Sharm-el-Sheikh, 13-16 December 2023 (3 Viewers)

[Earnest lad]

The full trip list is as follows: It is quite modest, even for the brevity of the vacation.

Common Kestrels
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Osprey
Black Kite
Black-winged Kite
Bonelli’s Eagle
Imperial Eagle
Steppe Eagle
Greater Spotted Eagle
Common Buzzard cirtensis
Sooty Gull
Slender-billed Gull
Caspian Tern
Rock Dove
Eurasian Collared Dove
Laughing Dove
Dunlin
Whimbrel
Grey Plover
Greater Sandplover
common ringed Plover
Green Sandpiper
Greenshank
Black-winged Stilt
Spur-winged Plover
Kentish Plover
Pied Kingfisher
Western Reef Heron
Cattle Egret
Little Egret
Glossy Ibis
Squacco Heron
Little Swift
Pale Crag Martin
Hooded Wheatear
White-crowned Wheatear x2
House Sparrow
Spanish Sparrow
White Wagtail
Red-throated Pipit
Desert Lark
Crested Lark
Bluethroat
Hoopoe
House Crow
Hoodie Crow
Brown-necked Raven
Striolated Bunting
Willow Warbler
Eurasian Teal
Ferruginous Duck
Little Grebe

 

[Barred Wobbler]

Thank you for sharing that lovely experience. I didnt manage a trip or St Catherines or Ras Mohammed. Someone mentioned that Nabq Protected Area is better for birding than Ras Mohammed. What I can say is that with Nabq Protected area, I had practically the whole area to myself apart from the resident Bedouin; and they seemed few in number. The beauty and serenity of the place was awesome.

Ras Mohammed was similar, but with fewer people. Small patches of mangrove only, not as extensive as at Nabq, stony desert, with bits of scrub, Right on the very southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Birds that spring to memory from that morning were brown-necked ravens, reef egrets, my only scrub warbler of the trip, a Ruppell's warbler, desert wheatear and tawny pipit.

A great Spotted Cuckoo was a bit of a surprise amongst the rocks right on the southern tip (I was there in March), but the biggest surprise of all, probably the biggest of the trip, was a bird I saw flying due north over the sea, coming in-off the Red Sea and the very southern tip. I photographed it from a distance as it came in and I was surprised to see it was a short-eared owl. It appeared to land behind a rise almost as soon as it reached the shore, but although I searched, I couldn't relocate it. It rings a bell that I came across the GS cuckoo as I was looking for the owl (my photo is timed only minutes later). The nearest land in the direction from which it came was the Egyptian coast about 60 or more miles away, south of Hurgada. This was even more surprising, because when I look at the range maps for Short-eared Owl, they show up as winter visitors on the Mediterranean coastal strip in Northern Sinai, yet here was one flying north off the sea in March, over 220 miles south of that range

 

[Earnest lad]

Ras Mohammed was similar, but with fewer people. Small patches of mangrove only, not as extensive as at Nabq, stony desert, with bits of scrub, Right on the very southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula. Birds that spring to memory from that morning were brown-necked ravens, reef egrets, my only scrub warbler of the trip, a Ruppell's warbler, desert wheatear and tawny pipit.

A great Spotted Cuckoo was a bit of a surprise amongst the rocks right on the southern tip (I was there in March), but the biggest surprise of all, probably the biggest of the trip, was a bird I saw flying due north over the sea, coming in-off the Red Sea and the very southern tip. I photographed it from a distance as it came in and I was surprised to see it was a short-eared owl. It appeared to land behind a rise almost as soon as it reached the shore, but although I searched, I couldn't relocate it. It rings a bell that I came across the GS cuckoo as I was looking for the owl (my photo is timed only minutes later). The nearest land in the direction from which it came was the Egyptian coast about 60 or more miles away, south of Hurgada. This was even more surprising, because when I look at the range maps for Short-eared Owl, they show up as winter visitors on the Mediterranean coastal strip in Northern Sinai, yet here was one flying north off the sea in March, over 220 miles south of that range

Thank you for sharing that lovely experience. The Great Spotted Cuckoo photo is lovely. I would love to see one one day. The Short-eared Owl sighting is amazing too. My trip being outside peak migration there weren't too many migrants around.

Birds I was hoping for but dipped on were Desert Wheatear, Mourning Wheatear, Striated Heron, Sand Partridge, Sandgrouse species, Marsh Sandpiper, Scrub Warbler, Arabian Warbler, Desert Warbler, Blackstart, Hoopoe Lark, Bimaculated Lark, and some others.

 

[Allen]

Hi Earnest Lad. I'm off to Marsa Alam and just wondered whether you took your bins in hand luggage or hold luggage knowing the potential issues with Egyptian customs. Thanks

 

[Earnest lad]

Hi Earnest Lad. I'm off to Marsa Alam and just wondered whether you took your bins in hand luggage or hold luggage knowing the potential issues with Egyptian customs. Thanks

Hi Allen
I flew with Wizzair and I had only hand luggage (no hold luggage). Not even the small case you can put in the compartment that is above the seats. In that one bag I put everything that I took - including the bins and the camera with telephoto lens. I didn't encounter any problems at all. I would feel confident doing the same again.

 

[Allen]

Thanks, I also took it in hand luggage and despite all bags going through the scanner again in Marsa Alam there were no problems. I'm not even sure the customs chaps were even looking at the scanner images!

 

[ChrisMc1957]

Thanks for the great Trip report Earnest lad, I have been to Egypt many times in fact I worked there 1980/81, but we are off to Sharm-el-Sheikh for two weeks over Xmas this year, so this report may come in very handy.

 

[Earnest lad]

Thanks for the great Trip report Earnest lad, I have been to Egypt many times in fact I worked there 1980/81, but we are off to Sharm-el-Sheikh for two weeks over Xmas this year, so this report may come in very handy.

I am sure you will have a lovely time. Please be on the lookout for birds of prey even along urban roads (eg on lamp posts. I had black-winged kite twice and also possible Barbary Falcon twice).
If you have transport or taxi, you can visit the New Water Treatment works 27.937740, 34.304104
and here too 27.940470, 34.300671
The roundabout mentioned on the main road near the airport 27.965203, 34.358057 has a car park on it near a tall monument and that was good for birds too.
I would look forward to hear how you get on if possible . The area seems to attract quite a few eagles which apparently overwinter that part of the world.

 

[ChrisMc1957]

I am sure you will have a lovely time. Please be on the lookout for birds of prey even along urban roads (eg on lamp posts. I had black-winged kite twice and also possible Barbary Falcon twice).
If you have transport or taxi, you can visit the New Water Treatment works 27.937740, 34.304104
and here too 27.940470, 34.300671
The roundabout mentioned on the main road near the airport 27.965203, 34.358057 has a car park on it near a tall monument and that was good for birds too.
I would look forward to hear how you get on if possible . The area seems to attract quite a few eagles which apparently overwinter that part of the world.

Thanks very much Earnest lad, we are not totally sure what our plans will be yet while we are there (not sure if I will take my expensive camera equipment yet, might just take our binoculars) but this information I'm sure will be very helpful anyway 👍

 

[Earnest lad]

Thanks very much Earnest lad, we are not totally sure what our plans will be yet while we are there (not sure if I will take my expensive camera equipment yet, might just take our binoculars) but this information I'm sure will be very helpful anyway 👍

You're most welcome chrisMc1957. I found the birds of prey seemed to be somewhat less shy/skittish than BOP's are in the UK, and there might be possibilities for good photographs

 

[ChrisMc1957]

Well we have not been birding yet whilst in Sharm el Sheik Egypt, but the birds have come to us, today we have seen Laughing Doves, lots of Sparrows, a Lesser Kestral, Hooded Crows, various other crows, a Cockatoo and the highlight of the day a pair of Hoopoes. Not great photos I'm afraid as only have my mobile phone with me on this trip.

 

[ChrisMc1957]

I also have a video of a Hoopoe, but keep getting file size too large. Another Laughing Dove below anyway!

 

[ChrisMc1957]

BTW, we got stopped coming through Sharm el Sheik airport on the way in because we had a pair of binoculars in our bags, we were told they would turn a blind eye this time but to never to bring them in again,it is not allowed, we couldn't understand this as many on here have told us they have brought cameras et al in before, so not sure of this is a new rule and not sure how we would have got on if we had brought my big camera in ???

 

[jogresh]

BTW, we got stopped coming through Sharm el Sheik airport on the way in because we had a pair of binoculars in our bags, we were told they would turn a blind eye this time but to never to bring them in again,it is not allowed, we couldn't understand this as many on here have told us they have brought cameras et al in before, so not sure of this is a new rule and not sure how we would have got on if we had brought my big camera in ???

There's often a difference between bins and big cameras, with the former being frowned on more than the latter.

There's a fair bit of discussion on BF around this subject if you do a keyword search. 👍

 

[ChrisMc1957]

There's often a difference between bins and big cameras, with the former being frowned on more than the latter.

There's a fair bit of discussion on BF around this subject if you do a keyword search. 👍

Really I wouldn't have known, anyway we got away with it this time, never had this problem before anywhere else, I will do a search on here then and see what others have experienced. Thank you!

 

[ChrisMc1957]

Well we keep seeing Hopoes, Lesser Kestrals although cannot get any decent photos of them against the bright sky and with only my mobile phone, Laughing Doves, Old World Sparrows, also Pied Wagtails, a few photos attached.

 

[ChrisMc1957]

Some of the usual suspects, birding wise today, lots of Hoopoes again around this area, lovely birds to watch, but also a Cattle Egret fishing on the shoreline and the highlight was a flock of about 100 White Cranes flew right over our hotel, some images attached, not very good as taken with my mobile phone again.

 

[ChrisMc1957]

More hoopoe today. There are lots of them in this area, lovely to see them so often.

 

[Richard Prior]

Some of the usual suspects, birding wise today, lots of Hoopoes again around this area, lovely birds to watch, but also a Cattle Egret fishing on the shoreline and the highlight was a flock of about 100 White Cranes flew right over our hotel, some images attached, not very good as taken with my mobile phone again.

Chris, your Cattle Egret is actually a Western Reef Heron, very nice! And, despite the distance from which you photographed them making the identification difficult, the flock of birds flying over your hotel look more like White Pelican than Crane to me….

 

[ChrisMc1957]

Chris, your Cattle Egret is actually a Western Reef Heron, very nice! And, despite the distance from which you photographed them making the identification difficult, the flock of birds flying over your hotel look more like White Pelican than Crane to me….

Hi Richard,

Thanks for the information, you are probably right with the Western Reef Heron as I had never seen one before and automatically thought it was a Cattle Egret, the White Pelican I will have to look in to a bit more, but thanks for the advise anyway.