Birding Bahrain

Will be away outside Bahrain from Sunday - and unfortunately preparations for the trip have prevented me doing any field visits these last few weeks

Sunday was a Holiday here but the light was affected by a sandy haze that has come to define much of the weather these days. Had only a few hours out at the Chicken Farm at Hamalah and the gardens at Buri. The number of migrant species is on the increase now with a good number of further firsts of the season for me to mix in with our wintering and resident species.

Wood Sandpiper

Yellow Wagtail - Feldegg

Shoveler the only duck seen this weekend at the pond

Blue Throat

Corn Bunting - many males are singing there heads off

Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear still the most numerous wheatear around

Marsh Harrier - still here and this time come in for the attack

Palm Dove

Mixed flocks of Spanish and House Sparrows out number most other birds.

Stonechats

White Wagtail

Woodchat Shrike

Abdulla was in Ali farm this morning early and saw the spotted cuckoo again. He rushed home for his camera and got the stock photo. I went down later but couldn't track it down. So far I've seen it for 5 seconds and Adbulla has watched it for almost an hour over two occasions. The bird has been seen for a week today. Lets hope it stays a little longer.

dirty and dusty this morning but the number of new species around has improved dramatically - this morning I went south into the drier desert spaces that make up much of the island - not that there is much of it left this being silly season - camping time.

Rock Thrush one of seven possibly eight seen today

Desert Lark - one of a pair carrying off food?

Pied Wheatear - two of the dozen or so seen today

Red-tailed or Kurdish Wheatear

Blue Rock Thrush one of three seen

The bringer of spring a Hoopoe

Only had time for a quick visit to Maharraq and Buri and not a lot around but the big return can not be far away...

Wintering regulars
Chiffchaff

Song Thrush

Stonechat

Mynah

Cattle Egret

Isabelline Wheatear

From Busaiteen
Caspian Tern

Greenshank and Grey Plover

Pacific Golden Plover

Greater and Lesser Sand Plover

Greater Sand Plover

Great Cormorants

heavy fog made the morning start much later than normal - no sign of the Eagle Brendan had seen on Thursday or the Gallinule in fact quite quite both weather-wise and with the birds.

Corn Bunting

Yellow-crowned Bishop

Graceful Warbler

Stonechat - an interesting looking bird

Black-winged Stilt

Greenshank

Isabelline Shrike

Another individual

Mynah

Bluethroat

Yet another Bluethroat

Palm Dove

Indian Silverbill

Skylark

Tawny Pipit

Water Pipit

Swallow in silhouette

Gargany

Just as I took the shot the Moorhen zapped through the picture