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eturn to the temple to attend the Sound and Light Show, a high tech extravaganza where we might catch a glimpse of an Egyptian Nightjar hawking insects in the lights. Days 5 to 8 After some optional local pre-breakfast birding we drive north through the Western Desert to Aswan. Upon arrival in Aswan we will check onto the cruise ship where we stay for four nights. Later, we take a boat around the First Cataract Islands. Sailing on the Nile is a relaxing way to end the day, watching birds flying to roost while the sun sets. Early next morning we take a tour of the Granite Quarries where we will see the Unfinished Obelisk, followed by a brief visit to the massive Aswan High Dam. Then we will take a motorboat to the enchanting Temple of Philae, located on an island between the Old and New Dams. This Ptolemaic Temple is considered one of the most beautiful in Egypt. We return to the cruise boat for lunch, and begin our cruise down the Nile, watching birds from the comfort of the deck of the ship as we float past farmlands, islands, reed beds, towns and villages. We will see resident waterbirds such as Pied Kingfisher, Purple Swamphen and Senegal Thickknee and winter visitors including grebes, ducks, gulls, terns, herons and waders. Barbary Falcon is an uncommon resident, while wintering raptors may include Western Marsh Harrier, Osprey, Longlegged Buzzard and Greater Spotted Eagle. In the afternoon we visit Kom Ombo Temple, the only temple dedicated to two Gods, Sobek, the Crocodile God and Horus, the Falcon God. The next morning we visit Edfu Temple, which is dedicated to Horus, the Falcon God – a favourite of birders! In the afternoon we continue to cruise down river, birding en route. There will be rafts of ducks on the open water and waders and herons along the shore, while terns such as Whiskered and White-winged will fly past. We scan the Nile for wintering specialities, such as Ferruginous Duck, White-tailed Plover and Glossy Ibis. In the midafternoon we reach the city of Essna, where we will join the queue to cross the lock. In the evening we will visit the Temple of Luxor, which is magical when lit at night. Early next morning we visit the West Bank and see the beautifully painted tombs of the Valley of the Kings and Queens, as well as the impressive Temple of Queen Hapshepsut and the Colossi of Memmon. In the afternoon we return to the West Bank and have a guided tour of Karnak Temple, a marvel of Ancient Egyptian engineering with its huge pillars and obelisks. Day 9 We disembark from the ship and spend the day at Crocodile Island, one of Upper Egypt’s great birding sites. A wide variety of birds can be found in the lush gardens, farmlands and reed beds around the island, including residents, such as Nile Valley Sunbird, Green Bee-eater and Egyptian Yellow Wagtail and winter visitors like Bluethroat, Red-throated Pipit and Sardinian Warbler. We will have a delicious lunch at the Crocodile Island hotel followed by further birding until we depart for the airport and our flight back to Cairo. Upon arrival we transfer to a hotel near the airport. Day 10 We can spend a more relaxing day visiting the Citadel, the Mohammad Ali Mosque and the centre of the city’s market area, Khan El Khalili, where we thread our way through the narrow alleyways, passing small shops filled with ornaments, leatherwork and jewellery, until we reach a restaurant for lunch. Later, we return to the hotel where we can birdwatch in the hotel’s grounds. Day 11 In the early morning we travel east through the Eastern Desert to the coast of the Gulf of Suez. We bird en route, looking for desert species, such as Hoopoe and Desert Larks, Mourning Wheatear, Brown-necked Raven, Scrub Warbler and wintering Spectacled Warbler. At Ain Sukhna we will have the opportunity to look for Red Sea birds, such as White-eyed Gull and Lesser Crested Tern. At midday we drive north to Suez, an industrial port at the head of the Gulf. Here there will be more gulls and another chance to see Red Sea birds, including Western Reef- Heron. We visit the Suez Canal, a modern engineering wonder, where we can watch Indian House Crows in the gardens and seabirds flying along the canal. In the late afternoon we return to our hotel in Cairo for a farewell dinner. Day 12 We visit the rural Eastern Delta area to the northeast of Cairo, where we should see White-throated Kingfisher, a Middle Eastern and Asiatic species, whose African distribution is limited to the Cairo area. We hope also to find some of the other local specialities including Senegal Coucal and perhaps Painted Snipe. We return to our hotel for lunch prior to transferring to the airport and our flight back to London. Tutankhamun’s mask Outline Itinerary Day 1 Fly to Cairo and transfer to Giza Day 2 Giza Day 3 Cairo Day 4 Abu Simbel Days 5-8 Nile cruise Aswan – Luxor Days 9-11 Cairo Day 12 Depart Cairo Party Size Maximum of 12 clients. Accommodation Good quality accommodation in twin/double and single rooms, with private facilities. Transport By private coach and boat. Includes All flights, meals, accommodation, transport, entry fees, services of the leaders, airport taxes and tips. Gradings Good 130 Hot E GY P T Low Special Moderate Good Easy Scheduled Crowned Sandgrouse River Nile and Felucca To make a booking please call Ornitholidays on 01794 519445 61
M O R O C C O Morocco High Atlas & Sahara Tuesday 08 April – Thursday 17 April 2014 Leaders: David Walsh and local guides 2014 Cost £1,899 single room supplement £120 Marrakech Ourika Valley Casablanca Ouarzazate Boumalne du Dadès Merzouga MOROCCO orocco is just a short flight from the UK but has birds, culture and scenery which M seem a world away! Our spring tour focuses on the mountains and deserts of inland Morocco, avoiding the long drives to and from the coast, and as such it provides a perfect complement to our annual autumn trip based in Agadir. April is an excellent time to visit the country, as we will not only see a superb array of sought-after resident species, but also a range of migrants heading north from sub-Saharan Africa to Europe. The variety of scenery on this trip is truly awe-inspiring! During our stay we will visit a wide range of habitats: high mountains, inland lakes, pine forests, spectacular gorges, stony desert and, perhaps most exciting of all, breathtaking sand dunes on the very edge of the Sahara. We hope to see some real specialities including Crimson-winged Finch, Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Pharaoh Eagle Owl, Egyptian Nightjar, Spotted Sandgrouse, Desert Sparrow, African Desert Warbler, Cream-coloured Courser, Fulvous Babbler, Moussier’s Redstart and several wheatears and larks. Ornitholidays has now visited this country over 25 times, and the tour will be led by David Walsh who has been to Morocco on more than a dozen occasions. ITINERARY Days 1 & 2 We fly from London direct to Marrakech where we meet our driver and transfer to our hotel in the Ourika Valley where we stay for two nights. From the hotel terrace we have a grandstand view towards the Atlas Mountains and we are likely to see Little Swift, Red-rumped Swallow, Sardinian Warbler, House Bunting, Common Bulbul, African Blue Tit and perhaps even a Hawfinch. The distinctive North African race of Common Chaffinch is common in the valley, whilst the songs of Common Nightingale and European Serin will become very familiar sounds. The following day we head for the alpine area around the ski resort of Oukaimeden, marvelling at the superb mountain scenery with its snowcovered peaks. Here we hope to find Crimson-winged Finch, Horned Lark, Common Rock Sparrow, and the recently split Seebohm’s Wheatear. Large flocks of Alpine and Red-billed Choughs frequent the area, whilst other likely species for us to enjoy include Black Redstart, Black Wheatear, Blue Rock Thrush, Water Pipit and White-throated Dipper. After the first of many fine tagine lunches, we will drift down to an area of orchards and woodland hoping to find Common Crossbill, Firecrest and Rock Bunting alongside Levaillant’s Green Woodpecker and Moussier’s Redstart, two species endemic to the Maghreb region (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Moroccan Orange Tip and Scarce Swallowtail are among the butterfly possibilities. Day 3 This morning we have another chance to see the special birds of the Ourika Valley before crossing an area of plains south-east of Marrakech. We then head south-east, travelling uphill through some of the most spectacular landscapes in Morocco. Our route takes us over the Tizi-n- Tichka Pass at around 2,260m. By the roadside, boys attend stalls crowded with gems and fossils, products of the local mountainsides and valleys. Our journey should provide opportunities to view Common Raven, Thekla Lark, Barbary Partridge, migrant European Bee-eaters and Woodchat Shrikes and several raptors, including perhaps Booted and Short-toed Eagles. Tristram’s Warbler favours the stunted vegetation of the dry slopes and we will search for it, but it can sometimes be a difficult species to locate. From the dizzy heights of the High Atlas, we drop down into the fertile oasis around Ouarzazate and to our hotel, around which we might find flocks of White Storks and Cattle Egrets. Days 4 & 5 To the east of Ouarzazate lies the Mansour Lake, a magnet for both resident and migrant species including Ruddy Shelduck, Eurasian Spoonbill, Purple Heron and both Gull-billed and Black Terns. The Saharan race of Eastern Olivaceous Warbler breeds here, whilst we have our first chance of seeing Fulvous Babbler, the colourful Blue-cheeked Bee-eater and the long-billed race of Crested Lark. After spending much of the morning around the lake, our journey will continue eastwards along the picturesque Dadès valley, aptly named both the ‘Valley of a thousand Kasbahs’ and the ‘Valley of Roses’: the beautiful pink roses are harvested annually to make scented rose water. We should start to notice smart White-crowned Wheatears along the way and have our first opportunity to locate the elusive Maghreb Wheatear, a recent split from Mourning. After lunch in shade by the river, we reach our impressive hotel in Boumalne, our base for the next two nights, where Moroccans dressed in local costume may well serenade us on arrival! The following morning should be one of the most exciting of the trip! We make an early start for the short drive to the arid plain to the south-east of the town, the “Tagdilt Track”. Species to be anticipated include Great Grey Shrike of the Lanner Falcon 62 For a previous tour report or further information please call: 01794 519445
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ORNITHOLIDAYS 2014 49 Our Forty-Nin
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49 Our Forty-Ninth Year ORNITHOLIDA
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I S O R N I T H O L I D AY S R I G
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L AT E 2 0 1 3 T O U R S Summary of
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T O U R G R A D I N G Tour Grading
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G R E E N TA X E S A N D C A R B O
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Page 25 and 26: M E X I C O Mexico Western Mexican
Page 27 and 28: C O S TA R I C A Costa Rica Classic
Page 29 and 30: C U B A Cuba Endemic Birds & Winter
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Page 35 and 36: G U YA N A Guyana Rainforests, Wate
Page 37 and 38: C O LO M B I A Colombia Birding’s
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Page 45 and 46: Waterhole at Etosha, Namibia
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Page 53 and 54: G H A N A Ghana In search of Picath
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Page 57 and 58: U G A N D A Uganda Birds & Primates
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Page 61 and 62: T H E G A M B I A The Gambia A Tast
Page 63: E GY P T Egypt Birds & History Frid
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Page 71 and 72: J O R D A N Jordan Birds & History
Page 73 and 74: K U W A I T Kuwait Birding in the G
Page 75 and 76: I N D I A India - Goa Birds, Beache
Page 77 and 78: S R I L A N K A Sri Lanka Teardrop
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Page 83 and 84: B H U TA N Bhutan Birds & Buddhism
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S PA I N Spain - Tarifa & Coto Doñ
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S PA I N Spain - Aragon Cranes, Lam
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P O R T U G A L Portugal at Leisure
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P O R T U G A L Portugal at Leisure
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I TA LY - S I C I LY Italy - Sicily
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I TA LY Italy Po Delta Po Delta Pal
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I TA LY Italy at Leisure Birds & Wi
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F R A N C E France - Wallcreeper To
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F R A N C E France - The Camargue,
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N E T H E R L A N D S Netherlands W
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I C E L A N D Iceland Winter Wonder
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I C E L A N D Iceland Land of Ice &
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T U R K E Y Turkey Turkish Delight
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B E L A R U S Belarus Europe’s La
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F I N L A N D Finland Owls, Woodpec
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H U N G A R Y Hungary Spring Tour S
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H U N G A R Y Hungary at Leisure Cr
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R O M A N I A Romania Danube Delta
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B U L G A R I A Bulgaria at Leisure
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O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S Our
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O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S Blu
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C A L E N D A R Calendar 2014 JANUA
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C O N D I T I O N S O F B O O K I N
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C O N D I T I O N S O F B O O K I N
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ORNITHOLIDAYS 29 Straight Mile Roms
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