For information on specially arranged half-day, single day and longer birding tours of the Emirates, e-mail: hellyer@emirates.net.ae or Peter@extinfo.gov.ae

THE SHELL BIRDWATCHING GUIDE TO THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

A weekly up-date on what's happening among the United Arab Emirates' bird-life.

26/02/02

Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 1st March 2002. Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

A plethora of reports from around the country this week, thanks to the Eid holidays, (although, surprisingly, nothing from the UAE’s East Coast). Best new birds reported included hypocolius at Ghantut (at last!) and great knot at Khor al Beida, while the Wimpey Pits pectoral sandpiper and the Abu Dhabi Hume’s yellow-browed warbler were still present. 24 Egyptian nightjars at the Al Wathba Camel tracks were a national record. While we like the great knot, the hypocolius found by Colin Richardson, long awaited and much missed, have to be Bird of the Week. On 23rd February, 4 black-necked grebe, 9 gadwall, 46 Pacific golden plovers, 47 skylarks and 5 isabelline wheatears were at the Emirates Hills golf course.

Also on 23rd February, an all-time record of 24 Egyptian nightjars were counted after dark at the Al Wathba Camel track, the lack of watering over the Eid holidays enabling the tracks between the fodder fields to dry out, and attract the birds to them. Is there anywhere else in the Western Palaearctic that can compete with Al Wathba for this species? Birds seen there during daylight hours included 3 marsh harriers, 1 "ring tailed" harrier, 3 hoopoes, 50 short-toed larks, 25 lesser short-toed larks, 3 bimaculated larks, 6 skylarks, 2 swallows, a red-throated pipit,12 water pipits, a yellow wagtail, 6 white wagtails, a stonechat, 30 isabelline wheatears, 20 pied wheatears, 18 desert wheatears, 8 isabelline shrike, 2 steppe grey shrike, a woodchat shrike, 14 starlings, 7 rose-coloured starlings and 12 corn buntings.

On 24th February, 20 black-necked grebes, 4 glossy ibis, 9 shelduck, the pectoral sandpiper, a great black-headed gull, 16 whiskered terns and a pied wheatear were at Wimpey Pits. At the adjacent pivot fields were 20 cattle egrets, a pallid harrier, a white-winged black tern, a black-crowned finch lark, 3 skylarks, 11 tawny pipits, a Siberian stonechat, 2 isabelline wheatears, a pied wheatear, an isabelline shrike, 1 woodchat shrike, 20 starlings, 500 house sparrows and 4 corn buntings. A visit to Khor al Beida found 25 Western reef herons, 4 grey herons, 200+ greater flamingos, a marsh harrier (m), 5 spotted eagles, a Bonelli’s eagle, 25 oystercatchers, 220 crab plovers, 16 ringed plovers, 65 Kentish plovers, 250 lesser sand plovers, a greater sand plover, 30 grey plovers, 11 great knot , 85 little stints, 170 curlew sandpipers, 20 redshank, 30 greenshank, 270 bar-tailed godwits, 12 turnstones,3 slender billed gulls, 22 gull-billed terns, 75 pallid swifts, 2 little green bee-eaters, 6 white wagtails, a desert wheatear and 2 great grey shrike (sp). In the Dubai pivot fields were 26 cattle egrets, a purple heron, a marsh harrier, a pallid harrier (m), 4 green sandpipers, a little ringed plover, 20 pallid swifts, a hoopoe, 15 skylarks, 20 meadow pipits, 2 red-throated pipits, 8 white wagtails, 2 stonechats, an isabelline wheatear, 3 Southern grey shrike, a woodchat shrike and 5 starlings. At the adjacent Wimpey Pits were 80 little grebe, 25 black-necked grebe, 9 shelduck, 18 teal, 50 mallard, 35 shoveler, 2 pochard, 3 marsh harriers, a spotted crake, 6 moorhen, 6 coot, 150 black-winged stilts, 3 little ringed plovers, 2 ringed plovers, 10 Kentish plovers, 20 red-wattled plovers, 10 white-tailed plovers, 180 little stints, 20 curlew sandpipers, 12 redshank, 6 marsh sandpipers, a wood sandpiper, a common sandpiper, the pectoral sandpiper, 2 black-headed gulls, 16 whiskered terns, 400+ pallid swifts, 6 little green bee-eaters, 2 yellow wagtails (1 feldegg), a bluethroat, a clamorous reed-warbler, a chiffchaff, a lesser whitethroat and 3 streaked weavers.

On 25th February, a newly resident UAE birder, Tommy Pedersen, (shortly to be flying Boeing 777s for Emirates Airline, so you can fly the big bird with a birder!), made his first outing, to the Emirates golf course, finding a great cormorant, 3 grey herons, one white and one slate Western reef heron, 2 greater flamingos, 2 male teal, a male mallard, 2 female pintail, 2 moorhen, a black-winged stilt (why not more?), 15 red-wattled plovers, a curlew,2 redshank, a marsh sandpiper, a greenshank, 6 common sandpipers, a Temminck’s stint, 20 black-headed gulls, 75 collared doves, 15 ring-necked parakeets, 6 pallid swifts, 6 little green bee-eaters, 6 Indian rollers, 4 hoopoes, 30 red-vented bulbuls, 4 song thrushes, an abietinus chiffchaff, a pied wheatear, 2 isabellinus (Daurian) isabelline shrikes, a Southern grey shrike and 100 Indian house crows. Also on 25th February, a female rock thrush and 3 red-tailed wheatears were at Qarn Nazwa, (but no sign of the usual Eastern pied wheatears). 2 desert larks, a black redstart and 2 house buntings were at Huwaylat in the Wadi Qawr, while 2 striated scops owls were in Mushrif Park in Dubai. A visit to the Al Wathba Camel track found 3 pallid harriers, 36 Pacific golden plovers, a red-rumped swallow, 2 Richard’s pipits, 67 tawny pipits, a long-billed pipit, 26 pied wheatears, including 3 of the vittata race, the first pale rock sparrow of spring and 32 corn buntings. 60 common shelduck were on the Al Wathba Lakes.

On 25th February, a night heron, a pale immature crested honey buzzard, 4 song thrushes, a Hume’s yellow-browed warbler and a samamisicus redstart were at the Mushrif Palace Gardens with 4 pintail (2m), a sparrowhawk (f), 6 water pipits, 2 meadow pipits, 4 pied wheatears and a yellow wagtail at the Health and Fitness Club. A visit to the Emirates golf course found a jack snipe, 38 common snipe, a marsh sandpiper, a bluethroat, a stonechat, a clamorous reed warbler, 4 chiffchaffs and 2 isabelline shrikes. On 26th February, 2 Egyptian geese, 2 Pacific golden plovers, a pintail snipe, 2 common snipe, 10 tawny pipit, a stonechat and a pied wheatear were at the Ghantut polo club, with 2 African rock martins, 4 lesser short-toed larks flying over, 2 hypocolius, a song thrush and 2 desert lesser whitethroats were in the adjacent plantations. At the Jebel Ali nature sanctuary (coast and scrub between Jebel Ali hotel and the Abu Dhabi border were a pallid harrier, 2 avocets, a steppe gull, 2 hoopoe larks and 6 desert wheatears.

A male marsh harrier, 6 song thrushes and a red-breasted flycatcher were in Mushrif Palace Gardens and a male merlin was at Ra’s al-Khaimah Airport. On 27th February, a male blue rock thrush, a black redstart, a plain leaf warbler and a red-tailed wheatear were all in the same gully at Qarn Nazwa, while in the Lahbab fields were a female rock thrush, a kestrel, being mobbed by a great grey shrike, a stonechat, 3 isabelline wheatears, 3 tawny pipits and 4 skylarks.

A very high tide in Khor al Beida produced excellent views of 32 crab plovers, 9 whimbrel, 22 oystercatchers and the usual other assortment of waders, although no black-crowned finch-larks or hoopoe larks were present, unusual for this time of year. An osprey in Dubai’s Safa Park was being mobbed by Indian house crows, while a phoenicuroides isabelline shrike was also present.

At the Emirates golf course and the waterfall wadi course were 56 common snipe, 3 pintail snipe, 1 marsh sandpiper, isabelline wheatear, 2 bluethroats and an isabelline shrike. Also on 27th February, a visit to the Dubai pivot fields found 12 cattle egrets, a purple heron, a peregrine, 10 little ringed plovers, 2 green sands, 11 skylark, a yellow wagtail, 2 bluethroats, a pied wheatear and 23 starlings. 2 garganey, 5 gadwall, an osprey, 20 white-tailed plovers (mostly paired up), a spotted redshank. 3 great black-headed gulls, 4 sand martins, 5 citrine wagtails and a pied wheatear were at Wimpey Pits. 23 shelduck, 170 pochard, 16 tufted duck, 32 spoonbill, 3 ospreys, a spotted eagle, 7 avocets, 6 greater sand plovers, 100 Pacific golden plovers, 4 whimbrels, a kingfisher, a citrine wagtail, 15 gull-billed terns, 32 Caspian terns, 2 hoopoe larks and a desert wheatear were at the Khor Dubai wildlife sanctuary. On 28th February, Wimpey pits held 34 little grebe, 54 black-necked grebe, 2 Western reef herons, 3 little egrets, 4 glossy ibis, 329 greater flamingos, 2 Egyptian geese, 9 shelduck, 3 wigeon, 13 gadwall, 84 teal, 10 mallard, 40 pintail, 3 garganey, 70 shoveler, a pochard, 2 tufted ducks, 3 marsh harriers, an osprey, a sparrowhawk, a spotted crake, 13 moorhen, 5 coot, 178 black-winged stilts, 57 Kentish plover, 16 red-wattled plovers, 11 white-tailed plover, 235 little stints, 6 little ringed plovers, a curlew sandpiper, 55 ruff, 25 common snipe, 6 redshank, 6 marsh sandpipers, 1 green sandpiper, 3 wood sandpipers, a slender-billed gull, 2 whiskered terns, 4 white-winged black terns, 400 pallid swifts, 40 sand martins, 2 tawny pipits, a bluethroat, a stonechat, 4 pied wheatears, and a desert wheatear.

In the pivot fields were a great white egret, 35 cattle egrets, 33 greylag geese, 8 white-fronted geese, 2 Egyptian geese flying over, a marsh harrier, a Montagu’s harrier, 70 ruff flying over, 6 little ringed plovers, 12 black-crowned finch larks, 7 skylarks, 30 red-throated pipits, a meadow pipit, 20 tawny pipits, 2 water pipits an isabelline wheatear, a desert wheatear, 3 corn buntings and 18 starlings.

12 shelduck, 3 spotted eagles, 2 marsh harriers, 25 turnstones, 40 Caspian terns and a Saunders’ little tern were at Khor Dubai. Also on 28th February, the Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club produced a red-rumped swallow, 10 meadow pipits, a tree pipit and 50+ bank mynah with a song thrush and a 1 Hume’s yellow-browed warbler in the adjacent Mushrif Palace Gardens.

On 1st March, the Al Wathba Camel Track held a cattle egret, 4 marsh harriers, 2 pallid harriers, a hen harrier, a peregrine (with jesses),5 kestrels, a cream-coloured courser, 300+ chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, 2 pallid swifts, 3 hoopoes, a bimaculated lark,a sand martin, a swallow, 65 short-toed larks, 45 lesser short-toed larks, 28 skylarks, a Richard’s pipit, a meadow pipit, 56 tawny, 14 red-throated and 85 water pipits, 10 bluethroats, including at least one white-spotted, a stonechat, 3 Siberian stonechats, 40 isabelline and 13 pied and 12 desert wheatears, a black-eared wheatear, 6 isabelline shrikes, 3 steppe grey shrikes, 2 woodchat shrikes and 9 starlings.

A shikra was heard calling at the Emirates golf course, where a white-tailed plover, 13 common snipe, a pintail snipe, 10 Temminck’s stints and 16 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse were seen. A male hypocolius was in the Ghantut plantations.

Wimpey pits on 1st March had 30 cattle egrets, 4 glossy ibis, 2 spotted crakes at different sites, and a spotted redshank. Also on 1st March, a visit to the Hamraniyyah fields in Ra’s al-Khaimah found 6 cattle egrets, a sparrowhawk, 13 red-wattled plovers, a white-winged black tern, 10 skylarks, 2 red-rumped swallows, a house martin, 19 tawny pipits, a phoenicuroides isabelline shrike, 4 southern grey shrikes and 5 singing corn buntings.
10 spoonbills, 3 crab plovers and 2 singing Orphean warblers were at the Al Jazeerah Khor while an Indian pond/squacco heron, a shelduck, 2 spotted eagles, an avocet, 2 white-tailed plovers, 4000 black-headed gulls, 700 Caspian/Steppe gulls were at Sharjah dump.

26/02/02

Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 22nd February 2002. Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Apologies for the late transmission of Twitchers’ Guide this week, caused by a five day holiday period. The holiday seems to have affected the number of records coming in too, with many UAE birders being away. A few good birds have been reported, however, all but one being long-stayers, with greylags aplenty still at Dubai’s pivot fields and 2 crested honey buzzards and a single Hume’s yellow-browed warbler still in Abu Dhabi. One new bird reported was a female pin-tailed sandgrouse at the Emirates Hills golf course. Some scanty evidence of migration has been reported, with a couple of lesser kestrels at the Al Wathba Camel Track and a redstart in Abu Dhabi. Records should pick up again next week. For this week, though, we’ll plump for Dave Diskin’s pin-tailed sandgrouse as Bird of the Week, (and will leave the question of its origin until later!) On 15th February, 4 Namaqua doves and a trumpeter finch were at the Al Wathba Camel track, with 28 avocets on the neaby lakes.

On 17th February, a sooty gull, 4 great black-headed gulls, a lesser crested tern and 5 Sandwich terns were off Jumeirah Beach. On 18th February, a visit to Safa Park found 26 mallard, 1 garganey, 1 tufted duck, 1 greenshank, 1 great black-headed gull, 350 black-headed gulls, 7 plum-headed parakeets (this seems to be the currently accepted name for "Psittacula cyanocephala"; blossom-headed parakeet is "Psittacula roseata"), 26 hoopoes, 1 tawny pipit, 4 water pipits, 1 grey wagtail, 97 white wagtails, 8 song thrushes and 2 chiffchaffs. 25 cattle egrets, a citrine wagtail and 9 white wagtails ( one having the appearance of a personata / alba cross) were on Mushrif Palace Gardens. On 20th February, Mushrif Palace Gardens had 32 cattle egrets, 1 red-wattled lapwing (unusual at this site ), 18 black-headed gulls, 2 citrine wagtails, 7 white wagtails ( no unusual cross types ) and 2 song thrushes.

3 little grebes, 114 greater flamingos, 3 shelduck, 3 wigeon, 3 gadwall, a mallard, 5 pintail, 10 shoveler, a marsh harrier, a greater spotted eagle, a peregrine, an avocet, 10,000 black-headed gulls and 1,000 Caspian/steppe gulls were at Sharjah dump, with a white-tailed plover, 2 pintail snipe, 78 common snipe and a bluethroat at the Emirates Golf Course. On 21st February, 70 Eurasian skylarks and a bimaculated lark were at the Emirates Hills golf course. A scout around the Mushrif Palace Gardens and adjacent Equestrian Club and Health and Fitness Club found 32 cattle egrets, 2 white-fronted geese, a greylag goose, 36 mallard, 2 crested honey buzzards, (both immature, one pale and one dark), a marsh harrier (m ), s kestrel, 6 common sandpipers, a great black-headed gull ( full summer plumage flying low directly overhead ), a pallid swift, 3 hoopoes, a tree pipit, 4 meadow pipits, 13 water pipits, a citrine wagtail, 42 white wagtails, a grey wagtail, a redstart ( samamisicus), 2 isabelline wheatears, a desert wheatear, 4 song thrushes, a tree pipit, probably an overlooked wintering bird, 3 olivaceous warblers, a Hume’s yellow browed warbler (where did the second one go?), 8 chiffchaffs, 3 isabelline shrike, a masked shrike and a steppe grey shrike.

54 cattle egrets, 2 purple herons, 4 glossy ibis, 33 greylag geese, a marsh harrier, a pallid harrier, 26 little ringed plover, 8 tawny pipits, 84 red-throated pipits, 3 yellow wagtails subsp, a "beema" wagtail, a "feldegg" wagtail, 60 white wagtails and 20 starlings were in the Dubai pivot fields, with 800 pallid swifts, an isabelline wheatear and a pied wheatear at the Wimpey Pits.

Also on 22nd February, 88 common shelduck were at the Al Wathba Lake (a UAE record?). At the nearby camel track were a cattle egret, 4 marsh harriers, a peregrine falcon (with jesses), 2 lesser kestrels, 30 Pacific golden plover, 10 ruff, 520 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, a Namaqua dove, 95 lesser short-toed larks, 4 short-toed larks, 145 skylarks, 35 meadow pipits, 14 red-throated pipits, 3 water pipits, a yellow wagtail, 30 white wagtails, 44 isabelline, 28 pied (1 vittata) and 26 desert wheatears, 21 isabelline and 5 steppe grey shrikes, the first woodchat shrike of spring, 19 starlings and 21 corn buntings.

2 black-necked grebes, 2 gadwall, 13 black-winged stilts, 5 little ringed plovers, 12 ringed plovers, 34 Kentish plovers, 62 Pacific golden plovers, 19 ruff, 33 curlew, 1 dead great black-headed gull, 1 female pin-tailed sandgrouse, 1 common swift, 70 pallid swifs, 13 skylarks, 2 house martins, 18 tawny pipits, 1 red-throated pipit, 17 white wagtails, 4 isabelline wheatears, 2 pied wheatears, 2 desert wheatears and a chiffchaff were at the Emirates Hills Golf Course.

78 black-necked grebes, 2 glossy ibis, 4 garganey, 4 ferruginous ducks, a spotted redshank, 1 spotted eagle (with ‘jess’ attached to one leg), a black-headed wagtail and 2 chiffchaffs were at Wimpey Pits, while Dubai pivot fields produced a very different crop of birds from the previous day, with 4 Temminck’s stints, 64 skylarks, 2 meadow pipits, 1 Blyth’s pipit, 6 starlings and 6 corn buntings being found.

Best of the bunch reported from Oman during the week was a Dalmatian pelican at East Khawr in Dhofar on 18th February, a 1st record for Oman, if accepted. The finder was the UAE’s Colin Richardson, so now it’s Oman’s turn to find a new bird for the UAE!

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11/02/02

Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 8th February 2002. Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Two good new rariities this week (a male and female siskin) while the Abu Dhabi blackbird (or one of them) and the Wimpey Pits pectoral sandpiper re-appeared after an absence of several weeks. Add to those more crested honey buzzards and honey buzzards in Abu Dhabi, along with the long-staying goldfinch and 2 Hume’s warblers, a white-eyed buzzard and a pair of shikras at the Emirates Golf Course, a hen harrier and plenty of bimaculated larks and Egyptian nightjars at the Al Wathba Camel Track and greylag and white-fronted geese still around, and it’s been a routine sort of week for Emirates birding! No odd hirundines this week, though we’re delighted to see that our Omani colleagues have finally found a pale martin, as well as brown-throated sand martins, at Sohar!

For Bird of the Week, we’ll go with the capital’s siskins, the female found by Simon Aspinall and the male by Steve James. To the reports.

On 2nd February, a new crested honey buzzard was at the Manhal communications mast in Abu Dhabi, differing from that seen previously with its paler head and less prominent gorget. Also present was a honey buzzard (again probably a new bird), a sparrowhawk, mobbing the honey buzzard, and a marsh harrier, while a sooty gull (unseasonal) was at the Mina Zayed fish dock.

A white-eyed buzzard, 2 shikras, 97 common snipes, 1 pintail snipe, 2 marsh sandpipers, 35 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, 2 bluethroats and 6 isabelline shrikes were at the Emirates Golf Course while c. 70 black-necked grebe, a spotted eagle, a marsh harrier, a spotted crake and c. 1500 pallid swifts were at Wimpey Pits.

On 3rd February, a female siskin was in eucalypts at Abu Dhabi’s Intercontinental Hotel, with ten or more chiffchaffs also present. A squadron of great black-headed gulls in almost complete summer plumage passed overhead. A night heron, a striated (little green) heron, 41 mallard, a garganey, 1 tufted duck, a red-wattled lapwing, 8 curlew, 295 black-headed gulls, 16 hoopoes, a water pipit, a grey wagtail, a citrine wagtail, 66 white wagtails, 14 song thrushes, 6 chiffchaffs, a lesser whitethroat and a masked shrike were in Safa Park. On 4th February, an osprey was sitting on a nest in the Dabb’iya area, with its mate keeping close watch nearby. A male marsh harrier, 3 black redstarts, a song thrush, a desert lesser whitethroat and a chiffchaff were in Dubai’s Mushrif Park.

A hoopoe, the blackbird (missing for three or four weeks), a song thrush and 4 Java sparrows were at the Intercontinental Hotel in Abu Dhabi. On 6th February, another siskin, this time a male, was in the Mushrif Palace Gardens, where the 2 Hume’s warblers and masked shrikes were present all week. Two white-fronted geese and the greylag were still grazing happily at the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club. At Sharjah dump were 129 greater flamingoes, 107 shoveler, 4 gadwall, 3 mallard, 3 pintail, a garganey, 15 moorhen, a coot, 70 black-winged stilts, 2 avocets, 5000 black-headed gulls, 900 Caspian/Steppe gulls, 500 pallid swifts and 68 bank mynahs On 7th February, the goldfinch turned up again at Mushrif Palace Gardens, singing on and off all morning. An inspection of the Al Wathba Camel Track found 4 glossy ibis, 4 marsh harriers, a hen harrier, a pallid harrier, 10 kestrels, 30 Pacific golden plover, 4 curlew, 10 red-wattled lapwings, a short-eared owl, a hoopoe, 6 Egyptian nightjars, 2 red-throated pipit, a song thrush, 16 isabelline wheatears, an isabelline shrike and 15 starlings. In the adjacent wood were 3 black redstarts, 2 Orphean warblers, a lesser whitethroat, 3 desert lesser whitethroats, a Menetries warbler and an olivaceous warbler.

On 8th February, an examination of the Wimpey Pits found 97 little grebe, 74 black-necked grebe, a little egret, 240 greater flamingoes, 33 greylag geese, 12 shelduck, a wigeon, 20 gadwall, 104 teal, 27 mallard, 42 pintail, 69 shoveler, 3 ferruginous duck, 5 marsh harriers, (one male), a male pallid harrier, 2 spotted eagles, a long-legged buzzard, 1 osprey, 186 black-winged stilts, an avocet, 2 little ringed plover, 3 ringed plover, 22 Kentish plover, 21 red-wattled lapwings, 12 white-tailed plover, 4 lapwings, 273 little stints, the pectoral sandpiper, 50 common snipe, 6 black-tailed godwits, 9 marsh sandpipers, a wood sandpiper, 10 ringed plovers, 48 black-headed gulls, 2 slender-billed gulls, 4 common terns, 20 whiskered terns, 17 white-winged black terns, 900 pallid swifts, 3 swallows, 9 sand martins and a house martin, 2 citrine wagtails, an isabelline shrike, a clamorous reed warbler, a reed warbler and a bluethroat.

In the nearby pivot fields were 50 cattle egrets, 4 glossy ibis, 33 greylag geese (same as Wimpey pits), a male pallid harrier (probably same as Wimpey pits), 21 little ringed plovers, 17 skylarks, 4 sand martins, 40 swallows, 1 house martin, 5 tawny pipits, 11 red-throated pipits, 3 water pipits, 11 yellow wagtails including at least 2 "beema" and a "lutea", 50 white wagtails, a bluethroat, 3 isabelline wheatears, 27 starlings and 12 corn buntings.

The regular Friday visit to the Al Wathba Camel Track, also on 8th February, located a cattle egret, 4 glossy ibis, 2 marsh harrier, 1 hen harrier (f), a pallid harrier, a Montagu’s harrier, 8 kestrel, a saker ( with jesses), a lanner, 2 cream-coloured coursers, 54 Pacific golden plovers, 80 ruff, 2 black-tailed godwits, a curlew, c150 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, 3 pallid swift, a hoopoe, 27 bimaculated larks, 20 short-toed larks, 35 lesser short-toed larks, 4 Richard’s pipits, 2 meadow pipits, 4 red-throated pipits, 7 yellow wagtails, 18 water pipits, 75+ white wagtails, 25 isabelline wheatears, 18 desert wheatears, a song thrush,a steppe grey shrike, 2 Southern grey shrikes, 4 isabelline shrikes, 21 starling, 9 rose-coloured starlings and 3 corn buntings. Good reports from Oman over the week included a knot and 230 great knot at Barr al-Hikman and a Hume’s yellow-browed warbler at Hilf, both on 1st February, 3 rufous turtle doves and a male and female koel at Al Hjij on 2nd February, the long-tailed shrike at Qurm Park, 4 Arabian partridge and an Eastern pied wheatear at Wadi al-Aq, (on the Sur road) on the 3rd February and 2 sociable plovers, an Oriental skylark, 2 brown-throated sand martins and a pale martin (finally!) at Sun Farms (Sohar) on 8th February.

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04/02/02

Twitchers’ Guide for the United Arab Emirates for the week ending 1st February 2002. Edited by Simon Aspinall & Peter Hellyer, P.O.Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

A plethora of good birds this week, some newly arrived, others being long stayers and one re-appearing after having been well-hidden for a few weeks. Newly recorded were a merlin, a hen harrier, a couple of Namaqua doves and a black kite at Al Wathba, where the juvenile sociable plover turned up again after an absence. Egyptian nightjars are showing well there again, too. A pale martins was at the Dubai pivot fields (though no brown-throated sand martins), with an Alpine swift at the Emirates golf course, which also offered white-eyed buzzard and a pair of shikras. Oriental skylarks are at Al Wathba while the white-fronted and greylag geese are still to be found in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the former still also offering lapwings. For Bird of the Week, we’ll go for the pale martin seen by Colin Richardson at the Dubai pivot fields, with the Al Wathba merlin (Simon Aspinall) and the Alpine swift (Colin again) as joint runners-up. To the records.

On 26th January, 2 gadwall and a common swift were at the Emirates Hills golf course, while a water rail, 66 common snipe, 4 pintail snipe, 3 bluethroats and a clamorous reed warbler were at the Emirates golf course. On 27th January, a visit to Khor Dubai found 53 grey herons, 2 spotted eagles, 26 shelducks, 33 shoveler, 255 pochard (probably the old Wimpey pits population), 20 tufted ducks, 4 marsh harriers, 7 avocets and a kingfisher At Wimpey Pits, also on 27th January, were a ferruginous duck, 2 spotted eagles, 30 white-tailed plovers, 3 northern lapwings, 25 whiskered terns, 3 white-winged black terns and 500 pallid swifts while a purple heron, 2 little ringed plovers, 6 wood sandpipers, 3 citrine wagtails and a long-billed pipit were in the adjacent pivot fields.

On 28th January, an Alpine swift was at the Emirates golf course, (20th record, if accepted), along with a little green heron, 69 common snipe, a pintail snipe and 2 white-tailed plovers. A black swan was on Khor Dubai (as if there weren’t enough Australian immigrants, released or otherwise), together with 3 spotted eagles, 28 shelducks, 4 Terek sandpipers and 32 Caspian terns Also on 28th January, 26 cattle egrets, a Western reef heron, a purple heron, a greater flamingo, 15 greylag geese, a teal, a kestrel, 5 little ringed plover, 12 little stints, 4 Temminck’s stints, a curlew sandpiper, 108 ruff, 2 black-tailed godwits, a spotted redshank, a redshank, a marsh sandpiper, a green sandpiper, 7 wood sandpipers, a black-headed gull, 10 pallid swifts, 2 black-crowned finch larks, 28 skylarks, 10 tawny pipits, 7 red-throated pipits, 3 water pipits, 7 yellow wagtails, 61 white wagtails, a citrine wagtail, a stonechat, a bluethroat, an isabelline wheatear and a desert wheatear were at the Dubai pivot fields, while 8 lapwings were at Wimpey Pits and a greater spotted eagle was over Khor Dubai.

The pair of white-fronts and accompanying solitary greylag remained at the Abu Dhabi Golf & Equestrian Club throughout the week, despite the horse-racing events. At least five stonechats, four being "Siberians" and one apparently "Common", are also there still there. 54 black-necked grebes, 28 shelduck, 230 little stints and 2 spotted redshanks were at Wimpey Pits on 29th January, with 58 cattle egrets, 8 white-fronts, 25 greylags, 2 purple herons, 8 Temminck’s stints, 2 pallid harriers, 1 peregrine, 1 pale martin, 1 feldegg (black-headed), 1 lutea (yellow-headed) plus 4 other yellow wagtails, 1long-billed pipit and 6 red-throated pipits at the pivot fields. At Qarn Nazwa, very dry and virtually birdless, were a red-tailed wheatear, 3 black-crowned finch larks and a desert eagle owl, sitting way out in the desert on top of a dune at dusk.

A late afternoon visit to the Al Wathba Camel Track on 30th January produced the juvenile sociable plover which had gone missing over the last couple of weeks, a male Namaqua dove, 71 Pacific golden plovers, an Oriental skylark, a female hen harrier, 4 glossy ibis, 20+ short-toed larks (an increase) and 18+ corn buntings all in just an hour up to sunset. A minimum of six Egyptian nightjars showed from 1835 onwards. A buzzard sp. (perhaps Buteo buteo) was seen over Jebel Dhanna, in the far west of Abu Dhabi. A white-eyed buzzard, a pair of shikras ,30 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse and a house martin were at the Emirates golf course on 31st January.

Another visit to the Al Wathba Camel track, from dawn on Friday 1st February, turned up a good haul of raptors. Best of these was the merlin sitting in the grass near the entrance. This unfortunately scarpered before all but one of the weekend regulars had arrived. An adult long-legged buzzard and a tatty immature black kite were the other rarer species, with the usual 2 or 3 pallids, single Montagu’s and 6 marsh harriers and 6 kestrels also being seen. The sociable plover put in an appearance, as did the long-staying, now very scruffy, collared pratincole and the gang of four glossy ibises. Other birds seen included a white stork, a cattle egret, both male and female Namaqua doves showed well and The ruff flock, with 84 birds as last week, also had a black-tailed godwit in tow. 76 Pacific golden plovers, 84 ruff with a black-tailed godwit in tow, 6 curlew,16 chestnut-bellied sandgrouse, a male and a female Namaqua dove, 3 hoopoes, 20 bimaculated larks, 25 lesser-short-toed larks, two Oriental skylarks, which, seen early in the day, never reappeared later on,10 red-throated pipits, 4 water pipits, 6 yellow and 100+ white wagtails, 3 stonechats, 5 bluethroats, 30 isabelline wheatears, 15 desert wheatears, 6 isabelline shrike, 2 steppe grey shrikes, 30 starlings and 6 rose-coloured starlings.

At Wimpey Pits, also on 1st February, were c. 50 cattle egrets, a single marsh harrier, a peregrine falcon, 20 little stints, a Temminck’s stints, 2 marsh sandpipers, 2 citrine wagtails, an Orphean warbler, and a chiffchaff with a singing Eastern reed warbler. A scout around the Emirates Hills golf course and the nearby Emirates golf course on 1st February produced, between them, 3 black-necked grebe, a water rail, a spotted crake, 3 little ringed plovers, 84 common snipe, 4 pintail snipes, 63 Eurasian skylarks, 3 song thrushes and a long-billed pipit. 8 white-fronts, 33 greylags, 1 pallid harrier, 130 ruff, 16 Temminck’s stints, 3 wood sandpipers, 1 green sandpiper, 2 Egyptian nightjars, 1 pale martin, 60 swallows, 5 sand martins, 17 short-toed larks, 2 bluethroats, 1 yellow-headed wagtail and 25 European starlings were in the Dubai pivot fields, along with a hoopoe nest with two young.

Also on 1st February, an examination of the Al Ain Camel track found a flock of 15 rose-coloured starlings feeding in the gardens in front of the grandstand and a flock of 600+ house sparrows feeling on the flowering thistles on the small area still being watered in the centre of the track. Other birds seen, mainly by the grandstand, included a kestrel, 7 red-wattled plovers, 3 Arabian babblers, 2 Indian rollers, 6 ring-necked parakeets, 35 crested larks, 3 Southern grey shrikes, 10 purple sunbirds, and c.80yellow-vented and white-cheeked bulbuls (what? No red-vented?)

Good reports from Oman over the last week included, on 29th January, a black-throated thrush at Sall Ala in Musandam, and on 30th January, 4 meadow pipits and 14 Eversmann’s redstarts on the Sayh plateau, and another 4 Eversmann’s redstarts on the Jebel Harim plateau, also in Musandam, now clearly identified as an important wintering area for the species, rarely seen in the UAE or elsewhere in Oman.

Also on 30th January an Abdim’s stork, and 2+ Spanish sparrows were at Sur sewage farm on 31st January, with a hen harrier at Sun Farms, Sohar, on 1st February, along with a dotterel, 3 sociable plovers, a lapwing, a pin-tailed sandgrouse, a little swift, and 3 brown-throated martins (though no pale martins). An adult golden eagle was on a nest with a tiny chick in the Jiddat al-Harasis, also on 1st February.

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