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

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
" alt="Isabelline Wheatear" title="Isabelline Wheatear" />

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

title="Skylark" />

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

r" title="Pied Kingfisher" />

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

At Ras Tubli the Staiated Heron now resident showed briefly at the back of the mangrove at the same spot where the juvenile was last seen

White-crowned Black Wheatear winter on the Jebel wonder if its white cap will develope before it leaves

Steppe Buzzard on the Jebel Dakhan proved a delight

Starling a large wintering flock near the Refinery never settled unfortunately for a photo session

Common Kingfisher

Common Sandpiper

Tufted Duck looking odd in eclipse plumage here with a Mallard

expected but interesting

Red-throated Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Ruff

Snipe

Osprey

Marsh Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpiper and Red Shank in background

Lapwing

Glossy Ibis

Great White Egret

Greenshank

nice to be able to compare with the Juvenile seen previously

Desert Warbler

Red-tailed Wheatear

White-crowned Wheatear

Siloette - a Blue Rock Thrush

Desert Lark

Desert Wheatear

Isabelline Shrike

Kestrel

Grey Hypocolius

Short-toed Lark

Blue-throat

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Corn Bunting

Yellow Wagtail

Water Pipit
]

Siberian Stonechat

Grey Wagtail

Cattle Egret

Mallard

Pin-tail Duck

Marsh Harrier

Wood Sandpiper

Purple Gallinule

Temmincks Stint

Slender-billed Gulls

Western Reef Heron

I am still having a few security problems with the site - and currently working on a final solution hence the delays in posting but now playing catchup