19th January arrived at cruise board Semiramis 2; good boat, food and accommodation. Took the cruise to see ancient Egypt but wasn't going to miss the chance of a bird now and then. Ship sailed after two nights in Luxor seeing the sites, but even here you have reasonable birds.. Black Kite, herons and egrets, ibis, Brown-necked Raven, Trumpeter Finch etc. Day 3 saw us set sail for Edfu and the birds are all over from the cruise boat. Not vast numbers of species but good birds, plentiful and for the most part good views. Terns are very numerous, as are Moorhen, Purple Swamphen and most of the heron/egret species are there. I was surprised at the lack of wader numbers though. After an overnight at Edfu and a trip out it was back on board and off to Komombo where we had another trip out. Day four was spent at Aswan and its temples etc, Philae temple, Kitcheners Island, Elephant Island areas. Next day a desert drive of 7 hours to see Abu Simbel. Desert was empty of any birds apart from one Saker Falcon but Abu Simbel produced a couple of good birds. The next two days were spent slowly retracing the route back to Luxor but with no stops.
Cormorant - common most of Nile
Night heron - 2 seen on Elephant Island,2 on way to airport, drainage dyke
Mangrove heron - numerous around Elephant Island and in drainage dykes
Cattle egret - common
Little egret - common
Squacco heron - fairly common you just have to look harder for them
Great egret - 3 Luxor to Edfu - none seen further up river
Grey heron - very common
Purple heron - numerous
White stork - 12 Abu Simbel
Glossy ibis - small groups seen daylight hours, larger groups at dusk off to roost
Spoonbill - several small groups on river totalling approx 40 birds
Egyptian goose - numerous all areas of river
Mallard - common
Shoveler - common
Wigeon - common
Teal - only 2 birds
Ferruginous duck - several large groups 150-200 birds in total
Tufted duck -numerous
Osprey - 1 bird only at Aswan
Black kite - numerous seen every day always seemed to be in view
Marsh harrier - 10-15 birds Edfu-Aswan
Black-winged kite - seen most days 10+
Kestrel - 20+ birds
Saker falcon - 2 birds 1 in desert and 1 at Aswan on main water tower
Moorhen - common
Coot - only 3 large rafts seen 3-400 birds
Purple swamp-hen - seen every day sometimes 30-40 birds at a time
Black-winged stilt - common
Senegal thick-knee - 8-10 birds elephant island 2 birds crossing river Luxor
Ringed plover - 5
Spur-winged plover - numerous
Dunlin - few
Greenshank - 1
Black-tailed godwit - 100+, commonest wader on river
Snipe - 1
Ruff - 3
Black-headed gull - 100s commonest gull on river
Slender-billed gull - 4 at Luxor and odd ones seen up to lock at Edfu
Pallas`s gull - 1 bird on sand bar with black-headed gulls moulting into summer plumage only large gull seen on trip between Edfu and Komombo.
Little gull - numerous-between Luxor and Edfu lock
Little tern - 3
Gull-billed tern - 20+
Common tern - numerous
Black tern - 10+
White-winged tern - 6
Whiskered tern - commonest marsh tern seen 100+
Rock dove - 20+ Valley of the Kings
Laughing dove - common
Pallid swift - 1000s
Hoopoe - 10+
Pied kingfisher - common
Blue-cheeked bee-eater - 2 Edfu temple
Crested lark - 2 on roadside Kollossi of Menmon
Rock martin - common at most sites also on river round villages etc
Barn swallow - common only 2 of european race seen - all others middle east type
Pied wagtail - common
Yellow wagtail - 10+ thunbergi at Luxor
Common bulbul - numerous
Hooded wheatear - 1 Valley of the Kings - 1st year bird
White-crowned wheatear - 1 Aswan; 2 Abu Simbel; 1 high dam
Sardinian warbler - 1 Philae temple
Graceful prinia - 5 Abu Simbel
Zitting cisticola - 1
Olivaceous warbler - 1 Abu Simbel
Willow warbler - 1 Philae temple
Nile valley sunbird - 5+ all birds were seen on Kitchener Island
Hooded crow - common
Brown-necked raven -2 Carnak temple/4+Valley of the Kings
House sparrow - common
Chaffinch - 2 at Philae temple
Trumpeter finch - several groups at Valley of the Kings/Queens
Common waxbills - 10+ Luxor around cultivations