Bird watching Fayoum’s bird watching experience

Fayoum’s bird watching experience 

Known to be one of the best destinations in Egypt for bird watching, Fayoum is home to some of the most beautiful migratory birds! Here you’ll find Grebes, coots, ducks and shorebirds. Different types of birds can be found all across Fayoum at Qarun Lake, Wadi Rayyan, and in the Green fields too! 

There are variety of birds to discover in Fayoum all year round. However, October until the end of April is known as the season of birds in Fayoum with over 30 species flocking to the oasis during that time

Get lost in the true wonders of nature in this one-of-a-kind experience with Ahmed, the local bird watching expert! .Known to be one of the best destinations in Egypt for bird watching, Fayoum is home to some of the most beautiful migratory birds! Here you’ll find Grebes, coots, ducks and shorebirds.

Different types of birds can be found all across Fayoum at Qarun Lake, Wadi Rayyan, and in the Green fields too! Get lost in the true wonders of nature in this one-of-a-kind experience with Ahmed, the local bird watching expert! .

Internationally Important Bird Site

In 1999, Bird Life, an international federation for the conservation of bird species and their habitats, recognized the international importance of the Lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan for bird conservation by including it on its list of Important Bird Areas IBA (Baha el Din, 1999). The latter are defined as places of international significance for the conservation of birds at the global, regional or sub-regional level. Lake Qarun is part of a Ramsar wetland sites and a Specially Protected Area, under the Barcelona Convention, in Egypt and internationally renowned for its wintering waterfowl. More than 213 of resident and migratory bird species have been identified in Fayoum.

During the spring and autumn, a remarkable diversity of birds migrates along Fayoum’s lakes. This migratory corridor represents a critically important primary route for birds traveling between the northern and southern hemispheres. Large numbers of birds travel between Europe and Africa. International recognition of the importance of this flyway has been established by Bird Life International, which has defined 34 “Important Bird Areas” in Egypt.

Blue-cheeked bee-eater

Fayoum wetlands, specially Lake Qarun has been described as a wintering area of international importance for breeding, passing and over wintering migrating water birds. Nearly 214 bird species have been recorded in the Fayoum area, three quarter of these are migratory. Bird populations have been declining since the beginning of this century. The main reasons are illegal falconry and hunting. In 1989, a prime ministerial decree made the areas of Lake Qarun and Wadi El-Rayan as nature protectorates.

Most of the locally breeding birds of Fayoum’s desert are confined to, or dependent on, this oasis. Birds typical of this habitat are Pharaoh’s eagle owl and the Palm dove, the Olivaceous warbler Hippolais pallida, the Southern grey shrike Lanius meridionalis, the Hoopoe lark and the Rufous bush robin Cerotrichas galactotes, a summer visitor. Jackals and hares are moderately common. Though rarely seen, the Desert monitor Varanus griseus is a fairly common diurnal predator that roams widely in the springs area. This habitat is a prime location for bird and animal watching with strict regulations.

Birding, riding, biking, and hiking

Fayoum has good bird life. Because Fayoum is comprised of varied habitat-types and is protected by strict regulations, birding in Fayoum is very special. The migration of shore birds is unrivaled in all of Egypt. Raptors, songbirds, and water fowl are prominent among the bird species of the Governorate. 

The construction of bird watching nature trails, observation hides and observation platforms can help to enhance the birding industry in Fayoum. There is a need to develop these types of facilities by promoting this development on non-profit and protected owned lands; the birding theme is one that can be easily and effectively marketed.

The Golden Horn Island Fayoum

The Golden Horn Island of the Lake Qarun has been declared as a core of the protected areas. The island is in the middle of the lake, about five kilometers from the shore. The island has a long sandy beach. Being acceptably protected from predators, the island is a haven for breeding seabirds, and is a resting and feeding post for winter visitors and passage migrants.

The Island is known for its globally significant breeding population of splender-billed Gull. Accordingly, visits to the island are not permitted during the breeding season, between April and August. The island, along withal of Lake Qarun has been classified as an "Important Bird Area” by Bird Life International and similarly renowned environmental organizations.

Large numbers of wading birds, shorebirds, waterfowl, and other water birds both resident and migratory are attracted to these areas. The mud flats are important habitat for a variety of birds and breeding areas for commercially important fishes and crustacean. The shelter areas, reed beds and mudflats areas in Fayoum include:

• The eastern and southeastern tips of the Lake Qarun

• The area of Raas Abu Neema and Botnet Hafez in the south middle section of Lake Qarun 

• The shallow areas and reed beds of Wadi El Rayan, south of the lower and upper lakes 

• The sheltered areas and salt pans of the north shore of Lake Quarun especially on the western tip of the lake at Um Zalat.

FAYOUM BIRD WATCHING TRIP

The Fayoum has more than 214 species of birds, 11 of them are globally threatened species. Because of the varied habitat-types that the Fayoum comprises of as also of the strict protection accorded to them birding in Fayoum is very special.

Birding program birders will explore different habitat such as marshes, mudflat, reed bed, farmland, open water and water edge, desert areas and towns. The open water, mudflats, the protected embayment, sheltered areas, and the reed beds thickets of the Lake shore of lake Qarun and Wadi El Rayan are inhabited by numerous of water birds, wading birds, shorebirds, and waterfowl including species of grebes, ducks, Bittern, Ibis, Harriers , Warblers, gulls, terns, plovers… etc. The bird species are both resident and migratory include Lesser Crane Water Rail, Spotted Crake, Moorhen, Purple Gallinule, Painted Snipe, Black-winged Stilt, Avocet, Stone Curlew, Little Ringed Plover, Ringed lover, Kittlitz's Plover, Kentish Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Golden Plover, Knot, Dunlin, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Broad-billied Sandpiper Ruff, Jack Snipe, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Whimbrel, Greenshank, Green andpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Spotted Redshank, Redshank Common Sandpiper, Turnstone, Red-necked Phalarope, Black-headed Gull, Gull-billed Tern, White-winged Black Tern, Whiskered Tern, Black Marsh Tern, Little Tern, Yellow Wagtail, Reed Warbler, Clamorous Reed Warbler, Moustached Warbler, Great Reed Warbler, Whinchat, Blue Throat, Streaked eaver among others.

The Lake Quarun is surrounded from south by miles of farmland, making it a great migrant trap. Birders never know what they'll find here on a given day. Breeding species include Black-shouldered Kite, Turtle and Palm dove, Barn and Little Owl, Little Green Bee-eater, Hoopoe, Swallow, Yellow Wagtail, Common Bulbul, Rufous Bush Robin, Mourning Wheatear, Fan-tailed Warbler, Graceful Warbler, Olivaceous Warbler, Great Grey Shrike, Hooded Crow, House Sparrow, Avadavat, and Goldfinch. Painted snipe have been found in many areas of the cultivated land especially at Abuksa Bay where both common and Jack snipe have been found. Senegal coucal is also here and enjoys the heavily-vegetated canal systems running back into the Fayoum. Herons are found here and little bittern with cattle egrets which use inland trees for nests.

BIRD WATCHING TRIP IN TUNIS

The farmlands and Lake tracks around Tunis offer a good walk chance to explore birds of the Egyptian countryside. This is an excellent location for seeing a wide variety of waterbirds and many migrating birds that come to Lake Qaroun in winter time.

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