By Cole Watkins
Cole is the Director of Advertising & Promoting of Aggressor Adventures, and on this put up, describes his experiences in becoming a member of a tour on the Nile Queen II run by his firm.
The Nile is called the river of Egypt’s previous, however it’s also very a lot alive within the current. On a current six-day journey from Luxor to Aswan, I spent as a lot time with binoculars as I did with guidebooks, watching the riverbanks and skies for birds that make this valley their house.
Massive waterbirds have been a relentless presence. Egyptian Geese usually stood watch on the banks, their darkish eye patches simple to pick. Sacred Ibises foraged within the shallows, frequent right here regardless of their historic status. Each Nice White and Pink-backed Pelicans appeared occasionally, wheeling above the river or resting on sandbars.
Egyptian Goose
Not all of the birds have been so conspicuous. The small however sensible Nile Valley Sunbird was a spotlight — males flashing blue and yellow as they darted amongst flowering shrubs. One other shock was a Higher Painted-snipe slipping quietly by way of reeds. With the feminine extra brightly marked than the male, and the male taking the position of incubator, this fowl’s habits is as uncommon as its look.
Nile Valley Sunbird
The habitats alongside the Nile are assorted: reedbeds and papyrus stands shelter warblers and kingfishers; open fields and canals attract plovers, wagtails, and sandpipers. Raptors additionally use the river valley as a pure flyway, and on good days, kites and eagles could be seen circling on the thermals.
Black Kite
Birding on the Nile usually occurs in opposition to the backdrop of temples and tombs. At Kom Ombo, Pied Kingfishers hovered over the water as guests explored the ruins. Within the Valley of the Kings, swifts screamed overhead. The combo of human and pure historical past is tough to disregard, and it makes birding right here distinctive.
Chosen Birds Noticed (some from a floating cover used to get nearer to the birds)
- Egyptian Goose
- Sacred Ibis
- Nile Valley Sunbird
- Higher Painted-snipe
- Pelicans (Nice White and Pink-backed)
- Egrets (Little and Cattle)
- Pied Kingfisher
- Sandpipers and plovers
- Migratory raptors
By the point the boat reached Aswan, my notes held not simply lists of species however sketches of habits and locations. The Nile could also be most well-known for its monuments, however for a birder, the river provides one other form of file — one written in wings and migrations.
