Earlier this month I visited a protected area north of Kuwait City and Mutla Ridge and was pleasantly surprised by the numbers of Spring migrants in and around the Acacia Trees as well as the indigenous plants with yellow flowers spread out across the desert.
There were 5 species of Wheatear, but the most prevalent was Eastern Black-eared Wheatear(Oenanthe h. melanoleuca) with both dark and pale throated varieties seen.
Also present were the typical Pied Wheatears (Oenanthe pleschanka), but also the pale throated known asvittata.
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Pale-throated Pied Wheatear
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Pale-throated Pied Wheatear
A male Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) was found in typical desert habitat
As was a male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)
Many Shrikes were seen, but the most prevalent was Mauryan Grey Shrike (Lanius lahtora pallidirostris).I just missed seeing one kill a snake, but did get to spend some time as it impaled it on an Acacia Thorn and started to feed – fascinating.
A few smaller passerines were seen in the form of Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)
And an Eastern Orphean Warbler (Sylvia crassirostris)
All in all a very productive and enjoyable spring mornings birding and looking forward to seeing the arrival of many other migrants over the coming weeks.
Michael Pope
A South African ex-pat who currently resides in Kuwait with his family since October 2006 and maintains a full time job as an IT Project Manager delivering and implementing projects in Kuwait and the GCC. An avid naturalist with an interest in wildlife and conservation that started early in his schooling when he was selected to spend a week in Londolozi Game Reserve learning about Conservation and Game Ranger principals. That week had a profound impact, the seed was sown and a passion for birds, photography, wildlife, biodiversity and conservation was instilled. He has travelled and explored the length and breadth of South and Southern Africa in search of birds, Aside from birds, he photographs landscapes, mammals, reptiles and just about any living creature he can get in front of his lens. Since arriving in Kuwait has also explored many other countries expanding his list and knowledge. In Kuwait his passion for birding, photography and highlighting the need for conservation and protection of migratory birds has continued and this is showcased on his Kuwait Birding Blog http://kuwaitbirding.blogspot.com/) . In early 2008 he was proposed as and still is Chairman of Kuwait Ornithological Records Committee. However, a personal achievement of his birding tenure in Kuwait is Co-editor for the milestone publication of “Birds of Kuwait – A Comprehensive Visual Guide” in collaboration with BioDiversity East and KUFPEC.
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