As Hannibal Smith was prone to say: I love it when a plan comes together. We haven’t had rain for over a week and none is forecast for the coming week either but overcast skies and the chance of showers this morning got me excited. Rain in May brings down migrants and especially waders and […]
Tag: Dunlin
Waders, Winterers and residents – Sabkhat Al Fasl
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 […]
Waders at low tide – Al Khobar Sea Front
I had a couple of spare hours between dropping the family off and picking them up again in town so went to the Al Khobar Sea Front. This area allows views over the tidal mud flats and when the tide is in can hold thousands of birds. The tide was completely out when I went […]
Red List reveals Europe’s farmland wading birds in crisis
The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is out – and it’s sounding alarm bells for some of Europe’s most charismatic and cherished shorebirds (also known as wading birds). The list highlights sharp declines in most farmland wader species across much of Europe in recent decades. In some cases, these falls […]
Wading birds declining in the UK (Photos)
The magical wildlife spectacle of hundreds of thousands of wading birds converging on British estuaries could be under threat as research shows big declines in some of the most familiar species. Results from the Wetland Bird Survey reveals that ringed plovers, oystercatchers, redshank and dunlin are among the eight most abundant species overwintering on UK […]
Orlando Wetlands Park, 2/2/2014
What a fantastic morning at Orlando Wetlands Park! The area was just filled with birds. Of course, top on my list was seeing a Vermilion Flycatcher. It was right where has been–in the cypress trees in cell #17. But the area was also filled with other birds. Lots of Blue-winged Teal and Green-winged Teal, as […]
Dance of the Dunlins by Ray Hamlyn
Flocking behavior in shorebirds is one of the most beautiful ballets in nature. Computer simulations have shown this behavior is explained by each bird following a few simple rules, but overall effect is that the flock is performing a elaborate dance that begs to be set to music. Video “Dance of the Dunlins” courtesy of […]
More news and updates from Eilat region
September is here and there are certainly many birds around! While Waders are coming in big numbers and variety, it is great to see also many new passerines moving through. The most thrilling for me was a bird i found last Friday (probably as a 40th birthday gift for myself) – a beautiful Grasshopper Warbler(only […]