At JEO:

Caspian Plover 1 (juenile ), Grey Heron 10, Eurasian Curlew 20, Broad-billed Sandpiper 2, Greater Sand Plover 1, White Stork 1 (fisrt seen by Rashed on 13/07/2008), Bar-tailed Godwit 1, Little Stint 10, Wood Sandpiperr 3, Common Sandpiper 3, Yellow Wagtail 2 (feldegg), White-winged Tern 6, Whiskered Tern 2, Little Ringed Plover 1, Common Moorhen 3, Great Reed Warbler 1, European Reed Warbler 4, Graceful Prinia 5

At Chest Hospital coast:

Common Tern 6, Little Tern 1, Ruddy Turnstone 1, Whimbrel 3, Curlew Sandpiper 15, Terek Sandpiper 2, Greater Sand Plover 2, Lesser Sand Plover 1, Green Sandpiper 2, Greater Flamingo 10, Western Reef Egret 4, Squacco Heron 1

Eurasian Curlew juvenile, ssp. orientalis

Caspian Plover juvenile

Common Tern

Ruddy Turnstone

Terek Sandpiper

Bar-tailed Godwit

Obvously the migration has started early this year. Birds seen in Al Abraq:

Upcher’s Warbler 3, Hoopoe 5, European Roller 2, Masked Shrike 2, Red-backed Shrike 2, Willow Warbler 1, Black-headed Bunting 1, Turtle Dove 1, Squacco Heron 2 and Cream-coloured Courser 3.

Upcher’s Warbler

Cream-coloured Courser

Cream-coloured Courser family

Birds seen in Jahra Farms:

Upcher’s Warbler 1, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 1, Masked Shrike 1, Red-backed Shrike 1, Blackcap 1, Ring-necked Parakeet 10+, White-throated Kingfisher 2, Bank Mynah 3

Lesser Sand Plover 1, Greater Sand Plover 3, Western Reef Egret 2 (juvenile), Green Sandpiper 3, Curlew Sandpiper 3.

Lesser Sand Plover

Greater Sand Plover . . .  for comparison!

Western Reef Egret juvenile

Today it was very quiet. Birds that were seen included the following:

Masked Shrike 1 (the same bird that was seen on 24 June and had lost its tail), Upcher’s Warbler 6+, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 3, Hoopoe Lark 2, Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin 2, Crested Lark 20 +, Collared Dove 5

The Masked Shrike with half-grown tail

Upcher’s Warbler

Black-shouldered Kite 1, Isabelline Shrike 1, Masked Shrike 1, European Roller 2, Isabelline Wheatear 1, Upcher’s Warbler 2, Laughing Dove 1, Collared Dove 1, Lesser Short-toed Lark 2, Hoopoe Lark 2, Crested Lark 20+, House Sparrow 20+

Black-shouldered Kite

Hoopoe Lark

My first visit to Kebd for a long while yielded an interesting sighting of a Dunn’s Lark at our small pool. Although Black-crowned Sparrow-larks are regularly present there in the summer months, I’ve only seen Dunn’s Lark there once over the past 1.5 years. After taking a quick drink, it flew off – I relocated it in the shade of our water tanks next to the pool, where it allowed me to approach it within 5 m.

About 30 Black-crowned Sparrow-larks were also present at the pool by 8.30 am, of which ca. 8 were definite juveniles. Breeding numbers appear to be distinctly down on last year, possibly due to the exceptionally dry spring.

A Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin was feeding behind the greenhouse, and could be breeding nearby.

Dunn’s Lark at the pool

Dunn’s Lark in the shade of the water tanks 

White-winged Lapwing 1 (juv.), Greenshank 2, Red-backed Shrike 1 (male), Pied Avocet 1, Black-tailed Godwit 1, Whiskered Tern 4, Cream-coloured Courser 2, Eurasian Curlew 40+, White-winged Tern 10+, Black-winged Stilt 30+, Little Tern 20+

Pied Avocet

White-winged Tern

Whiskered Tern

Birds that have been seen today included all the birds seen in the last post except the Tawny Pipt and Red-necked Phalaropes, new ones are:

African Collared Dove 1, European Bee-eater 1, Greater Crested Tern 3, Black-tailed Godwit 1, Whimbrel 6, Whiskered Tern 3.