Brun kärrhök

31/10-14 Fujairah port beach

From the fantastic scenery of Masafi wadi we drove down to the littered beach next to Fujairah port. It really is a sad sight, with all the garbage lying everywhere. Not that it is much better in Sweden but still. This long, serene sandy beach could have been so beautiful but instead there was this litter and tracks from cars everywhere.

Well, the main target down here was Sooty gull. The first birds we happened to see on the beach were a couple of Soot gulls. Very nice! For some reason, I didn't reach for my camera, but started looking for something else (can't remember what...) and when I looked back the gulls were gone. You just have to seize the moment...

Apart from the litter on the beach, the waves this day were quite fascinating. According to Mark, he had never seen waves this big here before. 

Waves and in the background a lot of freighter ships lining up
before (or after?) the Hormuz strait.

The waves were the aftermath of a sizeable storm in the Indian ocean. It didn't hit the arabian peninsula but rather India, if I remember correctly, and cased quite some damage there.

The birding consisted of driving up and down the beach and checking everything that made a move. Below are some photos of some of the birds. The most interesting bird was, what we believed to be, a Black Tern. Mainly because of the big dark patch on the neck, which is typical for a Black Tern. However, when examining the photos more closely after arriving in Sweden, it was clear that this was a Whiskered Tern (skäggtärna, Chlidonias hybrida). A Black Tern would have been somewhere around the tenth finding in UAE, but Whiskered is quite common.

Whiskered tern (skäggtärna, Chlidonias hybrida)

The Whiskered Tern which we, at first, thought was a Black Tern. The black spot on the neck can be seen clearly here. With the help from some of Sweden's best birders (through facebook), other photos showing Whiskered terns with black splotches on the neck could be found.

Whiskered tern (skäggtärna, Chlidonias hybrida)

Some more clues for the identification of this bird could be found in this photo. The back pattern shows clear resemblance with a Whiskered Tern.

Grey Plover (kustpipare, Pluvialis squatarola)

A couple of Grey Plovers were running up and down the beach as the waves crashed in.

Turnstone (roskarl, Arenaria interpres)

Turstones and a Common Sandpiper and some of the litter, I wrote about at the top of this post.

Sanderling (sandlöpare, Calidris alba)

The Sanderlings running in their very typical way is always a nice sight.

Caspian Gull (kaspisk trut, Larus cacachinnans (barabensis))

This is really difficult for me. I can, after checking my books afterwards, agree that this can be a barabensis but I would never be able to pick it out when just flying by. Takes some practice...

Caspian Gull (kaspisk trut, Larus cacachinnans (barabensis))

Sooty Gull (sotmås, Larus hemprichii)

The only photo of the Sooty Gulls. Suddenly they came back but they dissapeared immediately agian.

The Lesser and Greater Sand Plover are two of my favourite birds. I have yet to see them in Sweden but with these visits to UAE (and the visit to Oman, which will take place during autum -2015) I should now have the experience to be able to tell that it is a Lesser or Greater Sand Plover if I ever found one.

Greater Sand Plover (ökenpipare, Charadrius leschenaultii)

One Greater Sand Plover put on a little show for us, running close and then giving a short flight over the waves.

Hej?

Greater Sand Plover (ökenpipare, Charadrius leschenaultii)

Greater Sand Plover (ökenpipare, Charadrius leschenaultii)

We had time for one short detour on the way back to Dubai. Mark knew of a location for a Pharao Eagle Owl, a real dream bird!! (Don't know if you can say dream bird, might be a direct translation from Swedish). Actually, this place - the Dubai Investment Park - had more life than I would have expected. Both Red-tailed Wheatear and Steppe Grey Shrike could be found in the desert. 

The hole, where the Eagle Owl should be, lies very close to a new road, currently being built, and there was someone looking at us when we were walking towards the Owl. So, we took a little detour, we did not want to expose the nest hole.

In the end we walked to the place and there it was. Remarkable!! What a creature. The perfect ending of this day. 

Steppe Grey Shrike (saxaulvarfågel, Lanius meridionalis
pallidirostris)

A beautiful Steppe Grey Shrike in the middle of the desert.

Pharao Eagle Owl (ökenuv, Bubo ascalaphus)

The hole was empty when we first saw it but we stepped away for a couple of minutes and then...

Pharao Eagle Owl (ökenuv, Bubo ascalaphus)

Then... there it was. Just looking at me...

Pharao Eagle Owl (ökenuv, Bubo ascalaphus)

A close up of the other photo. It is not really sharp when clicking the photo but... what a face! I could have stood there the rest of the evening.

New species: Sooty Gull, Caspian Gull and Pharao Eagle Owl.

Grey Plover (kustpipare, Pluvialis squatarola)

Ringed Plover (större strandpipare, Charadrius hiaticula)
Kentish Plover (svartbent strandpipare, Charadrius alexandrinus)
Lesser Sand Plover (mongolpipare, Charadrius mongolus)
Greater Sand Plover (ökenpipare, Charadrius leschenaultii)
Redshank (rödbena, Tringa totanus)
Common Sandpiper (drillsnäppa, Tringa hypoleucos)
Turnstone (roskarl, Arenaria interpres)
Sanderling (sandlöpare, Calidris alba)
Sooty Gull (sotmås, Larus hemprichii)
Caspian Gull (kaspisk trut, Larus cacachinnans (barabensis))
Common Tern (fisktärna, Sterna hirundo)
Whiskered tern (skäggtärna, Chlidonias hybrida)
Steppe Grey Shrike (saxaulvarfågel, Lanius meridionalis pallidirostris)
Pharao Eagle Owl (ökenuv, Bubo ascalaphus)

31/10-14 Masafi Wadi

Just a short drive away from Dibba harbour, well, relatively short anyway, in the mountain range lies the nice Wadi called Masafi Wadi. According to Mark, this is not the original Masafi wadi, which was more or less destroyed when building a road, but a close by wadi. Nevertheless, a beautiful place. For those who have read about my visit to Wadi Bih, it comes as no surprise that I'm a real fan of mountains and this was no exception. However, this time it was somewhat ruined by the fact that during our visit, a couple of guys with their big 4wd-car drove through the wadi and made noice. You would also expect a place like this to be free from litter but... sadly no.

Masafi wadi

The beautiful view of Masafi wadi, which met us at the arrival. Interesting place with these small trees and bushes, which held an unexpected (for me) number of birds of quite a few species.

We started with a quick lunch, perfectly arranged by Mark, with the company of a female Variable Wheatear (orientstenskvätta, Oenanthe picata). The Variable Wheatear is a relatively shy bird (compared with Hume's for example) and I couldn't get any decent pictures. 

Variable Wheatear (orientstenskvätta, Oenanthe picata)

This bird was flying in the area where we parked the car. Already hear, we could hear that there were birds in the wadi. I was really expectant as to which we would find.

We started walking, the main target specied were the Plain Leaf-Warbler (dvärgsångare, Phylloscopus neglectus), Scrub Warbler (snårsångare, Scotocerca inquieta), Desert Lark (stenökenlärka, Ammomanes deserti)  and Desert Lesser Whitethroat (ökenärtsångare, Sylvia minula). Well, the first one on the list showed itself quite early on. I managed to mistake it for Chifchaf (or rather, I did mistake a Chifchaf for Plain) until I got the hang of it. At least three individuals could be found. Nice!

Plain Leaf-Warbler (dvärgsångare, Phylloscopus neglectus)

Very small birds and not really out in the open much but neat nontheless.

So we continued down the wadi and suddenly a couple of birds were flushed by us. These were easily identified as grouses but which kind? No problem for Mark, he readily identified them as Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse (strimmig flyghöna, Pterocles lichtensteinii) but for me it was not that easy. I kept the mental image of the birds until I could confirm for my self by looking in the book. An unexpected and really nice experience.

Another species, which is fairly common, is the Black Redstart (svart rödstjärt, Phoenicurus ochruros). On my former trip, and specifically the one to Wadi Bih, I saw a couple of female (or first winter?) birds but this time we stumbled upon a couple of male. Very beautiful and quite different from the Swedish type. Mark said that they are probable of race phoenicuroides but probably impossible to tell from semirufus. At least I'm not the person to tell the difference...

Black Redstart (svart rödstjärt, Phoenicurus ochruros
(phoenicuroides?))

I never saw any of the birds with this pattern a couple of years back, when we had an influx in Sweden.

The Desert Lesser Whitethroat evaded us... We could hear more than one, but I really don't like to count a lifer like a Whitethroat on call only. Actually, we didn't see this bird throughout the hike in Masafi wadi but I knew that there would be another chance the next day at Green Mubazzarah. 

While we were looking for Scrub warblers and Desert larks, another Variable Wheatear showed itself. This time a male. Not easy to tell from Hume's but a duller black (not glossy, like Hume's) and black on the throat reaching a little further down towards the breast showed that this was a Variable. Not easy to see in the photo though...

Variable Wheatear (orientstenskvätta, Oenanthe picata)

Male Variable Wheatear (orientstenskvätta, Oenanthe picata) with a Hume's Wheatear (svartvit stenskvätta, Oenanthe alboniger) close by gave a good oportunity to try and tell them apart.

As we walked back upp the wade, we finally had some decent sightings of the Scrub Warbler (snårsångare, Scotocerca inquieta) and the Desert Lark (stenökenlärka, Ammomanes deserti). We had heard them before but did not really see them. After these birds we walked back to the car and drove on to Fujairah Beach, in the hope to finding som nice shorebirds and Sooty gull. But more on that in the next blog post.

Scrub Warbler (snårsångare, Scotocerca inquieta)

Typical pose of the Scrub Warbler (snårsångare, Scotocerca inquieta) with tail pointing up, much like a Wren.

Scrub Warbler (snårsångare, Scotocerca inquieta)

The Desert Larks (stenökenlärka, Ammomanes deserti) where accompanied by a Striolated Bunting (bergsparv, Emberiza striolata), a species which I had seen in Wadi Bih the former year. Another species which we saw on the way back was another Long-billed Pipit (långnäbbad piplärka, Anthus similis),  but see my post on Wamm Farms for photos on these Pipits.

Desert Lark (stenökenlärka, Ammomanes deserti)

Two Desert Larks feeding.

New species (Lifers) in Masafi wadi: Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse, Desert Lark, Scrub Warbler and Plain Leaf-Warbler. Didn't count the Desert Lesser Whitethroat...

Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse (strimmig flyghöna, Pterocles lichtensteinii) 

Desert Lark (stenökenlärka, Ammomanes deserti) 

Long-billed Pipit (långnäbbad piplärka, Anthus similis) 

White-spectacled Bulbul (levantbulbyl, Pycnonotus xanthopygos) 

Black Redstart (svart rödstjärt, Phoenicurus ochruros (phoenicuroides?)) 

Hume's Wheatear (svartvit stenskvätta, Oenanthe alboniger) 

Variable Wheatear (orientstenskvätta, Oenanthe picata) 

Red-tailed Wheatear (persisk stenskvätta, Oenanthe chrysopygia) 

Scrub Warbler (snårsångare, Scotocerca inquieta) 

Chiffchaff (gransångare, Phylloscopus collybita) 

Plain Leaf-Warbler (dvärgsångare, Phylloscopus neglectus) 

Desert Lesser Whitethroat (ökenärtsångare, Sylvia minula) 

Striolated Bunting (bergsparv, Emberiza striolata)

31/10 -14 Wamm farms

Before going to UAE, I had contacted Mark Smiles, one of the UAE birding guides. I wanted to get as much out of this stay in Dubai as possible so I had decided that I wanted to use two days for really trying to see much of the country. As I had been to the north in 2013, I wanted to go to the west and the south this time, which was just in line with what Mark had in mind. So, we planned the tour for the 31st where Mark was going to pick me up at 04:30. Quite early as that was the same as 01:30 in Sweden...

Well, early it was but I was very exited, as we had planned to go to Wamm farms. From the UAE-birding site, this seemed like one of the top sites in UAE. 

Just in time for the sunrise, we arrived at Wamm farms and started with a walk along some of the fields. We immediately saw an Arabian Babbler (I have abandoned adding Swedish and scientific name in the text, see bottom instead) and more would follow. Over the fields, a Marsh Harrier, a couple of shrikes - turned out to be both Turkestan and Red Backed. Both 1cy individuals. The Turkestan were a challenge but eventually you sort of got a feel of the difference between Turk and Daurean shrikes. Both could be found in decent numbers at Wamm farms.

A couple of Deser Wheatears were found and Cattle Egretts. We started looking for Bank Myna, one of the few places in UAE where this species can be found easily. Turned out to be not so easy this time... A White Stork, two Purple Herons and of course all of the "normal" species (like Silverbills, Common Myna, House Sparrows, Sunbirds, Prinias etc.) were almost all around.

Arabian Babbler (arabskriktrast, Turdoides squamiceps)

The first bird, which I was able to get a decent shot of, was the Arabian Babbler. Still early in the morning here and not enough light really, to do some serious photography. At least with my old equipment.

Going back to the car to take a walk along the edge of some other fields, we saw a Southern Grey Shrike. A couple of Falcons were sitting on the sprinklers in western fields, all female, and one could possibly be a lesser but the other ones were definitely common. A little further down the road, another grey shrike was found. This time, we found a Steppe Grey Shrike. I wasn't sure, at this time, wether it was considered a separate species from Southern Grey, or not. Turned out not, at least not yet according to Clements list. But a nice pallidirostris nonetheless.

Southern Grey Shrike (sydlig varfågel, Lanius meridionalis

aucheri)

A littel bit of distance and this Southern Grey was not really very friendly...

Kestrel (tornfalk, Falco tinnunculus

One of a few Kestrels poaching on a sprinkler, seemingly to wait for the sun to make the day a little bit warmer

Steppe Grey Shrike (saxaulvarfågel, Lanius pallidirostris)

Well, the Steppe Gray Shrike has a Swedish name and seems to be considered a separate species by IOC but not by Clements, which I currently follow.

One the way back, another Kestrel was sitting on one of the sprinklers. This one "felt" a little bit more slender, which might have been an illusion, but the long wings were obvious. So, even though it was a female, it could quite easily be identified as a Lesser Kestrel.

We drove a little bit towards the entrence to the fields. I can't remeber it was before this or immediately after that we finally saw the Bank Myne, but there they were, a couple, among several hundred Common Mynas. Here we also found some Rose Coloured Starlings, also a new species for me. 

This had, so far, been a very good start for me. 

Lesser Kestrel (rödfalk, Falco naumanni)

The Lesser Kestrel might not be that obvious on this photo but it was quite easy to see the length of the wings reaching almost all the way out to the edge of the tail. Quite a bit longer than the surrounding Common Kestrels

We entered the fields area (where you might need your passport to get in) and walked on to an area with little vegetation on it. But here was a little pond with reed, which could contain something interesting. Didn't happen this time though... On the other hand, a little bit further on, both a Red-tailed Wheatear and a Short-toed Lark, both new to me. Also some Isabelline Wheatears and another Steppe Grey Shrike, though we debated this one a bit. It wasn't the most obvius one. 

We turned into one of the fodder fields where we almost immediately flushed a pipit. I couldn't recall the call as something familiar and Mark immediately called out a Long-billed Pipit. It flew some one hundred meters and came to a halt on the border fence (on the border to Oman), where we got some nice views in the scope. Just a couple of meters further on, another Long-billed Pipit sat on a sprinkler close by. This time I was able to get some photos.

Long-billed pipit (Långnäbbad piplärka, Anthus similis)

While on the ground, not that easy to find, whithout hearing the call...

Long-billed pipit (Långnäbbad piplärka, Anthus similis)

Nice bird!! Not that different from Tawny but then again, checking the Collins guide, this is a definite Long-billed.

In the high grass in the fields, several snipes were flushed. Most of them common, of course, but then suddenly there was a different call to one of them. It didn't rise quickly in the air, as most common do, but flew off close to the ground, lacking the white edge on the wings. There it was, the Pintail Snipe!!

Common Snipe (enkelbeckasin, Gallinago gallinago)

A Common Snipe, but the main attraction in this field at Wamm farms was the Pintail.

This field produced both a Great Read Warbler and a Bluethroat before one of the real gems showed itself. The male Lesser Kestrel was a real find and one of the best experiences this day. He showed himself very nicely over a long period, where I edged to get closer but he just flew away, casually looking for prey while doing so. Very 

Lesser Kestrel (rödfalk, Falco naumanni)

Perhaps the most intriguing find this day. Though mabye not the most uncommon, but what a beautiful bird.

Lesser Kestrel (rödfalk, Falco naumanni)

Lesser Kestrel (rödfalk, Falco naumanni)

We left the field and closed in on where the cattle are being fed. Of course the Cattle egretts were common here but also some White Wagtails and a Grey Wagtail was also heard. From this field we moved in to the next. I think it was called the goat pit.. 

In the goat pit, the first thing we found was a Variable Wheatear. It was expected at this particular place but, just as the one in Wadi Bih last year, it was very shy, hence the poor quality of the photot. I have also added a photo here of a shrike, which I am unable to set the species for.

Moving on, we saw some Tree Pipits, Ortolan Buntings, more Tawny pipits and then we found a Stonechat. Now, this is a quite tricky area as the species has been split into European and Siberian (and Stejnegr's). I had never seen a Siberian before and Mark was pretty sure that this was a Siberian. Well, the photos showed that he was right. All the stonechats I have seen before in UAE have been European som this was a really nice find.

Cattle Egret (kohäger, Bubulcus ibis)

Always nice to see these birds

Unidentified Shrike (obestämd törnskata, Lanius ??)

Which species is this? I can't decide if this is a Grey Shrike or an Isabelline type Shrike.

Siberian Stonechat (vitgumpad buskskvätta, Saxicola
maurus)

Siberian Stonechat (vitgumpad buskskvätta, Saxicola
maurus)

This Siberian Stonechat showed a clear rump whithout markings. And all other characters seems to fit well also.

The way back to the car, after finishing this tour of Wamm farms, gave us a Squacco heron and, while sitting in the car, a very nice view of a Daurean Shrike, before we moved on to Dibba harbour.

Squacco Heron (rallhäger, Egretta garzetta)

Daurian (or Isabelline) Shrike (isabellatörnskata, Lanius
isabellinus)

Daurian (or Isabelline) Shrike (isabellatörnskata, Lanius
isabellinus)

The Dibba harbour proved to be a very good place for terns. About one hundred Swift terns, thirty Lesser Crested terns and 4 Sandwich terns. The Swift were a new lifer for me. 

The terns were perching on a boat too far out to take photos unfortunately... Lets hope the trip to Oman can give me opportunity to get some decent shots.

A couple of waders were running around on the shore. Very soon, they were flushed by some guy who was about to go swimming or something and they flew right past us. A couple of Lesser Sand Plovers and a Dunlin.

Dunlin and Lesser Sand Plover (kärrsnäppa och mongolpipare,
Calidris alpina, Characrius mongolus)

We left Dibba harbour and drove on to Masafi Wadi, but that will be another blog post...

New species for me in Wamm farms were: Lesser kestrel, Pintail snipe, Short-toed Lark, Long-billed Pipit, Siberian Stonchat, Red-tailed Wheatear, Steppe Grey Shrike, Rose-coloured Starling and Bank Myna. Or, in other words, a perfect start of the day.. :-)

Ännu ett skamkryss avklarat

Idag kom så äntligen ett larm på en spelande vaktel i Lomma kommun. Efter att ha inväntat ett kraftigt åskoväder drog jag till Löddesnäs, där den hade hörts. På plats mötte jag LaNi som var på väg hem men han hängde med ut för att lyssna på den.

I ungefär en och en halv timma stod jag där och lyssnade men ingenting... så jag åkte hem igen.

Senare på eftermiddagen kom så ett larm igen om att den spelade, nu direkt nedanför tornet. Morgonlarmet hade sagt att den spelade på norra sidan, vilket säkert var skälet till att den inte gick att höra då. Men återigen blev det en hyfsad väntan... men till slut satte den igång. Den spelade aldrig speciellt mycket men det kanske man inte kan begära mitt på ljusan dag.

Nu skall jag cykla bort till Löddesnäs för att höra om den spelar igen och kanske få till en ljudfil. Hoppas på en småfläckig sumphöna också, som har suttit där de senaste dagarna.

Nr 279 - Vaktel!!

Uppdatering: Vakteln hördes tyvärr inte men den småfläckiga sumphönan spelade flitigt och väldigt nära.

Långbent gäst i Svedala

När jag var på Öland under Kristi himmerlfärdshelgen så kom det ett larm på BA som talade om att det fanns en styltlöpare i Svedala. Det är ju rätt nära hemma och något som jag med stor sannolikhet hade dragit på om jag varit hemma. Så det var lite nervöst... skulle den stanna tillräckligt länge?

Jodå, när vi hade kommit hem - jag hann inte åka på kvällen på söndagen direkt efter att vi kommit hem - så var den kvar. Jag bestämde mig för att göra ett försök på måndagmorgonen före jobbet. 

Så, jag åkte iväg, körde lite fel trots gps men hittade fram till slut. Väl där så såg jag inte dammen och jag hade inte en aning om hur jag skulle ta mig dig... Den var skymd bakom ett fält med raps. Eftersom jag var lite stressad så åkte jag till jobbet istället och tänkte att jag skulle försöka igen efter jobbet. Innan jag åkte dit efter jobbet frågade jag Anders om hur man skulle gå, jag hade sett att han hade varit där, så nu var jag preparerad för att ge mig av till Svedala igen.

Den gick helt öppet och väldigt fint i dammen. Nedan följer några foton på den. Det sista fotot är ett försök att fota med mobilen genom tuben... inte helt tokigt faktiskt.

Styltlöparen blev art nr. 278 i Sverige