May 2013 round up

Migration is still in full swing, with many late migrants pouring through.

The 4^th saw me walking around the Emirates Palace Hotel after work. It was quite interesting: 1 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin; 4 Spotted Flycatchers; 31 Marsh; 14 Willow & 2 Barred Warblers; 1 Lesser & 2 Common Whitethroats; 2 Red backed Shrikes & 2 Ortolan Buntings.

The next day (5^th) I checked out Mushrif Palace Gardens: most unseasonable was a very late White Wagtail; 1 Common Redstart; 1 Whinchat; 8 Spotted Flycatcher; 18 Marsh & 9 Willow Warblers; 2 Common Whitethroat & adding some colour were 2 European Golden Oriole, 3 Red-backed & a Turkestan Shrike.

Dawn on 10^th saw me tramping around the Fujairah National Dairy Farm. 27 Lesser Kestrels stole the show with an impressive 63 Chestnut bellied Sandgrouse coming in for a morning’s drink. A good scattering of migrants included: 1 European Roller; 1 Golden Oriole; 1 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin; 2 Common Redstart; 1 Whinchat; 1 Northern Wheatear; 16 Marsh Warbler; 4 Red-backed, 2 Lesser Grey, and singles of both Turkestan & Woodchat Shrikes. Further south along the coast we dropped in at Khor Forkkan Park and recorded 5 Spotted Flycatcher; 17 Marsh Warbler & a Red-backed Shrike. Fujairah Port Beach had a Brown Noddy fishing offshore. The Kalba boat trip produced 4 Sooty Shearwaters & only 6 Persians.

After this date my birding was curtailed by Carol’s worsening condition. She could no longer go to work, & was in intense pain & couldn't eat or drink anything. A few days in Twam Hospital seemed to briefly revive her a little, but day to day life was very grim. I managed  quick trip out around Al Warsen Lakes & Dubai Pivot Fields, best were 3 Purple & 2 Squacco Herons; 18 White-tailed Lapwing; 2 Black headed Wagtails (could they breed here)? Plus a Red-backed Shrike.

An early evening visit to Al Wathba Lake on 26^th produced 950+ Greater Flamingoes, with at least 300 nests built! An African Swamp-hen was new for me at this site & 6 Eurasian Coots contained 2 chicks indicating breeding here. 17 White-tailed Lapwing was an impressive number, 2 Collared Pratincoles; 3 Pied Avocet & a Red-necked Phalarope.

As I was driving in to work on 29^th an adult male Shikra flew over 19^th Street, this being the first record for Abu Dhabi Island.

The last day of the month saw me offshore on a boat trip out of Kalba, it was a brilliant afternoon: 4 Flesh-footed & 4 Wedge-tailed Shearwaters being the star performers, but 4,330 Persian Shearwaters could be one of the highest ever totals in UAE waters. A Wilson’s Petrel, an Arctic Skua, Brown Noddy & 18 Red-necked Phalaropes were the best of the rest.