There was a single Great Cormorant present at the fresh water pond. Seen here busy fishing for its breakfast There were two Eurasian Curlews on hand The Common Pochard was still in the house I got a brief sighting of this Grey Wagtail before it flew off. A first for the season This Indian Warbler was perched on top of this bush merrily singing away. Please excuse the quality of the audio it was taken on my cell phone A Daurian Shrike was on the look-out for a tasty morsel from this vantage point The Indian Pond Heron still graces us with its prescence
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I drove past where I had seen the Owl when I was last in the area. Whilst it was not occupying the hole in the wall (see post 5/1/2016) I spotted it perched nearby. It allowed me to approach and I sat and observed it for a while. On alert Something has caught its attention below A spot of claw maintenance Too tired for words Perched below the skyline in the shadow of the wall
I headed up north to see what I could find as I had not been there for a while. There were a few birds to be seen on a receding tide and at the usual spots I visit. A Whimbrel at Al Ruwais. My first sighting of one of these birds in a while A pale phase Western Reef Heron flies past along the coast line A male Kentish Plover in breeding plumage on Fuwairit beach A Sanderling busy feeding close to the water line on the beach A Slender-billed Gull in the Harbour at Al Khor A Common Black-headed Gull starting to develop the summer dark head that gives the bird its name A Caspian Tern patrolling overhead at Al Khor
I was keen to visit the farm so I set off early even though the weather report did not look good. I ran into early trouble when at the Mesaieed turn off the heavens opened. Low visibility, wipers on the highest speed, road spray from vehicles, thunder and lightning and cross-winds all made for difficult driving. I have never experienced rain like this in the Middle East before it was more in keeping with a Thunder Shower in Africa. It will be interesting to see how much rain fell. I drove on and the storm abated. When I arrived at the farm they had not received the rain but looking at the build-up it was only a matter of time before it arrived. I managed a couple of images in poor light before the rain started to fall and I had to admit defeat and make my way back home Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush male. ISO 2000 Red-wattled Lapwing. ISO 2000 Storm clouds brewing overhead A view up the Wadi showing the clouds ahead A view across one of the pastures A look out from under the hay shed as the rain pelts down The rain forming pools on the ground
Last week I observed and photographed what I thought was a common Squacco Heron. Once I had posted it onto my site I got a call from my good birding friend Mike Pope from Kuwait telling me that my ID was incorrect and it was in fact an Indian Pond Heron. They had also seen one in Kuwait and were excited as they were uncommon visitors to their part of the world. I have subsequently submitted the record for adjudication with QBRC and they have confirmed the I.D. This makes it a first record of this species in Qatar. Indian Pond Heron Stalking Poised to strike Success
I thought this may be some kind of hybrid duck, but when I asked Neil Morris from QBRC for his opinion he confirmed that it is a Common Pochard. I saw and photographed it at the local patch. It has been there for a few weeks now. Long may it stay. This represents another new tick for my Qatar list Common Pochard
Settling back into my routine, I paid a visit to the local patch to see what was on offer. Some of the more commonly seen birds were in attendance as well as my first sighting of a Spring migrant in the form of a Masked Shrike. I hope this signals the start of a bumper season. Masked Shrike Indian Silverbill Great Cormorant Western Reef Heron Western Cattle Egret
Late last year after a light overnight shower of rain followed by an overcast morning I thought I could be lucky and locate owls who may linger out longer than usual given the conditions. In particular I was looking to find the Pharaoh Eagle Owls that I had been told were to be seen. The plan fell neatly into place when I came across not one but two of these magnificent birds. They are very shy and I only managed fleeting glances before they flew off. Nonetheless I managed to catch a few images for my library and can now add the species to my Qatar list Pharaoh Eagle Owl
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April 2024
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