EGYPT - THE NILE VALLEY DAY 2

Our plan today was to leave the hotel with a boxed breakfast at 7.00am, take their boat across the Nile to our waiting minibus and head over to Philae Lake for another boating session. We’d ordered coffees for 6.45am and whilst waiting a pair of Reed Cormorants flew upriver and dropped onto the river and began fishing a couple of hundred metres away from us. What a result and certainly not a species we expected to see around Aswan. This is a major WP target for birders and they are usually found around Abu Simbel, way to the south. 

This pair of Reed Cormorants were the only ones we saw during the entire tour!

A few Indian Silverbills were also showing well in the small cultivated patch right next to the hotel as well – so a very good start to the day. 

Once we made it across to the east bank and met up with Ismael we drove towards Philae Lake, checking out a few smaller patched of water along the way, but only a single White-crowned Wheatear was noteworthy. Once aboard our boat we headed out on what was for all intents and purposes a relatively quiet 3 hour boat trip. Birds were few and far between, save for numerous Whiskered & Gull-billed Terns, Black & Yellow-billed Kites, and all the usual herons & egrets. However, we managed to find a pair of African Pied Wagtails hanging around the shoreline thanks to some sharp spotting from Ian. In fact, as we turned our boat around to get better views the wagtails flew onto one of the marooned boat wrecks and one of them started to sing as we watched from a few metres away. Wow! So two mega Western Palearctic species so far this morning!

Another major target - African Pied Wagtail

Next up was a trip to Philae Temple and a short guided tour for my group, whilst I sipped a cappuccino in the café. I am culturally shallow. Always have and always will be!!! Another huge lunch followed at a lakeside restaurant and then we spent another couple of hours boating on the lake seeing not a lot. So an early finish was agreed and once back in the minibus we called in to a wine shop in downtown Aswan I’d found last year, to pick up some beers. 

Good habitat right next to our hotel

We returned to our guesthouse/hotel around 5pm and met up with the last member of our group, Eric Jan Ablas from The Netherlands.

Egypt - The Nile Valley Day 1

So i'm back in Egypt. Don't ask! 

Our group flew to Cairo from Manchester, London & Copenhagen and with a short connection to Aswan. All of our flights were delayed into Cairo and fortunately the Aswan flight was also delayed. Our superb guide Ismael from Aswan Birdwatching was at the airport to meet us and we drove about half an hour into downtown Aswan before getting on the ferry across the Nile to our guesthouse on the west bank. I finally made it to bed at 4am….. just as the call to prayer started. Oh lordy!

 

The following morning we had breakfast at 7.30am during which we saw a few goodies including our first Nile Valley Sunbirds. We spent the entire day on a boat cruising along the Nile River notching up some rare Western Palearctic species. More sunbirds, many Purple Swamphens, Senegal Thick-knees, African Green Bee-eaters, and many Pale Crag Martins. The numbers of Purple Herons, Gull-billed & Whiskered Terns, various hirundines and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters passing overhead was truly phenomenal, as was the huge lunch. 

Ferruginous Duck

Little Bittern

Little Heron

Nile Valley Sunbird

Pied Kingfisher

We looked for the wintering Black Scrub Robin without any luck and enjoyed much the same species on the return journey upriver to our guest house. I have to say the views of 40+ Purple Herons and a few Little Bitterns today was exceptional. So not a bad start....

Purple Heron

Purple/Western/African Swamphen

Rufous Bushchat

Senegal Thick-knee

Spur-winged Lapwing

Another Swamphen...