood Sandpiper (3)
Common Sandpiper (3)
Little Stint (2) and (3)
Curlew Sandpiper (2), (3) and (4)
Ruff (3)
Ruddy Turnstone (4)
White-eyed Gull mainly hotel area plus only about 1 at (4)
Sooty Gull (4) only, but the common dark gull there
Slender-billed Gull (2)
Caspian Tern (2) and (4)
Lesser Crested Tern (2) and (4)
Black Tern (1) and (3)
Spotted Sandgrouse (1)
Rock Dove/Feral Dove often, also come to drink from mountains to (1)
African Collared Dove (3) common there
Laughing Dove many places
European Roller (3) 1
Eurasian Hoopoe (1) and (3) singles
Common Kingfisher (2) mangroves; plus hotel area
European Bee-eater migration many places, mostly early part of stay
Masked Shrike (3), plus probably (2)
Red-backed Shrike (2) many immat with possible other species mixed in
Southern Grey or Lesser Grey Shrike immat (2) 1 seen from front only
House Crow Sharm old town area
Brown-necked Raven (2) and possibly Sharm
Bulbul sp, likely White-spectacled, but not certain; hotel garden
Crested Lark (3)
Greater Short-toed Lark (2) and (4)
Sand Martin (2)
Pale Crag Martin (3), (4) and hotel area
Common House Martin (1) and (3)
Red-rumped Swallow hotel area
Barn Swallow many places
warbler sp. grey appearance like Upcher's hotel area; the only warbler seen!
European Robin hotel area one call of what must likely have been this species
Whinchat (2) several resting in groups in full sun
Isabelline Wheatear (2), (3) and likely (4)
Northern Wheatear (2)
Spotted Flycatcher (2), hiding in shaded place
House Sparrow many places, but mostly only to be heared
White Wagtail hotel area 1
Yellow Wagtail (3) and hotel area feasting on caterpillar-like insects
Red-throated Pipit (3) and hotel area
In addition, there were a few unidentified immature small terns, and shrikes.
The hotel area referred to above was in the southern-most area next to the light-house.
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