BirdofBahrain

The Kite apart - the month also turned up another real rarity a male Finsch's Wheatear in Buri

Finsch's Wheatear

Fortunately during the period I also saw several Black-eared Wheatear always useful for making comparisons between the two species for identification but also was interesting in feeding behavior observed

Black-eared Wheatear

As epected on a large scale Pied Wheatear always dominate the early return of wheatear by numbers alone they seem to turn up everywhere - all ages both male and female

Pied Wheatear

Northern Wheatear never fail to impress at this time either as the first birds through are generally bigger and more colorful than later ones

Northern Wheatear

Desert Wheatear just one of many still around

Isabelline Wheatear still numerous

Another scarcity was the Mistle Thrush seen at Buri in the same general location as the Finsch's Wheatear but it was never as obliging
Mistle Thrush

A big surprise however was the White-tailed Plover that turned up at Hamalah over grass
White-tailed Plover

Woodchat Shrike good numbers this year

Cinereous Bunting two birds seen keeping company with the more frequently seen Ortolan Bunting

Meadow Pipit

Collared Dove one of the many

Barn Owl a pair at their nest site at the Bahrain Fort

Bluethroat

Bee-eater large passage mostly late evening with few seen down on the deck for good photography

Chiffchaff

Lesser Whitethroat

Redstart

Leucistic Sparrow

Marsh Harrier

Desert Warbler a common wintering species

Glossy Ibis - 4 of the 12 wintering around Askar Marsh area

Now a resident breeder in my garden in Manama - one of my pair of Graceful Prinia

Grey Francolin now also regular in my garden

Great Grey Shrike

Hoopoe a now well established breeding species

Isabelline Shrike

Yellow Wagtail Fledegg

White Wagtail one of the thousands wintering

Crested Lark - remarkably resilient a locally breeding species of town and country

Water Pipit just one of the many

Tawny Pipit always a regular across agricultural areas and all desert fringes

Isabelline Shrike - Durian

Striated Heron at the northern Tubli outfall must now be regarded as a scarce but resident breeder

Wood Sandpiper - wintering numbers this year have been better than in previous winters

Green Sandpiper good numbers wintering too

Common Sandpiper a regular often in considerable numbers

Marsh Sandpiper one of several wintering at Askar

Little Ringed Plover just the one at Askar

Pin-tailed Snipe at last one out in the open

Snipe

Cattle Egret coming into breeding plumage

Black Headed Gulls at Hafeera quarry site around the watering hole just one frame of a few of the tens of thousands at the location daily

Red-wattled Plover at Hafeera pool a potential breeding site

Kentish Plover chick

Kentish Plover - Dad provides shade and sanctuary

Dad

Mum

Rock Thrush

Rufous Bushchat

Just a hungry House Sparrow

Ruff

Curlew

Purple Gallinule A breeding resident at Askar

Redshank at Askar

Greenshank at Askar

Grey heron at Askar

Namaqua Dove at Hafeera having moved south to breed

around Muharraq shore
Ringed Plover

Bart-tailed Godwit

Broad-billed Sandpiper

Mixed small waders

Curlew Sandpiper

Dunlin

Flamingo

Greater Sand Plover

Lesser Sand Plover

Little Stint

Little Tern

Sanderling in among the Sand Plover

Terek Sandpiper

Turnstone

Waders

Grey Plover

There is not an animal on earth, nor a bird that flies on its wings, but they are communities like you...

Qur'an 6:38

Little Bittern in breeding plumage at Adhari before it was turned into a residential wildlife disaster zone - Sadly this Bittern is but one of the many breeding species previously resident at Adhari that will now have to look for a new home with the sites total destruction and the wholesale removal of all suitable breeding habit at a time coinciding precisely with the start of their breeding cycle - Thank you Municipality and your contractors for such wanton destruction - your ignorance of good management techniques of natural habitats and wildlife in Bahrain just beggars belief -

Adhari ditch before clearance

Answer me this who ever is responsible "How Does this type of wholesale clearance of a prime wildlife wetland habitat at the start of the breeding cycle for the wildlife dependent on it, fit into Bahrain's declarations on SDG's" Justify your actions - your methodology - your reasoning not just to me but to the people of Bahrain.

Adhari ditch during clearance

A ditch being cleared - a clear case of, from a mismanaged but green oasis into a sludgy hell for one pair of Night Herons, 2 pairs Moorhen, 2 pairs Squacco Heron, I pair little Bittern - All have lost nest sites just in this small section alone not to mention the White-cheeked Bulbuls, Clamorous Reed Warblers and Prinia and other marine species like terrapin displaced.

This is in my opinion, an Environmental Disaster of unprecedented proportions - Who ever sanctioned this work should be held ACCOUNTABLE along with all other agencies involved in wildlife protection and natural resources here in Bahrain - this whole episode is a National disgrace, you should be ashamed that such mismanagement is tolerated, worse still is officially sanctioned. To me this is environmental destruction by the back door, by the very people we are told daily in the local press, that CARE. After the next edition of the Bahrain Animal Production Show (Mara'ee) that will be held from March 27 to 31, what will we read in the local press? Nothing no doubt but praise, sung loudly, for these same mismanaging so-called environmental champions. Will any question marks be raised at the event or in the press reports after as to those champions success rate in the mismanagement of such a vital national resource. Will any red flags be waved to ensure that what passes for habitat protection or maintenance at Adhari doesn't happen again elsewhere. I think not. I expect that much of that which will be reported after the Mara'ee event on environmental issues and its protection would be more worthy of featuring, in fact headlining at events such as Bahrain's Comic Con 2018. The reality is far more shocking however than I have stated unfortunately, this wanton destruction of a prime and unique wetlands site is but the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the mismanagement of natural resources here in Bahrain. As far as I am concerned - A line has now been crossed so if my ranting have offended someone in authority GOOD - maybe we can now get some real action on these important issues - there are simply no more magic carpets left to brush the grains of truth under.

Now breeding record at Adhari Asian digger

But back to the Birds elsewhere - NONE of which where photographed at any of Bahrain so called declared wildlife reserves all where recorded that is found in unprotected Habitat including Adhari before its destruction
Think about that for a second

Askar White-tailed Plover

Bluethroat at Adhari before destruction

Spotted Crake at Adhari before destruction

Common Sandpiper at Adhari before destruction

Squacco Heron at Adhari before destruction

Shoveller at Adhari before destruction

Snipe at at Adhari before destruction

Pied Wheatear at Adhari before destruction

Bahrain Bay
Desert Wheatear Manama Sea front

Hamalah Farm
Hoopoe

Skylark

Isabelline Durian Shrike

on the Jebel
Blue Rock Thrush one of two seen

Namaqua Dove

at Hafeera
Chiffchaff

at Samaheej
Broad-billed Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Slender-billed Gull

Greenshank

Hypocolius

Male

Female

Close to Hamalah farm in adjacent scrub thanks to birding friends I was finally able to get up close and personal with a Great Spotted Cuckoo

Not a lot seen at Adhari just too much disturbance at weekends but a visit did provide closeups of a Spotted Crake and Clamorous Reed Warbler
Spotted Crake

Clamorous Reed Warbler

and Bluethroat

At Hamlah Farm the problem was finding birds the site was relatively quiet and birds were often easily spooked
Richards Pipit is a species they I have been chasing for years I have seen dozens but could never get close enough for a decent phtograph well now I have and what a hind claw they have.

Meadow Pipit

Bluethroat female I believe

Isabelline Shrike

Isabelline Wheatear
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This rather weird looking Dove was keeping company with the Collared

Collared Dove

Corn Bunting

Crested Lark

Curlew

Kestrel

Lapwing

Namaqua Dove

Pallid Harrier

Red-throated Pipit

Graceful Prinia

Skylark

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Tawny Pipit

Spanish Sparrow

Stonechats a mix of European and Siberian types

At the Jeble Dakhan
Desert Lark

the long staying White-crowned Black Wheatear

Desert Wheatear

Snipe

Green Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Kingfisher

Glossy Ibis

Pooping on the wing

Little Grebe

Green Shank

Western Reef Heron now in breeding plumage

Squacco Heron

Purple Gullinule (SwampHen)

White Wagtail

Water Pipit

But the bird of month or rather the species of the month observered at Askar has to be the two Pied Kingfishers that turned up in the last week of the month however intitialy it was thought there was only one

Pied Kingfisher

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Manama Seafront at Bahrain Bay can provide some interesting opportunities for interesting shots of fishing or roosting birds

Caspian Tern

Slender-billed Gulls

Dunlin

Great Black-headed Gull

Steppe Gull

Greater Sand Plover

Socotra Cormorant

Whimbrel

Out and about at various locations
Marsh Harrier

Little Stint

Kentish Plover