Damp and cool

Week 46, 13 November 2013 - Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City

I was back down at the Sea City project and spent some time birding on the lagoons by boat and walking the islands in drizzle and overcast weather.

I came across a small flock of adult Slender-billed Gulls, but with one individual eating a strange coloured fish. Thanks to Anand for identifying it as a venomous Striped Eel Catfish (Plotossus lineatus), which is a common species in the Gulf.

Adult Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei) eating a Striped Eel Catfish (Plotossus lineatus)

A few Heuglin's Gulls were seen roosting on the lagoon beaches, these were part of a flock of around 200 birds that I saw fly in from near the Power Station on the coast

Hueglin's Gull (Larus f. heuglini)

I came across a large mixed wader flock on the sub-tidal zone, mostly Dunlin, but also Common Ringed Plover, Greater and Lesser Sand Plover and Kentish Plover.

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus) and Lesser Sand Plover (Charadrius atrifrons)

On the islands I found a Common Kingfisher hunting in the lagoons, which certainly aren't common in the south of Kuwait - so a good record for Sea City

Common Kingfisher (Alcedo atthis)

photographed a few invertebrates; here a large Wasp species

Unidentified Wasp

and what may be a Hover Fly species?

Unidentified Hover Fly

After the islands, I then explored the area near Khiran town, finding Isabelline Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina) showing broad terminal band on the tail

An Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. melanoleuca)

and finally a Pied Wheatear

Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

But sadly no Finsch's Wheatear which had been seen a few days earlier