Paul Scott and I had an early start in good weather for the drive west to Al Abraq in the hope the migration had picked up a little since last week. On arrival we stopped at the pond near the entrance while we got our optics and camera gear sorted. A number of Common Chiffchaff were active in the trees next to the pond.
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| Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) |
We then had a slow drive around the farm inadvertently flushing a Steppe Buzzard that had roosted for the night
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| Steppe Buzzard (Buteo b. vulpinus) |
In the open desert area we noted that the number of Pied Wheatear's had increased and almost all males. There is also plumage variation between the males - some have pretty white underparts, whilst others have hints of pale beige/brown
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| Pied Wheatear 1 (Oenanthe pleschanka) |
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| Pied Wheatear 2 (Oenanthe pleschanka) |
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| Pied Wheatear 3 (Oenanthe pleschanka) |
There was only one female amongst the males
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| Female Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka) |
In the fields, a single female Armenian Stonechat was seen
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| Female Armenian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus) |
Along with two Daurian Shrikes that looked smart in their breeding plumage
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| Daurian Shrike 1 (Lanius isabellinus) |
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| Daurian Shrike 2 (Lanius isabellinus) |
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| Western Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius) |
We then parked the car and walked which was fairly productive in one area where there were many more Common Chiffchaff, as well as Willow Warbler calling
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| Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) |
Along with some Eurasian Blackcap's
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| Male Eurasian Blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla) |
A single Lesser Whitethroat gave fleetingly good views
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| Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia c. halimodendri) |
and a cracking male Ehrenberg Redstart that with patience was eventually quite obliging
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| Male Ehrenberg's Redstart (Phoenicurus p. sammamisicus) |
A Deer wandering around the farm was a bit of a surprise, but it had escaped from it's pen
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| Deer |
The flower show is still in bloom and Painted Lady butterflies are seemingly still everywhere
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| Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) |
and there are more to come with many pupae seen in the vegetation. This one was visibly vibrating - so hatching was imminent
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| Painted Lady pupae (Vanessa cardui) |
I photographed a Mediterranean Pierrot
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| Mediterranean Pierrot (Tarucus rosacea) |
and it was replaced by a Fly when I hesitated in taking another image - now you see me, now you don't!
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| Fly sp. |
These yellow flowers were quite pungent and more appealing to Hover Fly's
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| Hover Fly sp |
A Small Cabbage White stood out from the crowd of Painted Lady's
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| Small Cabbage White (Artogeia r. iranica) |
These Bordered Straw type moths are also very active in the day feeding together with the Painted Lady's
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| Possible Bordered Straw (Heliosthis peltigera) |
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| Possible Eastern Bordered Straw (Heliosthis nubigera) |
Grasshopper numbers are also starting to increase
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| Grasshopper sp |
On the way out, we were quite surprised to find a Little Bittern at the pond
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| Little Bittern (Ixobrychus minutus) |
As well as a Ruff that had also dropped in
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| Ruff (Philomachus pugnax) |
We then headed back east, stopping off at Jahra Farm - by now it was pretty warm and there wasn't too much around - but we did enjoy the antics of around 4 White-throated Kingfishers that were very vocal and seemed quite territorial - or there were a few males competing for the attention of a female?
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| White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis) and Painted Lady (Vanessa cardui) |
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| Calling White-throated Kingfisher |
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| Displaying White-throated Kingfisher |
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| Territorial White-throated Kingfisher |
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| Don't want that anymore |
We did keep an eye on the sky and were rewarded with a distant Short-toed Snake Eagle passing by overhead.
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| Short-toed Snake Eagle (Circaetus gallicus) |
Migration is certainly evident, but still abundance and diversity are pretty low and hopefully will pick up in the coming few weeks
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