We drove to the airport on the evening of 11th
October for our flight to Cairo. We were lucky in that our bags got
put through to our final destination Hurgada. Spent some time in the
lounge before boarding our Egypt Air Flight. Plane was modern & spacious
& the flight was uneventful arriving on time in Cairo the next morning.
We boarded our plane, but nothing happened! We
were stuck on the runway for two hours with a technical malfunction. Luckily
for us they kept the air conditioning going! We eventually got underway &
arrived the the very modern Hurgada Airport. We found our transport & were
soon on our way 327 kms south to our home for the next eight nights. The road
took us along the Red Sea coast through very arid & sparsely populated
areas. Managed to spot the odd Brown-necked Raven, but that was it!
Arriving at Marsha Shagra Village around
5pm. This is basically a famous dive resort. It is very barren & few birds
to be seen.
I was up early on 13th October
& walked from our chalet to the restaurant area. First bird I saw was a
migrant Common Cuckoo! A quick walk checking all available cover, revealed
nothing apart from an immature male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear. Wasn’t
feeling well, so retreated to the chalet for a lay down. In the afternoon did a
bit of a migration watch from the chalet (not feeling up to a walk). Saw a
White-eyed Gull fly by & a Steppe Eagle circling high & eventually
migrating south. Small numbers of Barn Swallows also flew south during the
afternoon.
I still wasn’t feeling well on the 14th
October, so confined myself to watching from the chalet. Eight European
Honey Buzzards passed south in a group, followed by an immature Steppe Eagle.
Later a pair of Barbary Falcon flew by. Five Northern Wheatears were on the
bare ground in front of our chalet.
In the evening, visited the Bedouin Tent for a
drink, before having a nice meal at the restaurant.
I enjoyed a good night’s rest but dawn on the 15th
saw me not very well at all. No energy & diahorhia has returned! Did a
short watch from the chalet which produced 5 Grey & a Purple Heron flying
south with 3 White Wagtails. Later in the morning two immature Lesser Spotted
Eagles & a Common House Martin flew south. A Northern Wheatear was just in
front of the chalet.
In the afternoon took a walk down the beach
photographing Western Reef Heron; Osprey; Common Ringed Plover & both
Greater & Lesser Sand Plover. We then went for a beer in the Bedouin tent
on the beach before going to the restaurant.
Up early on the 16th October
but not many birds around. The only species of note was a lone Northern
Wheatear. Shortly after I spotted another wheatear, which turned out to be an Isabelline (uncommon here apparently).
After breakfast did a short migration watch
from the chalet & saw a fine adult male Western Red-footed Falcon circling
& going slowly south. A few minutes later an immature Lesser Spotted Eagle
went south. Just as I was packing up a Whinchat flew in close to the chalet,
but it was soon on its way.
Didn’t do much in the afternoon as not feeling
great, but did spot a Cattle Egret along the coast.
On 17th October found a
migrant Common Redstart around our chalet. An early morning migration watch
revealed three immature Lesser Spotted Eagles drifting south; a Black Kite
& an adult Black-crowned Night Heron resting in a palm tree. Single Western
Yellow & White Wagtails flew south.
Along the coast were 3 Common Ringed Plovers; a
Greater Sand Plover; a Kentish Plover & a Little Stint. Single Sooty Gull
& a Great crested Tern rested on the rocks.
In the afternoon an immature Golden Eagle
drifted slowly south. A bit too far for distant photos but good views through
the scope.
An early morning walk to the restaurant on 18th
October produced three Sooty Gulls flying by, but little else of note.
However, on the way back to the chalet a couple of hours later 11 Northern
& an Eastern Black-eared Wheatear were on the gravel plain in front of our
chalet. The Common Redstart was still present around the chalet. Later in the
morning a pair of Bonelli’s Eagles flew by. Resident here, or migrants?
A walk down the shore produced singles of both
Lesser & Greater crested Terns; a Greater Sand Plover still present on the
rocks, together with a lone Common Ringed Plover. But little else.
The wind was still a strong north-west
direction on the morning of 19th October. Two Desert & a
Northern Wheatear were on the gravel plain. Two White Wagtails & a
Red-throated Pipit flew south. A Black Kite was noted, as was an immature
Caspian & an adult Sooty Gull.
A walk across the gravel plain early on 20th
October produced 5 Northern & a Desert Wheatear. It was then time to
pack & travel the 300+ kilometers to Fort Arabesque just south of
Hurgada. We arrived there mid-afternoon & settled into our room.
This is a huge resort, very modern & with
lots of facilities. It is very busy & very different from our time at Marsha
Shagra Village. Hooded Crows proved to be common in the resort. We enjoyed a
pleasant evening with great night-time views.
I took it very easy on the morning of 21st
October as I hadn’t been well the previous day. Spent my time working on my
blog & sorting photographs. Feeling better now. The only bird of note was a
White Stork which flew over the resort.
Conducted a short early morning birding walk around the resort on 22nd October. In this sterile habitat only seven species recorded! Best were a European Sparrowhawk flying south & a Lesser Whitethroat.
Feeling a little better on the morning of 23rd October (but still suffering from chronic fatigue). Went for a walk with Andrew to a wetland area close to the hotel. It was a little disappointing, as highly disturbed & very barren. We did manage to see a few birds though: 2 Caspian & a Great Crested Tern, Grey Heron & 2 Greater Sand Plovers. On the nearby desert were 7 Northern & a Desert Wheatear.
