UAE - Trip List - November 2019

I feel it's time to conclude my report now, so below is my list from November 19. I enjoyed the Birding more this time mainly due to being more familiar with the Country. The driving was "interesting", especially the first week when I took...and picked Robert up, from work in...shall we say "busy" Dubai traffic!!! The balance between Birding, Blogging and Socializing is always a precarious one but everyone is still talking to me...as far as I know! Once again I can't thank this lady enough...

I love building a list (you've probably noticed that) and with the help of eBird and Google Maps I wasted far less time accessing Sites on this visit. The help given by Tommy Pederson and Oscar Campbell was invaluable and I would like to thank you again here. As stated (almost certainly too many times before) I prefer gradual increases in new birds rather than a flood which I find overwhelming. The UAE has just such a bird list, some familiar, some less so.

I still have some ID challenges to conquer (it's not just on Orkney that I struggle). Duos that spring to mind are...

Indian Pond Heron/ Squacco Heron
Great Egret/Intermediate Egret
Long-billed Pipit/Tawny Pipit

I AM improving though, with Tommy and Oscar's help! All species below are Cat A, B or C on the UAE List, although there are some grey areas with introduced birds around the Al Qudra area.

My sightings (UAE ticks in bold)

Egyptian Goose
Shoveler
Mallard
Teal
Pochard
Ferruginous Duck
Grey Francolin
Little Grebe
Greater Flamingo
Greater Cormorant
SOCOTRA CORMORANT - seen well at Khor Kalba Harbour.
Grey Heron
Great Egret
INTERMEDIATE EGRET
Little Egret
Western Reef Heron
Cattle Egret
Squacco Heron
Striated Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
Glossy Ibis
Spoonbill
Osprey
Egyptian Vulture - 8 seen at Jebel Hafit including a fly-by of 6 in a line, over my head at a car park!
Greater-Spotted Eagle - Hard to miss at RAK
Bonelli's Eagle - my mis-identified Short-toed Snake Eagle! It was brief and very high as we drove into Fujairah. Thanks for the UAE tick Oscar!
Marsh Harrier
Pallid Harrier - Beautiful male flew over the car on the D63 on the way to Al Qudra
Moorhen
Coot
Black-winged Stilt
Avocet
Oystercatcher
Grey Plover
Red-wattled Lapwing
SOCIABLE LAPWING - birds found at Hamrinayah Fields and Wamm Farms. 2 top moments after thinking I was going to miss out.
WHITE-TAILED LAPWING - 2 at Al Wathba Wetlands, another couple found at Expo Lakes
Lesser Sand Plover
Greater Sand Plover
CASPIAN PLOVER - a single seen at Hamrinayah Fields
Kentish Plover
LRP
Ringed Plover
Whimbrel
Curlew
Black-tailed Godwit
Bar-tailed Godwit
Turnstone
Ruff
Curlew Sandpiper
Temminck's Stint
Little Stint
Sanderling
Dunlin
Jack Snipe
Snipe
Terek Sandpiper - An impressive TEN birds seen well at Khor Al Beida
Common Sandpiper
Green Sandpiper
Wood Sandpiper
Marsh Sandpiper
Spotted Redshank
Redshank
Greenshank
CREAM COLOURED COURSER - finally connected with great views of a single bird running around at Al Qudra with the Sandgrouse.
Slender-billed Gull
Black-headed Gull
SOOTY GULL - max count of 42 at Khor Kalba Harbour
PALLAS'S GULL - close views at RAK
Lesser Black-backed Gull (Steppe and Heuglin's)
Gull-billed Tern
Common Tern
WHITE-CHEEKED TERN - 3 scoped at Khor Kalba Harbour
Sandwich Tern
Lesser-crested Tern
Greater-crested Tern - 6 see n at Khor Kalba Harbour
SAUNDER'S/LITTLE TERN - One bird came into roost at Expo Lakes! Also seen at Khor Kalba harbour and Umm Al Quwain.
PIN-TAILED SANDGROUSE- introduced BUT very smart. Al Qudra.
CHESNUT-BELLIED SANDGROUSE - many skittish and elusive groups at Al Qudra.
Rock Pigeon
Collared Dove
Laughing Dove
NAMAQUA DOVE - Chuffed to finally find a single bird at Expo Lakes after many attempts.
Pallid Swift
Hoopoe
Kingfisher
Little Green Bee-eater
BLUE-CHEEKED BEE-EATER - lucky to find a late migrant at Love Lakes, Al Qudra.
Indian Roller
Kestrel
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Isabelline Shrike (Daurian)
Great Grey Shrike (Arabian)
House Crow
Brown-necked Raven
Common Myna
Bank Myna - my only sighting was of 2 birds at Hamrinayah Fields.
Greater Hoopoe Lark - pleased to find a single of this enigmatic species in the Bab Al Sham Desert.
Desert Lark - A flock of at least 40 birds at the entrance to Masafi Wadi.
Short-toed Lark
BIMACULATED LARK - arguably my best find and view of the trip. A single right by the car for 10 minutes at Al Qudra. Magic!!!
Skylark
Crested Lark
Pale Crag Martin
Swallow
White-spectacled Bulbul
White-eared Bulbul
Chiffchaff
PLAIN LEAF WARBLER - my best view of the smallest Phyllosc at Masafi Wadi.
Graceful Prinia
Bluethroat - One appeared put of nowhere along the track at Khor Al Beida. Yet another memorable moment!
Black Redstart
WHITE-CROWNED BLACK WHEATEAR - Nice to add this MEGA at Al Jaroof Village. 14th record for the UAE
Hume's Wheatear
Isabelline Wheatear
Desert Wheatear
Purple Sunbird
Tawny Pipit - seen well at Wamm Farms
Water Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Citrine Wagtail - 2 seen at Hamrinayah Fields
White Wagtail
Western Yellow Wagtail
MASKED WAGTAIL- seen well at Wamm Farms
Grey Wagtail - a single bird at Wadi Helo, Fujairah.
Striolated Bunting - Jebel Hafit
House Sparrow
Indian Silverbill

Misses/Not tried for (Lifers in capitals) - aka Next Year's Targets!

Garganey
Pintail
Tufted Duck
Chukar
Eared Grebe
Persian Shearwater
LAPPET-FACED VULTURE - looked a long time at Al Qudra but nothing appeared.
Sparrowhawk
Black Kite
Long-legged Buzzard
Pacific Golden Plover
Great Knot
PIN-TAILED SNIPE - studied many possible/probables
Caspian Tern
White-winged Tern
Whiskered Tern
LICHTENSTEIN'S SANDGROUSE - I didn't specifically target this very elusive species. Maybe next time?
Little Owl
Wryneck
SHIKRA
ALEXANDRINE PARAKEET - Should have seen
Starling
Rose-coloured Starling
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
CLAMOUROUS REED WARBLER - should have seen.
MENETRIES WARBLER
ARABIAN BABBLER - I looked hard for this bird but couldn't find one.
Blue Rock Thrush
Song Thrush
Stonechat
Siberian Stonechat
Richard's Pipit
LONG-BILLED PIPIT

Not seen this year

Gadwall
Wigeon
Sand Partridge
Crab Plover - tides didn't permit views on my visits
Oriental Honey Buzzard
Short-toed Snake Eagle
Bridled Tern
Pallid Scops Owl
Pharoah Eagle Owl
ARABIAN COLLARED KINGFISHER
Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark
Scrub Warbler
Asian Desert Warbler
Red-tailed Wheatear

Give or take a late adjustment I managed 128 species this trip which takes my UAE List to 145...I think!

Final thoughts
So, my second trip to the UAE, an area I would never have considered to be a possible Birding destination. However, with a bit of  foresight one can cobble together a more than decent Birding experience. Heat will always be a problem for yours truly  and "winter" is still pushing 30C. Still, it beats what Blighty has to offer and I'm VERY fortunate to have the opportunity to travel. The future is promised to no-one but all things being well, I hope to return to see Robert in January 2021. Fortunately, he's decided to come back for Christmas which is a big bonus. I hope you found something of interest in this report and maybe you'll consider a visit in the future? All posts can be found under Labels...UAE 19. There are some great birds out there...

Roll on Texas...April 11th...