FYI -see further below. Feel free to contact Mary Megalli directly
From: Loraiza Davies
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 2:08 PM
To: DIST: Nairobi Office Based Staff; DIST: Africa Region BirdLife Staff; DIST: Middle East Region BirdLife Staff; DIST: Amman Office Based Staff
Cc: mary.megalli@gmail.com
Subject: Raptor Survey In Africa
Importance: High
Sent: Wednesday, January 04, 2012 2:08 PM
To: DIST: Nairobi Office Based Staff; DIST: Africa Region BirdLife Staff; DIST: Middle East Region BirdLife Staff; DIST: Amman Office Based Staff
Cc: mary.megalli@gmail.com
Subject: Raptor Survey In Africa
Importance: High
Dear All
This email is to let you know of The Migration Raptor Survey that is being coordinated by Mary Megalli from Egypt. Please read details bellow in her letter of invitation and get in touch with her if you are interests/qualified to participate. She already has all countries in Europe represented but has not got the same for Africa and the Middle East, so she is very keen to be joined by someone from those regions.
Best wishes to all and Happy New Year!!
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dear Partners
I am planning a spring migration raptor survey at “Ayn Sokhna,” Red Sea coast, Egypt, to be conducted daily from 1 March through 2 May 2, 9 weeks. A review of published literature on raptor migration in Egypt shows that there has never been a survey made from this location for this length of time, nor on a consecutive daily basis. Extrapolations, “streams,” and anything but DAILY coverage is not a substitute. The only comparable study is that of Wimpfheimer (survey 1982, pub. 1983, from sites around Suez, 60 kms N that are no longer accessible or convenient), which is sufficiently dated to make a survey in 2012 of value as a baseline for upcoming raptor conservation activities.
This survey is entirely a personal effort, and has no connections to any governmental or non-governmental agency. The location, and the activity, has never involved “permits” of any kind.
At least 8 “good Observers” (hopefully 16), preferably skilled in raptor ID and counting, will be invited to take part, preferably not overlapping in time, and each will be asked to be responsible for the survey for 7 days in a row. If necessary, an Observer might split this time, but preferably with a traveling companion Observer who would stay for about the same period. Every effort will be made to have a second (perhaps a third) observer present every day, to help the Observer and to gain experience and training. There are several keen new birders in Egypt, Rangers in the Protected Areas, who can be of help, and who will learn a lot – hopefully, a valuable contribution to ornithology in Egypt!
[Dec. 26: things are moving toward the likelihood of having TWO “Good Observers” for each week, so we are more assured of having enough people to be able to take breaks during the 7 hours, and also visit the nearby Ayn Sokhna marsh area.]
Accomodations:
I can fetch visitors from Cairo Airport any time of night or day (though a daytime arrival is highly preferable! It is 2.5-3 hrs from Cairo Airport to my home. I am finding out if visitors can buy a “sim” card for his/her telephone at Cairo Airport, but with weather uncertainties in winter, it would be preferable if travelers can telephone me last minute information on flight arrival times.
Observers are invited to stay in my home, 24 kms south of the observation site, on the sea. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, and everything else. I will have 2 cars at my disposal, which anyone can drive over these 24 kms. We will have breakfast at home, take a lunch or buy something at the site (a cafeteria), have dinner at home, or go to one of the 3 good restaurants within 2 km distance.
There will be no cost to an Observer other than the airplane ticket to reach Egypt, visa (bought at the airport upon arrival, approx. $15), meals at restaurants, and a “kitty” if they wish to contribute to other meals and gasoline. Observers, of course, should have their own binoculars (10x at least); a ‘scope will be welcome. If one of 21,000 Storks (or 17,000 Lesser Spotted Eagles) feels, “Oh, they’re looking at us again!”) -- it will be worth sitting on a chair 7 days in a row. The site is right on the sea, good for a swim break!
The observation days will be:
8:30 at the observation site, 20 min. from home, until 3pm (or more, if birds are still being seen past 2:30pm). The cafeteria site is a 1st floor rooftop, covered, as far back from the highway as possible. Back home, a nap (the day is long then, weather is fine, if tiring, staring into the post-meridien sunny sky), a swim, dinner, and registering the day’s statistics.
All the other business about one’s trip to Egypt can be worked out individually, depending upon the Observer’s timing and desires. Birding areas in other areas, bus transportation possibilities, economical hotels, etc., are all well known!
We hope you can contribute to this effort. The resulting publication will acknowledge all observers.
Please respond to the attached schedule to register your preferred time period, give your preferred email address for correspondence, and ask any questions. At this time, not all volunteers have really nailed down their preferred observation dates, so I will be communicating frequently with all of you to keep you up to date on scheduling. Overlapping “presences,” fore or aft, may mean 4 visitors in the house, which will mean 2 people in one of the bedrooms, but is ok with me.
01-07 March [this period has one person]
08-14 March [this period possibly has two people]
15-21 March
22-28 March [this may have one person]
29 Mar – 4 April [this period has one person]
05-11 April [this period has one person]
12-18 April
19-25 April
26 Apr – May 2 [this period has two people]
Mary Megalli
mary.megalli@gmail.com
mary.megalli@gmail.com
01224703613