The other day I witnessed an unusual feeding interaction. Normally this is what you would expect to see a Hoopoe doing. Drilling for larvae or ants as it is doing here I found this Eurasian Hoopoe with what looks like a Middle Eastern Short-fingered Gecko It was dropping it and picking it up again as it tried to best position it for ingestion Suddenly it raised its hood, and then moments later, flew off This Arabian Grey Shrike landed at the spot where the Hoopoe had been. I presume it had been planning to rob the other bird of its meal. It had hungry mouths to feed In a nearby bush I could hear the loud cries of the hungry shrike fledglings, as they urged the parents to bring them food. Note the fleshy yellow gape in this juvenile
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I spent the morning in my local patch with good results. Some more migrants were on offer as well as the usual residents. The highlight of my day was undoubtedly a pair of Semi-collared Flycatchers. These are listed as scarce passage migrants so I am glad to have been able to have captured these images Male Semi-collared Flycatcher Female Semi-collared Flycatcher I found this nice smart looking Tawny Pipit in the early morning light The Yellow Wagtails have arrived on their way through. Here are three races that I saw today For the second week in a row I found this Little Ringed Plover at the exact same spot The Grey Francolins were in attendance as per usual This female House Sparrow was busy collecting some lining for her nest I finally managed to get an image of the Indian Peacock out in the sunlight to show off its colours
This is not a birding post, but I thought it may be of interest as an insight into a facet of Qatari life. The iconic patrolling horsemen of the Souq One of the many ever present porters who want to carry your purchases to your vehicle Colourful bolts of material on display outside a shop A Gyr falcon on its perch in one of the falconry shops. This bird belonged to the owner of the business This ornate display of jugs and flasks caught my eye When the "Traditional Thobe Teams up with the Trendy Tablet"
My favourite image for the day was this group of gentlemen I came across who were kind enough to allow me to take this shot of them. This image of a Whitethroat was taken a while ago, but there has been some discussion as to its identity. I am only posting it now that it has been verified as a Desert Whitethroat. Neil Morris had found the bird in some thorn trees and called me in to have a look. Together we managed to relocate it and capture some images of this rarity. Here is my best effort. This obviously is a lifer for me. Thanks to Neil for the great spot. Desert Whitethroat Today a few migrants were on offer . A Tawny Pipit. I found this bird walking around on the ground picking off insects, which is what one would expect. It then hopped up onto this bush, which apparently is not typical behaviour for this species. This Eurasian Hoopoe was also busy walking around digging for larvae with its beak. Unfortunately it was a bit overcast so its colours are not being shown off at their best. This female Common Redstart was chased off by a shrike but she was not to be intimidated and returned to the same spot a few minutes later. Followed by a couple of usual suspects. I found this rather tatty looking female Pallid Harrier resting up in the middle of this thorn tree. And this Isabelline Wheatear quietly going about its business.
I returned to have a look at how the owls were getting on. I managed to record several shots of the adult as it went about its daily routine while resting up at the burrow. A good leg and wing stretch Breast feather preening Wing feather preening A good head scratch The owl disappeared into the burrow and I think it fed on something. Here it has re-emerged and is cleaning its beak on the rock. Note the remains of feathers on the talons. Post feed talon cleaning Some further housekeeping A regular upward glance which I presume is a predator check A quick forty winks. It would take short power naps between 360 degree scans of the surrounding terrain A sleepy yawn after a power nap
I had the opportunity to visit Oman for a couple of days recently. I came away with a few images, which has made me make a promise to myself to return for a longer birding safari. There were house crows everywhere at the hotel we stayed at. They were quite tame and would raid the tables for scraps after the quests had finished their breakfast. Indian Roller. Several pairs were to be seen around the resort. A Rainbow with wings. A lifer for me. The contrast against the palm leaves adds to the richness of the colours. Ring-necked Parakeets. Plenty of these to be seen in and around all the palm trees on the front lawns. We took a drive to see Wadi Al Shab and I came across several Egyptian Vultures circling in a thermal close to the road we were travelling on. A lifer for me. Along the way we stopped at the coast to admire the view for a few minutes. There were some gulls flying past , an opportunity too good to miss. Sooty Gull. A lifer for me. Great Black-headed Gull. Caspian Gull tbc A possible Heuglin's Gull tbc
I spent some time again this morning working the local patch. I was expecting a few more migrants, but I have no complaints. The temperatures are manageable at this time of the year, so it was a pleasant to be out and about. A nice plump Common Snipe blending in perfectly with the surroundings in the early morning light A Grey Francolin also warming itself up on a rock in the early morning sun An Indian Silverbill A Common Blacked-headed Gull complete with summer dark brown hood A Mallard type male Mallard type female
The day started off cloudy and a bit cool. It warmed up later but remained overcast, which was probably a bit of good fortune in the end. Mid morning I came across a pair of Lilith Owls perched on a rocky outcrop. I was fortunate enough to sit and watch their behaviour for several hours. It turned out they had a "burrow" and when a noisy helicopter flew overhead they quickly disappeared for a few minutes. When the coast was clear they hopped out onto the rocks again. I am not sure if this is a male/female pair or a parent and an almost fully grown juvenile. One owl has full streaking on the forehead and the other has a bit of a pale spot on the forehead. The images tell the story. Lillith Owl Some preening High alert on look-out post Heading off into the burrow One bird offers the other a meal but it is not hungry Some self preening Two sets of eyes have it all covered One owl took forty winks Whilst the other remained alert
I spent a fruitful morning at my local patch. A couple of new species were to be seen as well as the usual suspects. Some movement caught my eye and it turned out to be a pair of Chiffchaff's. A new species for me in Qatar. Little Ringed Plover There were plenty of White Wagtail's to be seen as usual, but today there was a single Grey Wagtail in attendance. A new species for my Qatar list. These European Stonechat's have been around for a while now There must have been 20 or more of these White-eared Bulbul's all feeding on the ripe fruit that had fallen to the ground. There are limitless numbers of these Collared Doves as well as the Laughing doves wherever you go.
On a low tide the other day I managed to come across these Greater Flamingos in the shallows at the beach.They were quite relaxed, tracking back and forth, swinging their inverted heads from side to side as they carried out their unique filter feeding action. Also to be found were a few waders Dunlin Grey Plover Lesser Sand Plover
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