12/22/09
Last outing of 2009 -
Categories: Week 51 - 19 December 2009, Pivot Fields, SAANR and Jahra Pools Reserve
We had a long weekend so Brian Foster and I managed a morning out to a few key sites. This was my last outing for this year and we were greeted with mild weather and clear skies. Kuwait has experienced some good rain by desert standards in the last few weeks and this bodes well for a colourful spring in the desert, with Iris's already starting to sprout. Images by Mike Pope
Our first stop was Pivot Fields which started off relatively quiet, although we did get onto a Buff bellied Pipit in fresh autum plumage that didnt stay long enough for a picture. This was followed by a Clamorous Reed Warbler
Birding picked up more as the temperatures rose and we found the large flock of Northern Lapwing, this one taking advantage of the surface water from the recent rains
At the depression we had a flock of around 67 Cattle Egrets, we sat for sometime watching this Cattle Egret going through what seemed like a set ritual for softening, washing and finally eating a Green Toad. Here it is using its beak to break bones and I assume get all the skin secretions out of the frog skin
It then rinsed and washed the Toad; this was performed many times whilst we watched the breakfast being prepared. It was interesting that the other Egrets did not interfere or try and steal this meal, unlike the piracy Gulls or Kites display
Finally the Toad was actually ready to be devoured, but this wasnt as easy as it seemed
Once down the hatch, it had to use a peristolsis type contraction to get the Toad down the gullet into the stomach - Im sure after this a siesta was needed!
After watching the Egret we found a flock of 18 Wood Pigeons on the pivot irrigation
A male Hen Harrier had been around for a week or so and we were fortunate enough to relocate it. In typical Harrier style, it flew low of the fields scattering all that was below it - I was lucky to catch a quick and unsuccessful pursuit of a Lark or Pipit
We raced to Jahra Pools where White tailed Eagle had been reported earlier, but I missed again! So, we headed to SAANR to try and relocate Hume's Wheatear found by Brian and Pekka on the 12 December. A Mourning Wheatear at the bottom of the wadi gave some hope and strangely no Red tailed Wheatear, which are almost always seen in this particular wadi.
We persisted to the end of the wadi and were rewarded with the Hume's Wheatear (a lifer for me) in the same spot as it was first seen. With patience, we got some saturated views of this 8th record for Kuwait
We tried Tuhla, but VWC was having a photographic field workshop which was encouraging to see, but with all the activity birds were nowhere to be seen. We headed to the Bay just behind Jahra Pools and managed to see the two Great crested Grebes, a rare winter passage visitor first seen on 14 December. Whilst here we had a last stop at Jahra Pools and were rewarded with two Pochard, another rare winter visitor and a 2nd lifer for me - this just a record shot
Purple Gallinules have been present since water was restored to this site
Rick Saval was returning for the Pochard and Grebe, so I dropped Brian at the observation tower and spent what turned out to be a rewarding 15-minutes at a small pool in the reserve. Bluethroat was foraging for insects around the base of the reeds
A Water Rail was most obliging as it enjoyed the mid-day sun
Unexpectedly, a Citrine Wagtail dropped in to feed on the gnats around this quiet pool
As I was about to pack up, this great little Mountain Chiffchaff arrived after gleening its way through the reeds
I managed to get this image as it briefly sat on a reed in the sun, showing the distinctive buffy brown plumage. With that, it was time to head home. However, in typical birding fashion; I had just arrived home when Brian called me to say the Eagle had landed - Aaaahhh! I'm hoping that the White tailed Eagle will remain for the winter and give me my first lifer in 2010, when I return from our Xmas vacation in the East - happy New Year to you all!
12/07/09
Week 47 - 17 November 2009, Jahra Pools Reserve
On the 14th November, Simon Price found 2 juvenile Greater White fronted Goose at a new Golf Club on the 306 Road to Wafra, this constitutes the 2nd record for Kuwait . Images by Mike Pope
This location was very close to where I work and I was able to make a detour before work to twitch the two geese. After getting permission to access, I found them at the furtherest end of the course and they allowed approach to a reasonable distance whilst they were feeding on the fairway. Here is one of the two warming up its wings and showing the wing bar
Here the two birds walk across the fairway with the darker one of the two in front
After saturated views, I headed back to work finding a few Desert Wheatear enjoying the lushness and food found on the course
Also enjoying the fairways were a few small flocks of Skylarks
12/06/09
Week 49 - 30 November 2009, Green Island, Sharq and Kuwait Port
I had an hour to spare and made a few stop overs up the Gulf Road on the way to the office. Images by Mike Pope
Winter is prime time for Grey Hypocolius and Green Island is the place to see them at 7am in the morning. I wasnt disappointed, finding 2 separate feeding flocks with numbers estimated at around 60 birds
Green Island is also a dead cert for Red vented Bulbul
Also seen was a large flock of Starling which winter in Kuwait
Just north of Sharq, I came across a small flock of Oystercatchers - striking colours in the early morning light
At low tide, this is also a good site for roosting gulls, that are challenging at this time of year. Yoav Perlman provided some guidance as to the id of the following gulls - I am happy to learn more about these, so feel free to provide any id hints. We suspect the bird in the foreground is Steppe Gull (Larus (fuscus) barabensis) and the one in the background Heuglins Gull (Larus (fuscus) heuglini)
We suspect this may be a 2 or 3cy Steppe Gull - note, note the bill pattern (very dark with white nail) which is good for this plumage, good neck streaks, and pale eye (which actually gets darker as they mature
A classic Steppe Gull (Larus (fuscus) barabensis), note mantle colour, bill shape and pattern, small dark eye.
At the harbour in the Free Trade Zone, there were large numbers of Greater Flamingo
Week 49 - 29 November 2009, Jahra Pools Reserve, Jahra Farm, SAANR
After dipping on the White tailed Eagle on Friday, I was back out at JPR after the soaking rain in clear, brisk weather. I was out of luck again, despite a few hours of searching and waiting. Images by Mike Pope
I was encouraged by the number of Eurasian Coot seen in and around the pools.
Spanish Sparrow numbers start picking up in winter
As do Pallid Swift
I get the feeling that Graceful Prinia's are not as abundant as they were when I first arrived in Kuwait in 2006
I took some solace in this distant flock of 6 Tufted Duck, a lifer for me - but somehow not quite on the same scale as a large raptor
A stop at Jahra Farm produced the usuals and a lone Rose ringed Parakeet flying over. The numbers of these birds also appear to have declined at Jahra Farms - if they have moved to a new roosting site, we havent discovered it yet.
Last stop was at SAANR, but with all the available ground water, birds were dispersed and very few were seen in the hour spent driving. White Wagtails are still guarenteed at most locations
11/19/09
Week 48 - 26 November 2009, Jahra Pools Reserve
On the 25th November we had a low pressure cell over Kuwait which over the Eid weekend brought in almost 70mm of rain during a 30-hour period. Ouda Al Bathali was at Jahra Pools Reserve and found a White tailed Eagle, a first for Kuwait Images by Simon Price
I passed the news onto Simon, who visited the reserve in inclement weather on the afternoon of 26 November and he managed to see and photograph the sub adult White tailed Eagle - a magnificent raptor. I was at the reserve on 27th and 29th but did not relocate the bird. However, it was seen yesterday again by Rick Saval closer to the coast, so that is good news.
Whilst at the pools, Simon also found a lone Tufted Duck, but this bird showing the white face at the base of the bill which is uncommon on the female Tufted Ducks
11/14/09
Week 46 - 13 November 2009, Pivot Fields, Al Abraq, Doha South and Jahra Pools Reserve
Some really great birds have been seen in Kuwait the past 2-weeks including the 1st record of Indian Pond Heron. As Pekka was on a cultural visit to Budapest, I teamed up with Brian Foster and Simon Price to cover a good few locations in the course of the morning hoping to pick up on some of the birds seen in the past week. Images by Mike Pope
Our first stop was Pivot Fields and today we had a taste of colder temperaturs at 6:45am - only 15 degrees. Driving through the gates we put up a flock of Cattle Egrets against the rising sun.
But we werent here for Egrets; so we searched the fields looking for the large flocks of Northern Lapwings who are target bird was socialising with and eventually we picked up on the 2 Sociable Lapwings much to Brian's delight. They were in the company of 2 Golden Plovers - both superb ticks for Kuwait. I managed a record shot of a distant Sociable Plover. The Sociable Plovers were first seen on 8 November 09 not long after the one photographed on 31 October 09 in Bahrain by Adrian Drummond-Hill
We found large flocks of Skylark feeding in various fields - an Oriental has to be lurking somewhere amongst them
No luck with the Richards Pipit seen during the week, but one of many Tawny Pipit's was a consolation prize
Long legged Buzzards seem to be down in numbers so far this year, but we managed to get onto this 1cy bird
After 40-minutes, with target birds ticked it was the long drive out to Al Abraq where we found 2 Steppe Eagles still roosting in the desert. They decided to head for the skies when we stopped.
Earlier in the week the 1st record of Indian Pond Heron had been found by Abdulrahman Al Sirhan and both Rustic and Little Buntings were seen last weekend by Brian, Pekka and Simon. No luck with IPH, Little or Rustic, but we did come across a Corn Bunting
The wintering Water Pipits have arrived in numbers together with White Wagtails
Al Abraq was otherwise pretty quiet, with no raptors seen, but a number of hooligan shooters on the outside of the oasis racing around in 4 x 4's trying to shoot anything that flew across the desert. One last circuit around the farm proved to be worthwhile when we flushed a European Sisken (also seen earlier in the week) feeding with the Water Pipits. It wasnt long before this cracking male bird returned to continue feeding and provide both Simon and I with a lifer
Doha South which had been dry for many months has been filled with water, so we decided to check it out. As the invertebrates return, so will the birds. We were encouraged by seeing that 4 Purple Gallinules had returned, especially since they had previously bred at this site. I managed to catch this one in flight as it flushed during our approach
A white butterfly with a tinge of buff yellow seen a Doha - not sure of the species
From here we headed to Jahra Pools where Pochard, Ferruginous and Tufted Duck had been seen. We managed to relocate the Ferruginous together with Teal, Mallard and Wigeon - but too far away for photographs. A Snipe has hunkered down in the hope we wouldnt see it while looking at the ducks
But, not for long
We had plenty of Pallid Swifts overhead
A very pale Water Pipit - leucistic?
A drive around the boundary of the reserve produced an unexpected flock of 22 Penduline Tits - another cheer from Brian, his 2nd lifer of the morning and a good time to call it a day!
10/26/09
Week 43 - 24 October 2009, Pivot Fields, Jahra Pools Reserve and Sulaibikhat Bay
24 October 2009 was highlighted with an international call by 350.org to alert the people of the world and powers that be to the the ever increasing threat of global warming, primarily through greenhouse gas emission. 350ppm is the safe upper limit of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and is the number we need to get back to from 387ppm to avoid runaway climate change. For more information, check out http://www.350.org/. Images by Mike Pope
South Africa contributed on the day with a campaign called 350-24-24 and their initiative was to encourage people to get out and photograph 350 different species of birds in 24 hours on the 24th (http://350.birdingafrica.com/) and this challenge was accepted and surpassed by the South African public. My contribution was to photograph birds in Kuwait on passage migration, that have been recorded in South Africa. My son and I headed to Pivot Fields before his golf lesson and were greeted with fog that took some time to get burnt off by the sun - this Pied Kingfisher was seen at the crocodile pond as the mist was rising
Blue cheeked Bee-eaters are still migrating through, but were grounded by the mist and were sitting on the overhead lines waiting for the sun to break through.
There were many raptors present and most were also grounded, however as the sun broke through we were able to get some images - numerous Greater Spotted Eagles were seen - truly a magnificent eagle and a national rarity in SA
There were also good numbers of 1cy Imperial Eagles, which dont make it as far south as SA - but are impressive and formidable
After golf lessons we had a quick visit to Jahra Pools for migrating waders and hirundines. However, we had a good number of large raptors at this site to - a record shot of another Imperial Eagle across the heat haze - but showing its impressive wing span coming in to land
The vast majority of waders have departed from Jahra Pools, but we did encounter some stragglers still bulking up for the journey south - Ruff were the most numerous
A Wood Sandpiper which is abundant in SA during the summer, but in its winter plumage
and a Marsh Sandpiper as it came by at eye level while I was in the viewing tower
Whilst up in the tower I was able to capture feeding Barn Swallows from above, this image showing perfect symmetry of a bird that also spends its summer in SA
There is only one record of Citrine Wagtail in SA, so it is considered to be a national rarity
Other birds seen were this female Stonechat (maura)
and a few Teal
On the way to an early lunch we stopped for Black headed Gull at Sulaibikhat, another rarity in SA
feedng with a juvenile Gull billed Tern, also a SA rarity
and a lone Whiskered Tern in its winter plumage
Kuwait also made a contribution to 350.org with many activities on the day and through the coming week. This photograph 'borrowed' from the 350.org website where pictures of all other participating countries are featured
10/25/09
Week 43 - 23 October 2009, Sulaibikhat Bay
My son wanted a drive to the desert, so we headed out to Sulaibikhat Bay, where we could drive along the beach. This weekend we had some humidity coupled with cloudy conditions which is a welcome change. Images by Mike Pope
Caspian Terns are still patrolling the shallows in search of food for their not so small offspring
Slender bill Gulls are now competing for food with the Black headed Gulls that have arrived
In the sabkha a little way in from the beach we found 1cy Desert Wheatear
and a little further an adult Southern Grey Shrike enjoying the slight breeze
10/18/09
Week 42 - 17 October 2009, Al Abraq and Jahra Pools
Normally we spread ourselves over the various locations when we are out birding, so that we can alert each other if any good birds are seen. Today however, Pekka Fagel, Brian Foster, Rick Saval, Andy and Nicola Hulett and I all congregated at Al Abraq in the west for a good mornings birding. Images by Mike Pope
Birding is generally slow at 7am at the oasis farm, but with patience we started finding birds - this White breasted Kingfisher looked stunning in the early morning light.
A magnificent male Golden Oriole was sunning itself on the top of a tree
Whilst soaking up the Oriole, we heard the familiar "Tuk, Tuk" call of a warbler in a nearby tree. It took some time to get onto, but were eventually rewarded with in your face views of a Cetti's Warbler. It is told apart from Savi's Warbler by - the dark rufous upperparts, short primary projection, the lack of any streaking on throat and undertail covetts and pale eyering
There were still a good number of Red breasted Flycatchers present, all in their new winter plumage
A little later in the morning, Brian found a male Red breasted Flycatcher still resplendent in its full breeding regalia - a very different looking bird to those in winter plumage
As it warmed up, the few raptors present were seen flying and soaring around the farm, I managed to catch this female Sparrowhawk with an engorged crop as she zipped overhead. Shikra was also present, but too fleeting for a photograph
Earlier, Pekka and Brian had found a good Mountain Chiffchaff. I explored the same area a little later with Brian where we found the bird with a regular Chiffchaff, unfortunately I was only able to photograph the Chiffchaff
A lone Tree Pipit was seen as we were heading back to the car
Painted Ladies can be seen all over Kuwait and is the common butterfly together with Clouded Yellows
We then made the trek to Jahra Pools, to make the most of the morning. Water levels are still good and there are still good numbers of waders and waterbirds present. Blue cheeked Bee-eaters were seen hawking around the pans
An Isabelline Shrike making use of the same perch after the Bee-eater had gone on a hunting foray
I only found 2 Red necked Phalaropes today
A lone female Shoveller
and one in flight
with a White tailed Plover on a nearby bank
The Garganeys seen the previous visit had now been replaced by sizeable flocks of Pintail
There were still good numbers of smaller waders present, I watched some interaction between a Broad billed Sandpiper and a Dunlin
An unusually buffy Dunlin
One Little Ringed Plover with its distinctive eye ring amongst the Dunlin and Stints
This juvenile Little Stint had a really distinctive white supercillium
I moved closer to the sheltered part of the pan that has a lot of reed cover, the maruading Marsh Harrier hadnt yet had breakfast and sent the birds scurrying for cover evertime it swooped low over the water - a juvenile Moorhen having to get airborne
Today I counted 4 Purple Gallinules which is really encouraging
The 3 Little Grebes are still present
All the Little Crakes have departed, bar one that I saw - but I did find 2 skulking Spotted Crakes inside the reeds
10/07/09
Week 40 - 03 October 2009, Pivot Fields, Jahra Pools, SAANR, Jahra Farm and Sulaibikhat
There is nothing more frustrating than having bad weather on a birding day and today was one of those with a strong NW wind blowing across the country - it was however a good wind for birds travelling south! As it is flat and without trees, the wind comes with swirling dust; but as they say being out birding is still a good day. Images by Mike Pope
I decided to have short visits to 5 locations this morning, so first stop was Pivot Fields where I found a juvenile Purple Heron 'frozen' in the field hoping I would not notice it.
I saw my first Northern Wheatear, although a few have already been seen in Kuwait a week or two back
After an hour, I headed to Jahra Pools, where most birds were keeping low and out of the wind. The best approach was to sit quietly in the car and let the birds come to me - a feeding Dunlin was first up
soon followed by a juvenile Kentish Plover
And some juvinile Ringed Plovers
Both Marsh and Pallid Harriers were patrolling over the reeds and water and this male Pallid, put up most of the waders as it glided past looking for a not so easy meal
Moving to the side of the pools with the reeds, I found the small group of Little Grebe
And eventually the 3 Red necked Phalarope that have been at this location for sometime. They were surprisingly quite cryptic in the rippled water
After an hour, off to the next site finding my first Desert Wheatear of the autumn
I hadnt been to SAANR for many weeks, but sadly with the strong wind it was quite unproductive. I found a few Crested Larks at the small flooded area next to the main pool
A first year Pied Wheatear
And my first White Wagtail for the autumn, who will now remain throughout the winter
Tuhla is very flat and obviously exposed to the wind, so I didnt stay as long as I would have liked - last bird seen on the way out was a Southern Grey Shrike
Jahra Farm was next up, where an Isabelline Shrike was the only co-operative bird
A dragonfly at the holding pond made a good photographic subject when I left
A 3m high tide just before midday meant that a stop at Sulaibikhat was compulsary - out on the spit I found many Gulls, this Steppe Gull (darker mantle, lots of black in primaries and eye situated in front part of head, as pointed out by a fellow birder in Israel) one let me approach closer than the others
I found the lone Spoonbill that has been seen on and off for the past few weeks in amongst the Western Reef Herons - this just a record shot
A Western Reef Heron flushed close to my car
Quite a few Redshanks were seen in amongst the mixed flocks of waders
There were large numbers of waders, gulls, terns, herons, godwits, plovers and flamingos at Sulaibikhat Bay - this just a small part of the spectacle on the incoming tide
A few Lesser black backed Gulls were scattered in amongst the Caspian Gulls at the end of my mornings birding
10/06/09
Week 39 - 21 September 2009, Khiran Pearl City
Brian Foster, Pekka Fagel and I had a morning out on the water with Anand conducting a 2nd census for September. Images by Mike Pope
Khiran again didnt disappoint with great sightings of 6 Socotra Cormorants perched on the usual buouy in the surf zone outside Phase A1.
Eurasian Curlews are still present, but in singles unlike the bigger flocks we see in Sulaibikhat Bay
We added new waders to the Khiran list including some Dunlin as well as Ringed Plover, Grey Plover and Little Stint
09/28/09
Week 38 - 19 September 2009, Pivot Fields, Jahra Pools Reserve and Jahra Farm
I was able to get out for a full morning's birding in bearable temperatures and visited 3 locations. Images by Mike Pope
An hour at Pivot Fields was surprisingly unproductive, although there were a large number of Black Kites seen. I caught this juvenile departing off the irrigation system where it roosted for the night.
I got to Jahra Pools by 8:15 and spent a quality 3-hours at this site. This picture gives a good idea of the habitat and water coverage. As predicted last week, this site did turn up a mega the very next day in the form of 2 African Darters, a 1st for Kuwait - sadly they were one day birds and have not been seen since.
There is an air of tranquility at this site and again there were good numbers and many species to be seen. First up was a family of Little Grebe, a bird I havent seen in a long time here in Kuwait
I sat quietly on the bank with my camera on a monopod and waited for birds to come to me. We have been told that Basra Reed Warblers also bred at this site in the summer which is encouraging and exciting and I managed to see 2 birds. This one was plucking insects off the water surface without letting go of its perch
and what appears to be a moulting adult Basra Reed
There were about 20+ Little Crakes around the pans, in the corner where I was sitting I photographed an adult
This juvenile plucking food from the water surface
and some territorial interaction between 2 Little Crakes
A Water Rail put in a brief appearance as it scurried between cover
Killian Mullarney kindly corrected the ID to Sedge Warbler and provided ID tips to more easily separate Sedge from Moustached. "A Sedge typically does have spots on the breast in juvenile plumage. The feature that will always clinch the ID of Sedge Warbler, when it is visible, is the length of the primary projection. This photo allows quite precise comparison of the primary projection (pp) with the total length of the tertials: clearly, the pp is more than half of the tertial length. In Moustached the pp is always short, usually no more than about a third of the tertial length, often even less".
There are still many Yellow Wagtails around, this one also feeding on surface water insects
A patrolling Marsh Harrier put up or sent birds scurrying for cover everytime it came over - it was eventually successful and then peace returned to the pan
A drive around the fringes of the pan produced feeding White winged Tern (same as previous week)
Still many Dunlin around
As well as Wood Sandpipers
2 Avocets dropped in which were not seen the previous week
There were quite a few loose flocks of Garganey
I found an adult and juvenile White tail Lapwing, but not very cooperative to be photographed
Next stop was Jahra Farm where I met up with Nicola Hulet and her husband, although pretty hot by this stage still some passerines to be seen. A few Garden Warblers were seen along one of the canals
A Lesser Whitethroat feeding on plump ripe dates
The numbers of Common Whitethroat have diminished
The 2 Orioles were very elusive, as they usually are - this just a record shot
09/23/09
Week 37 - 12 September 2009, Jahra Pools Reserve
Earlier in the week I had found out from Brian and Pekka that Jahra Pools Reserve, previously the jewel of the Kuwait sites, had water restored in mid June and was again a haven for water and reed birds. In this condition, there are good chances of discovering a rarity over the coming months and through winter. Images by Mike Pope
I managed a quick visit with my son and was thrilled with what we found. It is a fenced site with permission needed to enter and as a result is free from shooters. The water level had receeded a little, but birds were everywhere - it was fantastic and we all hope that it will remain this way. First birds seen were Black tailed Godwits
Numerous adult and juvenile Black winged Stilts
White winged Terns were feeding up and down the main water channel
Moorhens of all sizes made up the bulk of the birds feeding around the pans
In the reedbed I found a skulking Squacco Heron
Waders in various stages of eclipse plumage were well represented and were seen feeding along the edges of the pans and in shallow water. We found Curlew Sandpiper
Dunlin
Little Ringed Plover
Little Stint
Marsh Sandpiper
and Wood Sandpiper
09/08/09
Week 36 - 05 September 2009, Khiran Pearl City
Anand and I conducted an early September bird census at Khiran this morning. Images by Mike Pope
I left home at 5am and drove south down "The Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Fahad Bin Abdul Aziz Road" more commonly known as the 40. I saw the full moon set in the west which means we are mid-way into Ramadan
Followed shortly by the rising sun in the east
On the way to the site office, I stopped at the pond fed by the rising ground water and found a 1cy Red back Shrike
This time the boat was moored in Phase A2 and our first bird seen was a feeding Osprey on the abundance of fish in the system.
As the Osprey departed it put up a roosting flock of 260+ Caspian Gulls which scattered in all directions
We went north up the coast to the sandbank at Zour and found 2 Socotra Cormorants and many Lesser crested Terns
It was time to check out the last buoy outside the harbour entrance to Khiran and to our delight found 13 roosting Socotra Cormorants which gave us a total of 15 for the morning, exceeding the count from August. Excuse my indulgence in the next few images, but it is a good bird to see and photograph in Kuwait
Landing gear down, flaps up
Up close and personal for a quizzical and curious look
We only saw two White cheeked Terns (adult and juvenile) with the adult appearing to be showing the juvenile how to catch fish
On island #4 we found a few migrating passerines and shrikes, a Lesser Grey passing by
A few Common Whitethroats
and a lone female Stonechat (maura)
On the way home, a quick stop at the pond produced 9 Short toed Larks, cryptic against the background at the waters edge
09/07/09
Week 35 - 29 August 2009, Khiran Pearl City
In the afternoon I met up with Anand and Dr David Jones and accompanied them whilst they conducted some inter tidal sampling around the islands in Phase 1. Images by Mike Pope
Single Eurasian Curlews have been seen on each visit, this one seen flying over island #4
Followed by a Hoopoe
A single female Stonechat was seen feeding on insects attracted to the vegetation on the island
It was low tide and I watched interesting behaviour with some first winter Greater Sand Plovers. It almost appeared as if this was territorial behavior or defence of an area with abundant food. The first image shows one bird flying in and the other standing its ground
The defence or threatening behaviour from the bird on the flat
Chasing the intruder away
The victory pout
I found this Eurycarcinus orientalis crab on the exposed low tide mud flat
On the island there are large numbers of Macropthalmus depressus crabs, we observed this male standing on its back legs waving its blue claws in the air to attract a female
and would you believe it, succeeding - if only life was that simple
Week 35 - 29 August 2009, Pivot Fields
I had a few hours spare in the morning, so tried Pivot Fields - again hot weather but coupled with humidity which Kuwait experiences every August. Images by Mike Pope
Almost all the birding action was at the fenced crocodile pond, with close scrutiny I found this Black crowned Night Heron roosting in the reeds
Barn Owls are very rare in Kuwait, sadly this one was shot by someone who did not know that fact
3 Black tailed Godwits were feeding on the banks of the pond
There were also 3 Garganey sitting quite unobtrusively in the middle of the pond, but were quite skittish. I caught these 2 against the light as they took off
The individual with the grey upper wings, must be a first winter male Garganey
Flying around the pond, I captured this one in decent light
Before I left the pond, I captured 6 species in one image - Black tail Godwit, Garganey, Black wing Stilt, Moorhen, Ruff and Temminck's Stint
Leaving the croc pond a juvenile Masked Shrike landed in the reeds and departed as quickly
On the telephone wire adjacent to the pond, I found juvenile Roller
Sitting next to a House Martin
A magnificent male Montagu Harrier came cruising over the fields scattering the birds feeding on the ground
On the way out, a male Red back Shrike
Week 34 - 22 August 2009, SAANR, Jahra Farms and JEO
Although still pretty hot with some wind, it is the time to start monitoring the autumn passage of migrants. Images by Mike Pope
I was able to arrange access to SAANR and was at the gate by 6am. Sometimes early is not good as often birds only start moving later in the morning when it heats up. I checked the wadi's for wheatears, no luck but quite liked this desert scene
From the wadi I moved on to Tuhla. This morning there was a lone and out of place Moorhen feeding around the fringes
Plus a skulking juvenile Baillon's Crake that with patience fed out in the open
Hoopoes are now seen all over Kuwait and always impress when they flare their crests
First winter Yellow Wagtails have started to arrive in small numbers
A Barred Warbler gleening through the acacia tree
On the way out I inadvertently flushed a Bar tail Lark that was resting in a little bit of shade from a concrete block. As it ran away from me, you realise just how crytpic they are against the stony desert
Next stop was Jahra Farms where I found a large mixed gathering of adult and juvenile Bank Mynas - another successful breeding season for this species
A juvenile Bank Myna coming to quench its thirst on a sweltering morning
At the holding pond a few warblers came in to drink, the first was Olivaceous
Followed by an a 1cy Great Reed Warbler - note the immaculately fresh remiges and warm tones to whole plumage and the very dark eye
Then a 2cy+ Great Reed Warbler. Note the typical moult - replaced head, nape and mantle, while rest of plumage including remiges very worn and bleached and the eye which is paler than 1cy bird
Last stop was JEO at midday where I found a small group of Turnstones
I managed to see the first winter Caspian Plover which has been at JEO for sometime
08/15/09
Week 33 - 15 August 2009, Pivot Fields, JEO, Jahra Farm and Sharq
With strong winds yesterday, I was too optimistic that today would have been better. Images by Mike Pope
I hadnt been to Pivot Fields for some time, but the gusting wind kept most birds out of sight. Numbers are down for migratory birds this August, compared to last year when we had some crackers in August. An Isabelline Wheatear was some compensation
I wasnt too optimistic for JEO and sadly found shooters there before me who were shooting the Blue cheeked Bee-eaters - they have been reported to the police
I was able to photograph one that was not dropped from the sky in a hail of pellets
In the sabkha I found a displaying Rufous tail Scrub Robin
and a juvenile European Roller passing over
I headed to Jahra Farms which had good birds last August; another Rufous tail Scrub Robin was seen coming in for a drink
At the same spot, numerous Whitethroats dropped in for a drink
Walking around the farm, I flushed the 2 Indian Rollers I had seen here 2-weeks ago, which brings the total up to 3 for today. A Bluethroat was my first for the autumn migration
At the holding pond on the way out I photographed this worn and tatty adult Clamorous Reed Warbler. It looks like it may have walked wherever it has come from!
Final stop was Sharq harbour where dust had reduced the visibility down to 400m; a Caspian/Steppe Gull picked up this fish discarded by the fisherman
Week 32 - 08 August 2009, Khiran Pearl City Census
I met Anand at the site office for an early morning start for our August census. Weather was perfect today, with no wind and a flat sea. Images by Mike Pope
On the way to the development, I stopped at a small pond with edges fringed with reeds created by rising ground water and found a Greenshank and Black winged Stilt feeding together
It was then onto the boat and out to sea, stopping at the last buoy where we found 2 roosting Socotra Cormorants along with Lesser crested Tern
and a few juvenile White cheeked Terns
There were quite a few rafts of Terek Sandpipers heading south flying low over the sea
Our skipper called out that he had seen a pod of Indo Pacific Humpback Dolphins which is always a rare treat and we spent the next hour following the pod observing behaviour we hadnt seen on our last outing. With flat seas and really clear water, it was a treat to observe both adults and young. We witnessed some lob tailing where they slap the surface with their tails
Sounding vertically
The young calves swimming on their backs
Breaking the surface as they swam past us
and general frolicking about
And Spyhopping – when they raise their head vertically out of the water and then sink back quietly below the surface
After leaving the dolphins, we headed to Phase A2 and I caught this Whimbrel on take-off
We then headed back to Phase A1, stopping at the last buoy and this time we had 8 Socotra Cormorant roosting on the bouy - this is the highest daily count since the 40 seen at Zour in August 2000
Last stop was island # 4 where we found a lone Hoopoe
08/09/09
Week 32 - 07 August 2009, Sulaibikhat
I didnt get out this morning so decided to check the outfall at Sulaibikhat and enjoy the sunset. Images by Mike Pope
The tide was way out, but I found some terns hawking and feeding over the smelly outfall that discharges directly into the sea - not good for swimming, but a reliable food source for the terns. A couple of 1st summer Gull billed Terns were present
A single White winged Tern still showing much of its breeding plumage
Whiskered Terns in various forms of eclipse plumage made up the bulk of terns feeding over the outfall
Not a great image, but this bird has a pretty rufous and uniform chest without obvious streaking on the flanks - my guess is that this is post breeding plumage?
I decided to try the hide inside Sulaibikhat Reserve where a water source has now been restored, the gatekeeper only allowed my 15-minutes as he was going out. I sat in my car outside the hide watching House and Spanish Sparrows, adult and juvenile White cheeked Bulbuls with Collared and Laughing Doves also coming in for an early evening drink. A few months ago Common Babbler(s) had been seen here, so I was hoping that they might still be around - a long shot! Imagine my surprise when a single Common Babbler hopped across the road in front of me
It quickly flew into the small tree on the side of the hide before disapearing into the reeds for the night - I was delighted.
After this excitement I still had time to catch the sunset over the low tide flats
Week 30 - 23 July 2009, Jahra East Outfall (JEO
My last visit was a week ago, so before I left for Oman I headed back to JEO to see if I could relocate the juvenile Basra Reed Warbler and to check if I could find any others. Images by Mike Pope
Reed Warblers had also bred at JEO this summer and they were really active this morning, feeding on small insects gleened from the reeds. This I believe is a typical post breeding adult showning some moulting around the neck
An adult in typical pose
I noted this behavior in both the Reed and Basra Reed Warblers this morning; where the bird would sit on a perch, lean over, lift its wing and fluff out its body feathers - like it was 'airing' itself to keep cool in the heat of the morning
After some time, a larger warbler hopped into view, this first bird was an adult Basra Reed Warbler
It was soon followed by the 'bald' Basra Reed Warbler, presumably the same I had seen a week earlier - not too much progress on the growth of the head feathers
Finally I got onto the juvenile again and it appeared that these 3 birds moved up and down the reed bed as a group - were they a family, I dont really know?
Here is the Basra Reed Warbler showing the same 'airing' behaviour
And showing a crest when it was alarmed
Week 29 - 18 July 2009, Jahra East Outfall (JEO
With sustained effort by local birders/photographers, Jahra East Outfall finally got the protection it deserved with the police making regular visits and arresting shooters when caught. This together with habitat protection from reed cutters and herders has allowed the reeds to re-establish themselves and provide the cover required for summer breeders. Images by Mike Pope
We had always suspected there was a possibility of Basra Reed Warbler breeding at Jahra East Outfall and following the big number of these birds seen this spring, we were hopeful that it might happen this year. Many thanks to Peter Kennerley, the co-author of the coming Reed and Bush Warblers to be published by Helm later this year for his assistance in identifying this juvenile Basra Reed Warbler I was able to photograph today. The following impressions were provided to justify the identification of this juvenile as probable proof of breeding Basra Reed Warbler in Kuwait.
Identifying JUVENILES; Iris colour grey brown in birds up to 1-year old; gape colour pale orange with a hint of yellow; tongue spots (if seen); leg colour dark lead grey; bill colour with the distal third to half of the lower mandible dark; plumage - recently fledged juveniles will usually show fresh unworn primaries and tail feathers which would be browner than those of a worn adult at this time. Also, a slight creamy wash to the underparts and supercilium, and no sign of wear to the primaries and tertials, which are pale tipped.
Whilst watching the juvenile, this 'bald' bird popped out and I suspected that it may be a post breeding moulting adult. Peter has suggested that feathers grow in 'tract's and these tracts are usually replaced sequentially, so feathers at one end are newer than those at the other. In this bird, the entire head feathering has been lost, which suggests some sort of trauma or disease rather than a moult in which all feathering is replaced. The head feathers were clearly lost simultaneously and the replacement feathers are growing but are still in pin, and their length suggests they are about 4 days old. The wear on the tertials and greater coverts suggests this is an adult.
08/04/09
Week 31 - 01 August 2009, Sulaibikhat, Jahra East Outfall (JEO), Jahra Farm
Another favourable high tide in the early morning means that the coastal route is the preference. Images by Mike Pope
I headed for the spit on the northern end of Sulaibikhat Bay, where I found numerous roosting Herons, Egrets, Waders, Gulls, Terns and Flamingos. A skulking Kentish Plover in summer plumage was first up
A Turnstone was seen feeding in amongst a large flock of Terek Sandpipers
With some patience I was able to get closer to the skittish flock of Terek Sandpipers
This one was feeding as it passed a Little Tern
I was fortunate to watch an aerial squabble between two Caspian Terns over a fish one was desparately trying to swallow (but it appeared to big). It was chased by the second bird for quite some time and this one was probably hoping that the fish would be regurgitated
On the way out I flushed a White chested Kingfisher which is always more spectacular in flight than when perched
I headed to Jahra East Outfall where I discovered that the White chested Kingfisher that had taken up residence along the outfall had been shot and killed for fun. The good news is that the next day 3 shooters (hopefully the same who shot the kingfisher) were arrested by the Police for shooting in this protected area
Feeling rather despondent I headed to Jahra Farm to try and locate the Indian Roller which has remained at this location through the winter and was delighted to find that it has been joined by a 2nd Indian Roller - certainly unusual at this time of year as they are generally winter visitors
Week 30 - 23 July 2009, Sulaibikhat
I stopped at Sulaibikhat Bay after spending the morning at JEO looking for Basra Reed Warblers. Images by Mike Pope
I found a single Black headed Gull in between the roosting Slender bill Gulls, my first of the summer
Greater Flamingos in flight are always a tempting photographic subject
07/22/09
Week 29 - 18 July 2009, JEO and Sulaibikhat
There was a favourable hightide (3.8m) at 6:30 in the morning, so JEO was a natural choice for the mornings birding. Images by Mike Pope
Wader numbers and species are increasing each day, but Greater Sand Plovers are still the most abundant at most locations. This one slowly fading out of its breeding plumage
At last I was able to photograph a male Kentish Plover
Ringed Plovers were found foraging with the other smaller waders
I found an area where Libyan Jird's were quite active
Many juvenile Graceful Prinias were seen around the outfall
Next stop was the smelly outfall at Sulaibihat Bay, where some terns were feeding on crickets washed out through the outfall, one eclipse Whiskered Tern was seen
and a White winged Tern
I decided to take a drive inside Sulaibikhat Reserve and was pleased to see that water has been restored at the small reedbed with the hide. However, I found a spot on the coastline and sat in air conditioned bliss in my car photographing the many birds that passed south overhead. A single White cheeked Tern was unusual this far north
A few Caspian Terns were foraging up and down the coast
Slender billed Gulls breed in Kuwait on nearby Bubyan Island
Greater Sand Plovers came by in small flocks and individually
Common Redshank
Crab Plovers also breed on Bubyan in summer and today I saw them at JEO and Sulaibikhat
Bar tailed Godwits outnumber the few Black tailed Godwits that have been seen
All along the coast there are fairly big flocks of Eurasian Curlews with their impressive bills
07/17/09
Week 29 - 17 July 2009, Pivot Fields
Today I had planned a visit to Failaka Island, but the ferry only departed at 10am so that gave me time for a quick visit to the Pivot Fields. Images by Mike Pope
This morning the number of medium sized raptors had increased since my last visit, this Buzzard was first up
A Black winged Kite and 11th record for Kuwait was also seen, alhough I believe this to be the earliest autumn migration record so far
A small flock of mixed Collared Pratincoles were at a water seepage, this is one of the juveniles
with a single adult
Yellow Wagtail numbers have also increased, this one fluffing itself up
07/13/09
Week 28 - 11 July 2009, Pivot Fields and JEO
The wind hadnt abated much, but I decided it was worth a drive to check the Pivot Fields this morning. Images by Mike Pope
There wasnt much ground water from the irrigation, but today Spanish Sparrows appeared in large numbers, flocking as you would normally see with Quelea's
Even the Dhubs are changing appearance as they moult out of their old skins
I saw a juvenile Montagu Harrier and then my first Isabelline Wheatear of the Autumn migration
I went to check for birds at the camel pens and surprisingly only found camels
In the afternoon I went back to JEO in the hope of photographing some waders in the late afternoon sun - no luck with a monochromatic sunset obscured by dust
Week 28 - 10 July 2009, SAANR, Jahra Farm, JEO and Sulaibikhat
Simon Price and I were out this morning checking locations near and along the Gulf in what started as a calm morning with the wind starting to gust and blow before lunch. Images by Mike Pope
I hadnt been to SAANR for sometime and we were fortunate in getting access to the reserve this morning, our first stop. As usual we headed straight to Tuhla to check if anything had roosted overnight. We were really surprised by early signs of autumn migration before we had reached mid-summer. In the pool we found Greenshank in breeding plumage
As well as Green Sandpiper in a newly created pan with some good cover which should be really good during migration
Whilst walking around the area we saw Upchers Warbler, Common Redstart, Roller and what seems to be the resident White chested Kingfisher
Overhead we had scores of both adult and juvenile Sand Martins which had appeared in numbers in the past day or two. I caught this one in a dive.
At Jahra Farms the only birds of interest were Bank Mynas and a returning Willow Warbler, so we headed to JEO where we found signs of Reed Warbler breeding with adults feeding juveniles
As well as Blue cheeked Bee-eater feeding a juvenile perched in the reeds
By now the sun was baking and the wind had picked up, a last stop at Sulaibikhat for the incoming tide produced two Crab Plovers which I havent seen here for some time
A single Dunlin still resplendent in breeding plumage
No sign of the Black Tern seen recently, but we did get a lone Whiskered Tern trying it's tortoise impersonation
One Greater Sand Plover in partial breeding plumage was seen with many other first winter birds
07/06/09
Week 27 - 04 July 2009, Khiran Pearl City
We have had a week of wind and dust and today the wind abated, but the dust remained hanging in the air and this helped a little in keeping the temperatures bearable for the July census at Khiran with Anand the on-site environmentalist and Eric from the media department. Images by Mike Pope
We had planned an early start and I stopped before the resort to take this monochramtic desert sunrise
Even with an early start on the boat, the resort had heavy jet ski traffic, but once out at sea this did diminish, the first birds we saw were Lesser crested Terns
We were in luck again this trip when we found a roosting Bridled Tern in the company of the Lesser crested Terns 100m from the shore
This Bridled had an injured leg - probably as a result of being shot at!
On the way out we had seen a cormorant flying low over the sea that had banked and come back to roost on the furtherest buoy along with a bird that was already roosting there. We were delighted to discover that they were Socotra Cormorants and accompanied by the Bridled Tern which had decided to join the cormorants
We got pretty close to this great bird and we believe there were altogether 3 birds seen during the course of the morning
Socotra in flight
We came across numerous first summer White cheeked Terns roosting on the beach
They were in the company of two Little Terns and this one had a shorter white forehead than some of the other Little Terns seen, but it did have a white rump in flight
On our return Anand was pleased to find a pod of Humpback Dolphins slowly moving south. This is apparently the most northerly distribution of this particular species. We were alerted to their progress by schools of tiny Gulf Herrings (Herkliotsichthys lossei) fleeing in their path by jumping out of the water away from the feeding dolphins
Trying to photograph them was a different challenge, as they never really cleared the surface of the water, I was however lucky with this image which shows a little of the head
In the pod there were large single males, females with young and some swimming together. I particularly like this image just before one is about to sound
Anand took me to a part of the project I hadnt seen where there was some pretty good habitat in the form of ground water and reed cover. We came across some Cream coloured Coursers and this Hoopoe Lark trying to keep cool by spreading out in a small scoop in the shade
On the way home in what was a productive day, I stopped at this site again and now found the Hoopoe Lark perched on the top of a small bush to escape the heat
06/15/09
Week 25 - 12 June 2009, Pivot Fields, Jahra East Outfall, Jahra Farm and Sulaibikhat Bay
Even with an early start you dont escape the summer heat, but birders will attest that given the opportunity they will be out in any weather conditions - as you never know what you may encounter or learn. Images by Mike Pope
Despite the greenery, water and food supply even the Pivot Fields lacked diversity. Although during summer, it appears that all the House Sparrows in Kuwait congregate at this site. As I said earlier, you never know what you may encounter and today was a flock of 5 very skittish Red wattled Lapwings which kept the rising heat haze between my camera and the flock. Dhubs (Spiny tailed Lizards) were much more abundant
This unidentified sparrow sized bat was forced to vacate its roost to quench its thirst swallow style at the crocodile pond. It was successful 3 times in drinking on the wing, but the 4th time mistimed its approach and hit the water. It frantically used its wings to get itself to safety but immediately attracted the interest of one of the crocodiles who felt the vibrations through the water - fortunately the bat got to the edge in time, not that it would have been much of a meal.
By the time I got to JEO it was already too hot for productive birding. I did encounter an adult and juvenile Cream coloured Courser. Mixed flocks of adult and juvenile Coursers are being seen at most sites the past few weeks
I was quite surprised to find this single European Bee-eater
A tired looking White winged Black Tern also flew by
In the heat of the day, I discovered a breeding female Kentish Plover at Sulaibikhat. I was amazed that such a small bird had an open scrape of a nest completely exposed to the harsh summer elements. This image gives you an idea of the habitat
I watched as it alternated between sitting on its single egg
and standing over the egg just providing shade and using its feet to move the egg. Every so often it disappeared to the water edge to soak its belly feathers that obviously provided some additional cooling
I was able to photograph the single egg when the bird departed to the waters edge and was surprised at its size in comparison to the size of the bird itself. At this stage the outside temperature measured 48 degrees - isnt nature just amazing that even in the harshest of conditions, life cycles continue
On the way home, I found a large mixed flock of Cream coloured Coursers on the beach at Sulaibikhat Bay, most of the birds had taken advantage of whatever shade they could find to shelter themselves from the heat of the midday sun
06/06/09
Week 23 - 05 June 2009, Sulaibikhat Bay
My son wanted a quick ride on his bike and the gravel road along the coast at Sulaibikhat is a safe place to ride. Sadly, we found a very large 4m Hammerhead Shark on the road, that appeared to have been killed only for it's tail and fins. Images by Mike Pope
The tide was pretty full, so waders had moved elsewhere to feed; but we did see one juvenile Cream coloured Courser, a lone Whiskered Tern and this juvenile Red backed Shrike baking out in the heat
06/02/09
Week 22 - 30 May 2009, Pivot Fields
It was not an ideal day to be out birding, conditions were very hot coupled with gusting winds. However, my 6-year old son wanted some birding tuition, so who was I to say no. Images by Mike Pope
We visited the Pivot Fields but at 8am it was alreay too late for optimum birding as the temperature was around 42 degrees. As a result not many birds were around, also indicating that migration was an event of the past. We did pick up some tail end stragglers, the first in the form of a lone Collared Pratincole
There were two Marsh Harriers present and I'm not surprised as the huge numbers of House Sparrows are still an abundant food supply
We found a flock of 3 Lesser short toed Larks
A mixed flock of juvenile and adult Cream coloured Coursers were seen feeding in one of the fields and confirmation of succesful breeding
This juvenile Black Kite had me going with its odd moulting plumage, but after some consultation the ID was agreed
An unexpected sighting was a European Nightjar relaxing in the shade inside the fence of the crocodile enclosure
05/16/09
Week 20 - 16 May 2009, Pivot Fields, JEO and Jahra Farm
It was good to get out again today despite the unstable weather conditions that still persist. I drove through a rain shower on the way to Pivot Fields and had mixed sunshine and cloud throughout the morning. Images by Mike Pope
I was hoping to relocate the Red footed Falcon found by Rashed earlier this week, but during migration if you dont drop everything to twitch a rarity the moment is generally gone, as it was with the Falcon. I did however enjoy a host of good birds at this location. There were some newly planted fields that were being irrigated and this Wood Sandpiper took advantage of the spray to cool itself and catch insects
It was accompanied by good numbers of Yellow Wagtails which are still present, this is thunbergi
and a flavissama
I found the large flock of Lesser Kestrels that the Red footed Falcon was part of, but to no avail despite a lot of scrutiny. The flock was perched on the structure of the irrigation and swooping down on crickets and insects in the crops below - not much exertion required to get their fill of protein
I spotted a female Cuckoo (rufous form) perched amongst the Kestrel flock and quite unperterbed. She was almost the same size as the Kestrels
Female Cuckoo in rufous form
The few Blue cheeked Bee-eaters also used the structure to hunt from
The Kestrels were competing for food with Egrets and Herons that were patrolling the fields below the moving irrigation - this Cattle Egret about to swallow another cricket
Squacco Herons took a far more cautious and deliberate approach to the Cattle Egrets
There were a fair number of Raptors present including both Long legged Buzzard and Black Kite seen in this image
A couple of Marsh Harriers put the passerines up everytime they did a fly over, the tactics of the hunt
I was fortunate to photograph both colour forms of Greater Spotted Eagle together. In this image, the dark form juvenile was feeding on something and the pale form just stood by watching; eventually it lost interest and flew off to perch on the irrigation.
The darker form is a juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle.
The paler form Greater Spotted Eagle is var. fulvescens and according to Collins Bird Guide is very rare.
I stopped at a small depression with water and vegetation and found a host of feeding waders, this Redshank was resplendent in breeding plumage.
A Purple Heron dropped in for a quick drink.
As did two Wood Sandpipers.
I came across a small flock of Collared Pratincoles on the way back to the main gate.
I headed off to JEO where I was delighted to find myself alone and also see a police car patrolling the area to deter hunters and grazers as part of collaboration with local authorities to try and protect this key and important wetland. A female Winchat was seen near the outfall
With disturbances and shooting under control, Basra Reed Warblers are still present and we are hopeful that they will in fact breed at JEO this summer.
Sedge Warblers are also potential breeders for this summer.
A few Little Bitterns were seen along the outfall.
Isabelline, Lesser Grey and Red backed Shrike are still present at most sites.
As are Spotted Flycatchers.
Last stop today was Jahra Farms and amazingly the Indian Roller is still present, but still skittish. Bank Mynas did breed this year and I caught this one after just having had a bath to cool down in the 40 degrees that we experienced by noon today.
05/09/09
Week 18 - 02 May 2009, Kirhan Pearl City Development
I was fortunate to be invited to visit the impressive Kirhan Pearl City development close to the southern border of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. I spent the morning with Arnand the on-site environmentalist conducting a bird census. Images by Mike Pope
Most of the morning was spent on a boat exploring the khors which have been extended inland (rather than reclaiming land from the sea). The weather wasnt favourable, but we did manage to pick up 4 Tern species with the first one seen being a Bridled Tern
One of the small flock of Little Terns were seen roosting on the pristine beach
I missed the Lesser crested Tern which passed overhead as well as a Socotra Cormorant feeding out at sea on the return journey but did catch two White cheeked Terns were feeding along one of the Knors
It was unusual to find two Purple Herons roosting on the breakwater which took flight on our approach
Kentish Plovers were seen on the beach
Along with Eurasian Curlew
And a Whimbrel
A flock of 16 Squacco Herons were feeding on the banks of the Knor
We made a stop on one of the four islands where natural habitat is being reintroduced and saw one of the many Red back Shrikes that are currently passing through
Spotted Flycatchers were found feeding on the island together with Upchers Warbler and Yellow Wagtails
04/11/09
Week 15 - 09 April 2009, SAANR
I met Pekka Fagel with the Austrian and Swiss groups for a morning in SAANR. Images by Mike Pope
I got to the reserve a little before the rest and headed north to check for birds in the desert scrub. I found a distant Hobby roosting on the desert that was flushed by a migrating Shikra
At Tuhla, the number of White throated Robins had notably increased
I found a Nightingale sitting very quietly deep in a thicket on the small island at the pool
Pekka managed to find 3 Scops Owls in the same small tree. This image shows just how cryptic these birds are, despite being right in front of you
A better view of the rufous tinged Scops Owl
I found this oddly coloured Pipit drinking from some surface water. We believe it is a 2 to 3 year old Red throated Pipit which appears to lose its breast streaking as it matures
04/10/09
Trip report in French - KOWEÏT du 10 au 17 avril 2009 -
Categories: TO view Report - PDF file please CLICK HERE
Note the date display is in French format (04/10/09)= 10th May 2009
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09 avril 2009 : Vols Bruxelles-Londres et Londres-Kuwait City. Départ à 17h40.
10 avril 2009 : Arrivée à Kuwait City Airport vers 06h30. La fatigue est de mise après une nuit sans sommeil mais l’excitation est bien là aussi. Formalités de douane et de visa puis accueil vers 08h00 par un ornitho finlandais établi au Koweït, Pekka Fagel. Il nous prend en charge pour deux jours dans sa Mitsubishi Pajero et va nous faire visiter une belle série de sites. Je profite de l’occasion pour le remercier car sans lui, découvrir les accès aux sites eut été beaucoup plus difficile ! De plus, nous avions nettement sous-estimé les distances et les durées pour passer d’un site à l’autre. Merci Pekka ! Le premier site visité est celui de Jahra Farms où le Rollier indien ne se montre pas ! Des migrateurs en tous genres y abondent cependant. Nous partons ensuite pour un circuit vers l’ouest puis vers le sud-est : Sulaibikhat Nature Reserve, Doha
04/08/09
Week 15 - 07 April 2009, Pivot Fiels, Sulaibikhat and Jahra Farms
We have 3 groups of visiting birders from England, Austria and Switzerland this week and to date they have had a great time, notching up many of the western palearctic specials. I caught up with 2 of the groups at Sulaibikhat and changed back to my 400mm lens for more portability. Images by Mike Pope
I had a quick hour at Pivot Fields where I found this Stonechat amongst a few Winchats. Interestingly this male had a few parasites on its head
One of the few Long legged Buzzards I have seen this spring
The Austrians were at Sulaibikhat Reserve where we were fortunate to see a Black Stork glide in and land at the waters edge, before being flushed 5-minutes later by a military helicopter passing by
Pallid Swifts were seen feeding above
The English group were at the outfall where we saw the first Whiskered Terns of the spring
The two groups headed to Doha Spur and I checked out JEO (which had no birds whatsoever). So, I headed to Jahra Farms. A Spotted Crake was trying a Pitta impersonation in the leaf litter
Many Bank Myna's were present during my brief visit
This female House Sparrow was unusually rufous, it almost looked like a different bird - no idea why it have such a rufous tinge?
Week 15 - 04 April 2009, SAANR and Sulaibikhat
The weather had improved, so I headed to the reserve and spent some more time playing with the bigger lens. Images by Mike Pope
I spent some time at the small pool on the top of the ridge where Corn Bunting was still present
Ortolan Buntings have now arrived in large numbers and can be seen everywhere
Lesser Whitethroats were seen gleening there way through the desert scrub
There was a little surface water in some vehicle tracks following the recent rains, a late leaving Water Pipit was still present and feeding on termites
Along with many Yellow Wagtails that were feeding on termites clinging onto the grass stems in the water. This beema about to devour another bit of protein for the journey home
A small flock of Common Sandpipers dropped in for a meal and drink
I headed to Tuhla where many Hirundines were having an aerial feast on the emerging flying ants, in amongst the many Barn Swallows and Sand Martins, I saw 2 House Martins
One Red rumped Swallow
And some Common Swift
Judging by the scalloped underparts, I would think this may be a Pallid Swift, but it was way darker than any other I have seen - so, Im not sure
Two Blue cheeked Bee-eaters joined the feeding frenzy and this image just goes to show how adept the Bee-eaters are in the aerial aerobatics
A Namaqua Dove was seen as I left Tuhla for Sulaibikhat
I was hoping to find the Common Babblers at Sulaibikhat Reserve, but didnt have enough time to wait it out. An Isabelline Shrike was at the pond which had some water following the recent rains
Week 14 - 02 April 2009, Al Abraq
Simon Price and I decided to head west to Al Abraq to check what the southern winds had brought in after some good rains, by desert standards. It also gave me the opportunity to test a 300mm f/2.8 kindly lent to me by Abdulrahman which I coupled to a 1.4 converter. Images by Mike Pope
A Common Buzzard just before the oasis that had spent the night roosting on the deck
There were numerous Common Redstarts present, but not many of the samamisicus race
We came across a male Semi collared Flycatcher that was catching emerging insects in the area where we parked our car
Many Hoopoes are still present in most locations in Kuwait
Small passerines are still dominated by Lesser Whitethroats, but in between them we found Menetries Warbler
and Orphean Warbler which was quite a challenge to photograph
Red throated Pipits are still the predominant pipit during this time of migration
A calling Cuckoo alerted us to its presence. This is the first time I have heard one calling here in Kuwait
For some reason I was challenged by what I think is a Great Reed Warbler, as it's jizz didnt quite fit the bird itself
A Western Reef Heron looked quite out of place in the middle of the desert
04/07/09
Week 14 - 01 April 2009, Green Island
I hadnt been to Green Island for sometime, so decided to have a stroll around the walkways to see which migrants were around. Images by Mike Pope
One of the very many Lesser Whitethroats seen this morning
Inside the main entrance I found flowering Bottlebrush bushes that were literally alive with birds feeding off the flowers as well as on emerging insects following the good rains. Among the variety seen, Blackcaps were quite prevalent
With the odd Menetries Warbler thrown into the mix
An Isabelline Shrike was also taking advantage of the termite eruption
Green Island is still the most reliable site for Red vented Bulbul, seen feeding on termites before they get airborne
I found 1 male and 2 female Semi collared Flycatchers
as well as a Wryneck feeding on ants emerging from their hole
Collared Doves are distinguished from the much rarer African Collared Doves by their grey vent
I then moved onto to Sharq Harbour where I flushed this Common Sandpiper from the waters edge
An adult non breeding Socotra Cormorant was seen hunting for its lunch, this is a good record this far north Zour Port where they are more regularly seen.
Little Terns have now returned to the coastal waters
04/06/09
Week 14 - 30 March 2009, Bubiyan and Warbah Islands
We were fortunate and privileged to be able to get access onto the channels and inlets on the west and northern shores of Bubiyan Island to conduct a spring bird census. Bubiyan is the largest island off the NE coast of Kuwait and an important island with restricted access. Images by Mike Pope
On route to SAANR, I came across a male Lesser Kestrel, my first for this spring looking miserable sitting on a dried out rodent
I spent 30 minutes at SAANR checking one last time for Mongolian Finches on a cool and overcast morning. Again no luck although it did feel promising with the number and variety of birds coming to the small pool. Corn Buntings have now arrived in small numbers
This White throated Robin was quite vocal in the morning coolness
On the early part of our trip we came across this coral outcrop exposed by low tide, which served as a roosting spot for a number of Terns
Most of the channels and inlets are fairly narrow around the western edge of the island, low tide meant staying in the deeper middle channels
The first group of Terns seen included a number of Swift Terns
Interspersed with Lesser crested Terns
Small numbers of Caspian Terns were also seen during the morning
Gull billed Terns were relatively abundant
Slender bill Gulls with characteristic pinkish hue of breeding plumage were also seen
Crab Plovers were seen along the banks of the various channels that we explored
We finally found a mixed 'heronry' which includes Spoonbills, Grey and Western Reef Herons. This part of the colony was made up mostly of Spoonbills
A Spoonbill flying in with some nesting material
A mixed flock of Cattle Egrets and pale Western Reef Herons
A second roost revealed this Grey Heron on an elevated nest with two chicks
There was a balanced mix of dark phase Western Reef Herons
and pale phase Western Reef Herons. We asked the question as to whether these two colour phases bred together, but none of us had the answer
The census team from L to R: Mike Pope, Rashed al Hajji, Abdulrahman al Sirhan and Pekka Fagel
03/24/09
Week 13 - 24 March 2009, SAANR
The weather looked more promising early on, but unfortunately did not stay that way - still the call of a Kuwait rarity beckoned and I headed back to SAANR. Images by Mike Pope
I checked the Finch site first, but local photographers/birders confirmed that they had not been seen, so I headed to Tuhla where Wheatears in breeding plumage were strutting about, the Northern Wheatear was first up
As well as a few Black eared Wheatears
I havent seen many Shrikes this spring, so this Woodchat Shrike was welcome
My first Roller of the spring, looking quite regal
A Little Crake was quite unobtrusive feeding below a small overhanging bush
I then saw a Pipit in a plumage that was unfamiliar to me and with the help of Pierre Crochet identified it as Buff bellied Pipit (japonicus) in its breeding plumage. A first photographic record for me
The rising temperature and wind brought along a few raptors, this Steppe Eagle didnt stay on the deck long
Followed by a juvenile Imperial Eagle overhead
It was time to head back up to the ridge and a 90-minute wait only produced this Chiffchaff
and a small flock of Spanish Sparrows -so disappointment again!
Week 13 - 22 March 2009, SAANR
Mongolian Finch had been seen earlier in the month at SAANR, so I set out on a less than ideal day in terms of weather to try and find and photograph these birds. Images by Mike Pope
I arrived quite early, but the wind was up and the temp still cold, so I first headed to the pool at Tuhla. Grey Wagtails are passing through in much larger numbers than previous years, this one was trying to keep a low profile to avoid the strong wind
A few Snipes were present feeding in the main pond whose water levels were lower than usual
Although the wind didnt subside, the temperature rose so I headed to the small pool on the ridge and waited quietly for over an hour. This Hoopoe took flight as I arrived
One of the few remaining White Wagtails decided to have a bath with a quick dry in the wind
A few Spanish Sparrows dropped in for a quick drink
I dipped on the Mongolian Finch, but was rewarded with a Pale Rock Sparrow which has eluded me since my arrival in Kuwait
Week 12 - 19 March 2009, JEO and Jahra Farms
I had a quick visit to JEO, this being a Thursday and the start of the weekend the hunters were patrolling the waterways and made birding unpleasant, so Jahra Farm was a less depressing option. Images by Mike Pope
The Spotted Crake was still present, but kept to the available cover - as Crakes are want to do
As the birds were staying low, I headed to Jahra Farms and found a few migrants in the form of Blackcap
Chiffchaffs, which are all over Kuwait at the moment
A male Common Redstart
and beema Yellow Wags now complimenting the feldeggs
03/18/09
Week 11 - 11 March 2009, JEO
I had some spare time and spent an hour at JEO. Images by Mike Pope
Other than a local photographer, JEO was devoid of hunters and I enjoyed watching this Sedge Warbler feeding from its perch and plucking insects off the surface water
I had a little more success with the Spotted Crake that was still present
I was thrilled to find this stunning male Citrine Wagtail, the first male I have seen in Kuwait
Again, I stopped at the open pool near the 80 and found a solitary Little ringed Plover
Tawny Pipits were found foraging in the open scrub
Week 10 - 07 March 2009, JEO and SAANR
The weather had improved and today was clear with no wind, so ideal for a morning out. Images by Mike Pope
First stop was JEO where I found the place to myself and not a hunter in sight - bliss. Bluethroats were calling and foraging along the reed bases
I had a feast of Warblers during the morning, this is Clamorous Reed Warbler
Moustached Warblers have been quite obliging the past few months
European Reed Warblers have arrived in small numbers
I was hoping to see the skulking Cetti's Warbler and was rewarded with a brief view of this challenging bird
A female Stonechat (maura) flitted up and down the reed fringes
This Green Sandpiper had a stopover for a quick drink
I noticed all the Moorhens were quite agitated and understood why when this large rat popped out the reeds for a drink
On previous visits I had seen Little Crake, today there were 4 birds present
A Spotted Crake was unexpected, but a challenging photographic subject
I stopped off at an open pond near the 80 and found a solitary non-breeding Black tailed Godwit
I was able to get access to SAANR and spent a few hours exploring the wadi and Tuhla. In the wadi I found a male Blue Rock Thrush
A pale throated Pied Wheatear (vittata) provided an id challenge
There were 2 Red tailed Wheatears still present in the wadi
By now I had exhausted the wadi, so headed to Tuhla where I found a 'normal' Pied Wheatear in pre-breeding plumage
2 Common Redstarts (samamisicus) were present around the pool
There was quite a large number of both Grey and Yellow Wagtails present. Feldeggs are usually the first sub-specie to arrive back in Kuwait
The bulk of the White Wagtails have now left, although a few stragglers are still left
2 Squacco Herons in transition plumage were present at the pool and feeding on flies that were attracted to a pungent bush
03/08/09
Week 10 - 04 March 2009, Sharq Harbour, Abdaly and Jahra Farm
I decided to try and twitch the Asian Koel at Abdaly, but after 2-hours had no luck and the bird has not been seen since a few days before my visit. Images by Mike Pope
On route to Abdaly, I stopped at Sharq Harbour to check out the gulls, the Black headed Gulls looked far better in their breeding plumage in the crisp light
The smaller gulls were outnumbered by the many larger gulls, this one being a Steppe Gull (Larus barabensis)
I did not take a single picture at Abdaly, on the way back home I stopped off at Jahra Farm where I found this Grey Wagtail feeding along one of the canals
Searching the skies, I saw a group of 9 Red rumped Swallows pass quickly overhead in silence
Green Toads are known to breed in and around Jahra Farms, I was fortunate enough to find 2 in the main pond where I had been birding. I think this may be a female
with a calling male
Week 09 - 28 February 2009, Pivot Fields and Sulaibikhat
We seem to have had a lot of dusty days as winter comes to an end, I hope this is not setting the precedent for a dusty summer. Images by Mike Pope
A quick stop at Pivot Fields provided some Larks and Pipits (Buff bellied and Red throated), but conditions were not ideal for photography. I had initially thought this bird to be a Skylark, but Killian Mullarney wrote to me suggesting that it actually is Oriental Skylark which had been seen at this location the previous week by the visiting French group led by Pierre-André Crochet
Killian kindly annotated one of my images of the Oriental Skylarks to point out the salient id features to be considered should the bird not be calling or in flight when the obvious features are more noticeable
I picked up my son and we drove along the coast at Sulaibikhat Bay. I noted that many of the Black headed Gulls are already in full breeding regalia and look far better than they do in their winter plumage
At the outfall my 6-year old son pleaded with me to take a picture of the Black winged Stilt, so I set the camera on the beanbag and let him fire away. I thought the result was quite acceptable
I found a mixed group of Shovellers and Shelduck. They were very skittish and took flight as soon as I approached - these are the Shelducks disappearing into the dust
Scops Owls are fairly common passage migrants through Kuwait and this image was forwarded to me by Moses Kaoiwi who photographed it north of Jahra.
However, Lee Gregory has pointed out that more likely this bird is the rarer Striated Scops Owl and would be the 2nd photographic record of this bird in Kuwait as far as Im aware subect to KORC acceptance.
The salient plumage features of Striated from Lee's mail are: pale grey plumage with fine streaks and no white spots on mantle and folded wing which Scops Owl has, buff brace on back as opposed to white on Scops, fine vertical belly and breast streaks with very faint cross barring on Scops Owl these are more pronounced and appear as thick black streaks with obvious cross barring, the feathering on the feet reach the base of the toes and on Scops Owl it does not reach the toes and wings appear (hard to be certain from photo) to fall short of the end of the tail on Scops Owl wing tips would be level with the tail tip or project beyond
02/22/09
Week 08 - 20 February 2009, Al Abraq, Jahra Farm, Doha Spur and Sulaibikhat
On this outing again, the weather was not perfect, dust and wind out in the western desert made conditions unpleasant. At Al Abraq I met up with Pierre Crochet and the other french birders as well as Rick Saval. Spring migration has started with a variety of birds been seen individually or in very small groups. Images by Mike Pope
A lone Cattle Egret foraging in the fields at Al Abraq.
Willow Warblers were present in smaller numbers than Chiffchaffs
One of the first Grey Wagtails of the spring, a stunning male
By now the wind had started generating swirling dust, so I headed back to the coast. I stopped to photography this Steppe Eagle perched on the berm
And was rewarded with an adult Egyptian Vulture soaring overhead at speed on the wind. This is my first in Kuwait, so I was really pleased. Again it shows that you can't stop looking during migration, as you really never know what is going to cross your path.
Jahra Farms and Doha Spur were very quiet - although I did see that the Slender and Black headed Gulls are looking fine in their breeding plumage. Next stop was at Sulaibikhat where I found a large group of Grey Herons feeding on the mud flats
My last stop was at Sharq fishing harbour where I had hoped to photograph the gulls seen earlier in breeding plumage. There werent any around, but I was rewarded with 2 fine Pallas Gulls in the company of Steppe/Caspian Gulls
02/08/09
Week 06 - 07 February 2009, JEO, SAANR and Jahra Farms
I hadnt been out since 1 January and was undettered by the inclement weather (rain, wind and poor light) today. Birding overall was understandably dismal, but we had good company with Pekka Fagel, Rick Saval, Jens Toettrup and Simon Price. Images by Mike Pope
After visiting JEO and SAANR, I was starting to despair that I hadnt yet taken a photograph. At Jahra Farms the long staying Indian Roller was still present, although it was skittish. I thought I missed the shot as it flew by at speed assisted by the wind; but on checking later at home saw that the images were acceptable.
01/06/09
Week 01 - 01 January 2009, Al Abraq
Whilst out trying to photograph the 2nd record of Humes Leaf Warbler on the first day of the year, Pekka and I independently saw and photographed what we initially thought was a juvenile Honey Buzzard, as we only had very brief views of the bird when it flushed from where it was roosting. Images by Mike Pope and Pekka Fagel
Identification features for Crested Honey Buzzard include 6 dark tipped primaries (highlighted by Dirk Collin), lack of carpal patches and pale throat with moustachial stripes - all of which can be seen clearly in the images. I have lightened my images to show the features, as I was shooting into the light while the bird was flying. This species has been recorded in the past, but it has been some years since it was last recorded in Kuwait - but as in our case, could also have been overlooked.
Pekka had more favourable lighting as the bird approached him and in this image the pale throat is more clearly seen
01/04/09
Week 01 - 01 January 2009, Pivot Fields and Al Abraq
My family was still on vacation, so I took the opportunity to get out birding on the first day of 2009, although weather forecast predicted deteriorating weather conditions with very cold temperatures tomorrow. Images by Mike Pope
Abdulrahman, Pekka and I were afforded access back into the Pivot Fields and I chose to spend the time trying to photograph the 3 Sociable Plovers that were still present. Pekka managed to find 5th record of Stock Dove, but it didnt stay long.
Spanish Sparrows are again present in large flocks in most locations
Pekka and I left for Al Abraq to see if we could photograph Hume's Leaf Warbler found earlier in the week by the Belgian birding group. We heard and saw the bird, but photographing it proved impossible. Instead we found an exciting record of Crested Honey Buzzard (6 black tipped primaries and U shaped white rump was seen in flight), Initially we thought this was a regular Honey Buzzard, but Dirk Collin pointed out the 6 primaries as one of the diagnostic features of Crested Honey Buzzard
There were many Song Thrush present
A single Dark throated Thrush was still present, which I was eventually able to photograph although not in ideal light.
Week 01 - 29 December 2008, Jahra East Outfall, Sulaibikhat and Pivot Fields
This was my last day birding for 2009 after returning from my summer vacation in South Africa. The winter temperatures were still pleasantly mild. Images by Mike Pope
I started at Jahra East Outfall where Water Rails and Little Crakes were present in good numbers. Water Rail would be a new bird for me in Kuwait and I counted up to 5 individuals
Little Crakes were more abundant than the Rails, in varyings stages of adult plumage
Water Rail and Little Crake feeding together
Moorhens were seen feeding along outfall
The few passerines present were seen and photographed with a little patience, including Graceful Prinia which I havent photographed for sometime
Clamorous Reed Warblers were seen foraging through the reed bed
Moustached Warblers are still present, but are a challenge to photograph
This Robin really looks out of place when it is away from the snow in Europe
Next stop was Jahra Farm to photograph the two Woodlarks found earlier in the month by Rashed, this being a new species for me
I then headed to Sulaibikhat Bay, even though it was still low tide. At the outfall I photograhed Black headed Gull
An adult Gull billed Tern
And winter plumage Whiskered Tern
On the banks of the outfall Western Reef Heron and Little Egret were catching large crickets coming out of the outfall
A Marsh Harrier came swooping in low over the roosting Gulls and Waders and put them all up in panic. It was unsuccessful in its attempt to get an early breakfast
Part of the flock of mostly Black headed Gulls, escaping the hunting Harrier
Later in the afternoon I received a call from Pekka saying that Abdulrahman had found 3 Sociable Plovers at Pivot Fields. He had also arranged access for a very short period to see the birds, which we did. Unfortunately conditions were not right for photography, however I was able to photograph 2 of the 5 Golden Plovers that were present again this December
