Wednesday 29 August 2012

August at al Hair

Having returned a couple of days before from a field trip to the south west, I met up with fellow birder, Lou Regenmorter last Friday to bird on my local patch at al Hair, central Arabia.

Birding in August in central Arabia is a hot business so it was an early start finished by 11am.

I didn't know what to expect because I arrived in Saudi Arabia in late September last year and missed the main passage.

I am glad we made the effort. We saw 40 species which is close to the highest number achieved in the area for half a days birding. Of course the numbers were enhanced by the autumn passage birds.

blue-cheeked bee-eater

There were three types of bee-eater in the air and on the bushes. The passage Blue-cheeked bee-eater and European bee-eater were as numerous as the resident little green bee-eater.

Little green bee-eater

Four types of heron were seen.

Purple heron

Purple heron, grey heron, squacco heron and black crowned night heron made up the quartet.

The status of these birds is complicated. Purple heron, grey heron and squacco heron are present all year round. However passage and wintering birds of these species are also seen.

part of a group of 7 squacco heron

Indeed the tightly knit group of squacco heron certainly behave like passage birds rather than the local residents which are generally less in the open and more loosely distributed.

Great reed warbler

Close to the group of squacco heron was a lone great reed warbler. This is the first time I have seen one in central Arabia and only the second in Saudi Arabia as a whole.  Its difficult to see why the helms guide second edition says its a local breeder but just maybe it is?  Again though, this openness looked like passage behaviour.

Streaked weaver

Graceful prinia was the only other warbler seen in stark contrast to my trip to south west Saudi Arabia where warblers were numerous.  Other obvious common residents were streaked weaver, house sparrow and Spanish sparrow. The latter was forming up into big flocks.

part of a flock of 35 collared pratincole

Things didnt get very exciting until we investigated the pivot fields. One had short growth and was being heavily sprayed. There was a pool in it where the water collected.   This was a fortunate magnet for water birds.

With slow approach and using Lou's scope, we worked out that the small pool and its environs were crowded with birds. Not only were they 35 collared pratincole there but also three ruff.  Last spring I saw only one single collared pratincole here.

Ruff

They were joined with a small number of little stint, wood sandpiper and common sandpiper too.

mixed group of collared pratincole, ruff and common sandpiper

And the same watered field also contained more yellow wagtail in one place than I saw all spring migration at al Hair.

collared pratincole with yellow wagtail

After 5 or ten minutes watching the waders a spur winged lapwing appeared and raised the alarm (about us?) and the adult collared pratincole moved off leaving the waders and first year collared pratincole behind.

spur winged lapwing

Eventually the adult collared pratincole returned. The surprise for me though is that I have never seen a spur winged lapwing at al Hair but only the farming district of Kharj 60 kilometres way.

My local patch can still spring surprises.


List by Lou Regenmorter of the 40 species seen

Bee-eater, Blue-Cheeked
Bee-eater, European
Bee-eater, Little Green
Blackstart
Bulbul, White-eared
Dove, Collared
Dove, Laughing
Dove, Namaqua
Heron, Black-crowned Night
Heron, Grey
Heron, Purple
Heron, Squacco
Hoopoe
Kingfisher, White Throated
Lapwing, Spur-winged
Lark, Crested
Martin, European Crag
Moorhen
Myna, Common
Pigeon, Rock
Plover, Little Ringed
Pratincole, Collared
Shrike, Isabelline (Daurian)
Shrike, Isabelline (Turkestan)
Shrike, Southern Gray
Silverbill, Indian
Sparrow, House
Sparrow, Spanish
Swallow, Barn
Thrush, Black Bush Robin
Thrush, Rufous Bush Robin
Wader, Common Sandpiper
Wader, Little Stint
Wader, Ruff
Wader, Wood Sandpiper
Wagtail, Yellow
Warbler, Graceful Prinia
Warbler, Great Reed
Weaver, Streaked
Wheatear, Isabelline




Tuesday 28 August 2012

SW Saudi Arabia trip report- part 5 Ash Shafa, Taif

The city of Taif itself and its immediate surrounds are not great birding territory. The only obvious birds in the city are laughing dove, rock dove, white spectacled bulbul, house sparrow and common myna. It's only the last bird that added to our trip list.

Taif is at an altitude of about 1850 metres. However near-by is the mountain of Ash Shafa which reaches 700 metres higher. 

Brian had visited it before but I soon discovered that the birding became much more interesting as soon as we had risen 200 metres or more although we found the very top surprisingly barren of birds.

The area is considerably greener than the city itself. There are several wadis - both narrow and wide, steep and shallow crossing the main upward road.

This was the only place we saw more than one type of pipit. Wintering tawny pipit were very scarce on the trip because it was so early in the season. We saw just one at As Shafa. 


long billed pipit

However As Shafa was also the only place we positively identified the resident long-billed pipit. Identification was briefly hampered by the fact that the pipit was olive backed here but the guide book picture shown it grey backed. The text did however confirm the olive variant and pictures of east African birds are a perfect match.

Tree pipit

The third pipit and the most common at the time was actually migrant tree pipit.

In the same area as the tree pipit we saw an olive tree warbler, a lifer for me and further south than the marked distribution in our guide book. However the identification was clear even based on size alone. 

young gambaga flycatcher

This was a good place to compare the resident gambaga flycatcher with the passage spotted flycatcher.

spotted flycatcher

Some of the Arabian endemics and Afro-tropical species were present despite the fact we were relatively far north.

Abyssinian white-eye

Two Abyssinian white-eye gave me a good show.

female Arabian wheatear

A female Arabian wheatear lingered a long while next to a water trough. I was surprised how rufous its head looked.

Striolated warbler

At the same water trough we got prolonged views of striolated bunting and I got my best pictures of them for the trip.


whinchat

No resident African stonechat or migrant eastern stonechat were seen. However the second whinchat of the trip made a long appearance.


steppe buzzard


Finally, once again the area was a little disappointing for birds of prey. Only kestrel and one passage steppe buzzard were seen. 

It's one of the most significant thinking points I have been left with now this very interesting and absorbing trip has ended.

 ...................................................................................................


Below is a list of all 92 species seen on the four day trip in chronological order. L means it was a lifer while S means it was an addition to my Saudi list.

Taif to Baha – 18th August
Baha and south – 19th August
Laughing dove
Red-backed shrike
Striolated bunting       L, S
Scrub warbler
Pale rock sparrow
Common redstart
Rock dove
Steppe buzzard
Little green bee-eater
Arabian waxbill     L, S
House sparrow
Yemen thrush
White spectacled bulbul
Common nightingale
Namaqua dove
Violet-backed starling  L, S
Little egret
Tristram’s starling
Common sandpiper
Bruce’s green pigeon   L, S
Green sandpiper
Dusky turtle dove
Wood sandpiper
Black bush robin
Greenshank
Marsh warbler    S
Little stint
Common whitethroat
Glossy ibis    S
Baha to Taif – 20th August
Whiskered tern
Little rock thrush
Little swift    L, S
Red rumped swallow
Barn swallow
Tawny pipit
Collared pratincole
Daurian shrike
Arabian babbler
Shining sunbird     L, S
Eastern olivaceous warbler
Arabian partridge
African silverbill
House martin
Palestine sunbird
Turkestan shrike
Arabian wheatear
Whinchat
Kestrel
Chiffchaff
Fan-tailed raven
Cuckoo
Semi collared flycatcher   S
Taif area – 21st August
Southern grey shrike
Common myna
Steppe grey shrike
European crag martin
Hoopoe
Long billed pipit
Rufous bush robin
Tree pipit
Thrush nightingale    S
Olive tree warbler   L, S
Gambaga flycatcher   L,S
Squacco heron
Crested lark
Little ringed plover
Desert lark
Ruddy turnstone
African crag martin
Blue cheeked bee-eater
Pallid swift
Woodchat shrike
White crowned wheatear

Alpine swift

Swift

Blackstart

White throated robin

Arabian woodpecker

Yemen linnet

Lesser whitethroat

Short toed lark

Yemen serin   L,S

Long legged buzzard

Brown necked raven

Masked shrike

Ruepells weaver

European bee-eater

African collared dove

Grey wagtail

Abyssinian white-eye

Cinnamon-breasted bunting   S