B is for Beautiful Bee-eaters

Not the best images, but I just wanted to announce their arrival – which for me marks the official start of springtime!  The European Bee-eater, Merops apiaster, flies through Egypt on spring and fall migration. I love waiting for these birds every spring and then alerting my father in Italy, who starts to keep an eye out for his first sighting of the beautiful bee-eaters, usually a few weeks later. The birds in the photos were spotted in Nuweiba, South Sinai yesterday afternoon and I also spotted one in Dahab later in the day. The bee-eaters are more abundant in Cairo so keep your eyes peeled – and listen for their distinctive trill!

B is for Biodiversity

If you have been wondering where I´ve been lately, I´d like to introduce you to Project Noah, my latest obsession!

Project Noah is a tool that nature lovers can use to explore and document wildlife and a technology platform research groups can use to harness the power of citizen scientists everywhere. The purpose of the project is to mobilize and inspire a new generation of nature lovers. It began as an experiment to see if we could build an app for people to share their nature sightings and has evolved into a powerful global movement for both amateurs and experts. The name “Noah” is an acronym that stands for networked organisms and habitats.

Basically, after signing in (with your Google account, Facebook, Yahoo, etc.), you can upload photos you take of the wildlife you spot. (Each entry is a ¨spotting¨.) There are fields of information you can enter – common name, scientific name, description, habitat, location, and notes. If you don´t know what that critter or flower is, simply click the ¨Help Me ID this Species¨ and other nature-loving and knowledgeable members will try and help. You can join others on different ¨Missions¨ and contribute your spottings to different themed groups. There´s ¨Butterflies and Moths of the World¨, ¨Nature in Yellow¨, and dozens more. You can even create your own mission! I have been working on adding photos to the Biodiversity in Egypt Mission, started by my nature-loving, image-shooting friend, Nicole B. So, if you´d like to learn more about the flora and fauna of Egypt, visit our mission page and view photos of the birds, lizards, butterflies, bees, snails, mammals, spiders, fish and more. Enjoy taking photos of nature? (There are apps for smartphones.) Join our mission and help others learn about the amazing biodiversity in Egypt. (Wouldn´t that be a fun class project?!)

Visit EgyptHeritage´s Egypt´s Biodiversity website to get a start on identifying the nature around you.

F is for Flies

Pesky flies! Not an uncommon complaint made by visitors to Egypt. But they can be quite fascinating to look at up close, like this little guy – a Common Green Bottle Fly (Lucilia sericata). He is one of several different species of flies found in Egypt.

W is for White-crowned Black Wheatears

Not the best capture, I realize, but it is not often I get to post under the letter ¨W¨! The White-crowned Black Wheatear (Oenanthe leucopyga) is only one of several different wheatear species found in Egypt – and one of the more common birds seen in Sinai. They are easily spotted as their little black-and-white bodies dart between rocks. In Sinai, you´ll also find the black-and-white Mourning Wheatears and Hooded Wheatears.

D is for Donkeys in the Desert

A couple of the donkeys we came across on a recent drive through the mountains of south Sinai ~ A few Bedouin women were at a nearby well, filling dozens of jerkins with the fresh water, which the donkeys (There were around 8 of them.) would later carry home to their encampment.

Many donkeys in (mainland) Egypt live a much more strenuous life. Check out The Donkey Sanctuary´s website and read about how they work to improve the living conditions donkeys in Egypt.

Donkeys and mules constitute a major part of the total animal population in Egypt, standing at over 3,000,000. They are used for everyday tasks, including carrying both goods and people. There are also hundreds of brick kilns in the areas where we work and each kiln has between 10-15 donkeys working on site.

Most donkeys we come across suffer with open wounds caused by poor harnessing. Foot problems are also common, along with eye infections and donkeys beaten by their owners. Our teams visit 11 villages and the brick kilns on a regular basis to offer free routine veterinary care and help owners improve the working conditions for their animals.

New Book from Habiba

About a year ago, I posted about my Arabic-speaking alter-ego Habiba. She´s embarrassed it has taken her this long, but she has finally uploaded a new book! The Flying Seed or البِذرة الطايرة follows the seed of the ‘ushaar plant (Dead Sea Apple Tree) as he jumps from his pod, flies through the village, and comes to rest in a nearby wadi, where – with the help of the sun and rain – he will complete his life cycle.

Visit Habiba´s web page to download FREE copies of this book in either Egyptian Arabic or Arabic and English.

You can download eBooks or printable versions, all PDFs.

C is for a Couple of Cute Camels

Yep, camels again. I just can´t resist pulling over to the side of the road and trying to capture their cute little faces. These two came right on over to be pictured up close. Their other family members, including a nursing mother and little one, decided to stay in the background, munching away on desert greens.

M is for the Marvellous Migration

Autumn is in the air – and so are the birds! It´s prime migration season right now and Egypt lies on one of the busiest flyways in the world. On a recent bird watching trip, a friend lent me a camera with an actual zoom lens so I could try to get some shots. We stopped near Wadi Mandar and also at the ¨Sharm Pools¨ – sewage treatment pools, that is, a popular hang out for all the migrating birds. Besides the obvious White Storks, we also saw ducks, cranes, plovers, and dozens of gorgeous raptors soaring above our heads. Unfortunately, I can´t be more specific than that. I also recently wrote a piece about migration for a local publication in Sharm el Sheikh, MIX Mag, and thought I´d share an excerpt here:

Every autumn thousands of White Storks (Ciconia ciconia) pass through Sharm as they migrate south to Africa for the winter. Like many other birds, storks migrate to find the best place for feeding, breeding, and raising their young. That usually means a journey of thousands of kilometers. When the days begin to get shorter, birds know it is time to start this journey. Their bodies start to produce different hormones and fat accumulates under their skin. This fat provides the energy they will need for all that flying. Most birds, storks included, migrate from their northern summer homes to the south in winter, but some birds breed in the south of Africa and migrate north in the winter. Others migrate east to west to take advantage of the milder coastal climates and several species migrate in altitude, living higher up in the mountains in the summer and spending the winter in lowlands. Scientists do not fully understand how birds migrate, but it is believed to be a combination of sight, smell, monitoring of magnetic fields, observation of the sun and stars, and following their friends. (Most birds migrate in flocks.)

White Storks are only one of many species of migratory birds that pass through Sinai. White Storks are large birds about 100 – 115 cm tall with a wingspan of 155 – 165 cm. They are completely white except for their black wing flight feathers and red bill and legs. Both male and females have the same plumage but males are generally larger. Young birds have black bills and yellowish-gray legs. Storks walk slowly and steadily and fly with their neck outstretched. Usually silent birds, storks will only make noise when annoyed when they will clatter their jaws together.

Storks migrate in large flocks, generally in groups of about 100 birds. Because of their long wings and large bodies, storks do not get very far by flapping their wings. Instead, they soar. The storks use warm air currents, called thermals, that form over land. Since these thermals rarely form over sea, storks choose a migration route that involves the shortest trip across water. Most birds coming from the north cross over the Bosporus, circle around the Mediterranean Sea and through the Middle East where they fly through eastern Sinai and cross the Red Sea near El Tor. Sharm el Sheikh is actually outside of the normal migration route, but many birds – especially the old, tired, sick, or injured ones – are lured to the city by the hotels’ green areas…and the garbage.

C is for Cuddly Cats!

Cats, cats, cats! They have been in Egypt since ancient times. Besides being useful in catching mice and other pests, cats were also worshipped by ancient Egyptians. They were believed to have magical powers and to provide protection. While cats may not be as honored today as they once were, visitors to modern Egypt will see a plethora of their descendants roaming the city streets. The cat above, however, is lucky to live in Dahab, where cats are still worshipped, in their own way. The cats roam freely in and out of all the restaurants and cafeterias along the shore, rubbing up against the legs of tourists, curling up in willing laps, and being fed delicious scraps of leftovers from the tourists’ meals. If this bothers you, waiters will provide you with a squirt bottle to keep the cats at bay until you clean your plate. They don´t bother me though. They are one of the joys of spending an afternoon on the shore. The kitten pictured here kept my husband and I company for two weeks at Bishbishi camp where we stayed while waiting to move into our house. And I love his pose – he looks just like any visitor to Dahab should after a day of playing in the sun!

If you´re an animal-lover and are interested in helping the animals of Egypt, check out these local organizations:

Egyptian Society for Mercy to Animals

Egyptian Society of Animal Friends

Egyptian Mau Rescue Organization

B is for Butterfly

And this little beauty is called a Grass Jewel (Chilades trochylus). At only 14 – 18 mm, she is one of the smallest butterflies in the world and lives mostly in arid regions. I snapped this shot on a hike through Wadi Arbaeen in St. Katherine´s Protectorate. The butterfly is resting on the leaves of a Sinai milkweed plant. Need help identifying the butterflies you see in Egypt? Check out Butterflies of Egypt: Atlas, Red Data Listing, & Conservation by Francis Gilbert and Samy Zalat.  Prepared for the Nature Conservation Sector of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA), this publication is available as a free PDF download.