The weather has not been good recently, high winds and lots of sand flying around makes looking for migrants challenging, to say the least! I am very anxious to get some of those scarce migrants under my belt but migration has come to a bit of a stop. Very frustrating!
Monday saw me meeting up with Robin to wander around Mushrif Palace Gardens and the Abu Dhabi Racecourse. It was grey, overcast and blowing a bit of a gale. However, slowly but surely, we added birds; 3 Masked Shrikes; Turkestan & Woodchat Shrikes; Black-eared, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears were all seen before we entered the wood.
Alexandrine Parakeet
A Grey Francolin's nest, containing five eggs.
A female Masked Shrike.
The racecourse was quiet: the best were a fine male Desert Wheatear and a Citrine Wagtail.
0 species added (245 species total): 80kms travelled.
Tuesday afternoon saw Robin & I having a quick look at Sadiyat Island Golf Course. A few migrants around, including Black-eared Wheatear & 25 Pale Rockfinch. 3 Arabian (Mountain) Gazelle were also seen.
We then continued north to Ajban, to look for the resident Little Owls. They performed nicely!
Recognised as a full species by the IOC. Surely, to be recognised as a full species soon by the Middle Eastern authorities?
A quick trip to Kalba Mangroves revealed 6 Arabian Kingfishers heard & seen by some! 4 Sykes's Warblers were singing and one was eventually seen by all.
The more usual view of a skua from a boat!
The highlight of the trip was in the last hour (as usual)! A very early Sooty Shearwater. A great bird to get on the year list as one has only a small window of opportunity to see this southern hemisphere breeder.
Sooty Shearwater 
Monday saw me meeting up with Robin to wander around Mushrif Palace Gardens and the Abu Dhabi Racecourse. It was grey, overcast and blowing a bit of a gale. However, slowly but surely, we added birds; 3 Masked Shrikes; Turkestan & Woodchat Shrikes; Black-eared, Pied and Isabelline Wheatears were all seen before we entered the wood.
This species is getting more abundant
each year in the city.
A pair of Eurasian Kestrels are in residence in the area
& look as if they will breed.
Grey Francolin is both expanding its range
& increasing its numbers,
as it benefits from continued urbanisation
& the creation of green areas in cities.
A Grey Francolin exploded from beneath our feet, revealing a nest with five eggs inside. It is in quite an exposed position, so I am not too happy about the chances of breeding success.
Isabelline Wheatear
Despite the dark and gloomy conditions, at least 12 Menetries Warblers were present, together with a Lesser Whitethroat, 7 Chiffchaffs and 4 Eastern Olivaceous Warblers. A bit of a surprise was a lone Plain Leaf Warbler in the back wood. 2 wintering Song Thrush have yet to migrate north. 
Plain Leaf Warbler is a scarce
passage migrant on the island.
The very similar looking Chiffchaff.
A Wryneck played hide and seek with us and I think it won the contest!
Eurasian Wryneck, trying very hard not to be seen!
A few Desert Wheatears are still around.
The pair of Little Grebes are now feeding two chicks, which is a very good local breeding record. Just as it was getting dark a Squacco Heron flew right down in front of us, giving excellent views. 0 species added (245 species total): 80kms travelled.
Tuesday afternoon saw Robin & I having a quick look at Sadiyat Island Golf Course. A few migrants around, including Black-eared Wheatear & 25 Pale Rockfinch. 3 Arabian (Mountain) Gazelle were also seen.
A young male Arabian Gazelle - still hanging on,
now in developed habitat.
Little Owls.
1 species added (246 total): 120 kms travelled.
Wednesday after work, saw me meeting up with Jan & her friends from the UK. We had a stroll around Mushrif Palace Gardens. It was a hot and sultry afternoon, with not a breath of wind, in marked contrast to the gales we experienced a few hours previously.
Very few migrants were around, the pick of the bunch being 4 Masked Shrikes; a Tree Pipit; 2 Black-eared Wheatears; an Ehrenerg's Redstart and an early Barred Warbler. I quick look at AD Racecourse produced a Common Quail feeding out in the open! Now that is a rarity!
It was nice to meet people from Yorkshire!
1 species added (247 total ): 80kms travelled.
Friday saw me guiding Dick Bianca from Holland. Our first stop was the Fujairah National Dairy Farm at Dibba.
FNDF with the grand Hajar Mountains as a backdrop.
Justin joined us for the foot slog around the Goat Farm. Migrants were hard to find, but persistance paid off with 2 Common Quail; Pintail Snipe; 2 Blyth's Pipits; an incredible 9 Steppe Grey Shrikes and 2 Pale Rockfinch. A Common Whitethroat was the first of the year for me.The star bird was the Eastern Cattle Egret, which once it gains summer plumage becomes visible again!
Eastern Cattle Egret
Arabian Kingfisher
All too soon, it was time to board the boat, for our pelagic off Kalba. It was nice to see Abdulla & be back on the boat again. Eight of us assembled & we set off in high spirits.
Judging by Jacky's face,
this was one of those quiet moments!
We didn't go far before seeing our first Persian Shearwaters. We had great views of several large groups totalling over 250 individuals.
Persian Shearwater
Groups of Red necked Phalaropes were an attractive feature, dotted across the open ocean. They will be gathering now, ready for their long migration north next month.
Red necked Phalaropes
Still in winter plumage, these birds are going
to be around for a while!
Sooty Gull
Lesser crested Tern
Large groups of both Sooty Gulls & Lesser crested Terns are gathering, before moving to the Arabian Gulf for breeding. 7 Arctic Skuas were preying on the terns, they proved boat shy though. 
Arctic Skua
Arctic Skua just before...
Sooty Shearwater is now recorded regularly in spring
off the east coast of the UAE.
2 species added (249 total): 725 kms travelled by car & c60kms by boat!
Saturday was supposed to be a day off birding. But, the best laid plans often go astray & so it proved today! Khalifa was back at work in Jebel Dhanna & reported both the Kurdistan Wheatear & Spotted Crake still present. The crake had been found by Neil a few days previously and I had resisted the urge to travel all that way yet again! Not much resistance today though! I was off!
Me on my day off from birding!
I arrived at JD & started working the habitats around the Danat Hotel. Migrants were everywhere: I managed to flush a lone European Nightjar; 4 species of Wheatear; 3 Common Redstart; 7 Lesser Whitethroat; a Menetries Warbler; Willow Warbler; a late Eastern Orphean Warbler; 4 Tree & 6 Red throated Pipits; 3 Pale Rockfinch and excellent views of a young Southern Grey Shrike, which had just recently fledged.
An early migrant - European Nightjar
Desert Wheatear
Pale Rockfinch
I visited the nearby marsh, which was after all, the main purpose of my visit. Khalifa gave me excellent directions, but after two fruitless hours I still hadn't connected with it. I began to wander further afield. 19 Greater Short-toed Larks; 20 Pale Rockfinch; another Willow Warbler among ten Chiffchaffs; Siberian Stonechat; Steppe Grey & Woodchat Shrikes;a fine male Black crowned Sparrow-lark. 3 male Ortolan Buntings flew in, giving prolonged views. I went back to the favoured crake spot. I played the tape. Nothing! Khalifa arrived & we got a response to the tape. We went in! After what seemed like an eternity we both saw it run across a gap in the reeds, agitated at the tape. Spotted Crake in the bag!
Siberian Stonechat
One of three male Ortolan Buntings
We went into the plantation at the foot of the mountain. The Kurdistan Wheatear proved elusive at first. But we eventually saw it well, if a little distantly. The first time I had viewed it in good light. And what a star bird!
The star -showing well!
A Red rumped swallow flew over. We went up the hill to check the fodder fields: 4 Willow Warblers; 2 Rufous tailed Rock Thrush being the best. And then I picked up a European Crag Martin flying over. A tick for Khalifa!
European Crag Martin
It was now time to get back on the road. It is a long slog back to Abu Dhabi, but I was very happy! Two really good year birds on the list! A nice day out and thanks for your companionship, Khalifa.
4 species added (253 total): 420 kms travelled.
A recently fledged Southern Grey Shrike
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