Hobbyist to Pro: how OSME bird training courses transformed my birdwatching 

Guest blog by Ismael Khalifa

My story with birds began in early childhood. As a kid in an Upper Egyptian village, I used to see local birds like the House Sparrow, Laughing Dove, Western Cattle Egret, Hooded Crow, and Eurasian Hoopoe. In 2009, after finishing my Bachelor degree education, I moved to the Sinai Peninsula to work as a German language tour guide, where I saw and photographed many birds without even knowing their names.

In 2011, after the collapse of tourism in South Sinai, I returned to Aswan. From then on, I began to focus on spotting lovely feathered creatures like those I had seen in Sinai. Regular walks and boat trips improved my observation skills, especially in winter, during the peak migratory bird season in Aswan. My passion of birds has increased, but I was facing problems to develop this passion. Aswan is a very small city in the most southern part of Egypt. Specialized training courses in ornithology are very rare, so I was in need to educate myself by myself. I began to search the internet and with the help of a Facebook group, Birding Egypt, I became familiar with different bird species in my area.

The big change in my story occurred in 2021 when Sobek Planet, a local environmental service company, announced a free birding trip to celebrate the beginning of the winter count. On board the birding boat, I met almost 90% of the birdwatching community in Aswan. Only two days later, I was invited to participate in another bird count event led by Nature Conservation Egypt NCE.

Later, 2021 became the biggest year in my entire birding career. On December 18th, I received my first bird ID training, a course on basic bird identification skills sponsored by OSME and organized by Sobek Planet, NCE, and Nature Reserves in Aswan. This basic training gave me a great opportunity to start studying birds seriously and to be part of the citizen science community.

Relying on the recognition of the value of birdwatching as a tool for conservation and community development, I organize two free birdwatching trips every year on the BIG DAY dates (May and October). Throughout these trips, we focus on raising awareness about birds, explaining conservation efforts, and gaining new passionate birders to expand the birdwatching community in Aswan. We also aim to build a sense of stewardship to nature among the local community by organizing important events like plastic litter clean-ups (Better No Litter), which contribute to long-term conservation efforts.

Last but not least, I feel grateful for OSME, NCE, Sobek Planet, and the Aswan Nature Reserves, for organizing, sponsoring, and achieving such amazing training courses.

Ismael Khalifa is a professional birdwatching guide in Aswan, Egypt and founder of Aswan Birdwatching.

ismael_khalifa@hotmail.com

(Aswan Birdwatching | Aswan | Facebook)