Bahrain Bird Report
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Grey Hypocolius
Saar site - Spring 2005
This site is slowly shrinking (in fact its a dump) but it still remains the best place to view the Birds
15.30 remains the target time to be in position
Observational period mid October early April with November December January peak..
Do not get a taxi from the Airport to the site
You need to hire a car its cheaper you only need an international license
car hire from the airport is about 10 -16 BD per day DEPENDING ON SIZE
(1 us $ = 0.378 of a BAHRAIN DINAR)
It is possible therefore to make a short stopover just to see the birds
See Below for UPDATE spring 2006
Map has been Edited to show second site
Other roost in Bahrain must exist since as many as half the wintering flock during the 2004/2005
season were seen to use this site only as a stop on their evening travels
Most birds flew onwards in a southerly direction a few to the northeast.
March 18th 2006
As long suspected a second winter roosting area for the Grey Hypocolius in Bahrain has now been found.
Last Wednesday (15th) morning Brendan Kavanagh (Brendan is a licensed BTO ringer) and myself had left Manama at 5-15 am to visit the BDF wadi. The reason for the very early start was that Brendan wanted to get his nets in position at the Wadi as quick as possible after first light around 5.45 am. Brendan has started his own Bahrain ringing program this winter and to date has already ringed over twenty Hypocolius plus a host of other species. Here
I had suggested to Brendan that he try the BDF Wadi as I knew it to be a local hot spot in the spring, particularly for warblers. He had visited it a few days previous to pick out likely net sites and telephoned me to say he had seen a single Hypocolius there, his first observation of the species outside the known roosting area at Saar.
On wednesday shortly after 6 am we had the first net in position and started to move away to put up the next when Brendan noticed a few Hypocolius perched a few feet away on a bush as I tuned to look at the birds they were suddenly joined by another hundred or so, 4 plunging straight into the net we had just finished placing. The flock continued to grow having alighted in the top of a nearby thorn tree and finally departed around 6.20 am in a north westerly direction and the known feeding areas amongst the date palms and gardens numbering around 150 individual birds minus the 4 in the net. These four were a mixed bag Male female and juveniles.
The following day I was again in wadi but did not get there until 6.40 too late for the mass morning departure, but early enough to watch the last Hypocolius depart that morning. The birds return to the wadi is late afternoon from 16.00 hrs onwards to sunset.
Good news can be short lived, a double edged sword, we have to err on the side of caution. The birds are due to depart soon, certainly within the next few weeks so we have to ponder the questions will they return to the wadi and the Saar roost next season. The Saar roost continues to shrink and come under pressure from developers while the BDF wadi itself was long ago earmarked for development. This time for the construction of palaces, yes that's right palaces - these will be rather large houses in individual compounds and are intended for the growing family of the Ruling Royal Family. However the Royal here are approachable and might and I say might be persuaded to reorganize or re-plan the current layout to leave the wadi or at least a large part of it almost intact. The presence of the palaces will however pose its own problems in time in terms of security and spying birders but first to get the wadi preserved.
Having now found another roost I am certain others must also exist, not only here but elsewhere in the Gulf states. We have at most 1500 to 2000 birds so where are the rest of this species population hiding out in winter.
Howard King March 18th 2006
site
reproduce
with kind permission © Survey Directorate Bahrain