Despite the strong wind, I was back down at the Sea City project to see if Autumn migration had kicked in in the south. I must say we were buffeted by strong wind and lumpy conditions, even on the lagoons inside the project. There was not too much to be seen, but a small flock of Ruff and a Whimbrel were at least signs of Autumn migration starting.
The Whimbrel, a migratory species, is one of the more widespread of the Curlews and breeds across much of sub-arctic North America, Europe and Asia. It winters on the coasts of Africa, South America and south Asia and is generally a coastal bird during migration. This flock was on its own, but further north in Kuwait, it is found amongst mixed flocks of coastal waders.
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| Migrating Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) |
In the afternoon, I was up near Doha looking for a Brown-necked Raven that had been reported in the morning, but without luck. I did find 3 1st year Namaqua Doves which shows that they bred somewhere in the area.
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| 1st year Namaqua Dove (Oena capensis) |
Thank you for this blog! My brother in law will be stationed in Kuwait and I've been doing some research into the birding scene:) this looks absolutely thrilling!
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