It was a little bit windy and dusty in the morning, but still okay to do some birding. Later in the day the wind and dust picked up causing visibility to drop

Spot of the day was a pair of Ortolan Buntings. These are the first I have seen in Qatar so a good tick for me

In contrast to the last visit, where there were many Pipits and Wagtails. This White Wagtail was the only one to be seen. The others  having all moved on to their summer destinations

I came across this single Common Redshank. Also a first for this venue

I saw a brief interaction between two Crested Larks. This bird was wing flapping and tail flicking in front of another bird. I am not sure if this was a territorial dispute or a possible mating display.

An Indian Silverbill in the soft morning light

Here are my images from a morning visit to the farm

I managed to find another Cinereous bunting. It was holed up in a thick bush, but popped out for a couple of minutes, before disappearing again

A Greater Short-toed Lark on the move

I came across a pair of Red-vented Bulbuls busy feeding

This Lilith Owl is in position A. In the shade, hidden from danger and catching the breeze

Male Northern Wheatear

A friendly Daurian Shrike obliging with a striking pose

A Tawny Pipit in the early morning light

I travelled to Al Wakrah beach on an incoming tide to check out what wader activity I could find. I had some of the busiest birding I can remember in ages. Starting at the edge of the mangrove swamp, I then worked the low shrubs in the open area before moving out onto the tidal flats to check out the shallow pools.

Highlight of the day was this Streaked Weaver male in non-breeding plumage. This sighting is subject to final confirmation. Known to be originally introduced from India, local breeding populations are thought to exist. A rare bird and a lifer for me

I came across this Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin hopping around amongst the bushes. Here it is in classic pose with the tail up revealing dark tip and white corners and lowered wings, which get flicked from time to time

There were several White-cheeked and a few Red-vented Bulbuls in attendance. Here is a lovely shot of a Red-vented Bulbul

This quieter, but no less striking bird, a male White-throated Robin was mixing it up with the Bulbuls. I have dipped on getting a passable image of the male bird for a long time. Success at last

Kentish Plover

Common Redshank

Ruddy Turnstone

A Greater Sand Plover coming into breeding plumage

A Dunlin with its black summer breast patch appearing

A Bar-tailed Godwit wading in the shallows

Other birds seen but not photographed include: Eurasian Hoopoe, Turkestan Shrike, Western Reef Heron pale form, Little Stint, Terick Sandpiper, Sanderling and a Caspian Tern

The day started out overcast and then we had some light rain. The sun tried to come out, failed and then the rain came down hard. Not ideal conditions but still I had a productive day.

This Pallid Harrier male stayed on the deck as he had caught and was devouring a bird. It allowed me to get close enough for a reasonable image

This Pallid Harrier female was also quite obliging and allowed me within range. Check out the talons

Lesser Short-toed Lark. An uncommon winter visitor and passage migrant

A female White-throated Robin sitting low in a bush to escape from the rain

I have been shown another pair of Lilith Owls. This one is also a bit wet from sitting outside during the rain

When the wind and rain finally got too hard it took cover in the lee of this overhanging rock

The Barn Swallows were feeding on flies between short time-outs on the ground

In amongst the swallows there were a few Sand Martins

This male Pied Wheatear posed nicely and obliged by fanning its tail for me to take a shot.

I also took Mike down to my local patch. He managed to connect with both the male and female  Semi-collared Flycatchers. Some new species were on offer today as well as some of the regulars

Red-throated Pipit in the early morning dew

There were many Tree Pipits to be seen today

A Crested Lark with a tasty morsel

A Steppe Grey Shrike down on the ground hoping to catch an insect

Black-winged Stilt  reflecting nicely on the water

A Little Stint wading in the shallow water

A Little Egret basking in the sun

Mike Pope, a good friend, and an experienced birder from Kuwait, came over to Qatar for the Moto GP. I managed to show him around some of the local spots whilst he was here. Out at the farm, Neil Morris kindly called us onto a Cinereous Bunting. These are listed as rare vagrants for Qatar so it was a mega tick, and a lifer for me.

A Cinereous Bunting resting up in the shade of a tree

We came across two Grey Wagtails

Female Pied Wheatear

Male Pied Wheatear

Juvenile Arabian Shrike

Adult Arabian Shrike

The Corn Bunting was still using the Shrike look-out post

A juvenile Daurian Shrike

The Owl posed for Mike, allowing him to take a few images before disappearing down into the burrow

The conditions were far from favourable. A grey overcast day, gusting winds and occasional rain. It was business as usual for the birds though.

The Citrine Wagtail, a regular but uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor. Showing here in spring plumage

A Black-necked Grebe in breeding plumage swimming on the choppy water

A male Northern Wheatear

A single Great Black-headed Gull

Here are some more images from the visit to the farm the other day. We had some fun watching a Pratincole stocking up on flying insects as it circled above our position for about ten minutes, feeding on the wing

A Collared Pratincole with a bulging crop

A flying insect is about to become a tasty snack

A Kentish Plover far from the beach

A Corn Bunting taking liberties by occupying a Shrike watching post. Note the droppings on the branches below

A Green Sandpiper dropped in for a visit

A Crested Lark trying to blend into the background

 Siberian Stonechat

I made another visit to the ponds to see what was on offer. The very large numbers of cormorants had moved on to pastures greener. Black-crowned Night Herons both juvenile and adult, and Grey Herons were present in large numbers. These birds were very wary however, and flew off whenever I approached them. I wonder if there has been some recent shooting going on? There were the usual regulars as well as some new species on offer

A male Ferruginous Duck. Globally threatened, these ducks are scarce, localised resident breeders at
Abu Nakhla

A female Ferruginous Duck seen in the company of the male above

A grainy I.D. image of what looks like a male Eurasian Teal. If it is, this is a lifer for me.

A migrating Yellow Wagtail with a loose primary feather

As usual there were many Great Crested Grebes to be seen

Here a Little Egret flies low over the water

A cryptic Squacco Heron waits patiently for some prey to come within striking range

There is some excellent news in terms of the farm. It has been officially recognised for its importance in sustaining Qatari bird populations, both migratory and resident. 76% of all the 315 species found in Qatar have been recorded here.

A special for the day. I came across two Ruppell's Sand Foxes outside the mouth of their den.

A tail flicking female Menetries's Warbler

Bluethroat

Grey Wagtail

Red-wattled Lapwing

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

Common Chiffchaff