A weekly up-date on what's happening among the United Arab Emirates' bird-life.
04/12/01
Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 30th November2001 Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Another good batch of reports this week, as the UAE’s "purple patch" continues. Birds staying on from last week included the cotton teal at Qurayyah, the goldfinch in Abu Dhabi and ferruginous ducks at Wimpey Pits as well as greylag and white-fronted geese in both Abu Dhabi and Dubai while newly-reported birds included a woodcock and 2 wood warblers in Abu Dhabi, ruddy shelduck at Jebel Ali, a sociable plover, a golden plover, Blyth’s pipit and an Oriental skylark at Al Wathba Camel Track, where all four harrier species were still on show, and another golden plover at the Emirates Golf Course. The first Orphean warbler of autumn was seen in a wadi near Fujairah.
For Bird of the Week, we’ll pick the woodcock, found by Steve James and promptly twitched by the editors of Twitchers' Guide and a couple of other lucky Abu Dhabi residents. The two golden plovers get an honourable mention as runners-up.
On 24 November, a visit to Wimpey Pits found 4 marsh harriers, 4 white-tailed plovers, 3 little egrets, 4 redshank, 3 little stints, 20 Temminck’s stints, 4 common sandpipers, 2 greenshanks, 1 wood sandpiper, 2 green sandpipers, 15 ruff, 6 common snipe, 1 marsh sandpiper, 20 red-wattled plovers, 40 black-winged stilts,1 water pipit, 6 black-necked grebe, circa 60 little grebe, circa 50 shoveler, circa 30 pochard, 40 mallard, 8 pintail, 2 garganey, 2 gadwall, 1 isabelline shrike, 2 chiffchaffs, circa 40 hirundines, mostly pallid swift but also swift and swallows, singing reed and clamorous reed warbler, circa 100 greater flamingos, 20 white wagtails and 4 citrine wagtails.
At Dubai pivot fields were 5 glossy ibis, a great white egret, a grey heron, a marsh harrier, 15 black-tailed godwits, 26 greese, of which 14 were definitely greylags, 9 curlew, 2 Indian rollers, 2 short-toed lark and 6 tawny pipits. 2 ruddy shelduck flew by the Jebel Ali Hotel while 143 black-tailed godwits and 3 white-fronted geese were at the Emirates Hills golf course. At the Emirates golf course, (It’s getting confusing with all the new courses springing up or being laid down in Dubai) 7 Temminck’s stints were all together beside a pond next to the fairways.
On 25th November, a squacco heron was at Abu Dhabi’s Health and Fitness Club. 60 red-throated pipits were at the Sharjah University City on 25th November. 413 rose-ringed parakeets were flying over the Al Mamzar Park to roost on the 25th, with 9 song thrushes, 3 isabelline shrikes and a steppe grey shrike present down below. 7 shelduck were at Wimpey Pits.
On 26th November, a mid-week visit to the Al Wathba Camel Track found 8 white storks, a marsh harrier, 2 pallid harriers, a hen harrier, a long-legged buzzard, a peregrine, a spotted eagle, a collared pratincole, 46 Pacific golden plover, 1 golden plover, 10 Kentish plovers (at night), 6 red-wattled plovers (at night), 3 curlew, 5 Egyptian nightjars (at night), a hoopoe, 2 bimaculated larks, 9 skylarks, 1 Oriental skylark, a bluethroat, a stonechat ( considered race armenica), 8 isabelline wheatears, 6 desert wheatears, 1 song thrush,2 long-billed pipits, 2 isabelline shrikes, 1 Southern grey shrike, a steppe grey shrike and 6 rose coloured starlings.
A woodcock was discovered in Mushrif Palace Gardens later that day, a first for Abu Dhabi island, and gave cracking views to a fortunate few, while 2 white-fronted geese were at the Golf and Equestrian Club. Wimpey Pits had 46 cattle egrets, 4 shelduck, 140 pochard, 2 ferruginous ducks, 10 tufted ducks, 2 whiskered terns, 12 white-winged black terns, 700 pallid swifts, 5 sand martins, 4 swallows, 5 citrine wagtails and a starling.
On 27th November, a grey wagtail, 2 citrine wagtails, 2 song thrushes and a red-breasted flycatcher were in Mushrif Palace Gardens. 2 white-fronted geese and a curlew were at the adjacent Health and Fitness Club.
A sparrowhawk, 2 wood warblers and the long-staying goldfinch were in Mushrif Palace Gardens on 28th November, with 2 white-fronted geese, 2 Egyptian geese, a sparrowhawk, a curlew, 11 skylarks, a red-throated pipit, 35+ white wagtail, a bluethroat, 2 stonechats ( not assigned to race)and 3 isabelline shrikes at the Health and Fitness Club. Safa Park produced 6 song thrushes, 2 black-necked grebe, 3 night herons, a purple heron, 22 mallard, 2 garganey, an osprey, at least 7 hoopoes, more than 30 white wagtails and at least 3 isabelline shrikes, and a chiffchaff in a bird trap (which was released).
On 29th November, a grey wagtail, 3 song thrushes, 2 wood warblers, 16 chiffchaffs, a clamorous reed warbler, a blackcap (male), a whitethroat, 2 masked shrikes and a red-breasted flycatcher were at Mushrif Palace Gardens, while a visit to the Al Wathba Camel track found 13 white storks, 2 marsh harriers, a hen harrier, a pallid harrier, 2 Montagu’s harrier, a collared pratincole, 56 Pacific golden plovera, a sociable plover, an Egyptian nightjar (at night), 6 yellow wagtails and a citrine wagtail.
Also on 29th November, the Lahbab fields produced a Montagu’s harrier, 12 skylarks, 2 Richard’s pipits, 15 tawny pipits, 2 "western" stonechats, 4 isabelline wheatears, 3 desert wheatears, 1 pied wheatear, 2 isabelline shrikes and a steppe grey shrike. 18 black-necked grebes, 3 marsh harriers, 1 pallid harrier, 2 shelduck, c. 60 shoveler, c. 50 pochard, c. 30 pintail, 5 avocets, 2 wood sandpipers, 6 white-tailed plovers, 2 wood sandpipers, 4 snipe and a great reed warbler were among birds at the Wimpey Pits, with 54 cattle egrets, 4 Western reef herons, a grey heron, a purple heron, 4 glossy ibis, a marsh harrier, a hen harrier, 32 greylag geese, 14 Temminck’s stints, 12 ruff, 21 common snipe, 33 black-tailed godwits, 9 curlew, 19 white-winged black terns, 2 black-crowned finch larks, 32 skylarks, 2 lesser short-toed larks, 2 tawny pipits, 2 meadow pipits, 20 red-throated pipits, 1 water pipit, 11 yellow wagtails, 71 white wagtails, 3 bluethroats, a red-tailed wheatear and steppe grey shrike at the adjacent pivot fields.
The cotton teal was still at Qurayyah pools, along with a black-necked grebe, a gadwall, 400+ black-winged stilts, a spotted redshank, 4+ common snipe, 6+ marsh sandpipers and a crake sp. C. 30 greater flamingos were on the Qurrayah mudflats.
The Friday inspection of the Al Wathba Camel track (30th November), found 21 white storks, 2 marsh harrier, a pallid harrier, a Montagu’s harrier, a spotted eagle, 20 kestrels, a sociable plover, a curlew, 60 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, a hoopoe, 10 short toed larks, 15 lesser short toed larks, a probable small skylark, mixing with skylark flocks, 25 skylarks, 6 swallows, a Richard’s pipit, a Blyth’s pipit, 8 red-throated pipits, 3 yellow wagtails, 50 + white wagtails, 5 bluethroats, 1 redstart sp (in the adjacent wood), 2 stonechats (including a cracking male eventually assigned to the armenica race), 10 isabelline wheatears, 12 desert wheatears, 3 song thrushes (in adjacent wood), 3 chiffchaffs (in adjacent wood), an isabelline shrike, a Southern grey shrike, a steppe grey shrike and 4 rose-coloured starlings.
2 grey wagtails, 12 chiffchaffs and an isabelline shrike were in Mushrif Palace Gardens, and a greylag goose, a shoveler, a squacco heron, a sparrowhawk and a kestrel were at the Health and Fitness Club and 2 white-fronted geese and a curlew at the nearby Golf and Equestrian Club. Also on 30th November, 3 black-necked grebe, a greater flamingo, 3 white-fronted geese (still present), 4 wigeon, a gadwall, a mallard, 6 tufted ducks, a sparrowhawk, 2 coot, 18 black-winged stilts, 32 Pacific golden plover, a golden plover, a grey plover, 25+ ruff, 12 skylarks, 9 tawny pipits, 4 isabelline wheatears and 4 desert wheatears were at the Emirates golf course. A visit to the Dubai pivot fields found a single grey heron, 2 little egrets, 3 white-fronted geese , 24 greylag geese, a marsh harrier, a kestrel, 4 glossy ibis, 6 ruff, 9 curlew, 3 lapwings , 3 white tailed plover, at least 7 black-tailed godwits, 3 whiskered terns, several short-toed larks, tawny & water pipits, a red-throated pipit, a pied wheatear and a stonechat. A marsh sandpiper was on the beach at Umm Suqeem, surrounded by sunbathers.
A Bonelli’s eagle was near Fujairah Port, with an Orphean warbler, a long-billed pipit and several scrub warblers in Wadi Saqamqam. Red-tailed wheatears were also in the Fujairah mountains. C. 30 greater flamingos were on the Qurrayah mudflats, while a seawatch from a conveniently-placed scaffoldingtower on Fujairah corniche found 2 Arctic skuas, c. 15 teal, an Audubon’s shearwater and several swift and lesser crested terns offshore. At least 5 sanderlings were on the beach while the cotton teal was also seen again at the Qurayyah pools.
A pair of brown-necked ravens flew over Wadi Safad from the adjacent Wadi Madha enclave of Oman.
Also from Oman, on 28th November, a visit by the Birds Special Interest Group of the Al Ain branch of the Emirates Natural History group to the Buraimi sewage plant, just into Oman, found 13 common snipe, 100+ white wagtails, a harrier sp., 9 mallard, 2 black-winged stilts, 5 Kentish plovers, and 3 little stints.
Top sightings from elsewhere in Oman included, on 29th November, a cinnamon bittern at Khor Sawli and, on 30th November, a Verreaux’s eagle at Ain Jazeer.
As for next week’s Guide, two cracking new birds have already been reported, both from Wimpey Pits, a pectoral sandpiper (2nd record, if accepted) and a little pratincole (9th record, if accepted). The purple patch continues...
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26/11/01
Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 23rd November 2001 Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
After last week's flurry of good birds, yet another purple patch this week for the Emirates. The influx of greylag and white-fronted geese have decided to hang around for another week, as did the yellow-breasted bunting, even though the ring ouzel disappeared, while a trio of stunning new arrivals turned up, a little bunting and an Amur falcon, both found by the editors of Twitchers' Guide deep in the desert in a restricted area, thus gripping everyone else off, and a cotton teal found on the East Coast at Qurayyah. Book your Fujairah hotel rooms now for the forthcoming National Day long holiday weekend!
No sign of hypocolius yet, although a glimpse of a well-hidden and not conclusively identified bird in thick foliage at Ruwayyah late in the week suggests that it’s worth keeping up the search. Rare buntings have had their chance at Bird of the Week, so it’s between the cotton teal (7th record) and the Amur falcon (3rd record). Since the Guide’s editors had last week’s ouzel, and the cotton teal, unlike the Amur falcon, IS in a place where others might get the chance to find it, we’ll give the honours this week to Dave Diskin, its finder, and the cotton teal itself too, of course!
Early in the week, a fieldwork trip by the Twitchers’ Guide editors to Abu Dhabi’s inland oilfield of Asab, about 125km south-west of Abu Dhabi city, from 17th to 19th November produced a number of commoner winter visiting migrants, including a sparrowhawk, a meadow pipit, 4+water pipits, 2 song thrushes, a few chiffchaffs and four black redstarts (the last species not even noted yet at any coastal sites). Unusual bird records used to come from desert oilfields in days gone by - these days there are simply no observers there - and, to prove the point, the editors found a little bunting on 18th November, only to go one better on 19th November with a passing male Amur falcon. That’s about as good as it gets! To some records day-by-day.
On 17th November, a visit to Sharjah dump found 5 little grebes, a cattle egret, 328 greater flamingos, 9 gadwall, 13 teal, 18 pintail, 130 shoveler, 51 moorhen, 4 coot, 64 black-winged stilt, 24 ringed plover, 21 Kentish plover, 17 red-wattled plovers, a white-tailed plover, 29 little stints, 1 turnstone, 430 black-headed gulls, 70 Caspian/steppe gulls 7 rose-ringed parakeets, 3 Alexandrine parakeets and 4 swallows. A purple heron, a sparrowhawk, a song thrush, and an isabelline shrike were at Abu Dhabi’s Health and Fitness Club. 6 black-necked grebe, 11 tufted duck, 1 cream-coloured courser, 13 skylarks, 13 tawny pipits, 2 Richard’s pipits and 7 isabelline wheatears were at Emirates Hills.
On 18th November, 5 night herons, 2 little green herons, a grey heron, 25 mallard, a tufted duck, 6 garganey, an osprey, 4 curlew, 7 common sandpipers, a Caspian/steppe gull, 20 rose-ringed parakeets, 9 Alexandrine parakeets, 8 blossom-headed parakeets, ( a self-sustaining feral population in the making?), 16 hoopoes, 41 white wagtails, 1 pied wheatear, 5 song thrushes, 1 isabelline shrike of "isabellinus" race and 5 isabelline shrikes subsp. were in Dubai’s Safa Park.
On 19th November, a visit to the Dubai pivot fields found a purple heron, 4 little egrets, 4 white-fronted geese (flying in from the Wimpey Pits), 33 greylag geese, 5 glossy ibis, 26 black-tailed godwits, 3 Temminck’s stint, 2 wood sandpipers, 1 whiskered tern, 16 short-toed larks, 16 water pipit, 2 red-throated pipits, 17 tawny pipits, 6 yellow wagtails, a pied wheatear and a steppe grey shrike. 13 black-necked grebe, 62 cattle egrets, 4 white-fronted geese, 5 shelduck, 12 gadwall, 27 tufted ducks, 116 pochard, 2 ferruginous ducks, 1 spotted eagle, 6 coot, 1 avocet, 41 ruff, 17 white-tailed plovers, 3 wood sandpipers, 15 white-winged black terns, 1 whiskered tern, 8 citrine wagtails, 1 pied wheatear and 2 isabelline wheatears were at the nearby Pits.
3 white-fronted geese, 36 Pacific golden plovers and 3 red-throated pipits were at Emirates Hills, with 2 night herons, 20 common snipe, 2 pintail snipe and 4 bluethroats at the nearby Emirates Golf Course. 3 song thrushes, a European roller and a curlew were at the Abu Dhabi Intercontinental Hotel on 20th November.
On 21st November, a little green heron (giving good close-up views as it sat in a palm tree), a kingfisher, 5 song thrushes and a whimbrel were noted at Maqta on 21st, with, after dark, 3 night herons passing over, calling loudly. This species has long since given up sitting on the Maqta bridge tower at sunset, no doubt perturbed by the modern floodlighting that has been installed. Well they’re not called night herons for nothing. Also on Abu Dhabi island on the 21st November,at the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club pools, was a coot, a good bird for the island.
An apparently non-Siberian stonechat and a steppe grey shrike were on a nearby fairway, while a squacco heron, first seen there on the 21st, was still present on the 23rd. Around the city, at least four masked shrikes have taken up winter quarters, while numerous sparrowhawks, song thrushes and chiffchaffs are also present.
A sparrowhawk, a song thrush, a citrine wagtail, a yellow wagtail, a red breasted flycatcher, 2 clamorous reed warblers, and a masked shrike were in Abu Dhabi’s Mushrif Palace Gardens, on 22nd November, with a squacco heron and 3 citrine wagtails at the nearby Health and Fitness Club. Also on 22nd November, the Emirates Golf Course had a greater flamingo, 2 gadwall, 2 wigeon, 5 moorhen, a coot, c. 20 red-wattled plovers, c. 30 black-winged stilts, 8 common sandpipers, 4 black-tailed godwits (flying over), a common snipe and 2 marsh sandpipers. 5 Indian silverbills were in the Ghantut plantations, but still no hypocolius. A tufted duck, a pochard, 3 garganey, a purple heron, 7 Alexandrine parakeets, 2 grey wagtails, a bluethroat, 16 hoopoes, a pied wheatear, 9 song thrushes, 8 chiffchaffs, 3 starlings, 4 isabelline shrikes and a masked shrike (a surprise) were in Safa Park and a barn owl was on the 1st tee at the Jebel Ali golf course.
A tour of the East Coast, again on 22nd November, found a squacco heron, 3 cattle egrets, 8 little egrets, 9 white storks, 25 teal, 14 mallard, 3 pintail, 2 marsh harriers, a pallid harrier, a Montagu’s harrier, a spotted eagle, 1 Bonelli’s eagle, 8 kestrels, 59 red-wattled plovers, 3 lapwings, 13 common snipe, 2 pintail snipe, 11 curlews, 6 whiskered terns, 2 white-winged black terns, 93 Indian rollers, 39 skylarks, 3 pale crag martins, 26 tawny pipits, 3 long-billed pipits, 7 red-throated pipits, 17 water pipits, 2 yellow wagtails, 3 citrine wagtails, 2 grey wagtails, 70 white wagtails, 2 masked wagtails, 3 bluethroats, 2 isabelline wheatears, 2 pied wheatears, a clamorous reed warbler, 4 isabelline shrikes subsp., an isabelline shrike of race phoenicuroides killing and eating an Indian silverbill, 2 Southern grey shrikes, 5 rose-coloured starlings, 39 Indian silverbills and 2 corn buntings at the Fujairah National Dairy Farm at Dibba.
1120 Socotra cormorants, an Arctic skua, 500 black-headed gulls, and a bridled tern were off the beach at Sharm while an immature cotton teal, 162 black-winged stilts, 400 black-headed gulls and 70 large white-headed gulls were at the Qurayyah pools.
3 Indian pond herons were at Khor Kalba, with 3 Persian shearwaters, 2 Arctic skuas, 2 Baltic gulls and 300 large white-headed gulls, a mix of various races of Siberian and Caspian gulls, on the Kalba beach and another Arctic skua off the Fujairah beach.
On 23rd November, the highlights of the regular Friday outing to the Al Wathba Camel track included 25 white storks, 3 marsh harriers, a pallid harrier, a spotted eagle, a lanner falcon, 10 kestrels, a collared pratincole, 62 Pacific golden plovers, 2 ruff, 3 curlew, 150 chestnut bellied sandgrouse, a hoopoe lark, 15+ bimaculated larks, 6 skylarks, 3 short toed larks, 8 lesser short toed larks, 18 swallows, 35 tawny pipits, 6 meadow pipits, 4 water pipits, a late tree pipit, 45 white wagtails, 2 stonechats, 5 bluethroats, 25 isabelline wheatears, a pied wheatear, 15 desert wheatears, 2 song thrushes, 5 isabelline shrikes, 3 Southern grey shrikes, 1 steppe grey shrike, 6 rose coloured starlings, 3 starlings and the yellow breasted bunting (found and lost again before everyone in the field had a chance to see it).
Notable by their absence were Blyth’s pipit, Oriental (small) skylark and hirundines. Our apologies, by the way, to the observer who found a splendid short-eared owl at Al Wathba the previous Friday, 16th November. It didn’t appear on the records sent to us, so we missed it out! Also on 23rd November, 2 great white egrets, a grey heron, 5 glossy ibis, 9 curlew, a green sandpiper, 4 lapwings, c. 20 tawny pipits, c. 60 white wagtails and 2 citrine wagtails were at the Dubai pivot fields, along with 26 greylag geese. 110 great cormorants, a purple heron, 8 great white egrets, 53 spoonbills, 3 shelduck, 2 spotted eagles, 3 ospreys and 2 whimbrels were at Khor Dubai the same day.and at Emirates Hills were 16 black-necked grebe, 5 tufted ducks, a coot, 30 Pacific golden plovers, 16 black-tailed godwits, 15 skylarks and 4 isabelline wheatears. Also on 23rd November, 9 little ringed plovers, 4 tawny pipits, a bluethroat, an isabelline shrike subsp. and a Southern grey shrike were at the Ruwayyah farms.
Finally, advance news of a report from Saturday 24th November, a fly-by of 2 ruddy shelduck at the Jebel Ali Hotel. What else will next week’s report have in store?
A purple patch again too for our neighbours in Oman, who have also been having an influx of geese. Selected records as follows:
8 greylag geese were at Khor Rouri on 20th November.
On 21st November, the long-billed dowitcher was still at Sun Farms at Sohar, along with 111 cattle egrets (a good count), and 2 sociable plovers (still there on 22nd November). Between 21-23 November, a rustic bunting was at Masirah sewage ponds. 17 white-fronted geese were at Khor Mughsayl on 22nd November, while on the same day 6 (!) stone plovers were at Seeb Airbase (when is someone going to see this species passing down the UAE’s East Coast?!).
2 greylag geese were at Al Ansab lagoons on 23rd November, with another white-fronted at Quryat on the same date. Also on 23rd, a good collection of raptors at Sunub dump included 100+ Egyptian vultures, a griffon vulture, 20+ lappet-faced vultures, 10+ spotted eagles, 100+ steppe eagles and 5+ Imperial eagles.
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20/11/01
Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 16th November 2001 Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
A good purple patch of migrants was reported last week, heralded by an influx of geese on the 9th (both greylags and white-fronted being reported, for the best ‘goose year’ for many years). Also reported were the Abu Dhabi goldfinch, staying into a third week, largest on record), while new arrivals included great knot, sociable plover, red-breasted flycatcher, crested honey buzzard, bimaculated larks, yellow-breasted bunting and ring ouzel. No sign of hypocolius yet, which is a bit of a disappointment. Anyone coming down on a tour, please note: we would like to be able to guarantee you hypocolius, but neither we, nor any tour operator, can do that! We can only promise to try our best to find them - if they’re here. For Bird of the Week, choosing between yellow-breasted bunting and the stunning ‘amicorum’ ring ouzel is simply too difficult, so we’ll let them share the title.
To the records.
First, on 9th November, 3 greylag geese, a spotted eagle, 40 crab plovers, 28 great knot, a broad-billed sandpiper and a steppe grey shrike were at Umm al-Qaiwain’s Dreamland Beach.
On 10th November, 19 great white egrets, 77 grey herons, 45 teal, 3 avocets, 56 broad-billed sandpiper and a kingfisher were at Khor Dubai. A sparrowhawk and the goldfinch were in Abu Dhabi’s Mushrif Palace Gardens on 10th November.
3 black-necked grebe, 9 tufted duck, 2 cream-coloured coursers, 30 Pacific golden plovers, 2 lapwings, 1 sociable plover (!), 7 black-tailed godwit, 1 whiskered tern, 2 skylark, 1 Richard’s pipit, 1 yellow wagtail and a ‘vittata’ pied wheatear were at the Emirates Hills golf course, with a little bittern, 1 spotted crake, 2 Temminck’s stint, 40 common snipe, 4 pintail snipe, 2 marsh sandpiper, 1 wood sandpiper, 2 Alexandrine parakeet, bluethroat and a clamorous reed warbler at the nearby Emirates golf course. 3 Bruce’s scops owls were in Dubai’s Mushrif Park.
In Abu Dhabi on 11th November a single song thrush and a wryneck were in the greenery along the Corniche.
On 12th November, 3 black-necked grebe, 3 white-fronted goose, 3 tufted duck, 3 pintail (one dead!), 1 coot, 6 cream-coloured courser, 54 Pacific golden plovers, 5 ringed plover, 6 Kentish plover, 22 Pacific golden plover, 25 little stints, 13 black-tailed godwits, 4 curlew, 1 redshank, 2 common sandpipers, 1 whiskered tern, 9 pallid swifts, 10 skylarks, 2 tawny pipits 4 Richard’s pipits, 1 yellow wagtail, 10 skylarks, 7 isabelline and two pied wheatears (including the ‘vittata’, ) 1 isabelline shrike and 1 southern grey shrike were at the Emirates Hills golf course. On 12th November, a corn bunting, a rather late whitethroat and a masked shrike were in Mushrif Palace Gardens. The masked shrikes about now in the city look set to overwinter. A purple heron was seen the same day at the Health and Fitness Club (showing again on 15th).
An arrival must have taken place in Abu Dhabi overnight on the 12th/13th November since the song thrush count on the 12th had increased from one to four by the Hilton and a red-breasted flycatcher was showing well by the Hotel Intercontinental. More fresh arrivals turned up in Abu Dhabi on the night of 13th/14th November, with 2 water pipits and 2 red-throated pipits, joining the four skylarks, stonechat and steppe grey shrike at the Golf & Equestrian Club, along with an escaped but lost-looking saker.
On 13th November, 5 black-necked grebe, 2 white-fronted goose, 67 Pacific golden plover, 9 black-tailed godwits and a Richard’s pipit were at the Emirates Hills golf course.
On 14th November, a night heron, 3 white-fronted geese, a white-tailed plover, 74 common snipe, 1 marsh sandpiper, a kingfisher, 2 Richard’s pipits and 3 bluethroats were at the Emirates Hills golf course. Another white-fronted goose and 2 song thrushes were in Dubai’s Safa park. A crested honey buzzard was in the Manhal Palace area in Abu Dhabi, while a night heron, a marsh harrier, 4 curlew, 2 hoopoes, a grey wagtail, a citrine wagtail and an isabelline shrike were in Mushrif Palace gardens. Similar news came from other Abu Dhabi sites. The Hilton area turned up a Blyth’s pipit, a redstart and a late, probably lingering, spotted flycatcher, the last-named having possibly been present in an out-of-the-way corner for some weeks now.
At the Al Wathba Camel track were 3 white storks, 5 marsh, 1 hen and 2 Montagu’s harriers, a sparrowhawk, 20+ kestrels, 10+ Kentish plovers (after dark), 5 red-wattled plovers, 2 curled, 3 Egyptian nightjars (after dark), 5 skylarks, 8 swallows, 25 tawny pipits, a red-throated pipit, 12 water pipits, 100+ white wagtails, a bluethroat, a Siberian stonechat, 20 isabelline wheatears, 4 pied and 14 desert wheatears, 4 isabelline shrikes, a steppe grey shrike and a starling.
Also on 14 November, Dubai pivot fields had 2 great white egrets, a purple heron, 19 cattle egrets, 5 glossy ibises (a new record?), 14 lapwings, a European rollers, 4 citrine wagtails, 4 beema yellow wagtails, 76 white wagtails (but no personata), 4 pied and one isabelline wheatear and a bluethroat.
In the Wimpey Pits were 17 cattle egrets, 5 marsh harriers, 30 greylag geese, 4 shelduck, 20+ teal, 100+ pochard, 30+ pintail, 50+ garganey, 30+ shoveler, 30+ mallard, 5 gadwall, 2 wigeon, 2 tufted ducks, a male ferruginous duck, 31 black-tailed godwits, 8 white-tailed plovers, 8 white-winged black terns and a great reed warbler. 3 white-fronted goose, 4 black-necked grebe, 6 tufted duck, 12 skylarks and 2 Richard’s pipits were at the Emirates Hills golf course on 15th November.
7 black-necked grebe, 2 little egret, 5 glossy ibis, 35 greylag goose, 6 wigeon, 2 ferruginous duck, 95 pochard/tufties, 2 garganey and 5 white-tailed plovers were at Wimpey Pits, with 150 lesser sand plover. 30 greater sand plover and 50 broad-billed sandpipers at Khor Dubai. In the Dubai pivot fields were 50 cattle egrets, 3 little egrets, 2 great white egrets, 3 grey herons, 2 purple herons, 5 glossy ibis, 23 greylag geese, 6 mallard, 1 marsh harrier, 1 pallid harrier, 1 kestrel, 3 Temminck’s stints, 14 ruff, 9 common snipe, 1 black-tailed godwit, 9 curlew, 1 green sandpiper, 1 whiskered tern, 8 white-winged black terns, 1 European roller, 6 hoopoes, 2 short-toed larks, 18 skylarks, 3 tawny pipits, 16 red-throated pipits, 5 water pipits, 8 yellow wagtails, 1 citrine wagtail, 92 white wagtails, 1 bluethroat, 2 stonechats unassigned to race, 2 pied wheatears, 1 phoenicuroides isabelline shrike, and a steppe grey shrike. 20 white-winged black terns and 120 swallows came in to roost at dusk at the Wimpey Pits.
On 15th November, the Fujairah National Dairy Farm at Dibba has a squacco heron, 10 little egrets, 4 cattle egrets, a purple heron, 7 white storks, 3 spotted eagles, 23 rose-coloured starlings, a Richard’s pipit, 8 pied wheatears and 2 isabelline wheatears. Also on 15th November, a visit to the Al Wathba Camel track 1 white stork, 1 hen harrier (female or 1st-W), 1 marsh harrier, 2 pallid harriers, 1 Montagu’s harrier, 14 kestrels, 1 red-wattled plovers, 2 curlew, 1 quail, 112 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, 24 black-crowned finch larks, 4 bimaculated larks, 19 short-toed larks, 33 skylarks, 8 swallows, 1 Richard’s pipit, 33 tawny pipits, 12 red-throated pipits, 10 water pipits, 9 yellow wagtails, 93 white wagtails, 2 bluethroats, 13 isabelline wheatears, 10 desert wheatears, 1 isabelline shrike subsp, 1 isabelline shrike of race isabellinus, 2 southern grey shrikes, 1 starling, 6 rose-coloured starlings and a yellow-breasted bunting (probably adult female) - fourth record for the UAE if accepted, all but the first being at this location - as well as 6 corn buntings.
On 16th November, a visit to the Emirates Hills Golf Course found 3 black-necked grebes, 1 greater flamingo, 3 white-fronted geese, 3 wigeon,1 pintail, 2 tufted ducks, 1 marsh harrier, 1 kestrel, 29 black-winged stilts, 1 ringed plover, 6 Kentish plover, 40 Pacific golden plovers, 21 red-wattled plovers, 6 little stints, 5 ruff, 22 black-tailed godwits, 6 curlew, 5 redshank, 1 marsh sandpiper, 1 green sandpiper, 10 common sandpipers, 1 black-headed gull, 1 Caspian/steppe gull, 1 white-winged black tern, 17 skylarks, 1 Richard’s pipit, 2 tawny pipits, 1 red-throated pipit, 1 yellow wagtail, 7 white wagtails, 6 isabelline wheatears, 2 desert wheatears, 1 song thrush, 1 isabelline shrike and 2 southern grey shrikes. A probable long-legged buzzard was on the East Coast near Bidiyah. On 16th November, a sizeable twitch at the Al Wathba Camel track re-found the yellow-breasted bunting, although one nervous visitor from Dubai waited several hours before it was finally re-located.Also there were 16 white storks, 4 marsh, 2 pallid and 2 Montagu’s harriers, a spotted eagle, a long-legged buzzard, a cream-coloured courser, a collared pratincole, 4 sand martins, 30 skylarks, 5 lesser short-toed larks, 20+ isabelline wheatears, 10+ pied and 15+ desert wheatears, 2 starlings, 6 rose-coloured starlings and a steppe grey shrike.
A song thrush flying in off the sea in Abu Dhabi on 16th was sign enough for those left behind in Abu Dhabi, and unable to join the regular Friday morning session at Al Wathba, to check one or two of the city’s parks. Second park up, next to Spinney’s supermarket on the corniche, turned up a rather splendid ring ouzel (8th record) of the distinctive Anatolian, Caucasian/Transcaspian race, amicorum. Two female/juv. Blackcaps and 2 Menetries’ warblers were also noted, as was a single starling, a somewhat scarce bird in the city in recent winters.
A purple patch reported by our neighbours in Oman over the last week as well, with a little pratincole and a golden eagle at Khor Dirif on 13th November, a long-billed dowitcher at Khor Ghawni on 14th November and a white-faced storm petrel (2nd record, if accepted) at Ra’s al-Khabbah on 15th November, 2 greylag geese at Al Ansab lagoons the same day, one being killed by one of 10 spotted eagles there (1 fulvescens). 15 steppe eagles and a juv. imperial eagle were also present. Also on 15th, a shikra was at Khor Razat, a marbled teal at Khor Taqah and a lesser spotted eagle at Khor Muhit.
On 16th, 17 white-fronted geese were at Khor Mugsayl while at least 3 sociable plovers were at Al Garzeis Farm (until at least 17th November). Finally a note from Wadi Subaitah, in the Omani mountains, 40 km. east of Buraimi. A visit on 16th october produced 2 yellow-vented bulbuls, 2 white-cheeked bulbuls (what were they doing there?), 12 little green bee-eaters, 10 purple sunbirds, 2 scrub warblers and 6 desert larks.
A long-tailed shrike was at Khor Qurm park up to the 18th. Apologies for the delay in sending out this week’s Twitcher’s’ Guide: the editors have been out finding evidence that our UAE purple patch is continuing!
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12/11/01
Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 9th November 2001 Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Signs this week of an influx of birds sent south by harsh weather further north and east, with several reports of geese and, by the end of the week, a goodly flock of lapwings. Also turning up was a black-throated thrush, harbinger, we hope of an influx, since it’s been a long time since we had one. Eagles are appearing in greater numbers, though only spotted and steppe so far, but no sign yet of hypocolius, despite an exhaustive search of the Ghantut plantations on the 9th. The first ‘peeping’ abietinus chiffchaffs of the autumn were noted in Abu Dhabi city, and are now fairly numerous. Only one or two of the earlier arriving ‘hweeters’ are apparently still about. Wherever might they have come from? Despite being tempted by the lapwings, we’ll plump for the black-throated thrush as Bird of the Week.
To the reports.
Three white-fronted geese were on the Emirates Hills GC on the morning of the 3rd and stayed all week. Also on 3rd November, the capital’s elusive goldfinch was on show at Mushrif Palace gardens, staying around long enough to have successfully twitched by most active capital birders.
An adult crested honey buzzard was perched in full view and at close quarters at the Digdaga chicken farm on 5th November. A pair of Siberian stonechats, single steppe grey shrike and pied wheatears, 2 red-throated pipits and 3 skylarks were at the Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club.
On 6th November, 2 spotted eagles, a juvenile steppe eagle and a white-breasted (or, to use its older and better name) Smyrna kingfisher were at RAK Airport.
30+ chestnut-bellied sandgrouse were at RAK Airport on 7th November. Several hoopoe larks, or their tracks, were seen on jebels south of Mirfa, in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region. No pallid swifts had arrived at the nearby Jebel Momiya breeding site, however. Another hard-weather visitor, the black-throated thrush, was seen at the farm opposite the Fujairah National Dairy Farm.
On 8th November, the first song thrush of the autumn (in Abu Dhabi at least) limped into an Abu Dhabi city park. The species’ appearance is markedly later than is usual. Five bolshy territorial isabelline shrikes were also in the city on the 8th. A greylag goose was at Wimpey Pits, along with 3 shelduck, 12+ white-tailed plovers, 14 marsh sandpipers, 4 spotted redshanks, a bluethroat, a great reed warbler and 4 citrine wagtails. A record 791 shoveler and a shelduck.were among ducks at the Al Wathba lake and marsh.
Also on 8th November, a five hour fishing trip c. 36 miles NW of Dubai produced, in terms of birds, only 5 white cheeked terns & a few Larus sp.. Safa park had 2 great cormorants flying over, 8 night herons plus one found dead, 1little green heron, 3 grey herons, 1 teal, 15 mallard, 2 garganey, 2 shoveler, 2 pochard, 1 kestrel, 1 common snipe, 5 curlew, 1 greenshank, 1 black-headed gull, 11 Alexandrine parakeets, 1 pallid swift, 10 hoopoes, 1 grey wagtail, 31 white wagtails and an isabelline shrike. 3 black-necked grebes, 3 white-fronted geese, 2 wigeon, 1 mallard, 6 tufted duck, 1 coot, 17 black-winged stilts, 14 Pacific golden plover, 4 little stints, 4 black-tailed godwits, 1 isabelline wheatear and an isabelline shrike were at the Emirates Hills golf course, and 4 black-necked grebes, 16 cattle egrets, 4 glossy ibis, 1 greylag goose, 3 shelduck, 1 marsh harrier, 1 spotted eagle, 1 osprey, 13 lapwings, 6 white-winged black terns, 1 pied wheatear and an isabelline shrike at Wimpey Pits. A red-tailed wheatear, and an Eastern pied wheatear were at Qarn Nazwa while a marsh harrier, a pallid harrier, 2 kestrels, 3 Egyptian nightjars, 3 skylarks, 25 tawny pipits, 4 red-throated pipits, 6 water pipits, 10 white wagtails, 2 isabelline wheatears, 4 pied wheatears, 4 desert wheatears, 1 phoenicuroides isabelline shrike and 3 isabelline shrike subsp were in the Lihbab fields.
Al Wathba camel racetrack was scoured on the 9th November and, other than large numbers of tawny pipits, isabelline and desert wheatears, produced a Namaqua dove, 2-3 meadow pipits (first of the autumn), 18 water pipits, a bimaculated lark, 4 lesser short-toed larks, 120+ short-toed larks, 3+ small (Oriental) skylarks, 5+ Siberian type stonechats, 4+ pied wheatears, a song thrush, 3 steppe grey shrikes, 3 spotted eagles (one plucking a drake mallard), 3 mallard in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, 25 white storks, 5+ Montagu’s harriers, a single pallid harrier, 3+ lesser kestrels, a pintail snipe and a cream-coloured courser. 3 more greylag geese were found at Umm al-Qaiwain’s Dreamland Beach.
17 little grebes, 284 greater flamingoes, 8 shelduck, 6 gadwall, 16 teal, 1 mallard, 26 pintail, 150 shoveler, 47 moorhen, 118 black-winged stilts, 3 white-tailed plover, 1 black-tailed godwit, 1 whiskered tern and 5 white-winged black terns were at Sharjah dump, also on 9th November, with 45 cattle egrets, 1 great white egret, 2 grey herons, 1 purple heron, 5 glossy ibis, 4 mallard, 1 Montagu’s harrier, 3 kestrels, 15 lapwings, 60 ruff flying over, 5 common snipe, 9 black-tailed godwits flying over, 9 curlew, 2 green sandpipers, 15 hoopoes, 1 skylark, 20+ tawny pipits, 20+ red-throated pipits, 5+ water pipits, 15+ yellow wagtails and a further 4 beema yellow wagtails, 49 white wagtails, 5+ pied, 4+ desert and 4 isabelline wheatears and a steppe grey shrike in the Dubai pivot fields. 3 white-fronted geese and 20+ Pacific golden plovers were at the Emirates Hills golf course in Dubai. A shikra, a bluethroat and an Eastern reed warbler were at the nearby Emirates Golf Course.
Also on 9th November, Safa Park had a fly-by marsh harrier, a juvenile night heron, 2 little green and a grey heron, 2 pochard, 3 teal, a pintail, 1-2 grey wagtails, a citrine and c. 25 white wagtails, a Richard’s pipit and 3 isabelline shrike.
Finally, a report from Khor Dubai on 10th November of 6 shelduck and 2 spotted eagles, one of which was on a kill. Our correspondent reports:
"After some 20 minutes the local 2 crowned cranes ambled towards the eagle, abreast with wings fully spread, and eased the eagle off the kill. It flopped a few metres away whilst, after much neck craning, the cranes pecked at the remains for a few minutes in a desultory fashion, before losing interest. The eagle was too full to make any big issue of the matter."
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05/11/01
Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 2nd November 2001. Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Patchy pickings this week, with no new birds of dramatic importance being reported. Redstarts have still to materialise in any numbers, (with none being reported at all during the week), although 2 wood warblers together in Abu Dhabi were worthy of note, as was a late thrush nightingale. The capital’s black-shouldered kite was still present, as was the goldfinch (heard, but not seen). Ferruginous ducks were reported from the capital, while a pin-tailed sandgrouse was reported again from the Al Wathba Camel track, although those keen to tick it should note that the Emirates Bird Records Committee has now determined that all records of this species are likely to be escapes or releases. Also at Al Wathba were a hen harrier and a couple of eagles as well as a Namaqua dove and both Richard’s and Blyth's pipits. 15+ ospreys on Futaisi island was notable, in this, part of the Gulf’s top site for the species, while crab plovers were reported in good numbers west of Abu Dhabi.
A tough choice selecting Bird of the Week, with nothing new of any real note, while the black-shouldered kite and the goldfinch have had the title before. We’ll plump, not without a few misgivings, for Abu Dhabi’s ferruginous ducks.
To the records.
Early in the week, a count at Al Dabb’iya found 140 slender-billed gulls, over 200 Saunders’ little terns and 130+ crab plovers.
On 27th October, a bluethroat was at the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club, while 2 masked shrikes were in Mushrif Palace Gardens, (present all week). 5+ citrine wagtails were also present all week.
On 28th October, 2 night herons, 6 grey herons, 1 pintail, 5 garganey, 2 shoveler, 1 moorhen, 1 whimbrel, 10 common sandpipers, 16 hoopoes, 1 grey wagtail and 35 white wagtails were in Safa Park.
On 30th October, a late thrush nightingale was seen from a car held up at the clock tower roundabout in Abu Dhabi, with a spotted flycatcher seen nearby shortly afterwards. Chiffchaff numbers are noticeably up throughout the capital.
On 31st October, the black-shouldered kite was seen again, at Mushrif Palace gardens, along with a sparrowhawk, with 15 alba wagtails in the Golf and Equestrian Club. The goldfinch reported last week was heard singing for an hour (without being seen, it being over a high wall in a well-wooded ‘ladies and children only’ area).
On 1st November, 2 ferruginous ducks were at the Golf and Equestrian Club (good records for Abu Dhabi island), along with a couple of tufted ducks. Also present was a skylark, the first for the capital this autumn.
On 2nd November, a rare visit to Futaisi island found a juvenile purple heron, 50 greater flamingos, 20+ oystercatchers, 75 crab plovers, 160 bar-tailed godwits, a few Terek sandpipers and at least fifteen different ospreys, some starting to repair their nests for the imminent breeding season. A visit to the Al Ain Camel track found 2 Indian rollers, a desert wheatear, 12 desert larks, 120 or so crested larks, 3 grey shrikes (not identified to species/sub-species), 9 red-wattled plovers and, lurking in the garden, a common pheasant. 2 wood warblers were in Mushrif Palace Gardens. A visit to Dubai’s Al Mamzar Park found a grey heron flying over with 2 purple herons, 1 hobby, 1 black redstart, 1 isabelline wheatear, 1 pied wheatear, 2 chiffchaffs, 50 Indian silverbills, 4 isabelline shrikes and a pied mynah.
At Wimpey Pits, also on 2nd November, were 52+ little grebes, 4 black-necked grebes, 36 cattle egrets, 4 little egrets, 9 purple herons in flight together, 3 glossy ibis, 164 greater flamingos, 4 shelduck, 1 wigeon, 6 gadwall, 102+ teal, 40+ mallard, 28+ pintail, 1 garganey, 46+ shoveler, 58 pochard, 2 tufted duck, 4 marsh harriers, 26+ moorhens, 2 coot, 207 black-winged stilts, 1 avocet, 3 little ringed plovers, 6 white-tailed plovers, 80 little stints, 2 Temminck’s stints, 4 curlew sandpipers, 14 ruff, 6 common snipe, 8 black-tailed godwits, 9 curlew, 2 spotted redshanks, 6 marsh sandpipers, 1 wood sandpiper, 4 white-winged black terns, 3 blue-cheeked bee-eaters, 300 pallid swifts, 120 swallows at dusk, 5 yellow wagtails, 2 citrine wagtails, 21 white wagtails, 1 desert wheatear, 2 clamorous reed warblers, a chiffchaff and an isabelline shrike. 24 cattle egrets, 1 great white egret, 3 grey herons, 2 purple herons, 4 glossy ibis ( the 3 from Wimpey pits plus one other), 1 marsh harrier, 1 pallid harrier, 3 kestrels, 1 little ringed plover, 3 little stints, 10 Temminck’s Stints, 29 ruff, 3 common snipe, 9 curlew (same as Wimpey pits), 6 swallows, 6 tawny pipits, 2 red-throated pipits, 3 yellow wagtails, 70 white wagtails, 2 bluethroats and 3 pied wheatears were in the adjacent pivot fields.
At the Al Wathba Camel Track on 2nd November were 7 white storks, a juvenile male hen harrier, first seen a week before, a pallid harrier, a Montagu’s harrier, a spotted and a steppe eagle, 5 lesser kestrels and 12 kestrels, a cream-coloured courser, a male pin-tailed sandgrouse, a male Namaqua dove, 135 short-toed larks, 6 Richard's pipits,a Blyth’s pipit, 1 tree, 74 tawny, 12 red-throated and 7 water pipits, a black-eared wheatear and 3 pied wheatears, 3 steppe grey shrikes and an ortolan.
From our neighbours in Oman comes a report from Sun Farms, Sohar, on 1st and 2nd November, of 181 cattle egrets, a new maximum count for Oman, 9 white storks, a black kite, a marsh and a Montagu’s harrier, 3 spotted eagles and 2 Bonelli’s eagles. 8 more spotted eagles and another Bonelli’s eagle were seen at Al Ansab lagoons, so the large raptors are now moving through
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Contributors of records to Twitchers' Guide are reminded that their records should be copied to the EBRC Secretary, David Diskin (e-mail: dadiskin@emirates.net.ae) for inclusion in the national records, and to
Colin Richardson, compiler of the UAE Monthly Record, at colinr@emirates.net.ae
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For birding information on Dubai and the Northern Emirates, please contact Colin Richardson. Telephone: Dubai (9714)-3472277, Fax: 3472276. P.O.Box 50394, Dubai, UAE, e-mail: colinr@emirates.net.ae
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