I thought I'd pick up by showing a few images form the first week in the UAE. I've had a look through my pics now and feel it's worth posting some with a few words to accompany them. The Birding was solely concentrated on the Al Qudra area some 30 minutes South of Rob's apartment. easily accessible down the D63. It's 7 years since I visited and it was clear to see the development of the area. The vegetation had matured and more Lakes had been added giving it a (slightly) more natural look. An Oasis feel. The water obviously being a magnet for Birds! There are many introduced Species here, some more obvious than others which can be confusing initially, although Magpie Goose isn't one of them! A cracking Bird though, especially in flight.
Let's start with a Common Myna...
...and an introduced but VERY dapper Grey-headed Swamphen...
A Whiskered Tern was a nice surprise...at least to me...
I covered quite a few of the areas over three days and racked up a decent Species count whilst generally taking in the Area. Little Stints were dotted around the Lakes in several places and were very tame...
Spoonbill is marked as "infrequent" on eBird...
I managed to find a small flock of Indian Silverbills...
Another nice find was a lone Purple Heron, which I saw initially on the ground by the track before it fortunately flew a short distance to a nearby tree...
A taste of home with Greenshank, Common Sandpiper and Cattle Egret present...
The area was sparsely populated due to it being midweek. I failed to find any Sandgrouse despite being there at the optimum time and correct spots? No luck with Cream-coloured Courser either. However my luck changed on Wednesday afternoon when I saw some large Raptors around the Bike Cafe. Now then, my experience of Eastern Birds is limited and some of the Eagles are new to me...just clearing myself for the odd mistake! Distance and bright light also play a part IMHO. I could see 4 Birds in the distance so I drove closer hoping they would linger. They did!
A decent number of Species are possible with Greater-Spotted being the regular visitor. I concentrated on one particular Bird that was gliding towards me. I took some pics...
Some technical information...it was BIG! The "mane" like appearance of the chest leant me towards an immature IMPERIAL EAGLE...
There was an enormous building to the rear of the Bike Cafe which was a resting area for huge numbers of Pigeons. All of a sudden they exploded into life...
It could only mean one thing...Raptor/s. I started to scan and soon picked a Bird out although it soon became engulfed by the masses. Eventually I relocated it and it was coming my way.
Thinking BOOTED EAGLE...
It seems this Species is Rare here! I have a few more images that need further study/help?! Learning, learning...all the time.
I made a brief visit on Friday the 9th but only spent time around the Bike Cafe due to circumstances. I did manage a Black Kite...
Into
Oman next...
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