Birding Bahrain

THE BAHRAIN BIRD REPORT

2012-05-11

most migrants have past & wintering birds left

16:16:43, Categories: Observation by Howard

Last weekend was disappointing but today with a morning tide I spent some time chasing waders around Busaiteen shore before moving on to South Tubli and the Eastern shore south of Alba - I finished again today at Buhair to check the progress of the breeding birds there. More a check on what is still around I was surprised by the number of Lesser Sand Plover and Terek Sandpipers still to be found in small flocks all along the shore.

Lesser Sand Plover (atrifrons)

Lesser Sand Plover

Lesser Sand plover and Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper
Terek Sand Piper

Turnstone

Socotra Cormorant

Grey Plover

Curlew
Curlew

Flamingo

Flamingo near the Refinery

Black-winged Stilt

Western Reef Heron

Little Stint

Kentish Plover Chick's everywhere with a pair every 50 metres
Kentish Chick

Lesser-crested Tern

Little Grebe watched the grebe bring fresh material to the nest redistribute the existing material then stand bolt upright fanning the nest with its wings before leaving again

Little Tern

Saunders's Tern

Dragonfly

Permalink •

2012-04-30

Not the best of weather for photography but lots of birds

22:22:05, Categories: Observation by Howard, Admin - Howard King

Dull murky weather kept the camera in the bag a lot of the time this last weekend but the time was well spent made particularly enjoyable by being able to take out a new resident Peter Liebrich on the Friday and a returning old friend Frank Gardner for a few hours on the Saturday. The highlight of the weekend had to be with Frank when we shared extremely close views of a pair of Hoopoe copulating in a tree immediately in front of us at Hamalah Farm. Not regarded as a breeding species here this was a surprising observation, one which is open to interpretation. Despite being so close I was unable to get a picture due to their location above the windscreen of the car.

Rufous Bushchat

Spotted Flycatcher

Moorhen
Moorhen

Kentish Plover chicks
Kentish chicks

Blackcap

Little Tern

The chicks and an egg (now hatched)
Little Tern

Northern Wheatear - I have seen more this year than in the whole of the last five

Isabelline Wheatear

Red-backed Shrike

White-cheeked Bulbul

Red-Vented Bulbul

Whinchat

Wood Sandpiper

Sunset over Manama
sunset

Permalink •

2012-04-21

Dissappointing day along the shore

22:31:15, Categories: Admin - Howard King

Not the best days wader watching that I have had but with traffic snarled in town and heading south to the F1 I decided to try Maharraq shore

Great Northern Cormorant

Cormorant

Kentish Plover

Dog fighting Kentish Plover

Kentish

Permalink •

2012-04-14

A good weekend but bad week expected

13:01:46, Categories: Observation by Howard, Admin - Howard King

As the F1 approaches here in Bahrain a lot of minor disturbance around the villages making it difficult to access some areas in safety particularly some of the better sites. Rabble Rousing seems to be the flavour of the month for a few people -

Woodchat Shrike

Hoopoe
Hoopoe

Willow Warbler's

Willow Warbler

Crested Lark

Blue Cheeked Bee-eater

Bee-eater

Isabelline Shrike

Kentish Plover

Mynah
Mynah

Northern Wheatear - far more noticeable this year in numbers than others previously

Pied Wheatear - less numerous but along with a few Black-eared and Isabelline they have become regulars seen passing other species of Wheatear like Dessert are now a rarity

Redstart this one ringed a week ago is still at the the same location near Zallaq

Red-throated Pipit now everywhere you look
Redthroated Pipit

Swallows - this week saw a huge passage

Yellow Wagtail numbers and varieties just beginning to build

Permalink •

2012-04-06

Windy yet again but not so dusty but a little quiet

15:59:27, Categories: Observation by Howard

I started this weekend out at Adhari ditches lots of Little Terns about to nest and Kentiush Plovers running around some with chicks -much latter than normal due to the weather this year. The ditches were full of furtive warblers I only managed to get a picture of a Willow.

Greenshank