The Migration of the White Stork in Egypt and Adjacent Areas
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THE MIGRATION OF THE WHITE STORK IN EGYPT AND ADJACENT AREAS CHARLES A. REED Department of Anthropology University of Illinois at Chicago Circle Chicago, Illinois 60680 and Field Museum of Natural History Chicago, Illinois 60605 AND THOMAS E. LOVEJOY Department of Biology Yale University New Haven, Connecticut 06520 Observations on the spring migration of the Africa and southwestern Asia passes across White Stork (Ciconiu ciconia) were under- the narrow Straits of Jubal, at the southern taken in 1962 by the authors as part of the end of the Gulf of Suez. Numerous observa- research of the Yale University Prehistoric Ex- tions, particularly from passing ships, of the pedition to Nubia (Reed 1966), at the sugges- mass, low-level fights of C. ciconiu across this tion of S. Dillon Ripley, then director of the strip of water during both late summer and Peabody Museum at Yale University. Data spring migrations have been summarized by continued to be assembled during 1964 and Schiiz ( 1955, 1959b ) . 1965 by the senior author and by various other During the spring migration, large numbers Expedition personnel: Heinz Walter, Chris of storks have been observed flying north Maser, Jorg Biel, Eric Wendt, Ingo Gabriel, along the Nile at Khartoum, Sudan (Mathias- Ibrahim Helmy, Maxine Kleindienst, Robert son 1963). However, little has previously been Orlins, Peter Banks, and Robert Giegengack, recorded of their route between this point and to all of whom we are indebted for numerous Aswan. Meinertzhagen (1930) postulated that observations and suggestions. autumn migrants did not reach the Nile in In 1962-1963, Expedition members were in large numbers north of Wadi Halfa. How- Upper Egypt between Aswan and Kom Ombo ever this assumption has been proved to be from October through December, and sub- in error, primarily by the observations of G. sequently in March, and the first two weeks W. Murray (Moreau 1928) and in more detail of April; in Egyptian Nubia (between Aswan by those of Tragenza (1955, 1958) who de- and the southern border of Egypt) in January termined that the main crossing of the Red and February; on the coast of the Red Sea at Sea Hills for both the spring and autumn mi- Mursah Alam‘ (the spelling of this and other grations was between the Nile at Qena and place names is variable) a number of times from the Red Sea at Hurghada, the birds following December through mid-April; and between the Wadi Qena insofar as possible. Mursah Alam‘ and Suez from 16 to 18 April. The evidence accumulated to date indicates In 1964 the Expedition was in Egyptian Nubia that storks are rare along the African coast of from January into April, and again in Novem- the Red Sea between Hurghada and Eritrea, ber and December, staying through the winter the latter area being within their winter range. of 1965 and returning to Aswan early in April Storks which winter in Eritrea presumably 1965. During these intermittent periods cover- follow the main inland route between Hurg- ing almost three years, we observed storks hada and Sudan. There is one curious record only during the time of the spring migration. (Rosenberg, in Schiiz 195913) of a flock of storks met on 13 April 1959 in the middle SUMMARY OF PREVIOUS of the southern part of the Red Sea, crossing OBSERVATIONS toward Arabia. This flock was at 17”2ON,’ Ornithologists have long known from multiple 40”4O ’ E, approximately 120 sea-miles NNE studies in Lower Egypt, Sinai, and the area of of Massaua, Eritrea. The flock was observed the Gulf of Suez that the major’ migration route near sunset and the birds seemed confused, of the White Stork between northeastern circling considerably before heading back The Condor, 71:146-154, 1969 [1461 MIGRATION OF THE WHITE STORK IN EGYPT 147 southwest toward the African coast. One stork population migrates across the western Sahara, settled aboard the vessel from which the ob- and is not involved in migrations through servation was made. Egypt. It is not known whether the few storks Occasional flocks may cross the Red Sea at which summer in Cyrenaica, Libya (Stanford places other than the Straits of Jubal or may 1954), are breeding birds. perish in the attempts. At Massaua, how- Some storks stray from the main line of ever, the greatest water-gap is only 40 miles, migration and seemingly try to cross the full due to numerous islands off both shores, but breadth of the Libyan Desert (the eastern the birds would have to fly straight across Sahara). Their remains are occasionally found from west to east to use the islands effectively. by desert explorers (several such records were South of this region the Red Sea narrows to summarized by Moreau 1934), and consider- the Bab el Mandeb, hardly wider than the able numbers may attempt this crossing. In- Straits of J&al, and could be easily crossed deed, one whole “flight” of storks was ob- by storks, but we know of no such recorded served by Clayton (quoted by Moreau 1928) crossing. headed NNW across the Gilf Kebir, a plateau In the spring, a few birds do not leave the in southwestern Egypt. Extremely few storks Nile at Qena but follow the river north to the have been observed on the Egyptian coast west Delta. These stragglers are said to increase of Alexandria, and we must assume that many in number toward the end of the spring mi- of those attempting a direct crossing of the gration (Greaves 1944), and such individuals Libyan desert perish on the way. Some storks, leaving the main migratory groups are often however, do reach oases in eastern Libya, and stated to be sick or young, but seemingly with- some have been observed in Cyrenaica, but out real evidence as to their health or age. all such records west of the Nile would seem Occasionally individuals or small groups of to be incidental to the main group of migrants these birds may stay the winter or even the known to follow the Aswan-Qena-Hurghada summer in Lower Egypt (Adams 1864; Flower route to and from the Straits of Jubal. and Nicoll 1908; Nicoll 1912; White 1949). In The “autumn” migration, which really oc- Nubia, in contrast, von Heuglin (1869-74, curs through Egypt almost entirely in late Vol. 2, p. 1102) listed storks as present only summer, seemingly has not been observed in April, May, June, July, and September. south of Qena, at which point Tragenza (1955) Dorst (1962:54) included Nubia within the saw the storks coming to the Nile, flying south wintering range but Schiiz ( 1959a) has placed down the Wadi Qena. More than a century the northern limit of the main wintering area ago, Taylor (1859) stated that White Storks farther south at approximately 14” N. were “common” between Alexandria and the No breeding stork has been recorded from First Cataract in November and December northeastern Africa. In the nineteenth cen- 1853 and January 1854. Perhaps the pattern tury small numbers of birds were breeding in of their local distribution has changed in the scattered places in Palestine (Tristram 1884: intervening years, for Mackintosh (1941) ill), in Jerash and Amman, and elsewhere in could list only a very few recoveries of ringed what is now the Kingdom of Jordan, east of birds for the Nile Valley in autumn in con- the Jordan River (Tristram 1868, 1897). Now, trast to numerous such records for the period however, no nesting storks are found in these of the spring migration. Accordingly, our list regions and the statement by Howells (1957: for storks observed in the “autumn” migration 133) that storks breed near Gaza, southwestern is short (table 2) in contrast to the published Palestine, is seemingly erroneous. No nesting records for spring (table 1) . One important storks are now found in Lebanon (Kumerloeve factor is that few observers are out during the lQ62), where seemingly favorable environ- heat of late summer in the Near East, while ments are present. Indeed, the southern spring is still part of the tourist season. boundary of their breeding area, although cer- tainly somewhere in northern Syria, is not DISTRIBUTIONAL OBSERVATIONS known. Farther east, the birds breed over OF THE EXPEDITION most of Iraq except the western and southern Our observations on the spring migrations oc- deserts and the southern marshes (Allouse curred between Qena and the northern border 1953; Johnson 1958), so the single factor of of Sudan, an area for which little prior infor- spring heat is no deterrent to successful breed- mation was available (Moreau 1967). Only ing. In northwestern Africa the White Stork an article by Marchant ( 1941) and a note by breeds from northern Tunisia westward into Ripley ( 1963), recording storks in early March the Atlas Mountains of Morocco, but that at Luxor, at and near Aswan, and in small 148 CHARLES A. REED AND THOMAS E. LOVEJOY TABLE 1. Dates of spring migration of the White Stork in Egypt and adjacent areas. Location Early date Late date Reference 100 miles north of 14 April 1943 Vincent 1948 Juba, Sudan El Fasher, north and 1 February 1922 2 March 1922 Lynes 1925 central Darfar, Sudan Blue Nile, Sudan 18-22 June 1901 Butler 1905 (present in consider- able numbers although usually gone by end of April) White Nile, Sudan, Last week in March Witherby 1901 couth of Khartoum 1900 Shendi, Sudan 16 February 1901 Rothschild and Wollaston 1902 Eritrea Stragglers departing in Smith 1957 early May Korosko, Egyptian Nubia 9 April 1964 Reed and Lovejoy 1969 Aswan, Upper Egypt 2 March 1962 Ripley 1963 Upper Egypt 7 March 1940 Marchant 1941 Upper Egypt 14 March 1963 Reed and Lovejoy 1969 “Egypt” First week in April First week in May Hutson 1944a