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)

Egyptian Vulture 1, Squacco Heron 1, Sedge Warbler 7, Common Redstart 5, Garden Warbler 1, Masked Shrike 1, Eurasian Hoopoe 1,  Eastern Orphean Warbler 2, Red-backed Shrike 8, Spotted Flycatcher 2, Upcher’s Warbler 2, European Bee-eater 1, Willow Warbler 10, Temminck’s Stint 1.

Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus

Temminck’s Stint Calidris temminckii

I visited this morning once again with Brian Foster Al Abraq and later on Jahra Pool reserve. Mahmoud Al Sehab joined us in Al Abraq and followed us to Jahra Pool Reserve. In Al Abraq the most common warbler was Syke’s Warbler that we estimatied to have been around  50+ which is unusually high number. Olivaceous was much less numerous and we saw only 3-4 birds. Other notable birds were: Night Heron 1, Squacco Heron 6, Cattle Egret 2, Steppe Buzzard 1,Corncrake 3, Semi-collared Flycatcher 1 very late male, Woodchat Shrike 1, Lesser Grey Shrike 1, Red-backed Shrike 1.

At Jahra Pool Reserve the highlight was two alarming White-tailed Lapwings. We have to follow whether they really are breeding in Kuwait. Other birds were: Night Heron 1 oiled juvenile, Squacco Heron 1, Red-necked Phalarope 100+, Curlew Sandpiper 30, Spotted Crake 3, Purple Swamp Hen 3, Clamorous Reed Warbler 2, Woodchat Shrike 1, Lesser Grey Shrike 1, Red-backed Shrike 1.

Semi-collared Flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata)

White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)

I visited Abdaly farms this morning with Brian Foster and Austin Baird. Our main targets were Common Babbler and Red-wattled Lapwing which we saw well. Surprisingly we saw  4 flocks of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (40) and three flocks of Honey Buzzards (30) too.

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse (Pterocles alchata)

Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)

Brian, Mike, Graham and myself visited Al Abraq this morning. Our highlights were: Shikra 1, Syke’s Warbler 1, Upcher’s Warbler 4, Basra Reed Warbler 1, Semi-collared Flycatcher 1 (possibly same bird that we saw on April 28th) and Desert Finch 4. In addition to this we had very late (uninjured) Song Thrush still around.

Desert Finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta)

Song Thrush (Turdus philomachus)

In Al Abraq with Rainer Ertel and Hermann Reinhardt we found at least 5 Syke’s Warblers. About same numbers of Upcher’s Warblers and Olivaceous Warblers were around. Also one female Semi-collared Flycatcher was seen. Otherwise previous night, having Southerly wind and clear sky, had emptied the site. Only fraction of Shrikes, which once where numerous, were there. After checking few coastal wader sites without new species we decided to go to Fahaheel for photographing White-cheeked Terns. After that we checked Fahaheel Park finding only common migrants.

Female Semi-collared Flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata) at Al Abraq Al Khabari

White-cheeked Tern (Sterna repressa) at Fahaheel shopping centre

I had one more bird survey at Khiran Resort this morning. Of course, many migratory birds showed up as well as some summer visitors. Namely Bridled Terns, White-cheeked Terns, Little Terns,  Sandwitch Tern and Socotra Cormorant. Migratory birds were mainly shrikes (Isabelline, Turkestan and Red-backed) but there was also on small island European Nightjar and one Purple Heron flew over. It was particularly nice to see Kentish Plover chicks in the area proving their breeding.

Bridled Tern (Sterna anaethetus) standing on the marker where we used to have few Socotra Cormorants.

Little Tern (Sterna albifrons) I tried hard to find Saunder’s Little Tern but in vain.

Socotra Cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) fishing in shallow water

Kentish Plower (Charadius alexanrinus) and one out of three chicks. Here typical number of eggs is not 4 as it is with European waders but 3. This must be a some sort of adaptation to hot climate.

Kentish Plovers having territorial dispute although there are kilometers after kilometers similar kind of sandy beach.

Greenshank (Tringa nebularia)

The visitors and Kuwait birders were lucky today to twitch the Ashy Drongo.

Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus

Original founder of Ashy Drongo, Hans Rudhe, relocated the bird this afternoon in the same place where it was first seen. I came with British/Belgian group over as soon as possible. The bird was quickly relocated on the wire. Everyone saw it well.

Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)

Ashy Drongo

Other good sightnings today were: Common Babblers with 3 young birds in Abdaly Farms. There was also 1 Red-wattled Lappwing alarming strongly and thus indicating breeding. At El Kout shopping mall in Fahaheel we had one Socotra Cormorant and 3 White-cheeked Terns.

Common Babbler (Turdoides caudatus) followed by two chicks.

Young Common Babbler

Red-wattled Lappwing (Vanellus indicus)

Birding Report 3-4 April 2010 by Gordon Saunders and Abdulrahman Al Sirhan

 Friday, April 2, 2010 at Kuwait City and surroundings … very pleasant conditions in early am and warmed up by mid-day, but tolerable.

Marina Hotel/Mall beach area

1 Squacco Heron

8 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater … calling and in view overhead!

4 Pallid Swift

1 Caspian Tern

1 Black-headed Gull

4 Barn Swallow

1 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Swift Tern

10 Yellow Wagtails

1 Common Kestrel

1 Bank Myna

2 Common Mynas

3 Grey Headed Wagtails

4 Red-throated Pipits

1 Common Redstart

 Green Island

2 Lesser Crested Tern

2 Common Sandpiper

3 Little Terns .. distant

2 White-eared Bulbul

5 Lesser Whitethroat

1 Eurasian Blackcap (f)

4 Tree Pipit

2 Eurasian Hoopoe

1 Ruppel’s Weaver … with nest that was new from appearance!

5 Common Chiffchaff

2 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

2 Common Redstart … samamisicus ssp

1 Common Swift

1 Reef Heron

2 Slenderbill Gulls

1 African Collared Dove

5 Palm Dove… one with no tail

18 Black Kite … funneling!

Collared Dove 10’s

 

Sulaibiya Pivot Fields

4 Greater Spotted Eagle

5 Lesser Kestrel  ( 2m/3f)

1 Common Kestrel

2 European Bee-eater

1 Pied Wheatear

10 Northern Wheatear

15 Cattle Egret

1 Rufus-tailed Scrub Robin

1 European Roller

1 Steppe Buzzard

1 Pallid Harrier

1 Marsh Harrier (m)

2 Siberian Stonechat … very dark

4 Whinchat (1m/3f)

2 Crested Lark

2 Daurian Shrike …

1 Masked Shrike

4 Imperial Eagle

Yellow Wagtail … 100’s

-          flava

-          Feldegg

-          Flava

3 BIG Egyptian Crocodiles

20 Common Moorhen

Jahra Farms

5  Bank Myna

1 Cinereous Bunting

2 Sand Martin

1 Red-rumped swallow

2 Barn Swallow

            Usual good numbers of …

-          House Sparrow

-          Collared Dove

-         Palm Dove

Sabah Al Ahmed Nature Reserve

 1 Hoopoe Lark

3 Northern Wheatear

1 Woodchat Shrike

1 Caspian Plover

1 Pied Wheatear

1 Common Kestrel

4 Montagu’s Harrier (m/f)

5 Greater Spotted Eagle … resting as a group by the side of the small reservoir

20 Collared Pratincole … some great aerial views

30 + Red-necked Phalarope

10 Ruff

20 Black-winged Stilt

5 Garganey

1 Northern Pintail

10 Northern Shoveller

2 Marsh Sandpiper

2 Common Sandpiper

2 Greenshank

2 Common Redshank

10 Little Stint

1 Siberian Stonechat … maurus ssp.

2 Common Chiffchaff

2 Common Redstart (m/f)

2 Grey Wagtail

5 White Wagtail

1 Eurasian Blackbird

50+ House Sparrows

2 Spanish Sparrows

20+ Spiny- tailed Lizards … resting by their burrows

Jahra Pool Reserve

 4 Common Sandpiper

8 Green Sandpiper

2 Marsh Sandpiper

10 Wood Sandpiper

5 Greenshank

5 Common Redshank

4 Little Crake

1 Spotted Crake

1 Water Rail

4 Gadwall

2 Little Ringed Plover

16 Garganey .. some cracker males!

2 Red-spotted Bluethroat

4 EurasianTeal

50 Little Stint … no  Temmick’s seen

1 Purple Swamphen

8 Squacco Heron

1 Common Snipe

4 Penduline Tit … 1 cracker male!

1 Graceful Prinia

1 Little Bittern

30+ Common Moorhen

8 Glossy Ibis

5 Common Swift

50+ Barn Swallow

10 Pallid Swift

2 Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

20+ Black-winged Stilt

20 Black-headed Gulls

4 Great Reed Warbler

50+ Common Chiffchaff

3 Northern Pintail

6 Sand Martins

60 Red-necked Phalarope

42 Northern Shovelers

20 Ruff

10 White Wagtail

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Jahra East Outfall

 3 Northern Wheatear

1 Black-eared Wheatear

1 Isabeline Wheatear

2 Kentish Plover

5 Barn Swallow

1 Daurian Shrike

5 Great Reed Warbler

4 Basra Reed Warbler

1 Moustached Warbler

2 Spotted Crake

1 Red-spotted Bluethroat

1 Eurasian Blackcap (m)

2 Common Sandpiper

1 Common Greenshank

3 Common Redshank

1 Ruff

9 Glossy Ibis

1 Willow Warbler … in the low sowka scrub

20+ Yellow Wagtail …

-          flava

-          Feldegg

-          Thumbergi

-          Lutea … yellow-headed

2 Whinchat

2 Cinereous Bunting

5 White Wagtail

1 Western Osprey

20+Eurasian  Curlew

1 Montagu’s Harrier … (f)

1 Marsh Harrier (m)

1 Common Kestrel

20+ Black-headed Gull

1 Greater Spotted Eagle

10 Western Reef Heron

7 Squacco Heron

Sulaibkhat Club

 3 Pied Avocet

60 Grey Heron

40 Reef Heron … most dark, at least one light

15 Bar-tailed Godwit … some males is breeding plumage

29 Great Cormorant

10 Terek Sandpiper

2 Curlew Sandpiper

21 Grey Plover … some in breeding plumage

30 Greater Flamingo … no lesser!

1 Common Ring Plover

1 Pied Wheatear

1 Isabelline Wheatear

20 Slender-billed Gull

1 White-throated Robin

2 White-eared Bulbul

Fahaheel Port

 2 Sandwich Tern

2 Lesser Crested Tern

2 White-cheeked Tern

 

Fahaheel Park

2 Semi-collared Flycatcher … (f)

1 Eurasian Wryneck

5 Common Redstart … (m/F0

1 White-throated Robin

1 Eurasian Blackcap (f)

10 Tree Pipit

4 Rufus-tailed  Scrub Robin

4 Red-throated Pipit

Usual good numbers of …

-          Palm Dove

-          Collared Dove

-          Common Myna

-          White-eared Bulbul

I was with Swedish group  today. We had Basra Reed Warbler and Baillon’s Crake in the morning at JEO. Abdaly Farms yeldied 6 Common Babblers and 1 Red-wattled Lapwing. On our way back to Kuwait city we checked one lookout to Bubiyan island finding 8 Swift Terns. SAANR was also on our route. It produced a flock of 45 Pale Rock Sparrows. This was surprisingly good sand/thunderstorm day.

Common Babbler (Turdoides caudatus)

Pale Rock Sparrow (Carpospiza brachydactyla)

Update 5.4.2010: Thierry and Marianne Quelennec managed to see the bird in its origanal place yesterday. Seems that it is moving in much bigger area than we assumed.

Update 4.4.2010: I decided to omit word possible as I received confirmation of ID from several people. I have also learnt much about its ID since yesterday as well as seen many photographs. Unfortunately we couldn’t relocate the bird today.

This is update to original posting. Tommy Pedersen confirmed ID and told me that there is in U.A.E. third record: One Al Warsan Water Treatment Plant 21.12.2009 (S.P. Lloyd); presumed same Safa Park 14-15.01 & 02-07.03.2010 (P.Mountain, N.Tovey, R.Khan et al.).

Original posting: Visiting birders Hans Rudhe, Olle Karlson and myself found a Drongo this afternoon at Jahra Farms that seems to be Ashy Drongo. Original founder of the bird is Hans Rudhe. This species has been seen in U.A.E. twice. First sightning is one  in  Abu Dhabi Hilton/Spinney’s area 16.-19.12.2006 (N.Moran et al). The second record is: One Ain al-Fayda Park 29.02. – 07.03.2008 (S.L.James et al). However, the ID and the status of this bird will be reviewed and confirmed later on by KORC.

The bird seemed to be in perfect plumage which is not typical for long-tailed gage bird. Its behaviour was normal for Drongo and it wasn’t tame. Still we need to check all possibilities.

Ashy Drongo (Dicrurus leucophaeus)

I visited these sites in the morning. Jahra Farms namely Ali’s farm yeldied my first Semi-collared Flycatcher this spring. Bank Mynas and White-throated Kingfishers are breeding now. At Jahra Pool Reserve I photographed Marsh Sandpiper in breeding plumage. Red-necked Phalaropes are now common especially in fresh water ponds. I counted 33  Phalaropes , 5 Little Crakes and 2 Water Rails over there. Last site to visit was SAANR. Interestingly we have still 28 Demoiselle Cranes by the lake. I didn’t want to push the birds any further in order to get good photographs. I left the birds to feed and drink freely.

Semi-collared Flycatcher (Ficedula semitorquata)

Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

The Black Bush Robin, the 3rd record for Kuwait is still at Al-Abraq today. Bird species seen at Al-Abraq were:

Black Scrub Robin 1, Red-rumped Swallow 10, Barn Swallow 10,Common  Redstart 1, Cattle Egret 1, Common Chiffchaff 15,  Eastern Olivaceous Warbler 2, European Reed Warbler 2, Common Kestrel 2.

At SAANR: Demoiselle Crane 9

Black Bush Robin Cercotrichas podobe

Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus

Demoiselle Crane Grus virgo

House Sparrow Passer domesticus feeding on a piece of bread.