Here are a few images taken during this last week A Grey Heron fishing off its favourite rock A young Arabian Grey Shrike A male Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark out at the farm An Indian Reed Warbler in early morning light
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Gavin Farnell and I enjoyed a morning out trying hard to track down some Pin-tailed Sandgrouse we believe are sometimes to be found in the countryside. We were amazed to see how much grass had grown in all the low lying areas where water would have collected after the rains earlier in the year. Where do you begin to look, which areas would they prefer to frequent? (The grassy patches or the adjacent rocky areas where they may blend in better.) We spent hours driving backwards and forwards and were rewarded for our effort with some fleeting sightings of these beautiful birds. They were very wary and did not allow us to get anywhere near them so the only images we managed were long range I.D. shots. It was satisfying though that the plan came together and that I have managed to add another species to my Qatar list thanks to Gavin's guidance A male Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Juvenile Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Two females and one male Pin-tailed Sandgrouse on the wing
Amongst all the Bridled Terns were a few White-Cheeked Terns. This one obligingly landed a short way from us on the shoreline just long enough for me to capture this image. For the balance we saw them flying overhead in amongst all the Bridled Terns which were patrolling backwards and forwards above their nests, calling noisily, persuading us to move off White-cheeked Tern
These birds are scarce residents which frequent the mangrove areas in particular. We were fortunate enough to spot several individuals during the morning, not a usual occurrence Posing on a rock just begging for an image to be taken Still hunting on a receding tide in an area of shallow water Perfectly camouflaged in the dappled shade of the mangroves
Richard Angwin kindly took me under his wing and showed me a site where he knew some Bridled Terns were breeding. After a short paddle we arrived at the Island and walked around to observe the activity. There were lots of nests, mostly with two eggs in them. They were in shallow scraps on the ground lined with twigs.(Previously in a different location last year I had seen nests placed under low bushes, and whilst these bushes were present at this site they were not being used.) Parents were busy incubating the eggs but we also found two chicks that had just hatched out. Single egg nest One of several double egg nests seen Here a chick is in the process of hatching out of the egg A chick that looks a couple of days old A vigilant Bridled Tern parent
Earlier this week I came across the first Greater Hoopoe-Lark that I had seen in some time. There were a few more to be seen today. In this sequence an adult bird is running around catching insects and then offering them to a juvenile that was benefitting from the good hunting skills of the parent The parent is the bird with the darker throat and breast striping
I saw evidence of lots of successful breeding from the pond area below the farm last week. The Kentish Plovers in particular have managed to raise a good numbers of chicks so far, and breeding continues. Here are some images of this activity A well camouflaged egg in a shallow nest with a few small stones as lining Another single egg in a nest Three eggs in a nest, this was the largest number I came across Another three egg nest Recently hatched chicks lie dead still when there are any signs of danger This one is blending in particularly well amongst the rocks A slightly older chick out and about A vigilant parent and chick in the early morning light
This confiding Corn Bunting allowed me to get up close as it perched next to some water, waiting for the Spanish Sparrows to move off before it took its turn My first sighting of a Greater Hoopoe-Lark in a long while. This one looks like a nice neat juvenile One of a pair of European Bee-eaters seen perching on the same overhead cable where I saw the European Roller earlier in the week. They were employing the same tactic of looking out for prey items before launching their attack The large number of Spotted Flycatchers seen last week have moved through. This was my only sighting of this species today It is unusual to see an Indian Reed Warbler out in the open like this. One normally hears them calling away from the cover of the reed-beds. Here a Grey Heron is on final approach as it glides into land on the edge of this pond
I finally got some good images of a male Golden Oriole, my first, after three years of trying here. I know these birds from South Africa where they migrate to in the Southern Hemisphere Summer. It was great to finally have a better sighting than just a fleeting glance of a bird in flight, which is all I have managed in my time here. I came across this bird as it was working its way through the trees and shrubs in a Wadi area looking for insects to feed on. I was struggling to position myself to get a clear line of sight until it managed to catch a Praying-mantis. As it settled in to ingest it I got close enough to capture the action. On the look-out for a meal Insect caught Thinking about how best to tackle this one Repositioning it for ingestion Disappearing down the hatch A job well done On the look-out once more
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April 2024
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