Cloudy with a chance of Wheatear's

Week 11, 14 March 2015 - Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City

One week on, I was back down in the south of the country on what remained and overcast and cloudy day all day. This time I left earlier than usual, as I wanted to get to the reed habitat at first light. I grabbed my usual Egg McMuffin breakfast and cappuccino on the way and still the same staff who now seem to recognise me, still ask what I will be having - when I say the usual, it goes straight over their heads!

When I arrived I heard Eurasian Stone-curlew calling, only to discover it was a boom box in the desert to attract this species for the falconers. Shortly afterwards they arrived in their Landcruiser and proceeded to drive all over and flatten the fragile desert flora, trying to flush an unsuspecting Stone-curlew. 

They finally did find one and fortunately this time, the Falcon was hardly interested and didn't have much aggression in chasing after the bird after they flushed it with the car (modern day falconry!) - so the Stone-curlew lived to tell another tale and the falconer had a challenge trying to get his reluctant bird back on the hand. 

These images taken in the pre-dawn light and from quite a distance - but they tell the story!

Falconers quarry; Eurasian Stone-curlew (Burhinus oedicnemus)

Strike 1

Strike 2

Strike 3 and the Stone-curlew thankfully escapes and disappears into the distance

You're out and coming home now! I'm not ready

Little Crakes were still present, but this time only 2 male birds

Male Little Crake (Porzana parva)

A stunning male Central Asian Black Redstart took some patience getting close, before it relaxed enough for me to get a few images

Male Central Asian Black Redstart (Phoenicurus o. phoenicuroides)

A solitary Water Pipit, now resplendent in breeding plumage was foraging in a small pool of water

Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta ) in breeding plumage

In the reeds there was a mix of Common Chiffchaff and Willow Warbler

Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

and a single Great Reed Warbler that didn't stay in the open for too long

Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus)

Western Yellow Wagtail numbers continue to increase. I have noted a few variations with the supercilium and thanks to Yoav, this one is not a classic supercilius as I had also thought, but couldn't peg it to any other form.

Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. supercilius)

Shrikes were represented by Turkestan

Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroide)

The Darkling Beetles get hammered by the Shrikes

and Mauryan Grey

Mauryan Grey Shrike (Lanius lahtora pallidirostris)

Away from the reeds in the desert scrub, some of which was now flattened, I found Tawny Pipit

Tawny Pipit (Anthus campestris)

A few male Northern Wheatears

Male Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

as well as a few Pied Wheatear

Female Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

By now it was time to head to the boat, but there wasn't much to be seen other than a single Sandwich Tern 

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

a Great Black-headed Gull on the breakwater,

Great Black-headed Gull (Leucophaeus ichthyaetus)

Down the runway

Lift-off

followed by a Caspian Gull

Caspian Gull (Larus cachinnans)

and a Eurasian Curlew fly by.

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata)

Road 278 itself was pretty productive with many passerine migrants now on the move; a single male Ehrenberg's Redstart was seen in the acacia's

Male Ehrenberg's Redstart (Phoenicurus p. sammamisicus)

along with Lesser Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

More Stonechat's - mostly female North Caspian (the males have the Wheatear type tale)

Female North Caspian Stonechat (Saxicola m. hemprichii)

and my first male South Caspian Stonechat of the spring (pure white rump)

Male South Caspian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus)

I found a roost of Spanish Sparrows, that probably wont be around much longer

Female Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)

Male Spanish Sparrow (Passer hispaniolensis)

A Common Kestrel was seen roosting in the shade of a building

Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

In an area with some contours and height, I added Common Rock Thrush

Male Common Rock Thrush (Monticola saxatilis)

Blue Rock Thrush

Female Blue Rock Thrush (Monticola solitarius)

Eurasian Hoopoe

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops)

and a Ménétriés’s Warbler

Male Ménétriés’s Warbler (Sylvia mystacea)

Exploring an open desert area, more Mauryan Grey Shrikes were seen

Mauryan Grey Shrike (Lanius lahtora pallidirostris)

as well as a few Woodchat

Male Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

some late Daurian Shrikes

Male Daurian Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)

and more Turkestan

Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides)

and as the day had warmed up, Wheatears were everywhere - this was the prelude to their peak a few days later when we counted over 900 Wheatear in various locations around Kuwait.

Pied Wheatear made up the bulk of the numbers

Female Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

Male Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

followed by Northern Wheatear 

Male Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. melanoleuca)

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. melanoleuca)

And a late Red-tailed Wheatear was still present

Late Red-tailed Wheatear (Oenanthe chrysopygia)

All in all, a great day for passerine migrants which seem to prefer to remain grounded during inclement weather - so I guess mild fall out was enjoyed today..

Spring migrants have arrived....

Week 10, 07 March 2015 - Sabah Al Ahmad Sea City

And surreptitiously the weather has changed with days getting longer, temperatures rising and the prevailing wind changing direction to assist the migrants returning north to their breeding grounds.

We are really fortunate that for many, Kuwait is on the direct route 'home' and we really have the pleasure to enjoy them as they stop to rest and refuel before continuing.

As usual, I make my first stop at a small patch of reeds on route to Khiran and although it is a public area and a little degraded, it certainly attracts a good variety of species. Black-headed Wagtails are the first ssp to arrive and their numbers have increased pretty quickly; here are two variants.

Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. supercilliaris)

Eastern Black-headed Wagtail (Motacilla f. melanogrisea)

Whilst the White Wagtail numbers have rapidly decreased

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba) in breeding plumage

Eurasian Reed Warblers are now actively singing from deep in the reeds, so breeding should hopefully be imminent

Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus)

Eurasian Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus), although I'n not 100% certain of this one

Both male and female North Caspian Stonechat's were present

Female North Caspian Stonechat (Saxicola m. hemprichii)

Male North Caspian Stonechat (Saxicola m. hemprichii)

A few Isabelline Wheatears were present

Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

But my first Northern for the spring was also seen.

Male Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)

I had both Mauryan Grey Shrike

Mauryan Grey Shrike (Lanius lahtora pallidirostris)

and Turkestan Shrike

Turkestan Shrike (Lanius phoenicuroides)

Skulking around the base of reeds, I counted three Little Crakes

Little Crake (Porzana parva)

and with some patience and a bit of 'phishing' got a Red-throated Bluethroat to briefly show itself 

Red-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

and shortly after that a Water Pipit sporting it's fresh breeding plumage dropped in

Water Pipit (Anthus spinoletta)

Near some open standing water, a pair of Little Ringed Plovers foraging along the waters edge.

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius)

By now it was time to head to the boat, but not much was seen out on the water as the majority of large Gulls and Great Cormorants have pretty much departed 

Back on terra firma, more migrants were encountered; it took some time and patience to just get a poor record shot of a male Menetries Warbler as it scurried from bush to bush

Male Ménétriés’s Warbler (Sylvia mystacea)

A few more Byzantine Stonechat's were seen - these showing a tail like a Wheatear - lots of white with a black T-bar.

Male North Caspian Stonechat (Saxicola m. hemprichii)

I had an Eurasian Sparrowhawk fly by at speed overhead and only managed one grab shot..

Female Eurasian Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)

A few Woodchat Shrike were present in this part of the project

Woodchat Shrike (Lanius senator)

As were numbers of Common Chiffchaff which appeared to be frantically gleaning through the desert foliage.

Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita)

and also a few Common Whitethroat which have now also joined the mix

Common Whitethroat (Sylvia communis)

A few more Wheatear species were seen, all in cracking breeding plumage - first up was Pied Wheatear

Male Pied Wheatear (Oenanthe pleschanka)

together with Eastern Black-eared

Male Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. melanoleuca)

On the drive home, a Common Rosefinch in breeding plumage flushed from the side of the road where it was feeding; I did well to pull over and get my bins on it without causing any traffic mayhem. I flew a long way off and disappeared between some of the chalets in the project. I decided to try and relocate it, without success - well sort of; whilst searching I found a pair of Desert Finch foraging on the ground. They were pretty intent on stripping what looked like the short leaves off a small desert plant and pretty much ignored me. Unfortunately, it was during the hottest time of the day and the heat haze coming off the ground creates havoc for a big prime lens and sharp focus is literally impossible. This pair was the 13th record for Kuwait, although I would have preferred the Rosefinch.

Female Desert Finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta)

Male Desert Finch (Rhodospiza obsoleta) who stripped and ate all the leaves on this plant

But it was a great morning out made so especially with the arrival of the spring migrants that give glimpses of colour in the drab desert landscape.