My last trip to Sabkhat Al Fasl produced a number of waders of various species including the highest number of Marsh Sandpipers I have seen for a while. Most waders were Dunlins with good numbers of Common Ringed Plover scattered amongst them. A few smart plumaged Kentish Plovers were feeding around the shoreline and a […]
Tag: Bluethroat
First returning Bluethroats – Sabkhat Al Fasl
The Red-spotted Bluethroat is an uncommon wintering species in Saudi Arabia with birds wintering at Sabkhat Al Fasl each year, where it is locally common. The first birds return to Sabkhat Al Fasl around the same time and appear to be females with ringing data suggesting they first return in mid-October. A week or so […]
The Bluethroat
Luscinia svecica – Passeriformes – Muscicapidae – not an easy bird to see nor photograph. These pictures were taken in Spain in the region of Lerida. These lovely birds remain there year round where in France they nest only along the Atlantic coast.Here is a young male presenting a white spot in its blue “bib”. […]
Blåhake
Efter en kall morgon 130903 -1C så blev morgonen 130904 varm med 10C och dis/dimma och mycket fukt i luften detta medförde att fåglarna inte var på hugget så det fick bli kvalitet istället, så en blåhake (ung hanne) från norr blev dagens höjdpunkt. Detta var en ny märkart för mig och Eckerns märkplats. Nu […]
The making of a Photographer
My 10-year old son Jaden had been asking to go birding and wanting to take some images of his own. There was an upcoming Photographic competition in the UK, so a good reason for him to try and get images for the Junior category. Jahra Pools Reserve is a small inland reserve in Kuwait with […]
Al Abraq Al-Khabari – a western oasis in Kuwait
Spring migration in Kuwait is in full force and migrants are literally everywhere – foraging, resting and passing by overhead. Al Abraq is a very small dot of green in a vast expanse of open desert in the far west of Kuwait. It is a working oasis and an absolute magnet for migratory birds that […]
Round up of Al Hayer in February
Last year I visited Al Hayer south of Riyadh almost weekly and it became what we birders call my local patch. This year I vowed to make trips more widely within Saudi Arabia and I have been doing so. However last weekend I returned to Al Hayer for the first time in over 6 weeks. […]
A few bits and pieces in the UAE Part II
Ajban farms is a favorite site of mine , located between Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It is a desert scrub area with large water lakes. Unfortunately the water is constantly being pumped into tankers for nearby constructions sites. Not sure how much longer there will be water there, once gone I am sure there will […]