White-cheeked Tern 13 (including juveniles), Little Tern 3, Indian Reed Heron 4, House Crow 12, Common Myna 10, Crested Lark 4, Black-tailed Godwit 4, Bar-tailed Godwit 2, Sanderling 5, Black-winged Stilt 4,  Greater Sand Plover 4, Slender-billed Gull 50, Socotra Cormorant 80, Little Stint 10, Curlew Sandpiper 12, Eurasian Curlew 5, Common Redshank 3, Garganey 1, Ruddy Turnstone 8, Grey Plover 4, Kentish Plover 20.

All photographs were taken in the evening ( 30 minutes before sunset).

Sanderling Calidris alba

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica

Size comparison: Black-tailed Godwit (left) Bar-tailed Godwit (right)

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

Sulaibikhat Bay:

Ruddy Turnstone 10, Greater Sand Plover 15, Lesser Sand Plover 1, Kentish Plover 10, Slender-billed Gull 20, Armenian Gull 2, Steppe Gull, Little Stint 30, Curlew Sandpiper 20, Greater Flamingo 700, Terek Sandpiper 2, Indian Reef Heron 4.

Doha Spit:

Ruddy Tunstone 30, Crab Plover 130, Eurasian Oystercatcher 20, Terek Sandpiper 20, Common Redshank 30, Curlew Sandpiper 10.

Little Stint Calidris minuta moulting into winter plumage

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii in winter plumage

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius atrifrons (right) and Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus (left)

Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus

The wind  has been mostly southernly blowing that prevented the large influx at this time of the year. The birds were more or less the same as to my last visit to this site three days ago except for the Rosefinch which has been seen yesterday at SAANR.

Common Rosefinch 2, Barn Swallow 4, European Roller 4, Upcher’s Warbler 4, Great Reed Warbler 5, Eurasian Hoopoe 10, European Bee-eater 20, Black-headed Bunting 10, Sand Martin 15, Cattle Egret 4, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 2, Byzantine Stonechat 2, Isabelline Wheatear 15, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 1.

Byzantine Stonechat Saxicola maurus armenicus this is probably first winter male it had dark arm pit and no white in tail, the rump was white with some orangey patches. The tail had pale fringes and tips to outer tail feathers.

Eurasian Oystercatcher 1, Lesser Sand Plover 1, Greater Sand Plover 4, Steppe Gull 10, Armenian Gull 5, Slender-billed Gull 50, Heuglin’s Gull 3, Little Stint 1, Curlew Sandpiper 200, Ruddy Turnstone 10, Common Ringed Plover 3, Indian Reef Heron 5, Terek Sandpiper 100, Caspian Tern 5, Little Egret 1.

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus.

This individual (recognized by the missing foot) was seen in August 2007, then in the same spot on 18/08/2008, in 2009 I have not been to the same spot and again this year on 26/08/2010 500m from previous spot.

Armenian Gull Larus armenicus an adult note the short blunt-tiped bill, bill not as glossy as that of Steppe Gull below, steep forehead, round head and dark iris

Armenian Gull Larus armenicus first winter plumage (left) note the steep forehead short bill and rounded head.

Steppe Gull Larus fuscus/heuglini barabensis (right) note the long bill, 45° angled flat chest and belly and flat forehead.

Eurasian Hoopoe 24, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Black-headed Bunting 10, European Bee-eater 100, European Roller 4, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 3, Upcher’s Warbler 1, Black Kite 1, Barn Swallow 18, Rose-coloured Starling 1, Red-backed Shrike 3, Willow Warbler 2, Common Whitethroat 3, Steppe Grey Shrike 1, European Turtle Dove 1, Whinchat 2, Yelllow Wagtail 50, Grey Wagtail 1, Isabelline Wheatear 6, Sand Martin 10, Greater Short-toed Lark 1.

Common Whitethroat Sylvia curruca

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra

Pivot Fields was very quiet, the small pool to the left of the gate has no water anymore to attract migrant birds.

Isabelline Wheatear 10, Common Moorhen 6, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Wood Sandpiper 1, House Sparrow 1000, Black-headed Bunting 2, Common Myna 3, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark 3, European Roller 3, Barn Swallow 80, Sand Martin 20, Crested Lark 10, Collared Dove 100, Laughing Dove 10, Namaqua Dove 5.

Jahra Farms:

Upcher’s Warbler 5, Common Whitethroat 4, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 2, Namaqua Dove 3, Bank Myna 10, Common Myna 3.

Jahra Pool was mostly dry:

Little Grebe 1, Wood Sandpiper 1, Little Stint 5, Yellow Wagtail 10, Black-winged Stilt 5.

Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix nigriceps

Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida

Bird numbers are increasing.

Isabelline Wheatear 32, Upcher’s Warbler 18, Marsh Warbler 1, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 1, Whitethroat 8, Barn Swallow 20, Sand Martin 1, Black-headed Bunting 4, European Bee-eater 28, European Reed Warbler 1, Great Reed Warbler 4, Rose-coloured Starling 2, Eurasian Hoopoe 13, European Roller 7, Yellow Wagtail 20, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 3, Collared Dove 4, House Sparrow 200.

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler Iduna pallida

Eurasian Hoopoe 11, European Bee-eater 5, Great Reed Warbler 5, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 6, Barn Swallow 6, Black-headed Bunting 2, Sand Martin 1, Isabelline Wheatear 7, European Roller 3, Upcher’s Warbler 5, Yellow Wagtail 4, Lesser Grey Shrike 1, European Reed Warbler 3, Marsh Warbler 2, Rose-coloured Starling 1.

Marsh Warbler Acrocephalus palustris

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin Cercotrichas galactotes

Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala

Rose-coloured Starling Pastor roseus

European Roller Coracias garrulus

Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor

Migration is gaining momentum slowly, so this morning I went to many sites to see what is out there.

Pivot Fields: It was very quiet but I did see some birds; Isabelline Wheatear 1, European Roller 1, Eurasian Hoopoe 1, Barn Swallow 100, Collared Dove 10.

JEO: Greater Flamingo 180, Little Stint 500, Ruddy Turnstone 10, Oystercatcher 10, Little Tern 10, ?Blacl-winged Stilt 20, Slender-billed Gull 20, Common Redshank 8, Ruff 20, Eurasian Curlew 100, Common Sandpiper 2, Caspian Tern 20, Gull-billed Tern 2.

Jahra Farms:
Great Reed Warbler 2, European Roller 1, Upcher’s Warbler 6, Spotted Flycatcher 1, Common Whitethroat 2, Bluethroat 1, Bank Myna 10, Common Myna 3, White-eared Bulbul 6.

Sulaibikhat Club:
Little Tern 60, Terek Sandpiper 89, Common Redshank 2, Crab Plover 18, Gull-billed Tern 10, Slender-billed Gull 100, Greater Sand Plover 2, Eurasian Curlew 10.

Hospital Area:
House Crow 1, Little Stint 30, Caspian Tern 1, Ruddy Ternstone 4, Slender-billed Gull 100, Curlew Sandpiper 20, Greater Sand Plover 2, Lesser Sand Plover 1.

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica an adult

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica a first autumn

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea

Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei a first autumn

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres

Indian Reef Heron Egretta gularis schistacea a first autumn white morph.

Mike Pope and I went to Al-Abraq today. Migration has already started slowly with the usual birds such Isabelline Wheatear which arrived on 25 of July, Upcher’s Warblers etc.

At Al-Abraq: Upcher’s Warbler 3, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 2, European Roller 3, Eurasian Hoopoe 5, Black-headed Bunting 1, Isabelline Wheatear 2, Barn Swallow 10, Collared Dove 8, Laughing Dove 10, Cattle Egret 3.

At Jahra Farms: Upcher’s Warbler 4, White-throated Kingfisher 2.

Upcher’s Warbler Hippolais languida

Since I have spent all summer in Finland I’d like to highlight one really legendary species in Europe now seen again in Finland. Mr. Matti Vanhapelto found Pallas’s Sandgrouse on July 29. 2010 from Lappeenrata, Askola. The bird was still present today when I visited the site. In Finland our recent records are from 1992 and 1969. One very well known period in the past was 1888-9 when it bred in some European countries and was seen in many others.   With some luck I managed to photograph it on the ground. Habitat in Lappeenranta  seems to be suitable for the bird and probably it stays several more days if not even weeks.

Pallas’s Sandgrouse (Syrrhaptes paradoxus)

In a follow up visit to Kubbar Island, OSK members discovered three pairs of Swift Terns on a nest with one egg amongst the breeding colony of Lesser Crested Tern. Another four pairs of Swift Terns were displaying courtship behavior. The last breeding record in Kubbar Island was in 1987. We did suspect them breeding last year in Kubbar Island when we saw two pairs on 23/06/2010 but couldn’t be sure because we didn’t see any nest or chicks.

A brief visit to Kubbar Island produced the following breeding adults:

White-cheeked Tern 3000, Lesser Crested Tern 500, Bridled Tern 4000.

The good rain this year has improved the habitat for the breeding terns. The perennial bushes of Suaeda vermiculata has grown very well and expanded to produce a good breeding habitat for the Bridled Tern which only breeds under the shade of these bushes. Also the dry grass that was at a height of up 25cm provided a good shelter to the chicks.

Compared to last year on 23/06/2009 the number of breeding birds was:

White-cheeked Tern 2000, Lesser Crested Tern 400, Bridled Tern 2200.

Bridled Tern Onychoprion anaethetus

White-cheeked Tern  Sterna repressa

Suaeda vermiculata bush

Suaeda vermiculata bushes, the breeding habitat of Bridled Tern.

Dry grass a perfect cover for the chicks

On 29/05/2010 Mohammed Khorshed an OSK member has briefly seen a falcon that stopped at Tulha at Sabah Al-Ahmed Natural Reserve only to drink and leave Mohammed only obtained photographs in flight. Later the bird was posted at OSK forum (www.oskonline.org/forum) and then at BirdForum.net and got identified as Amur Falcon Falco amurensis. The bird was photograpged at 8:30 am while taking flight and leaving the site, people who came later in the afternoon in search of the bird could not see it anymore.

It is a first for Kuwait if accepted by KORC.

Amur Falcon Falco amurensis, photographed by Mohammed Khorshed.

Season starts to be over by now. I had one Yellow Wagtail, one Spotted Flycatcher and one Norther Wheatear at Tulha – not much compared to fews weeks back. However, it was really nice to find juvenile Dunn’s larks in two locations. Winters 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 were very dry. Larks just disappeared because of that. In last winter we received best raifall for over 15 years and obviously breeding has been successfull. This spring we were not able to find Dunn’s Lark also Black-crowned Sparrow Lark has been scarce. I had 8 birds in Kabd few days ago and today Rashed saw 6 in SAANR. I suppose that next winter is again normal regarding larks.

This was my last birding day this spring/summer in Kuwait next will be sometimes in September.

Juvenile Dunn’s Lark (Eremelauda dunni)

Same juvenile Dunn’s Lark

Hoopoe Lark (Alaemon alaudipes)