11/19/08
A big day at Al Abraq -
Categories: Week 46 - 15 November 2008, Al Abraq
Some good birds were seen earlier this week at Al Abraq, so it was a natural choice to visit on Saturday. Images by Mike Pope
Birding is generally very quiet at 7am at the oasis, but I did find the small flock of Penduline Tits which have remained for a good few weeks
A bird that really looked out of place was this Cormorant in a flooded pool below the main reservoire
Whilst waiting for it to warm up a little, I drove to the eastern boundary of the farm and came across a Deser Wheatear sheltering from the cool wind
Both Black and Common Redstarts were seen, the Common being a more obliging photographic subject
There was a flock of 18+ Corn Buntings feeding in the newly created crop areas
The main reason for my visit today was to try and find the Redwing and Dark throated Thrush, I was successful seeing the Thrush, but had no luck photographing the bird. What I didnt expect to see was a Ring Ouzel which made a quick appearance for a drink and then disappeared. Not a great image as I didnt have a chance to up the ISO speed for shooting into the shade
An even more unexpeceted surprise was the 6th record of Oriental Turtle Dove coming in for a drink where I had seen the Ring Ouzel. The bird was first seen by Abdulrahman on 1 November 08 and subsequently seen by Rashed and Pekka. More amazing is that it has survived this long without being shot, as Turtle Doves are one of the main target birds of Kuwaiti and other Mediterranean hunters during migration. Again not a great image shooting into the shade
