In Leonard Cohen’s famous song, a bird on a wire is a symbol of freedom, but for thousands of birds it is the equivalent of being sent to the electric chair. Now, in a landmark case, a Spanish electricity company is being prosecuted over the deaths of hundreds of birds electrocuted on pylons and overhead […]
Tag: imperial eagle
Top 25 Birds that Scavenge
Scavenging birds play a vital role in our ecosystems, they clean up carcasses before they have time to rot. Without scavengers, rotting carcasses would become hubs for harmful pathogens. Vultures specialise in eating carrion and are highly efficient at cleaning up a carcass. But many other birds, like crows and eagles, will also scavenge if […]
Birds of prey eating Fat Sand Rats near Jubail – Records by Arnold Uy
Arnold Uy has been seeing Fat Sand Rats at a location near Jubail for most of the winter but reported that recently a large number of birds of prey as well as other birds were in the area probably eating the animals. Species seen included Greater Spotted Eagle, Eastern Imperial Eagle, Common Kestrel and Long-legged […]
Winter visitors and passage migrants – Haradh
Phil Roberts and I went to Haradh recently and found plenty of good birds despite the temperature being 1 degrees Celsius the coldest day for many years in the region as well as a bitingly cold northerly wind. Some birds were winter visitors such as Mallard, Northern Lapwing, Desert Wheatear, Eastern Imperial Eagle and Tawny […]
Birds in the Holy Land – book by Thomas Krumenacker
In this post I want to present a beautiful new book published recently by my dear friend Thomas Krumenacker. This is not a book review (I write book reviews for Dutch Birding); it is rather a celebration of this wonderful creation by my friend. I am too involved in the book, and too close to […]
Saudi authorities sound warning on illegal hunting in rented farms
The Saudi Arabian Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture (MEWA) has condemned the hunting of migratory and protected birds in private farms. Bird hunting is a popular sport in Saudi Arabia, but lately hunters have been resorting to new techniques where property owners rent their farms to hunters as a source of income. The result: […]
A second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle – Sabkhat Al Fasl
Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl in January I saw and photographed a second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle. The species is rarely seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl although the Greater Spotted Eagle is seen almost every visit during the winter. The Eastern Imperial Eagle is an uncommon winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with most […]
Teetering on the brink
As Saeed Shanfari and I finished at Dowkah farm so fresh on Monday we pressed on to Qatbeet before turning round. Qatbeet was so far from the coast, it was the only place which was not affected by cyclone chapala at all. It was it’s usual very hot self. Winter coolness arrives later in the […]