Raptor migration at Suez in March 1982 Jönsson et al pers comm noted lOOs of Black Kites, 1000s of Buzzards, 106 Lesser Spotted Eagles, 33 Steppe Eagles and 25 Egyptian Vultures migrating north -east at En Gedi. These figures are neither comparable with Elat (too many Black Kites and Buzzards, too few Steppe Eagles) nor with Suez (too many Lesser Spotted Eagles, too few Steppe Eagles) . On 1 April 1982, at Nizzana in the western Negev, Anders Jönsson et al noted low numbers of Black Kite and Buzzard but 187 Lesser Spotted Eagles, 13 Steppe Eagles and 49 unidentified eagles which makes the situation even more complicated . The information from the Negev and Dead Sea is still very limited but nevertheless suggests the following migration pattern . Most birds passing Suez later pass the Negev and Dead Sea with the exception of most Steppe Eagles which, af ter passing the northern part of the Gulf of Suez, turn to a more easterly course and pass somewhere between the Dead Sea and Elat . At the Negev and Dead Sea, the other birds coming from Suez are joined by many of the Black Kites, Bu zzards and Levant Sparrowhawks which, notwithstanding their western origin, do not hesitate to cross the southern part of the Gulf of Suez and migrate on a broad front northwards across Sinai. This is still rather hypothetical but perhaps worth considering . acknowledgements My sincere thanks go to Olie Holst for comments on the manuscript and to Anders Jönsson for allowing me to use his data on raptor migration from Israel. samenvatting ROOFVOGELTREK TE SUEZ IN MAART 1982 Van 25 tot 31 maa rt 1982 w erden trekke nde roofvoge ls te Su ez. Egypte, geteld door de auteur. Onn auwkeurigheden w erde n in de hand gew erkt doordat de roofvogels veelal snel, hoog, in een bree d front en vaa k in gro epen vlog en. Afh ankelijk van de w eersomstandig heden vl ogen de roofvog els vi a verschillende routes w aa rdoor het niet mogelijk w as om de gunstigste ligging voor ee n telpost te bepalen . Er w erden verge lij kingen gem aakt met tellingen uit de laa tste w eek van maa rt 19 77 te Eilat. Israël. Voora l de lage aa ntallen te Su ez van de Zwart e Wouw Milvus migrans en Buizerd Buteo buteo w aren opvallend. Daarentegen w aren te Su ez de Sl angenarend Cireaetus gallieus en Schree uwarend Aquila pomarina talr ijker dan te Eilat. de laatste soort ontbr ak ze lfs te Eilat. De Steppea rend A rapax w as te Su ez iets talrijker dan te Eil at.
references BRAZIER. D 1982. Raptor obse rvati ons at Ein Giedi . Bull Om Soe Middle East 8 : 11 . CHRISTENSEN. S et al 1981 . Th e spring migration of raptor s in south ern Israe l and Sinai. Sandgrouse 3: 1-42 . CRAMP. S & SIMMONS. K E L 1980. Th e birds of the western Palearetie 2. Oxford . London & New Vork . DE ROEVER, J W 1980. On studyin g raptor migration in Eg ypt. Outeh Birding 2: 26. SIMMONS. K E L 195 1. Rapt or migrati on in th e Su ez area . Ibis 93 : 40 2- 406. TENNENT, S R M 1967 . Sprin g migration of birds of prey near Su ez. Ibis 109: 27 3-274.
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