Summer heat

Week 21, 24 May 2014 - Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City

Summer is quickly approaching and the temps are starting to sear on the back of the thermo-oven wind!

Again, I was back in the south, as the two other main sites (JPR and SAANR) are still off-limits. Birds were very thin on the ground today with only a distant Little Tern

Little Tern (Sternula albifrons)

But a very obliging 1st year Socotra Cormorant that allowed very close approach, so much so that I could only manage a portrait.

1st year Socotra Cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis)

When birds are scarce, I search for other species...

On the coast I found two species of crab; the first is Macropthalmus Depressus and these are typical of inter-tidal flats

Macropthalmus depressus

The second and more shy is found in the rocks and structure on the beach and is called Metapograpsus Messor

Metapograpsus messor

Plain Tiger butterfly is uncommon in Kuwait

Plain Tiger (Danaus chrysippus)

The hot summer is generally the best time to find the resident Blue-throated Agamid. This one perplexed me, as it chose to stand on a mound of black stone instead of the expected light desert rock. If you look carefully, you will see that it has curled up it's toes so that they don't touch the hotter black stones..

Blue-throated Agamid