Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cr (status one on the Nile, 14 December 1991 . 
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo 16 flew north over the Nile, 2 May 1987 and one 
beside the 6th of October Bridge, 28 and 29 November 1987. 
Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides one flushed from the Nile river bank adjacent to 
the Marriott Hotel, 17 March 1987. 
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis many hundreds, sometimes thousands, overfly the area 
in the morning and evening on their way to and from the Giza Zoo colony/ roost 
with smaller flocks passing all day during the breeding season. Wind force and 
direction affect flight lines: 1,324 were counted flying south to roost on 10 May 
1989. Cattle Egrets rarely rest on the island, but are occasionally recorded 
pausing in riverside trees and feeding on the golf course. 
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea birds flying north over Zamalek include one on 25 
March 1987 and two on 11 April 1990. 
Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia eight flew north over the British International 
School, 27 April 1988. 
Black Kite Milvus migrans frequently one to three over GSC. 
Kestrel Falco tinnunculus frequently one or two over GSC; possibly breeding in 
the towers of the Marriott Hotel. 
Lanner Falco biarmicus one, 20 September 1986, seen from Zamalek soaring over 
Bulaq to the east of the island. 
Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus one, 1 May 1989, flew north over Zamalek. 
Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus one, 25 September 1989, over GSC was 
an unusually urban record. 
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus one, 27 April 1990, over Zamalek. 
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus one in spring. (Guy Kirwan) 
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis along the Nile, singles on 1 March 1990, in October 
1991, two, 14 December 1991 and one, 18 January 1992. These records are of 
wandering birds outside the breeding season. 
Kingfisher Akedo atthis one along the Nile, February 1991. 
Quail Coturnix coturnix singles at GSC, 29 October 1986 and 24 March 1988. 
Moorhen Gallinula chloropus regular in small numbers in aquatic vegetation 
along the Nile. 
Coot Fulica atra three on the Nile, 21 January 1987. 
Senegal Thick-knee Burhinus senegalensis resident breeder on roof-tops in 
Zamalak; heard after dark over urban areas and along the river, but seldom seen. 
Spur-winged Plover Hoplopterusspinosus one, 6 May 1987, GSC was an unusually 
urban record. 
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos one along the Nile, autumn 1990. 
Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus winter visitor present in large numbers on 
the Nile from early November to early May, the latest record being a sub-adult, 
8 May 1989. Birds move north along the river past the island each day at dusk 
during the winter months to roost at an as yet unknown site, probably on the Nile 
10km to the north of Cairo near the Barrages. 
Lesser black-backed Gull Larus fuscus one adult on the Nile, 13 May 1989; 
probably under-recorded. 
Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur three, 3 May 1989, at GSC. 
Palm Dove Streptopelia senegalensis common resident breeder throughout the 
island; at dusk on 30 December 1986, a roost of 314 assembled in riverside trees 
along the Nile just north on the 26th of July Bridge. These arrived mainly from the 
central Cairo district of Bulaq to the east. 
21 
