10. An internationally important bird site Ilaria Di Silvestre With its variety of habitats and its position near the Fayoum depression as well as the Nile Valley, Wadi el Rayan represents one of the most important bird sites in Egypt. In 1999, BirdLife, an international federation for the conservation of all bird species and their habitats, recognized the international importance of the Wadi el Rayan Protected Area for bird conservation by including it on its list of Important Bird Areas (Baha el Din, 1999). The latter are defined as places of international significance for the conservation of birds at the global, regional or sub-regional level. Before the creation of the two artificial lakes in the 1970s, Wadi el Rayan was inhabited only by bird species typical of a desert environment, and these are still present today in the arid and hyper-arid parts of the protected area. Most of them, such as the Brown-necked raven Corvus ruficollis, the Hoopoe lark Alaemon alaudipes and the Cream-coloured courser Cursorius cursor, are resident in the protected area. Others, such as the Sooty falcon Falco concolor, migrate to Wadi el Rayan only for the breeding period. All these species are native components of the desert ecosystem, perfectly adapted to the hot, waterless conditions of the area, and each of them has developed the capacity to optimise use of the poor resources of the desert. The Brown-necked raven, for example, can be observed all over the area, nesting on the limestone cliffs and hills, while the Hoopoe lark, a widespread species in the protected area, and the Great grey shrike Lanius excubitor prefer the shadow of the Nitraria retusa and Tamarix present in the Springs area. The Sooty falcon nests on the cliffs and hills of Wadi el Rayan in August and September, relying on the arrival of migratory birds in the autumn to feed its young. The Cream-coloured courser is especially frequent on the plains and in depressions, typically feeding by running and suddenly stopping. Nevertheless, the international importance of the Wadi el Rayan Protected Area as a bird site is mostly related to the water birds that have been increasingly attracted by the lakes since they started to form. The Rayan lakes are now considered an internationally important site for wintering ducks and shore birds and for the migration of Palaearctic birds, ranging from passerine species to herons, storks and birds of prey (Baha el Din, 1999). The lakes have also been colonized by some resident breeding species, such as the rare Purple gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio. The lower lake is more suitable for the observation of ducks, purple gallinules and herons, while the upper lake hosts a larger and more varied population of passerines. The majority of the species present in the Rayan lakes and wetlands (74%) are migratory. In the autumn, these birds leave their reproduction areas, generally in northern Europe, to travel to areas with a milder winter. Some, such as the Silvidae, begin their journey south before the onset of cold weather and food scarcity, while others, such as most ducks (Bruun & Singer, 1975), leave only when snow and ice force them to do so. Left - A flying white stork (Ciconia ciconia) (photo, RK & DA).
Pied Kingfisher (Ceryle rudis).
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