Hurghada Jan 23

One of my favourite countries.  Egypt - and it was great to visit again as well as see one a good friend in Cairo.  Based in Hurghada, the Bellagio Beach Hotel has a small tidal inlet that supports a number of waterbirds that come and go as the tides ebb and flow.  It was here that the majority of new species were seen which was quite convenient as there weren't many points along this stretch of coast that were easy to access.

Slender-billed gull were present constantly here in fluctuating numbers as were great crested tern a couple of caspian tern, a single sooty gull on a couple of evenings, and a pallas's gull that popped in for a couple of hours.

Two western reef heron (a pale phase and a dark phase) flew into the bay on the first day with the dark phase seen on subsequent days. A couple of striated heron were only seen on the first day at the hotel which was quite fortunate.

A fair selection of wader species would feed on the intertidal mud including many greater sand plover, kentish plover, ringed plover and the odd common redshank, curlew, whimbrel, greenshank, and a single common sandpiper.

The surprise of the trip occurred on a visit to the Sewage Works just outside of Hurghada. Pinned on eBird, it looked like an interesting site as sewage works tend to be.  What was unexpected was the continuing lesser white-fronted goose that had been present since November 2022 that had evaded my scant research.  It was associating with a large raft of Eurasian coot and appeared wary, content with the association of the large coot congregation.

The sewage works also supported waders with numbers of black-winged stilt, ruff, green sandpiper, a single wood sandpiper and plenty of spur-winged lapwing. Seven rock martin were present here.

The final birding excursion was to the El Gouna complex approximately 15 km north of the hotel. The 'Cannes' of the Red Sea coastal resorts, expensive yachts and the notable opulence were very much in evidence here.  Heading to the Golf Course, the Nile-Valley sunbird were zipping about the bright open flowers that surround the tees.

A few spur-winged lapwing were striding along the fairways.

The city of Hurghada is well worth the visit, a typically bustling middle-eastern city peppered with market stalls, lively thoroughfares, and plenty of small cafés to grab a local tea.  The Al Mina mosque was a prominent landmark.

 

A day-trip to Cairo to meet a friend was always going to include a trip to see the Pyramids. It was relatively quiet given the time of year but the 'queuing' system was a little chaotic.