Galala Raptor Identification and Migration Counts Training

Since 2022, Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE), in collaboration with Galala University, has organized annual Raptor Identification and Migration Counts Training programmes for university students, recent graduates, and early-career ornithologists. These trainings are designed to build practical conservation skills while fostering a deeper understanding of bird migration and flyway ecology.

The programme integrates classroom-based instruction with intensive field training, covering bird identification, migration ecology, monitoring techniques, and the conservation challenges faced by migratory species. Participants are trained not only in species identification, but also in interpreting migration behaviour and contributing to standardized scientific monitoring efforts.

A central component of the programme is field-based training at the Galala Bird Observatory (GBO), where participants apply theoretical knowledge in real monitoring conditions under the supervision of NCE’s conservation and raptor monitoring team. This hands-on experience includes bird counting methodologies, field observation skills, and real-time migration recording along one of the most important flyways in the world.

In 2025, the programme reached a new milestone by welcoming international volunteers for the first time, expanding its scope beyond national participation and reinforcing GBO’s emerging role as a regional hub for migration research and capacity building. This development marked an important step in positioning the observatory as an open platform for global scientific exchange.

The 2026 training season was particularly remarkable. During the first day of field activities, participants witnessed an exceptional migration event, with more than 117,000 migratory birds from approximately 24 species recorded in a single day. This represents one of the highest daily counts ever documented at the Galala Bird Observatory and highlights the exceptional importance of the Ain Sokhna and Gulf of Suez region as a major migration corridor along the Great Rift Valley / Red Sea Flyway.

For many participants, the experience was transformative. Observing tens of thousands of birds moving across the Galala cliffs provided a rare, real-time understanding of migration at scale, bridging scientific training with lived ecological experience.

Building on these milestones, the programme continues to grow as a leading platform for training, research, and international collaboration, further strengthening the Galala Bird Observatory as a key center for migratory bird conservation in the region.

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