Bahrain Bird Report

Aerial views November 2004

The colony begins to thin as pairs separate for the days fishing,  at favoured roosts used prior to departure to bathe birds despite no lack of space stand shoulder to sholder.	Breeding at the colony by early November is well under way, by the middle of December mosts of the gaps will have been filled . The first chicks can be expected by the second week or third week of November. Breeding will continue well into March.  Within half an hour of dawn each morning half the sitting, any unpaired or non breeding birds all aggregate to the side of the colony (the large black areas) prior to going off to fish. Prior to egg laying the entire flock 60000 plus birds can depart Suwad within a period of less than half an hour each morning.   The birds have favoured points about which they congregate each morning, the entire departing flock will leave en mass to splash down at the days chosen bathing spot close to Suwad. Two areas are favoured for bathing in the morning, the first in the channel northeast of Suwad, the second in the bay immediately to the west of the colony. This bathing area is the most popular during the rest of the day as the second wave are released as the early birds return from fishing. Departures from the bathing areas in the morning are also short lived events but the flock will often reassemble several times enroute to the days chosen fishing ground. Late starters get a chance to catch up
Close up view of a small satellite colony (left bottom main colony) that eventually will join with the main colony. Note - the nest underconstruction - most of the standing birds have yet to pair as most of the nests have alrady two birds in attendance.	Not out of focus but just a lot of black birds in a harsh landscape some on the wing -densely packed in places with a long shadow from the early morning light - one of several early morning congregations