Migration of Passerines through some Protected Areas in the Eastern Part of Egypt

Abstract

The fieldwork -catching and ringing birds using mist-nets -were conducted at several sites during both spring and autumn migration seasons in [2001][2002][2003][2004][2005][2006][2007][2008]. These sites were: Burullus Protected Area, Wadi El Rayan Protected Area, Hurghada, Sharm El Shiekh (Ras Mohamed National Park), Saluga and Ghazala Protected Area and Wadi El Gemal Protected Area. Altogether 21 site/seasons were covered (9 in spring and 12 autumn). In the most cases the work in a season lasted 1-2 months and the timing of work was not standardized. This make the results not exactly compatible, but still this is a first so wide study of the mainly passerine migration over the area. The aim of this paper is to make accessible the basic information on passerine migration there. Some non-passerines, that are more easily caught with mist-nets or that are caught ocassionally are listed too. Altogether 19 748 individuals of 117 species were ringed in spring and 11 238 individuals in autumn. The data are presented in the text as faunistics style lists of birds caught in spring and autumn separately, as tables of birds ringed at stations and those that show relative abundance and dominance of species and in Appendices I and II (for spring and autumn) as maps with average numbers per station and as seasonal number dynamics -total for seasons and yearly, if possible. The data included in the paper are treated as a source information about migration over the area studied, while the more detailed data about migration pattern, measurements, stopover ecology will be evaluated in next papers being under preparation.