Arabian golden-winged grosbeak at Wadi Kheesh

Wadi Kheesh is off the beaten track mid-way between the much better known and more frequently visited Ayn Razat and Ayn Hamran.

These other two places were the only places I had seen Arabian golden-winged grosbeak before yesterday though I knew that Ayn Tebrak is also recommended for it. I had only seen single birds before too.

Although I pride myself in knowing all the sites in the Salalah area, I have visiting birder Markus Craig to thank for this one. He had researched that this site was good for grosbecks.

So yesterday afternoon I went there. 

It managed to exceed my expectations.

Arabian golden-winged grosbeak resting 1

Most activity was near a dripping water holder which also created a stream. Birds were coming to drink and to bathe on top of the tank and in the stream.

The first of six grosbeaks I saw was resting in a bush next to the tank.

Arabian golden-winged grosbeak resting 2

This bird excelled itself my giving me views from all angles as it moved round.

Arabian golden-winged grosbeak resting 3

The grosbeaks were mostly coming to drink at the top of the concrete tank.

drinking Arabian golden-winged grosbeak

 There weren't alone. Their most frequent company was white spectacled bulbul.

grosbeak and bulbuls drinking

I stayed at the site for around 90 minutes. There were times when no birds were around. They came in waves and the waves were mixed species.

Arabian golden-winged grosbeak drinking from the stream

 Much less frequently the grosbeaks drank from the stream.

When one wave of birds left, I managed to see where one of the grosbeaks had flown. It went to the top of a tree about 30 metres away and was calling. 

Arabian golden-winged grosbeak at a tree top 1

The most grosbeaks I saw at any one moment was three but I believe there were roughly twice as many taking part in the action.

Arabian golden-winged grosbeak at a tree top 2

Cinnamon-breasted bunting had a distinct preference for drinking from the stream.

cinnamon-breasted bunting

Several blackstart and a black-crowned tchagra were near-by but I didn't see either drink.

black-crowned tchagra

An African paradise flycatcher never landed to drink but would fly to the water and drink on the wing, repetitively.

African paradise flycatcher

 Abyssinian white-eye drank both from the stream and the top of tank.

Abyssinian white-eye

Ruepell's weaver seemed to be bathing as much as drinking.

Ruepell's weaver

Wadi Kheesh was a real find. I think it could be good during the spring passage with migrants coming out into the open to drink. I will certainly visit then to see.

East side compendium

I continue to visit some regular haunts east of the city. Three of the four places receiving the most attention have been Ayn Hamran,  East Khawr (Khawr Dahariz) and Wadi Darbet. The fourth has been Khawr Rori which I will blog about separately.

I am picking out only some highlights for this blog.

At Ayn Hamran, I always consider it a success if I see black-crowned tchagra. This probably happens in about one in three visits.Most success is at the bottom end of the site but not exclusively.

black-crowned tchagra

On my most recent visit I encountered a masked shrike.  Last winter one stayed all season even though its normally an uncommon migrant. I have yet to check if this one will do the same.

masked shrike

The local lizard population gets hammered while grey-headed kingfisher is here over the summer.

grey heron eating a lizard

This time it was a grey heron I found eating one.

grey heron continues to eat a lizard

The grey-headed kingfisher population is starting to fall. This is peak time for their winter migration to Africa.

grey-headed kingfisher at Ayn Hamran

Water levels rose last week in the khawrs following rainfall associated with cyclone chapala. I have made a mental note to check out East Khawr for crakes now that the reeds edges are wet again.

In the meantime, East Khawr has not been very accommodating to me with special birds.

squacco heron at East Khawr

One of my jobs there is to check all the squacco heron for any Indian pond heron. I don't really understand why I have only seen one this season so far compared with many more this time last year.

squacco heron 2 at East Khawr

Varying numbers of marsh harrier roost directly to the east of East Khawr. Each day they terrorise the local birds.

marsh harrier 1

This one looked particularly ominous.

marsh harrier 2

Dahariz Park is only a 3 minute walk from the khawr but it is surprising how many birders give it a miss despite its proximity.Two oriental honey buzzards spent much of last winter there. 

leucistic common myna

My last visit was not so exciting though with a partly leucistic common myna provided some interest.

leucistic common myna

Trips to Wadi Darbet are normally eventful. Not infrequently they include a Bonelli's eagle chasing its favourite food of grey heron or other heron family member if it can't get it.

I saw this plated out again on my last visit though the heron got away screaming.

greater spotted eagle

In total contrast to Bonelli's eagle, the grey heron and western reef heron down by the waterside seemed relaxed near a visiting greater spotted eagle.

tree pipit

Not too many tree pipit winter in Arabia but Wadi Darbet is the best place I know to find them.

African paradise flycatcher

Though a much more common bird in Dhofar, the density of African paradise flycatcher in Wadi Darbet is probably as high as anywhere in Arabia.

long-billed pipit

Long-billed pipit is a bird of the slopes but some come down into the valleys on occasion.

The next blog looks exclusively at another site east of the city, Khawr Rori. Among the birds, it features a look at a colourful vagrant.

My search for Arabian golden-winged grosbeck

I have been visiting Ayn Hamran about three times a week and Wadi Hanna about once a week for the past month. I have typically visited Ayn Hamran early in the morning before work.

The reason has been my search for the elusive Arabian golden-winged grosbeck which is reported in those two places more than anywhere else. it was one of my Nemesis birds.

On New Year's Eve morning I finally saw one at Ayn Hamran for a fleeting moment. I returned after work and saw another but again only for a few moments.

So I returned this morning. This time I observed two and one stayed long enough for a few photos. All photographs are from below because the bird chose to stop in the tree I was standing under.

first view of Arabian golden-winged grosbeck

To help other birders, I can tell you I saw one yesterday at about 7.30 am. The two today were seen at about 7.15am and at exactly 7.36am. I know the exact time of the last bird since it is recorded on the photographic file. 

second view of Arabian golden-winged grosbeck

All three sightings were within 30 metres of each other. This area is immediately left if facing up hill (west and west north west) of the top pool with large tree. 

Each bird arrived from the north west from up the mountain and flew south east towards the stream. This area is the same place as two other recent sightings by other birders who I have spoken to. 

The single bird I saw in afternoon was in a different place. Like most birds at this time of day it was in a shaded place. It was with Abyssinian white eye in the canopy of a large tree on the edge of the thick woodland at the northern end (upper) of the Ayn. 

Masked shrike

As I was single-mindedly looking for grosbeck this morning, I didn't bother with observing and photographing other birds. However the masked shrike was seen in an exposed perch just as I was leaving so it was no effort.

Masked shrike rarely winters in southern Oman but this male has been present all winter.

Arabian partridge

The morning before, on New Year's Eve I did bother with other species. Arabian partridge are always around the Ayn, nearly always heard and occasionally seen. 

black-crowned tchagra

Black-crowned tchagra did its best to distract me from the grosbeck search and like the grosbeck it is best seen at Ayn Hamran and Wadi Hanna.

Arabian warbler

Arabian warbler are very noisy at the moment and easily seen in the trees and bushes in the more open areas.

Arabian warbler scrambling

On New Year's Eve two wryneck were also seen. One was observed in the morning and one in the afternoon in two different places.

Eurasian wryneck

There are so easily over-looked due to their camouflaged plumage especially from the back.

Eurasian wryneck from the back

The Ayn seems to have gained more wintering hoopoe over the past two or three weeks.

hoopoe

Two other birds are of note that have been seen at Ayn Hamran recently. One is Shining sunbird. The males are in full breeding plumage at the moment. 

male Shining sunbird

The second bird was a male Turkestan shrike.

Turkestan shrike

I understand these shrike undergo a winter moult. This might explain the lack of a white wing patch.

male Turkestan shrike

Without this patch, this particular bird looks even closer to a brown shrike than most Turkestan shrike males.  Even some brown shrike have this patch but I thought Turkestan shrike always do.

Turkestan shrike turns

I am currently double checking this birds identity with experts.

It has not just been Ayn Hamran I have visited for the grosbeck. Wadi Hanna is further away but is a larger site with just as many sightings.

red-breasted flycatcher

During my times there I have come across a wintering song thrush and a red-breasted flycatcher among the less usual birds.

first winter red-breasted flycatcher

The buff wing bar in the greater coverts apparently is found on first winter birds but not females.

another view of red-breasted flycatcher

Either way, the difference in colour between female type red-breasted flycatcher and the taiga flycatcher (subject to rarity committee decision) I saw at Qatbit is great. The latter bird is all greys, black and white. This bird is all buffs and browns.

male cinnamon-breasted bunting

Wadi Hanna is an excellent place to see wintering birds of prey. However the three most common birds which even the non-birder will notice are cinnamon-breasted bunting, Abyssinian white eye and fan-tailed raven.

Abyssinian white eye

Somewhere among them are Arabian golden-winged grosbeck as well.

Finally at this time of year, I issue an annual list of the cumulative readership of the blog over the years with the change in position from last year. It is below.

I would like to wish my readership a Happy New Year and good birding in it. Thanks are particularly due to my new readers from Poland and China.

Cumulative readership of the blog since it began
1. United States (NC)
2. Saudi Arabia  (NC)
3. United Kingdom  (NC)
4. Libya (NC)
5. Russia (NC)
6. Germany  (NC)
7. United Arab Emirates  (+1)
8. China  (+4)
9. Bulgaria  (-2)
10. Poland  (+25)