Looking for some winter sunshine, we booked a week at the Baron Resort in Shark's Bay, Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. Lovely hotel, friendly people and good food, the weather, wall to wall sunshine and getting upto 35 degrees in the afternoon, a breeze, morning and evening to cool things down to 28ish !!! Air conditioning required in October !!!
Birdingwise the hotel was very slow, a flock of around 200 House Sparrow, Laughing Dove and a pair of Kestrel was about it. A strange one was a juvenile Moorhen pecking about on the lawns most days.
The rest were all flypasts over the beach, Osprey, Sooty Gull, Night Heron, Steppe Eagle and Steppe Buzzard.
We hired a car for a couple of days to get out to the local nature reserves, it wasn't easy, they don't like hiring cars on the Sinai, foriegners tend to get themselves kidnapped if not accompanied by locals, we have never had a problem, ok, the driving is more erratic than the UK, but if you just accept that there are no rules, and drive like dogems, it's fine, if sometimes a bit hairy !!!!
Monday saw us take a packed lunch to Nabq Reserve north of Sharm. After two road checks, one police, one army, we got there, it was only 20 minutes away !!!
Waders on the beaches where quite distant and as Jean wouldn't let me get any nearer, she'd heard about landmines !!! But I recognised Greenshank, Redshank, Grey Plover and Ringed Plover.
Star waders were Greater Sandplover, like a pale grey plover, and Kentish Plover with a lovely orange cap seen whilst we were eating our packed lunch.
Reef Heron, Grey Heron and 3 Spoonbill were in the edge of the mangroves, where a Kingfisher was hovering around the pools.
The famous wreck on the edge of the reef of the German merchant ship, the Maria Schroder, had 2 Osprey on the mast, and Curlew with some more plovers around the beach.
Another Osprey looked to be dining on the body of a Dugong !!!!
The desert around Nabq had Desert and Isabelline Wheatear, a flyby Rock Martin and a warbler I couldn't get a definitve id on , possibly a Chiffchaff.
On the way back we stopped to look round the centre of Naama Bay, aweful place !!!!
Tuesday we went to Ra Mohammad Reserve, famous for it's coral reefs and diving over them. There were lots of dive boats and swimmers on the beaches.
As we got to the Monolyths, Jean spotted a raptor duelling a crow across the nearby hillside. We sat watching for a good 10 minutes tryiny to identify it, my first impression was 'harrier' but Jean had the Collins Guide and tried to persuade me into an 'eagle'. Eventually we agreed on a Pallid Harier !!! A lifer !!!
The Mangroves didn't have any birds but lots of Fiddler Crab
The beaches out of reach of the divers added Blue Reef Heron, Dunlin, and Spur Winged Plover to more of the same waders from Nabq.
Isabelline Wheatear and While Crowned Wheatear added to the week's total.
Another Ospey watched us eat our lunch overlooking a beautiful deserted little bay.
All we needed was Sooty Falcon to round it off, did we, no, it was a Kestrel !!!
On the way home we stopped to look at the fascinating old market in Sharm, the sights and smells are somewhat the real Egypt.
A good, if hard 2 days, totalled 41 with 3 lifers, so that will do !!!! and a tan to go with it.
Birdingwise the hotel was very slow, a flock of around 200 House Sparrow, Laughing Dove and a pair of Kestrel was about it. A strange one was a juvenile Moorhen pecking about on the lawns most days.
The rest were all flypasts over the beach, Osprey, Sooty Gull, Night Heron, Steppe Eagle and Steppe Buzzard.
We hired a car for a couple of days to get out to the local nature reserves, it wasn't easy, they don't like hiring cars on the Sinai, foriegners tend to get themselves kidnapped if not accompanied by locals, we have never had a problem, ok, the driving is more erratic than the UK, but if you just accept that there are no rules, and drive like dogems, it's fine, if sometimes a bit hairy !!!!
Monday saw us take a packed lunch to Nabq Reserve north of Sharm. After two road checks, one police, one army, we got there, it was only 20 minutes away !!!
Waders on the beaches where quite distant and as Jean wouldn't let me get any nearer, she'd heard about landmines !!! But I recognised Greenshank, Redshank, Grey Plover and Ringed Plover.Star waders were Greater Sandplover, like a pale grey plover, and Kentish Plover with a lovely orange cap seen whilst we were eating our packed lunch.
Reef Heron, Grey Heron and 3 Spoonbill were in the edge of the mangroves, where a Kingfisher was hovering around the pools.
The famous wreck on the edge of the reef of the German merchant ship, the Maria Schroder, had 2 Osprey on the mast, and Curlew with some more plovers around the beach.
On the way back we stopped to look round the centre of Naama Bay, aweful place !!!!
Tuesday we went to Ra Mohammad Reserve, famous for it's coral reefs and diving over them. There were lots of dive boats and swimmers on the beaches.
As we got to the Monolyths, Jean spotted a raptor duelling a crow across the nearby hillside. We sat watching for a good 10 minutes tryiny to identify it, my first impression was 'harrier' but Jean had the Collins Guide and tried to persuade me into an 'eagle'. Eventually we agreed on a Pallid Harier !!! A lifer !!!
The Mangroves didn't have any birds but lots of Fiddler Crab
Another Ospey watched us eat our lunch overlooking a beautiful deserted little bay.
On the way home we stopped to look at the fascinating old market in Sharm, the sights and smells are somewhat the real Egypt.
A good, if hard 2 days, totalled 41 with 3 lifers, so that will do !!!! and a tan to go with it.
Is that should always problems occur between car rental companies and customers in Egypt? .
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