A circular morning at the Pivot's

Week 13; 30 March 2019 - Pivot Fields

It has been a good few months since we last visited the Pivot Fields, so when the chance arrived again, Paul Scott and I were at the gates to the farm just after 6am having driven through rain on the way. Weather (lighting) conditions were not great with overcast and low clouds most of the morning, but nevertheless we made the most of our time at this great location. The sunrise however, was quite special

Stormy sunrise

There were a number of Black Kites seen on one of the Pivots, but went airborne before we could get close

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

Driving around the circular pivots in the gloom, we found good numbers of Red-throated Pipits, with some in breeding plumage

Red-throated Pipit (Anthus cervinus)

I suspect this is a female Armenian Stonechat (all black tail with no hint of any visible white)

Female Armenian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus)

Western Cattle Egrets forage alongside and under the Pivots as they slowly move around the field. Some starting to look smart as breeding plumage is starting to appear

Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) in fields of green

There was a good selection of waders at the large pool/pan created by the winter rains, although it is now slowly receding/evaporating. We had our first Little Ringed Plover

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

Marsh Sandpiper

Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

and Wood Sandpiper foraging in the shallows of the pan

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

There were fair numbers of both Ruff

Ruff (Philomachus pugnax)

and Collared Pratincole

Injured Collared Pratincole (Glareola pratincola)

We also had vocal Spotted Crake's

Spotted Crake (Porzana porzana)

and many Common Snipe which were pretty skittish. We tried to see if there were any that stood out from the others - no luck (yet!)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

In the adjacent scrub next to the pan, Graceful Prinia's were vocal and displaying against the light

Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis)

In a quieter part of farm, we were delighted to find a pair of Red-wattled Lapwings - although lighting was far from ideal. Fingers crossed that they breed this season

Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus)

A lone Steppe Buzzard didn't cooperate with us - so here it is disappearing from view - Again!

Steppe Buzzard (Buteo b. vulpinus)

On our last circuit around the farm, the sun came out and a Crested Lark started calling, oblivious to our presence - just perfect!

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata)

And of course, the flower show continues...I have never seen Kuwait like this, so it is a privilege to enjoy and soak it in, as we don't know when this may happen again!

Kuwait flower show