Looking for nightjars and sandgrouse – Abu Arish waste water treatment Ponds
We spent the late afternoon of 5 April until after
dusk birding the Waste Water Treatment Ponds with the best area the bushy
hinterland and basalt plain area near the last and cleanest lake and the small
stream runoff areas. There is extensive vegetation in these areas and many bird
species can be found. There is, however, a significant issue with this location
now and that is it is being destroyed by a quarrying operation with much of the
surrounding area already destroyed and large amounts of dust from the operation
covering much of the vegetation. The pools still remain and had three Northern
Shoveller, two Eurasian Teal, 30+ Glossy Ibis, 100+ Western Cattle Egret and five
Squacco Herons. Waders included 20+ Black-winged Stilts, one Common Sandpiper
and one Green Sandpiper with other water birds being 10+ Whiskered Terns,
Temminck’s Stint, Little Stint, Common Greenshank. The vegetated areas had White-browed
Coucal, 15+ Ruppell’s Weaver, ten Arabian Babblers, three White-spectacled
Bulbuls, Barred Warbler, several Nile Valley Sunbirds and three Black Bush
Robins. Whilst searching the tall vegetation we flushed several sandgrouse that
appeared to be Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse but they disappeared before positive
identification could be made. This was a pleasant surprise as the area does nt
very suitable for the species now the quarrying is in full swing. We stayed at
the site until dusk looking for Nubian Nightjar and as soon as dusk approached
we had a single Nubian Nightjar by the side of the road. As it got dark, a
number (six?) of Nubian Nightjars started calling and over the next hour or so
we managed to spotlight another five birds either on the road, the basalt hillside
or under vegetation near the road.
 |
| Glossy Ibis |
 |
| Nile Valley Sunbird |
 |
| Nile Valley Sunbird |
