I was up in the north scouring the coastline on the lookout for Large White-headed Gulls (LWHG) when a movement low to the ground caught my eye. This little bird hopped out into the open for a few seconds allowing me to capture this image before it disappeared again Asian Desert Warbler (Sylvia nana) Below are a few images of other birds of the genus Sylvia for comparative purposes Female Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria) Female Menetries's Warbler (Sylvia mystacea) Male Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)
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I went out to the farm the other day to check up on the owls. At the first site they were not to be seen. Perhaps they were still in their burrow as it was early in the morning and still a bit misty and cold. From there I made my way to the other site. Here I was not to be disappointed as the owls were already out and about When I first arrived at the burrow this bird was on sentry duty outside Soon the other owl appeared and joined its partner on the rocks. Here they both give me the eye Soon they relax and the one bird treats the other to a spot of preening Later this bird begins vocalising. This went on for about 5 minutes. Note the puffed up throat. An audio clip of the owl calling outside the burrow.
Here is a sequence of B.I.F. images of a Grey Heron shedding altitude and coming into land at one of the night storage dams on the farm
There were plenty of Birdies, a few Eagles but sadly not a single Albatross as the Golfing Migrants from Europe flew in for the 2015 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters this week. 2015 Commercial Bank Qatar Masters Champion Branden Grace seen here with his Bagman Zack Rasego Pushing him all the way was Bernd Wiseberger who finally finished in third place Ivor Robson, the legendary Official Starter on the European Golf Tour since 1975 was once again on hand to introduce players to the gallery Defending Champion Sergio Garcia blasts his ball out of the greenside bunker on the 18th hole A few images from the Golfers Field Guide Colour co-ordinated Paul Lawrie and Robert Karlsson waiting on the Tee-box
Driving around the edges of the lands I managed to see this mixture of residents and winter visitors Eurasian Skylark. A first for me last week and some more seen again today And for comparison a Crested Lark, an abundant resident Male Desert Wheatear Female Desert Wheatear. Not as commonly seen as the male of the species for some reason And for comparison an Isabelline Wheatear in early morning light A Tawny Pipit warming up in the sun Two Indian Silverbills perched quietly on a branch
I started off by spending some time at one of the night storage dams to see what would put in an appearance. As always there was something on offer The Spotted Redshank was still in attendance Black-winged Stilt Green Sandpiper A Wood Sandpiper for comparison Citrine Wagtail A White Wagtail for comparison A juvenile Common Moorhen came out of the cover of the reed beds and enjoyed a bit of the sunshine
I was back at the local patch again the other day and much to my delight the geese are still showing. I checked my records and I first spotted them here on 17/11/2014, just short of two months ago. They are obviously finding the accommodation to their liking. There is more evidence of the white developing on their foreheads as well as the barred markings on their flanks as they grow into their adult plumage. The conspicuous dark breast bars have not started to appear yet. Here is hoping they hang around long enough for me to capture images of them once these have developed. Nothing like a good wing stretch Off on a walk to look for a fresh patch of grass This bird has opened up its wings whilst lying on the grass to increase its exposure to the early morning sun Catching up on a bit of shut-eye This one giving me the one-legged, one-eyed stare
The Qatari Society of ALGannas is a cultural association for hunters founded in 2008. It is dedicated to promoting traditional Arabic hunting. There are several separate competitions being held as part of this month long event. The most popular being the Hadad Challenge where some 535 of the total 1406 registered competitors are taking part. I understand that a falcon named "Mukhtar" became the first winner by interrupting the flight of its homing pigeon and causing it to land. This achievement earned the falconer QR100 000 as well as qualifying him for a chance to win a new Lexus Vehicle. I also believe there will be Saluki races (Arabian Greyhounds) to be run during the festival The Qatari National Flag flying proudly above the event The Festival Logo Spectators relaxing as they watch all the action on the large T.V. screens and listen to the running commentary A traditional Coffee Station The pigeon release point is situated about 400m away from where the Falcons are waiting to take up the chase. Note the open door second from the left on the bottom row from where the pigeon has just flown The hunt is on. A handler releases his falcon to take up the chase. Note the radio transmitter aerial attached to the bird, and the starter positioned in the background There are several strategically placed T.V cameras as well as this mobile camera vehicle which tracks and transmits the chase action back to the T.V. screens A falcon in full flight Some of the vehicles up for grabs as prizes in the various competitions that are being held during the festival
With the draining of the Abu Nakhla in progress Neil Morris suggested I try out the Al Sailiya ponds near the Doha West Sewage Plant. So yesterday I spent some time exploring the pond area adjacent to the plant. Despite some excavating work in progress there was still some water and extensive reed beds present. Unfortunately there was also evidence of shooting with many spent shotgun cartridges to be seen lying around. I managed to record 20 odd species in an hour of birding. Of particular interest was a Great Egret, a Quail, a Citrine Wagtail, a Purple Heron, and a Black-necked Grebe. Several Marsh Harriers were quartering over the reed beds, plenty of Great Cormorants were present, and the loud calling of Indian Reed Warblers was to be heard from within the cover of the reeds Black-necked Grebe A Citrine Wagtail perched in the cover of some reeds Western Marsh Harrier Eurasian Coot Species included: Gadwall, Common Quail, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Black-necked Grebe, Great Cormorant, Grey Heron, Purple Heron, Great Egret, Little Egret, Squacco Heron, Western Marsh Harrier, Eurasian Coot, Red-wattled Lapwing, Common Snipe, Indian Reed Warbler, Graceful Prinia, Citrine Wagtail, White Wagtail and the rest
Yesterday I spent a few hours showing Sarah Knights, a keen e-bird lister from Seattle, U.S.A. a couple of the birding hot spots of Qatar. With this being her first field trip in the country most of the birds were lifers for her. She managed to tick off close to 50 species, which for mid winter is not an insignificant count. I learnt all about the ebird app. which she uses and I am now going to give a try. So all in all a great outing. Her favourites were the Spoonbill (no image unfortunately), the Lilith Owls, the Greater Flamingos and the Red -wattled Lapwings. A Juvenile Red-wattled Lapwing One of the Lilith Owls in the soft early morning light near its burrow Greater Flamingos dabbling like ducks. Species included: Greater Flamingo, Tufted Duck, Northern Shoveler, Eurasian Teal, Ferruginous Duck, Little Grebe, Great Crested Grebe, Greater Cormorant, Grey Heron, Little Egret, Western Reef Heron, Squacco Heron, Glossy Ibis, Eurasian Spoonbill, Western Marsh Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Common Moorhen, Black-winged Stilt, Eurasian Coot, Lilith Owl, Common Kestrel, Pallid Swift, Red-wattled lapwing, Kentish Plover, Common Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Little Stint, White Wagtail, Red-necked Phalarope, Slender-billed Gull, Isabelline Shrike, Arabian Grey Shrike, Steppe Grey Shrike, Greater Short-toed Lark, Lesser Short-toed Lark, Crested Lark, Menetries's Warbler, Bluethroat, European Stonechat, Desert Wheatear, Isabelline Wheatear, Tawny Pipit, Water Pipit, Spanish Sparrow, Corn Bunting and the rest
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