Although construction work has already started at JEO it is still worth of visiting.  This morning I managed finally to photograph Griffon Vulture in Kuwait. Birds seen were: Griffon Vulture 2, Steppe Eagle 6, Spotted Eagle 1, Short-toed Eagle 1, Marsh Harrier 1, Kestrel 1, Moorhen 3, Waterrail 1, Barn Swallow 5, Red-breasted Flycatcher, Moustached Warbler 3, Chifchaf 4, Isabelline Shrike 1.

Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) Birds are juveniles as their ruffs are brownish.

Griffon Vulture

Short-toed Eagle (Circaetus gallicus)

Moustached Warbler (Acrocephalus melanopogon)

Update to this posting:

Seems that the ID of the bird is correct. I have received couple of confirmations outside of Kuwait stating that indeed the bird is Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus)

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This morning I just did my regukar visit to Jahra Farms. After a handshake with Ali, supervisor of the farms, I entered into his side of the farms. Immediately I noticed a call of warbler that I couldn’t identify. After finding the bird I started photographing. One of the most striking feature was a call. It resembled very much a call of lLesser Whitethroat. Secondly the bird kept low by flying low and many times hoping on the ground. My initial view was Dusky Warbler, but I need confirmation from more experienced birders. I’m sorry for poor quality of the pictures due to limited light. Shutter speed was only 1/30 sec. Todayt happened to be really cloudy day with some little rain. This species, if accepted by KORC, woukd be first for Kuwait.

Possible Dusky Warbler (Phylloscopus fuscatus)

Possible Dusky Warbler

Possible Dusky Warbler

Brief morning visit to Pivot Fields produced the following: Squacco Heron 1, Cattle Egret 5, Night Heron 1, White Stork 1,Moorhen 40, Spotted Eagle 2, Eastern Imperial Eagle 1, Steppe Eagle 1, Steppe Buzzard 1, Long-legged Buzzard 1, Black Kite 50, Kestrel 3, Shikra 1, Marsh Harrier 2, Northern Lapwing 36, Green Sandpiper 1, Common Snipe 1, Curlew 1, Collared Dove 100, Namaqua Dove 6, Wood Pigeon 21, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 50, Barn Swallow 1o, Crested Lark 30, Short-toed Lark 10, Tawny Pipit 3, Red-throated Pipit 1, Water Pipit 4, Yellow Wagtail 1, White Wagtail 200, Pied Wheatear 2, Isabelline Wheatear 1, Isabelline Shrike 6, Spanish Sparrow 75.

White Stork (Ciconia ciconia)

Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)

Stonechat (Saxicola torquata maura)

This morning I visited with Brian Khiran area.  Mr. Annand kindly took  us again  along chanels and islands by boat. We did our regular survey of birds. Now we couldn’t find Socotra Cormorant anymore on their favourite marker. Nearby marker had 5 White Cheeked Terns. At the moment they moult  gradually to winter plumage. Among many gulls we had few waders. One interesting species today was Bluethroat. We have noticed that Bluethroat race of magna migrates through Kuwait to their breeding grounds late April and early May. Sane race seems to migrate early back to their wintering grounds. We see those birds from mid August till the end of September. Then we have 3-4 weeks without Bluethroats around. Today we saw our first wintering Bluethroat.

White-cheeked Tern (Sterna repressa)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus)

Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

On 22/10/2009 at JEO: Mountain Chifchaff 1, Common Chiffchaff 3, European Reed Warbler 3, Great Reed Warbler 1, Turkestan Shrike 2, Moustached Warbler 3, Cetti’s Warbler 1 (seen by Rashed).

A very short visit to Pivot Fields produced: Indian Roller 1, Common Kestrel 1, Greater Spotted Eagle 1, Daurian Shrike 2.

On 21/10/2009 Mohd Khorshed has found a Yellow-browed Warbler at JEO.

On 20/10/2009 Humoud Al-Shayji has has a flock of 20 Griffon Vultures over JEO, and Mohd Khorshed found a Northern Goshawk at Jahra Pool on 20/10/2009 all members of OSK.

Yellow-browed Warbler (Phylloscopus inornatus) photo: Mohd Khorshed

Eurasian Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus) photo: Humoud Al-Shayji

Northern Goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) photo: Mohd Khorshed

Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis

Common Kestrel falco tinnunculus

I checked quite thoroughly Jahra Farms for Indian Roller this morning. I found only one European Roller.( However, Rashed photographed Indian Roller at Pivot Fields yesterday). At Jahra Farms I saw also a flock of 4 Grey Hypocolius and 22 Bank Mynas. At SAANR seaside I had one Red-tailed Wheatear that obviously had  just arrived and not yet settled into a wadi on the opposite side.

Red-tailed Wheatear (Oenanthe chrysopygia)

This morning  Mohd Khorshed has found a Mountain Chiffchaff at JEO his nice photograph is shown below.

Later in the evening I went to JEO and was able to see; Mountain Chiffchaff 2, Common Chiffchaff 2, Moustached Warbler 1

Mountain Chiffchaff Phyllocopus sindianus

The yellow in the under arm pit can be seen in the following photograph.

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon

Today we had 6 people visiting Al Abraq. Many migrating birds had moved on toward their wintering grounds. But even so there is always something interesting to see. Highlight this morning was Mountain Chiffchaff which Brian picked up. It is so brown bird lacking any hint of greenish or yellowish colour. Birds seen today were: Steppe Buzzard 1, Shikra 1, Marsh Harrier 1, Pallid Harrier 1, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 4, Crested Lark 5, Barn Swallow 3, Sand Martin 2, Tree Pipit 2, White Wagtail 35, Yellow Wagtail 2, Stonechat 2, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Willow Warbler 2, Chiffchaff 1, Mountain Chiffchaff 1, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Red-breasted Flycatcher 4, Isabelline Shrike 1, Golden Oriole 1, Spanish Sparrow 40, Common Rosefinch 1, Black-headed Bunting 4.

Mountain Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus sindianus)

Mountain Chiffchaff

Golden Oriole (Oriolus oriolus)

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops superciliosus) Photographed on same day at Jahra Pool Reserve.

Regular visit to Al Abraq with Brian and Rick produced following records: Spotted Eagle of morph ‘fulvescens’ 1, Black Kite 7, Pallid Harrier 1, Steppe Buzzard 3, Sparrowhaw 3, Shikra 2, Laughing Dove 3, Namaqua Dove 1, Scops Owl 1, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 3, Barn Swallow 4, Tree Pipit 1, White Wagtail 1, Yellow Wagtail 20, Pied Wheatear 3, Desert Wheatear 1, Lesser Whitethroat 4, Whitethroat 1, Menetrie’s Warbler 2, Willow Warbler 15, Red-breasted Flycatcher 6, Red-backed Shrike 2, Southern Grey Shrike 1.

Adult male Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

Shikra (Accipiter badius)

Pale morph Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga) ‘fulvescens’

Same bird below

An early morning to JPR turned out to be well-worthwhile, and I started off by photographing the Red-necked Phalaropes that have been around for a while now. This time, they came very close to where I was sitting. The highlight of the morning came whilst I was watching two Water Rails chasing each other around in front of some reedbeds (with a couple of Little Crakes frantically trying to get out of their way): out of the corner of my eye I noticed something move in the water straight in front of the car, and it turned out to be a Purple Swamp-Hen. Very obligingly, it flew about 20 m to a position on an exposed mound of earth where I could photograph it at leisure. A second bird also arrived briefly. Among the many other species present at JPR were Little Grebe, Spotted Crake, Marsh harrier, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Sand martin, Isabelline Shrike, Sedge Warbler.

Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus

Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus

Spotted Crake Porzana porzana

SAANR provided  to be a Steppe Eagle day. When I arrived to reserve with Simon desert was littered with Steppe Eagles. We estimated c. 60 Eagles but we saw only part of them. Strong wind kept them on ground whole morning. The birds seen: Gray Heron 1, Night Heron 1, Pintail, Steppe Eagle 60, Eastern Imperial Eagle 4, Short-toed Eagle 1, Booted Eagle 1, Steppe Buzzard 9, Sparrowhawk 2, Black Kite 2, Kestrel 1, Crested Lark 4, Short-toed Lark 3, White Wagtail 2, Willow Warbler 2, Menetrie’s Warbler 3, Spotted Flycatcer 1, Isabelline Shrike 1.

Booted Eagle (Hieraetus pennatus) showing its” landing light”

Juvenile Steppe Eagle (Aquila nipalensis)

Juvenile Steppe Eagle

Juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)

Pintail (Anas acuta)

At Sulaibikhat Bay:

Dunlin 1200, Eurasian Curlew 184, Grey Heron 50, Grey Plover 20, Common Ringed Plover 5

At JEO:

Greater Spotted Eagle 2, Marsh Harrier 2, Purple Heron 1, Turkestan Shrike 1, Red-backed Shrike 1, Pied Wheatear 4

At Jahra Pool by Mohd Khorshed:

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 47, White Wagtail 2, Common Buzzard 28, Garganey 13, Northern Shoveler 6, Egyptian Vulture 1 (juv), Eurasian Turtle Dove 2, Steppe Eagle 1, Turkestan Shrike 1, White Stork 32, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel 1, Black Kite 12, Purple Swamphen 2

Turkestan Shrike Lanius isabellinus phoenicuroides, first autumn

At Jahra Pool:

Common Moorhen 100, Common Snipe 28, Marsh Sandpiper 20, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 4, Sand Martin 200, Barn Swallow 50, Little Grebe 5, Dunlin 25, Common Ringed Plover 10, Basra Reed Warbler 1, Great Reed Warbler 4, Little Crake 10, Red-necked Phalarope 3, Marsh Harrier 3, Ruff 24, House Martin 1, Pallid Swift 1, Greenshank 1, Black-winged Stilt 23, Redshank 2, Little Egret 1, Eurasian Teal 2, Garganey 56, Black-tailed Godwit 1, Pallid Harrier 1, Little Stint 5, Pied Wheatear 1, Steppe Grey Shrike 1, Kentish Plover 2, Graceful Prinia 1, White-tailed Plover 1, Isabelline Wheatear 3.

01/10/2009 at Sulaibikhat Bay:

Little Tern 145, Pied Avocet 21, Crab-plover 123, Eurasian Curlew 230, Grey Heron 7, Western Reef Heron 17, Greater Flamingo 238, Dunlin 100, Grey Plover 10, Bar-tailed Godwit 10

Basra Reed  Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis

Red-necked Phalarope phalaropus lobatus

Rick, Brian and myself once again visited Al Abraq on Friday morning. First it looked that the place is quiet. After 1 hour or so good birds started to turn up including Shikra, Levant Sparrowhawk, adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher,  Green Leaf Warbler and Red-tailed Wheatear. The latter one starts to arrive in October. Then they can turn up anywhere and birds that winter in Kuwait will settle into big wadis mainly in SAANR. The birds seen today were:  Little Egret 20, Steppe Buzzard 1, Sparrowhawk 3, Levant Sparrowhawk 1, Shikra 1,  Laughing Dove 2,  Hoopoe 3, Crested Lark 5, Sand Martin 5, Barn Swallow 10,  Tawny Pipit 1, Tree Pipit 2, Yellow Wagtail 30, Trush Nightingale 3, Red-tailed Wheatear 1, Stonechat 1, Blackcap 2, Garden Warbler 1, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Great Reed Warbler 1, Chiffchaff 2, Green Leaf Warbler 1, Spotted Flycatcher 4, Red-breast Flycatcher 5, Red-backed Shrike 1, Golden Oriole 2, Common Rosefinch 6, Ortolan Bunting 1.

Juvenile Shikra (Accipiter badius) Note pale iris, 5 visible bands on the tail and black wing tips. Not so easy bird to identify in the field.

Juvenile Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) Note dark iris and bold streaking/spotting on breast and yellow cere.

Same juvenile Levant Sparrowhawk taking off.

Adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)

Green Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus nitidus) Previously this species was considered to be a race of Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides nitidus)