Birds of Bahrain

Pied Wheatear both Females and Males

Masked Shrike

Pratincoles passing

Red Rumped Swallow

Swallow

Northern Whaetear

Northern Whaetear

Pied Wheatear

Pied Wheatear

Pied Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear

Willow Warbler

Chiffchaff

Barred Warbler

Rufous Bushcat

Stonechat

Whinchat

Upchers Warbler

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Saunders's Tern

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

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