From our Tripoli correspondent "Birding with Ibrahim"

Birding For a Lark now has new correspondents based in Tripoli as well as Rob in Benghazi. This is the first in a series of occasional articles from Andy and Helen.

what a high nest site the storks chose

Andy and Helen are new to Libya – we’ve been teaching and birding for the last 10 years in the UK, Poland, Slovakia, China, Turkey, Colombia and Chile.

Helen with local birder Ibrahim

Today, we had a day out with Ibrahim from Tripoli to the Wadi Ghan reservoir. En route we came across a recently-filled lake that proved to be the best birding spot of the day. Here we spotted:

·         Spoonbill

·         Blue rock thrush

·         Rock dove

·         Black wheatear

·         Black-winged stilts (4)

·         Sandpipers (unsure which)

·         Shoveller

·         Long-legged buzzard

·         Little egret

·         Redshank

Along the way, we stopped at a farmer’s field that was well watered. Here was a feast of other birds:

·         Dozens of Hoopoe

·         Redstart

·         Black-eared wheatear

·         Spanish sparrow

Ibrahim (left) with Muaad and Wagih

At the Wadi Ghan reservoir we bumped into 2 Libyan birders (Muaad and Wagih) who are busy compiling a bird guide to Libya. This was a shock to Ibrahim who was under that impression that he was the only native, birding Libyan! At the reservoir we got:

·         Grey Heron

·         Black wheatear

·         Spoonbill

·         Kestrel

Ibrahim consults his faithful Collins

Throughout the day, alongside the road, we also bagged:

·         Desert grey shrike

·         Crested lark

·         Thekla lark (a first for us)

·         Laughing dove

·         Black stork

·         Serin

·         House sparrow

With 24 species, a great introduction to North African birding. We’re looking forward to more – hopefully we’ll be over in Benghazi soon.

Andy and Helen

16.10.2010

Editor's note: the black stork is the most interesting find.  Each year a dozen or so black stork are recorded as flying over Malta towards Libya (and sadly where in Malta a sizeable percentage are illegally killed) .It is superficially surprisingly that only two records of live birds have been recorded and one dead bird. Nevertheless there is severe under-recording in Libya. Andy's sighting is wholly consistent with  the time of year that the Maltese birds must pass near Wadi Ghan.