UAE Twitchers’ Guide for the week ending 13th May 2005
UAE Twitchers’ Guide for the week ending 13th May 2005
Edited by Simon Aspinall and Peter Hellyer
No apologies this week for being late in producing the report. There's
been such a mass of records to wade through – see below – with a
remarkable fall of birds on Abu Dhabi island (much more, it would seem, than
in the northern emirates). Too many stunning figures to summarise here,
although 80,000 Socotra cormorants at Al Jazeerah Khor (Tommy Pedersen)
is worthy of mention, as is a river warbler in Abu Dhabi ( Andrew
Twyman, Nick Moran and Steve James). And for the rest, you'll just have to
go through the report. Many thanks to those others who contributed
records, including Jenny Hollingworth, Alan Galbraith, Clive Temple, Simon
Hall, Paul Bourdin, Gary Brown, Chris Clark and Rod Fox, as well as PH.
The river warbler gets the Bird of the Week title, beating an icterine
warbler and a spotted crake (Nick Moran et al.).But just look at the
numbers of some of the rest, (red-backed shrikes, lesser grey shrike,
spotted flycatchers and willow warblers especially, though the thrush
nightingales and barred warblers were well to the fore as well)!
Oh – we nearly forgot – our red-knobbed coot seem to be breeding again
(but is it the genuine variety or a hybrid, and where was the mate?)
On 5th May, migrants (& other birds) on Khalidiya included 19 European
nightjars, 6 rufous bushchats, 58 redstarts, a marsh warbler, an
Upcher's warbler, 13 common whitethroats, 51 willow warblers,7 spotted
flycatchers and 5 red-backed shrike.
On 6th May, 10 sand martins and a 'large number of swallows' were in
the pivot fields, along with 20+ hoopoes, a lesser grey shrike, a
black-headed bunting and 3 streaked weavers.
On 8th May, several Lichtenstein's sandgrouse were seen in Musandam,
just into Omani territory, one on a track near Dibba, a few more at dusk
and one, sitting on a nest a few kilometres past the Omani checkpoint
in Wadi Bih.
At Khor al-Mamzar Park were 4 European bee-eaters, 2 yellow beema
wagtails, a Northern wheatear, 22 redstarts, 4 willow warblers, 2 olivaceous
warblers, a lesser grey shrike, a pallidirostris great grey shrike, 2
isabelline shrike, 18 red-backed shrike and 2 pairs of breeding
Ruppell's weavers.
The 'Third Crossing' in Abu Dhabi had 8 lesser grey shrikes and 50+
red-backed shrikes, plus "loads of willow warbler, spotted flycatcher and
redstart."
An examination of Mushrif Palace Gardens and the adjacent woods, strip
and Golf and Equestrian Club found a quail, 2 cuckoos, 5 European
nightjar, 17 blue-cheeked bee-eater, a European bee-eater, 3 European
roller, a sand martin, 6 barn swallow, 6 tree pipit, a yellow wagtail
(beema), 3 rufous bush robin, a thrush nightingale (Back Wood), 3
nightingale, 12 redstart, 15 whinchat, a northern wheatear, a river warbler (Front
Wood), 8 sedge warbler, 22 marsh warbler, 1 clamorous reed warbler, 9
olivaceous warbler, 2 Upcher’s warbler, 1 barred warbler, 37 common
whitethroat, 338 willow warbler, 34 spotted flycatcher, 4 golden oriole, 3
isabelline shrike, 129 red-backed shrike, 24 lesser grey shrike and 2
woodchat shrike.
On 9th May, an examination of only half of the 19th Street area of Abu
Dhabi produced 2 tree pipits, 2 thrush nightingales, 28 redstarts, a
sedge warbler, 30 willow warblers, an isabelline shrike, 102 red-backed
shrikes, 4 lesser grey shrikes and 3 woodchat shrikes. In Mushrif
Palace Gardens were a European roller, 3 golden orioles ( 2m, 1f), 4
swallows, 12 redstarts, a European nightjar, a black-eared wheatear, a marsh
warbler, an Upcher's warbler, 2 whitethroats, 35 willow warblers, a
sedge warbler, 5 spotted flycatchers, an isabelline shrike, 45 red-backed
shrike, 7 lesser grey shrike and a woodchat shrike.
Khalidiyah in Abu Dhabi produced a corncrake, 4 turnstone, 3
white-cheeked tern, a common cuckoo, a European nightjar, 3 blue-cheeked
bee-eater, a hoopoe, 2 barn swallow, 6 yellow wagtail, 1 nightingale, 38 common
redstart, 2 whinchat, 2 sedge warbler, 1 marsh warbler, 8 olivaceous
warbler, a icterine warbler, 10 whitethroat, 1 garden warbler, 148 willow
warbler, 8 spotted flycatcher, 2 golden oriole, 3 isabelline shrike,
106 red-backed shrike, 2 lesser grey shrike.
Also noteworthy was that at least 10 of the red-backed shrikes, one of
the lesser greys and both the wagtails and whinchats were taking
advantage of the extensive new Presidential Palace Hotel lawns.
A spoonbill, 18 European rollers, 3 willow warblers, 13 marsh warblers,
2 Upcher's warblers, 2 common whitethroat,2 spotted flycatchers, a
Turkestan shrike and 3 red-backed shrike were at Ramtha / Al Wasit. In
Dubai Khor al-Mamzar Park were a European nightjar, 6 European rollers, 2
whinchats, 2 Northern wheatears, 40 redstarts, a nightingale, a
blackcap, a garden warbler, 6 common whitethroats, 2 barred warblers, 2
Upcher's warblers, 100+ willow warblers, a great reed warbler, 5 spotted
flycatchers, 2 Daurian shrike,3 Turkestan shrike, a lesser grey shrike and 5
red-backed shrike.
On 10th May, Mushrif Palace Gardens produced c. 50 pallid swifts, a
swallow, 4 redstarts, 2 common whitethroats, 30 willow warblers, 2 spotted
flycatchers, a nightingale, 30 red-backed shrike, 7 lesser grey shrike
and a woodchat shrike, with a spotted crake, a barred warbler and a
thrush nightingale in the car park at dusk.
On 11th May, a visit to Khalidiya found 3 rufous bushchats, 3
nightingales, 19 redstart, 3 whinchats, 2 sedge warblers, 21 marsh warblers, 7
olivaceous warblers, 4 barred warblers, 36 common whitethroats, a
garden warbler, 137 willow warblers, 5 spotted flycatchers, 7 golden
orioles, 100 red-backed shrike (an exact count) and 4 lesser grey shrike.
Between Spinney's and the Hilton were an adult honey buzzard, 2
European nightjars, a rufous bushchat, 5 redstarts, a common whitethroat, 28
willow warblers, 3 spotted flycatchers, a golden oriole, 36 red-backed
shrike, a lesser grey shrike and a masked shrike.
An early morning and then an afternoon visit to the Mushrif Palace
Gardens, woods and Equestrian Club found totals of 2 quail, a spotted
crake, 2 black-winged stilt, 1 wood sandpiper, a common sandpiper, 2
Alexandrine parakeets, 5 barn swallows, 4 sand martins, 7 tree pipits, 2
red-throated pipit, 11 yellow wagtail (mostly thunbergi), a thrush
nightingale, 4 nightingales, 14 redstarts, 11 whinchats, a Northern wheatear, 2
sedge warblers, 11 marsh warblers, a clamorous reed warbler, 4
olivaceous warblers, 3 Upcher’s warblers, a barred warbler, 26 whitethroats,
c.135 willow warblers, 13 spotted flycatchers, 2 golden orioles, an
isabelline shrike, 142 red-backed shrike, 7 lesser grey shrike and 3
woodchat shrike.
On 12th May, a sedge warbler was at the British School in Abu Dhabi at
dawn, while a three hour morning scout around Khalidiya found 4 bridled
terns, a collared pratincole (Palace Hotel lawn), 6 turnstone, 3
European nightjars, a little green bee-eater, 9 barn swallows, a yellow
wagtail (thunbergi), 8 rufous bushchats, 2 nightingales, 14 redstarts, 2
whinchats, 1 sedge warbler, 33 marsh warblers, 3 clamorous reed warblers,
10 olivaceous warblers, 2 blackcaps, 4 garden warblers, 7 barred
warblers, 37 whitethroats, 203 willow warblers, 2 spotted flycatchers, 8
golden orioles, an isabelline shrike, 85 red-backed shrike, a lesser grey
shrike and a masked shrike.
At Ramtha lagoons in Sharjah , also on 12th May, were 4 greater
flamingos, 12 black-winged stilts, 2 red-wattled plovers, on on an egg, 8
Kentish plovers, a sand martin, 4 barn swallows, a make red-backed shrike
and a male woodchat shrike.
An examination of Khor al-Beida found a Socotra cormorant, 3 great
white egrets, 12 Western reef herons, 22 greater flamingos, 2 crab plovers,
a grey plover, 10 redshanks, a Terek sandpiper, 14 turnstones, 3
black-crowned finch-larks, a sand martin5 swallows, a willow warbler and 3
red-backed shrike. At Dreamland Beach were 2 greater flamingos, an
oystercatcher, a grey plover, 15 lesser sand plovers, 25 bar-tailed godwits,
35 turnstones, 12 little stints, 2 curlew sandpipers, 3 dunlin and 16
gull-billed terns.
At Al Jazeerah Khor, (now being affected by development) were, an
estimated 80,000 Socotra cormorants ("an amazing mass of birds on the
offshore islets and swimming"), 2 Western reef herons, a spoonbill, 28 grater
flamingos, 3 curlew, 12 Terek sandpipers, 10 gull-billed terns, 10
lesser crested and 20 white-cheeked terns, 15 little green bee-eaters, a
European and 2 Indian rollers, a hoopoe, a spotted flycatcher, 4 Arabian
babblers, 3 red-backed shrike and 2 Southern grey shrike.
A quick look at some of the Hamraniyah fields found, amongst other
birds, an adult female Montagu's harrier, 12 European bee-eaters, 12
hoopoes, 6 sand martins, 30 barn swallows, a whinchat, 30 red-backed
shrike, 4 Southern grey shrike, a lesser grey and a woodchat shrike, 60 bank
and 30 common mynahs, 8 adult common starlings and a very young
immature bird and a Spanish sparrow.
Also on 12th May, the Dubai pivot fields had 9 ruff, 20+ red-wattled
plovers, with several chicks, 10+ white-tailed plovers, 3 wood
sandpipers, 3 little ringed plovers, 2 red-throated pipits, 5 flava wagtails, c.
15 marsh warblers, an Upcher's warbler, a spotted flycatcher, a
whinchat, a lesser grey, 3 red-backed and an isabelline shrike and an ortolan.
2 hoopoe, 3 yellow wagtail, a tree pipit, 2 red-throated pipit, a
nightingale, 7 redstart, 2 whinchat, a clamorous reed warbler, 2 marsh
warbler, 2 barred warbler, 9 willow warbler, 4 spotted flycatcher, 3 golden
oriole, an isabelline shrike, 61 red-backed shrike,a woodchat shrike,
amale masked shrike and a lesser grey shrike were on 19th Street in Abu
Dhabi.
2 Saunder's little tern, a European roller, a Indian roller, a common
swift, 2 barn swallows and 2 whinchats were at Abu Dhabi's Eastern
Lagoon.
On 13th May (definitely not an unlucky day, but rounding off a
remarkable week) records continued to arrive – time for a concentration on
those outside Abu Dhabi island!
At the Al Maqam equestrian track were 28 little grebe, a little egret,
a glossy ibis, a pintail, 15 red-wattled plovers, a redshank, 2 common
sandpipers, a hoopoe and 2 little green bee-eaters.
In the Wimpey Pits, the best included a squacco heron, a Northern
shoveler, a pintail, a common teal, a curlew sandpiper, 6 little stints, 6
blue-cheeked bee-eaters and a speckled pigeon. Plus a red-knobbed coot
sitting on what appeared to be a nest.
Immediately afterwards, a juvenile night heron, a collared pratincole,
a sedge warbler, 4 marsh warblers, 3 red-backed shrike, a woodchat
shrike and 5 streaked weavers were in the pivot fields.
In Dubai's Creek Park were a cattle egret, 12 hoopoes, 2 golden
orioles, 2 redstarts, a Northern wheatear, 2 spotted flycatchers, 2 olivaceous
warblers, a great reed warbler and 12 red-backed, 2 lesser grey and an
isabelline shrike,
A visit to Al Wathba Camel Track, where the fields appear to have been
abandoned – the sprinkler heads have been removed – found a quail, 2
female European nightjars, a rufous bushchat, a marsh warbler, 2 common
whitethroats, 12 willow warblers and 2 red-backed shrike in the main
wood, a yellow wagtail, a whinchat, 2 Northern wheatears, 4 red-backed
shrike and a woodchat shrike in front of the grandstand and only 3 marsh
warblers and a woodchat shrike being worth reporting from the fields.
Evidence of migration was also still present at the Mirfa Hotel, nearly
200 km, west of Abu Dhabi, where birds recorded in the hotel gardens
and the adjacent small (and rather nice) mangrove creek and shoreline
included a cattle egret (rather late), a turnstone, 2 common sandpipers,
12 yellow wagtails, a tree pipit, a Northern wheatear, 3+ willow
warblers, a common whitethroat, 13 spotted flycatchers, 13 red-backed shrikes
and a magnificent summer-plumaged male ortolan. Residents (presumably
breeding) included a little green (striated) heron and 2 clamorous reed
warblers.
And that's the lot for this week!
|
Forums