Duffbirder meets South Holderness!: Al Ain area

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Al Ain area

Tried for Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse at Al Qudra... this morning, to no avail, before heading East to Al Ain. Negotiating the City proved to be troublesome but we eventually arrived at the Mercure Hotel mid-afternoon after a brief recce of the Green Mubazzarah (too hot)...nice views of Red-wattled Lapwing from the car though...

Louise was pleased with the view from the room on arrival...so was I!

I managed the last hour around the Hotel. Brilliant to observe 17 Egyptian Vultures around the masts. Distant but special. My best effort...

I also had my Life Desert Lark...

A superb spot above the Desert floor. Can't wait to have a good sesh tomorrow from dawn (6am). Time for T now though...

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RUSH BIRDS - Best of Twitching

1. Varied Thrush - Papa Westray, Orkney 7/11/2021
2. Common Nighthawk - Scilly (Bryher) 24/10/1999
3. Black-browed Albatross - Bempton, E.Yorks 3/7/2020
4. Yellow-billed Cuckoo - Scilly (St Mary's) 16/10/2019
5. Cliff Swallow - Spurn 23/10/1995
6. Blackburnian Warbler - Bryher, IOS 14/10/22
7. Amur Falcon - St Buryan, Cornwall 17/7/2017
8. Cape May Warbler - Unst 29/10/2013
9. White-throated Robin - Hartlepool Headland 6/6/2011
10. White-rumped Swift - Hornsea Mere 14/10/2018
YEARLY HIGHLIGHTS
Double-Crested Cormorant - Charlton's Pond, Billingham 2/2/1989
Naumann's Thrush - Chingford, Essex 22/2/1990
Red-breasted Nuthatch - Holkham Wood, Norfolk 11/4/1990
Red-eyed Vireo - Spurn 30/9/1990
Sociable Plover - Welney 25/10/1990
American Bittern - Marton Mere, Lancs 3/2/1991
Snowy Owl - Skegness, Lincs 2/1/1991, Scilly (St Mary's) 29/10/2008
Nutcracker - Stoke 2/11/1991
Red-necked Stint - Cley 2/8/1992
Pechora Pipit - Filey 9/10/1994
Red-flanked Bluetail - Winspit Valley, Dorset 7/11/1993
Alpine Accentor - Rimac, Lincs 16/11/1994
Rock Thrush - Hunstanton, Norfolk 22/5/1995
Eyebrowed Thrush - Mains of Auchmithie, Tayside 29/5/1995
Pallid Harrier - Birsay, Orkney 24/6/1995
Gull-billed Tern - Seaforth 30/7/1995
Ivory Gull - Inverness 22/7/1995
Cedar Waxwing - Nottingham 21/2/1996
Harlequin Duck - Girvan, Ayrs 13/4/1996
American Coot - Stodmarsh, Kent 19/4/1996
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper - Foryd Bay, Gwynedd 25/8/1996
Little Bustard - Lizard 26/10/1996
Indigo Bunting - Ramsey Island 21/10/1996
Black and White Warbler - Scilly (Tresco) 25/10/1996
Collared Flycatcher - Eithie Mains 30/5/1997
Common Yellowthroat - Scilly (St Mary's) 23/10/1997
Chimney Swift - Scilly (St Mary's) 23/10/1999
Slender-billed Gull - Sandwich, Kent 8/5/1999
Crag Martin - Swithland Res, Leics 17/4/1999
Upland Sandpiper (2) - Scilly (St Mary's) 26/10/1999
White-tailed Eagle - Burton Constable Estate, Hull 7/11/1999
Solitary Sandpiper - Scilly (St Mary's) 20/10/2000
Bobolink - Spurn 27/10/2001
Snowy Egret - Seil Island, Argyll, 9/11/2001
Audouin's Gull - Dungeness, Kent 5/5/2003
Black Lark - South Stack, Anglesey 2/6/2003
Cream-coloured Courser - Scilly (St Martin's) 30/9/2004
White's Thrush - Easington (Spurn Area) 10/10/2004
Ovenbird - Scilly (St Mary's) 28/10/2004
Sooty Tern - The Skerries, Anglesey 8/7/2005
Scops Owl - Thrupp 16/6/2006
Calandra Lark - Isle of May, Fife 14/5/2006
Scops Owl - Thrupp, Oxon 16/6/2006
Long-billed Murrelet - Dawlish Warren, Devon 12/11/2006
White-tailed Plover - Calaeverock, Dum and Gal 1/6/2007
Brown Flycatcher - Flamboro Head 3/10/2007
Rose-breasted Grosbeak - Scilly (St Agnes) 25/10/2007
King Eider - Flamboro' Head 25/4/2008
Little Swift - Old Moor 2/7/2008
Brown Shrike - Flamborough Head 25/9/2008
Eastern Crowned Warbler - South Sheilds 23/10/2009
Gyr - Gower Peninsular 19/12/2009
Lesser Kestrel - Westleton Heath, Suffolk 29/3/2010
Marmora's Warbler - Blorenge, Gwent 3/6/2010
Alder Flycatcher - Blakeney Point 25/9/2010
Oriental Turtle Dove - Chipping Norton, Oxon 19/2/2011
American White-Winged Scoter - Murcar Links, Aberdeen 19/6/2011
Sandhill Crane - Loch of Strathbeg, Aberdeens 24/9/2011
Northern Waterthrush - Scilly (St Mary's) 22/10/2011
Wilson's Snipe - Scilly (St Mary's) 22/10/2011
Veery - Isle of Muck, Highlands 20/11/2011
Orphean Warbler - Hartlepool Headland 29/5/2012
Pallas's Grasshopper Warbler - Whitburn Coastal Park 26/9/2012
Dusky Thrush - Margate Cemetery 18/5/2013
Mourning Dove - Rhum 3/11/2013
Short-toed Eagle - Morden Bog NNR, Dorset 1/6/2014
Siberian Rubythroat - Mainland Shetland 4/10/2014
Great Blue Heron - Scilly (Bryher) 20/4/2015
Hudsonian Godwit - Shapwick Heath, Somerset 25/4/2015
Citril Finch - Burnham, Norfolk 10/5/2015
Swainson's Thrush - Skokholme Is, S.Wales 8/6/2015
Cretzschmar's Bunting - Bardsey Island, Wales 15/6/2015
Acadian Flycatcher - Dungeness 22/9/2015
Black-billed Cuckoo - North Uist 23/5/2016
Siberian Accentor - Shetland, Mainland 10/10/2016
American Redstart - Barra 13/9/2017
Grey Catbird - Lands End 18/10/2018
Tengmalm's Owl -Tresta, Shetland 27/2/2019
Pacific Swift - Hornsea Mere 10/8/2019
Brown Booby - Carbis Bay, Cornwall 28/8/2019
Eastern Yellow Wagtail - Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey 27/9/2019
Hermit Thrush - Scilly (St Mary's) 29/11/2019
Steller's Eider - Papa Westray 3/3/2020
Taiga Flycatcher - Trow Quarry, Tyne and Wear 15/10/2020
Rufous-tailed Scrub-Robin - Holkham, Norfolk 17/10/2020
Northern Mockingbird - Exmouth, Devon 29/2/2021
Elegant Tern - Cemlyn Bay, Anglesey 4/7/2021
Green Warbler - Buckton, E.Yorks 10/9/2021
Long-toed Stint - St Aidan's RSPB, W.Yorks 9/10/2021
Belted Kingfisher - River Ribble, Preston, Lancs 26/11/2021
Eleonora's Falcon - Worth Marshes, Kent 27/5/2022
Kelp Gull - Grafham Water, Cambs 10/8/2022
Stejneger's Scoter - Lower Largo, Fife 30/4/2023
Grey-headed Lapwing - Low Newton, Northumberland 1/5/2023
Black-winged Kite. Horsey, Norfolk 19/7/2023
Red-footed Booby - Bishop Rock Lighthouse IOS 20/8/2023
Magnolia Warbler - St Govan's Head, Pembrokes 21/9/2023
Bay-breasted Warbler - Ramsey Island, Pembrokes 23//9/2023
Canada Warbler - St Govan's Head, Pembrokes 23/9/2023
Yellow Warbler - Tiree, Argyll 2/10/2023
Pale-legged Leaf Warbler, Bempton, E.Yorks 28/9/2024

Best of Duff

Bean Goose (Taiga) 8/3/1988
Short-eared Owl 22/3/1988, 4/5/2008, 12/10/2010, 26/9/2011
Goshawk 5/4/93
Mediterranean Gull 13/2/1997, 31/3/2004
Red-breasted Merganser 14/3/2003
Bean Goose (Tundra) 3 on 30/1/2000, 11/3/2004
Ring-necked Duck 21/2/2004, 29/5/2006
Glaucous Gull 26/2/2004, 16/2/2008, 29/3/2011
Water Pipit 19/3/2004, 19/2/2005
Arctic Tern 3 on 1/5/2004
Marsh Tit 2/10/2005
Brent Goose 15/1/2006
Common Scoter 31/3/2006
Little Egret 5/5/2006, 2 on 28/5/2006, 7/6/2006
Goshawk 5/3/1993
Gannet 2 on 26/9/2007
AMERICAN WIGEON 23/3/2007
Quail 17/5 till 13/7 2008
Red Kite 28/8/2008
Hobby 21/9/2008, 25/6/2011
Honey Buzzard 14/9/2008
CORNCRAKE 6/6/2009
Long-eared Owl 27/6/2009
RED-BACKED SHRIKE 24/5/2010
GREAT GREY SHRIKE 20/2/2011
Osprey 15/4/2012
Common Crane 3 on 20/3/2011
Bittern 22/11/2012
Black Tern 8/5/16
Great White Egret 30/5/16
Iceland Gull 25/2/18
Rock Pipit 3/3/18
Sanderling 24/3/2019
Wood Sandpiper 17/5/2019
Redstart 2/9/2022
Hen Harrier - 20/12/2022
Willow Tit - 16/2/2023
SQUACCO HERON 1/6/2023
Avocet (2) 8/5/2024