19-26 Nov - a week at Luxor in Egypt, courtesy of Pulse magazine travel prize! A few days based by the Nile, excursions to see amazing temples and ancient sites, also lots of birds around the River Nile and islands, and adjacent irrigated farmland. Highlights included Crocodile Island, where I joined a boat trip one morning with local guide Abdul Youssef - birds here included Little Green Bee-eater, Nile Valley Sunbird, Marsh Sandpiper, many Herons of eight species, Little Crake, Glossy Ibis and Black-shouldered Kite. The marshy areas along the riverbanks held White-tailed Plover and Senegal Thick-knee as well as wintering palearctic waders such as Greenshank, Temminck's and Little Stints, Spotted Redshank and Ruff. Marsh Harriers and Black Kites hunted the riverbanks. Further south at Aswan and through the desert to Abu Simbel, African Pied Wagtail and White-crowned Black Wheatear were seen.
A fantastic place to combine birds and history, amazing to see carved temples 3-4,000 yrs old, and feel the ancient images of Egyptian life reflected in the Nile today and its waters giving life to the landscape.
Photos; Abu Simbel
Sunset on the Nile
Black-shouldered Kite
Philae temple
White-crowned Black Wheatear
Little Green Bee-eater
Glossy Ibis
Senegal Thick-knee
Little Egrets
Squacco Heron
Purple Heron
Pied Kingfisher
Crocodile Island, Luxor
Karnak temple
Rameses statue, Luxor
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