Desert and Seas - not the retail outlet

Week 42, 17 October 2012 - Khiran and Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City (Click to enlarge image)

I had a meeting at Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City mid-morning, so left early to check out the desert habitat north of Road 290 in the south of Kuwait.

When I was last there, there was an informal dump site made up predominantly of builders rubble and this was pretty good for Wheatears. This time, progress had been made and much development was underway for Phase 4 and 5 of the Sea City project and the rubble had been moved to make way for a new road.

I searched the area and managed to find suitable desert habitat closer to Khiran itself where I found a male Pied Wheatear

Male Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

I then explored the small Jebel's that rise above the surrounding flat desert and found a female Pied Wheatear

Female Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

And a little later a Desert Wheatear

Desert Wheatear (Oenanthe deserti)

Three down, one to go and for this bird the best bet was to find some builders rubble which I eventually did and after some time found the more sought after Red-tailed Wheatear.

Red-tailed Wheatear (Oenanthe chrysopygia)

I headed to the Site Office of the project and with Anand arranged a quick survey along Phase A1 and off-shore. We first headed out to the marker buoys just off-shore and I was pleasantly surprised to find 4 Socotra Cormorants this late in Autumn or early winter.

1cy Socotra Cormorants (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)

Heading back for our meeting, we found a single Eurasian Curlew

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)

Whimbrel (note to self, learn how to clone the distracting paper out of the image)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

and one of three Grey Plovers. 

Grey Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

Although not big diversity in the short time, I was very happy with the Socotra's and Red-tailed Wheatear.