There are some good areas for birdwatching in Jubail but they take some looking for. The birds that frequent these areas are also good at times and again take some looking for. Whilst birding the area recently I have come across a few good birds including a Citrine Wagtail, and a fly past Long-legged Buzzard. […]
Tag: Sandpiper
Much more at Rakhyut
There was much more to Rakhyut than owling (see yesterday’s blog). On the mountain top before we (Saeed Shanfari, Hedi Khecharem and I) descended into Rakhyut the action started. There were four eagles. Three were steppe eagle which soon disappeared. Eastern imperial eagle 1 One eagle stayed behind and give good views. It was […]
Poll: Vote for Your Favorite Species to Help Celebrate World Shorebird Day! (Photos)
This Saturday marks the first World Shorebird Day, a day to celebrate these beautiful birds and raise awareness for their conservation. Shorebirds nest and migrate along beaches and grasslands, and are known to have some of the most impressive migrations in the animal kingdom. They’re an incredibly diverse group of birds, consisting of plovers, oystercatchers, […]
13 newly-discovered birds declared extinct
In a recent update of the IUCN Red List, scientists have identified 13 new bird species that have gone extinct since 1500. In total the list now finds that at least 140 bird species gone extinct in the past five hundred years, representing 1.3 percent of the world’s total known birds. The new extinct birds […]
Plants hitch a lift on migrating birds
Birds migrating between the Arctic and South America could be responsible for distributing plants across the tropics, according to new research. Scientists screened wild shorebirds’ feathers before migration and found plant parts embedded. Birds are known to disperse seeds and small animals across local, regional and continental ranges. It is the first evidence of plant […]
Marl Bed Flats, 5/22/2014
Yesterday morning I visited Marl Bed Flats again. I’m pretty amazed at how good this place has been in May. It’s given me several Seminole County firsts, including a Short-billed Dowitcher, Stilt Sandpiper, Semipalmated Sandpiper and now a Semipalmated Plover. Black-necked Stilts are still here, though in much smaller numbers; now only about 4 remain […]
Bird’s Eye View of the Changing Climate
“The first sparrow of spring! The year beginning with younger hope than ever! The faint silvery warblings heard over the partially bare and moist fields from the bluebird, the song sparrow, and the red-wing, as if the last flakes of winter tinkled as they fell! What at such a time are histories, chronologies, traditions, and […]
Which Way Will This Bird Flu Fly?
Are you neurotic about all things zoonotic? Perhaps you should be. A new strain of bird flu, H7N9, has recently emerged and has killed more than 30 people in China to date. There are concerns that this flu may mutate into a form that can be transmitted through human-to-human contact, risking its transformation into a […]