eBird Global Big Day

Week 42; 19 October 2019 - Various Locations

This was the 2nd Global Big Day organised by eBird for 2019; the first was in May for spring migration (Kuwait recorded 126 species) and the second in October for autumn migration. The October date was a little late for the Middle East, as most passerine migrants have already passed through. Nevertheless, it is a fun day and this year we had a coordinated effort with a small and enthusiastic group of birders to cover as many of the key locations in Kuwait as possible. We kept in contact through our Whats App Group, so it was encouraging and exciting to see the species being recorded as the day progressed, plus we were fortunate to have good weather for the whole day.

Our goal was to finish as the top participating country in the GCC.

A few of us started at Pivot Fields just after sunrise and its amazing that covering one location there were species recorded that not all of us saw - so it was a good tactic to maximize the coverage.

There were still a couple of Isabelline Wheatear's present

Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

As well as a single European Roller

European Roller (Coracias garrulus)

I spent a bit of time at the marsh, where I had Red-spotted Bluethroat

Red-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

One of the few Daurian Shrike

Daurian Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)

and a probable Armenian Stonechat in the reeds

Armenian Stonechat (Saxicola m. variegatus)

It is a good spot for waders and I managed to add a few that weren't seen elsewhere during the day; Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

Here a Spotted Redshank leading a flock of Marsh Sandpipers

Spotted Redshank (Tringa erythropus) and Marsh Sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

There were numbers of Common Snipe (although I'm still searching intently for Pin-tailed)

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)

Surprisingly, the numbers of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters are still high - many were catching Dragonflies over the marsh. If they pass by close enough, you can hear when they make contact with a dragonfly or bee mid-air! 

The last view a Dragonfly has before it becomes lunch

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater (Merops persicus)

A few Pallid Swifts joined the Barn Swallows overhead

Pallid Swift (Apus pallidus)

Another surprise was a small flock of mixed ducks; 4 Garganey

Garganey (Anas querquedula)

with a single Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

and later some Mallard

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

Two White-tailed Lapwing were flushed by a passing Harrier

White-tailed Lapwing (Vanellus leucurus)

As it warmed up, so the raptors became more active - this location has many Black/Eastern Kites

Black Kite (Milvus migrans)

And there are not many other locations where you can get all 3, okay 3.5 large brown eagles (fulvescens Greater Spotted is almost like another species) in a single day. The Eastern Imperial passed by quite high overhead

Eastern Imperial Eagle (Aquila heliaca)

The Steppe Eagle departed before I could get close, but the cracking fulvescens lingered a little longer

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga fulvescens)

Here is the regular Greater Spotted for comparison

Greater Spotted Eagle (Aquila clanga)

The highlight for me and Kuwait was finding the 3 Sociable Lapwings in the flock of Northern Lapwings. They did keep their distance and were flushed a few times, as this flock is really skittish. This critically endangered species was also recorded in Spain on the day

Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius) together with Northern Lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

Distinctive in flight

Whilst watching the Lapwings, a Black-winged Pratincole dropped in for a drink - the only one we recorded today

Black-winged Pratincole (Glareola nordmanni)

White Wagtail numbers have increased significantly

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

As has Western Cattle Egret's which follow the moving pivots catching insects and enjoying the fine spray to keep cool

Western Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis)

By now it was mid-morning and warming up, time to hit a few other sites - so I went to Al Shallal Farm which was not worth the trip. Stopped at Jahra Farm and got a few species, hit McDonald's for lunch and continued south to Souk Sharq for a few Terns and Gulls and our first Greater Continental Cormorant for the winter.

I needed to get the the Free Trade Zone for House Crow - it turned out to be nightmare in the grid-locked traffic around the port - but finally I was able to get through it and find the House Crow (only on a big day like today!)

I then spent the last hour at Sulaibikhat Bay as the high tide was receding, the sun behind me and no wind - perfect way to end the day. Here I recorded some more Gulls and Terns; Gull-billed

Gull-billed Tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)

and Whiskered

Whiskered Tern (Chlidonias hybrida)

Along with the larger wading birds; Flamingo's, Grey Herons and many Western Reef Heron's

Western Reef Heron (Egretta g. schistacea) - balancing act!

Beat it

There was a huge flock of mixed waders; Dunlin, Curlew and Broad-billed Sandpiper, Redshank, Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers, Grey Plover, Curlew's, Black and Bar-tailed Godwit's - just a pleasure to enjoy

Common Redshank (Tringa totanus)

Curlew Sandpiper (Calidris ferruginea)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Greater Sand Plover (Anarhynchus leschenaultii)

A passing Western Marsh Harrier put up all the smaller waders

Assorted Waders put up by the Marsh Harrier

Western Marsh Harrier (Circus aeruginosus)

Of course the highlight at this site is Crab-plover and there were good numbers to be seen.

Crab-plover (Dromas ardeola)

As the tide receded, so the Mudskipper's appeared and it was quite entertaining watching the interaction between territorial Boleophthalmus dussumieri

Boleophthalmus dussumieri

By now the sun had dipped below the horizon and we were able to reflect on the day. A few of us pushed from dawn to dusk which contributed to the count of the whole team. We were only able to see the final results after a few days we we surpassed our expectations and recorded 156 species. Personally I recorded 92 species (I was hoping to break 100), but was still happy. We also met the objective we set ourselves of finishing ahead of other participating GCC countries, with UAE a close 2nd to Kuwait.

We look forward to the next Big Day and will try and achieve or better our autumn count.

A Tern or two

Week 42; 18 October 2019 - Souk Sharq

On the way home from work the day before, I noticed Gulls and Terns feeding in the harbour at Sharq Mall, so today I went to check what they were.

As winter is approaching, the light was acceptable in the afternoon, although morning light is still best at this location. The bulk of the foraging birds were Terns, but some of the large white-headed Gulls have now also arrived for the winter. This I suspect is a Heuglin's Gull

Heuglin's Gull (Larus f. heuglini)

There were a few Lesser Crested Terns around - not sure if these are those that may have bred on our off-shore islands in the summer

Lesser Crested Tern (Sterna bengalensis)

The majority however were Sandwich Terns

Sandwich Tern (Sterna sandvicensis)

It was an enjoyable hour watching them successfully catching fish on most dives into the sea - although weather was kind of muggy, warm and humid

Sunset stroll on the beach

Week 40; 05 October 2019 - Abu Hassania

Since this morning at Abraq was pretty successful, I decided to head to my local beach at Abu Hassania just before sunset. I checked the big trees along the shoreline and inadvertently flushed a couple of Steppe Buzzards and European Sparrowhawk's that had come in from the sea to roost overnight.

I didn't expect to see much, but found a Mediterranean Pierrot

Mediterranean Pierrot (Tarucus rosaceus)

A little later I had a fairly obliging Eastern Black-eared Wheatear after the sun had set. I had to push the ISO to get a half-decent exposure. However, I still need to work on improving my PS post processing for high ISO images. These were taken at ISO 3200 and 6400 and even for a 1Dx, they are quite noisy in my opinion.

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (Oenanthe h. melanoleuca)

The unexpected surprise was an Egyptian Nightjar that gave me the run around. Even if you think you know where it landed after flushed, it is never quite where you thought. But eventually, I did pin it down. This also taken after sunset, which is around 5:20pm with autumn almost at an end

Egyptian Nightjar (Caprimulgus aegyptius)

This is a Hadra, a traditional inter-tidal fish trap that I thought was illegal, especially on a public beach

Traditional Hadra

Walking back to my car, I surprised this feral cat in amongst the run-down buildings

Feral Cat

Raptor Bonanza

Week 40; 05 October 2019 - Al Abraq

It had been some time since we last visited Al Abraq; the reason for not visiting is mostly due to the shooters who camp on the boundary of the farm shooting at everything that flies in or out of the farm during migration - so it is not a pleasant situation for any birder.

However, we are reaching the tail end of autumn migration, so Paul Scott and I decided it was worth the drive. Before reaching the farm we had seen Steppe Eagle, Pallid Harrier and the first Greater Spotted Eagles. There were a few shooters outside the farm, but fortunately they didn't stay too long.

No sooner had we arrived, when I heard the unmistakable call of Red-breasted Flycatcher. We stopped to walk and found 3 birds, but getting clear views was a real challenge.

Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)

There was also Thrush Nightingale, Blackcap's, Willow Warblers and a number of Spotted Flycatchers

Spotted Flycatcher (Muscicapa striata)

I heard a raptor calling and found an adult Asian Shikra being harassed by an active juvenile bird. The adult was one of the most cooperative and relaxed that I have encountered for some time, although getting close and clear views was difficult, as I didn't want to put the bird under any pressure

Adult Asian Shikra (Accipiter badius)

Juvenile Asian Shikra (Accipiter badius)

Driving around the farm it was evident there were quite a number of Accipiters, most were Eurasian Sparrowhawk, but one with dark eyes stopped me in my tracks - Levant Sparrowhawk. It was quite hidden in the foliage of a tree, so getting clear views was difficult. This is only the 2nd time I have seen this species during my time in Kuwait

Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes)

Elsewhere we had Black Kite and a few perched Steppe Buzzards

Steppe Buzzard (Buteo b. vulpinus)

A Long-legged Buzzard seen disappearing from view when we checked some standing water were the raptors were coming to drink

Long-legged Buzzard (Buteo rufinus)

In the same pool, an unexpected Wood Sandpiper was seen with a Moorhen

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

On the way out, a dark Buzzard passed by overhead - it was a mad scramble to stop the car, haul out the big glass and get it in focus before it disappeared. Initially I thought dark phase Steppe Buzzard, but looking at the images on the back of my camera saw it was a juvenile European Honey Buzzard - sometimes tricky to separate if you don't get clear views in the field.

Juvenile European Honey Buzzard (Pernis apivorus)

We met with some Falconers who kindly allowed us to photograph their birds - truly magnificent close up, although I would prefer to see them wild and free - but for sure, these birds are well taken care of. They do look pretty impressive with their headgear

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

So, 10 raptor species in 3-hours was a pretty good haul and I'm sure if we had stayed longer, may have added one or two more species that could have passed by overhead.