For a change of scenery I drove up to Al Ruwais and then worked my way back home via Fuwairit, Al Thakira and Al Khor. Al Ruwais was very quiet and it was compounded with the tide being far out. There was little on offer in the port, or along the coast past the mangroves. What I did notice though is that the Kentish Plovers have bred and I came across several chicks as I drove along the coastline. I then travelled towards Fuwairit on the back road. Along the way I came across several large flocks of sheep and goats leaving their overnight penning areas and heading out into the desert. For the first time I saw the Shepherds were riding on donkeys accompanying the flocks.
I was bitterly disappointed when I arrived at Fuwairit to find the whole beach area has been fenced off and that the entrance was locked. I had been planning to drive to the spit at the end of the beach where I was hoping to see flocking Terns and other waders.
Next I went to Al Thakira. There were a few waders on offer, but with the tide still quite low it was not ideal. From there I continued on to the port in Al Khor. There were a few Terns patrolling the harbour on the look-out for any scraps of fish. A short drive from there took me to the beach area opposite the mangroves. There were quite a lot of waders present. Also large numbers of dark and pale morph Western Reef Herons had gathered in the shallows to feed. In amongst these were two Eurasian Spoonbills, which was a nice surprise and added another tick to my Qatar list. I sat and enjoyed watching them preening and feeding for a while.
From there it was back onto the highway and a drive home to the city.
I was bitterly disappointed when I arrived at Fuwairit to find the whole beach area has been fenced off and that the entrance was locked. I had been planning to drive to the spit at the end of the beach where I was hoping to see flocking Terns and other waders.
Next I went to Al Thakira. There were a few waders on offer, but with the tide still quite low it was not ideal. From there I continued on to the port in Al Khor. There were a few Terns patrolling the harbour on the look-out for any scraps of fish. A short drive from there took me to the beach area opposite the mangroves. There were quite a lot of waders present. Also large numbers of dark and pale morph Western Reef Herons had gathered in the shallows to feed. In amongst these were two Eurasian Spoonbills, which was a nice surprise and added another tick to my Qatar list. I sat and enjoyed watching them preening and feeding for a while.
From there it was back onto the highway and a drive home to the city.
Kentish Plover chick along the northern coast near Al Ruwais
The birding was slow so I got side-tracked looking at some Sheep and Goats
White-cheeked Tern
Caspian Tern patrolling
Attempted dive bombing of a fish
Eurasian Spoonbill wading in the shallows
Other species included: Greater Flamingo, Terek Sandpiper, Lesser Sand Plover, Grey Plover, Great Cormorant, Slender-billed Gull, Dunlin, Broad-billed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Striated Heron, Greenshank, Little Egret, Common Kestrel, Crested Lark, Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Heron, Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, Lesser Crested Tern, and Turkestan Shrike.
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