02/10/2009 at Abraq Al Habari

Rick, Brian and myself once again visited Al Abraq on Friday morning. First it looked that the place is quiet. After 1 hour or so good birds started to turn up including Shikra, Levant Sparrowhawk, adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher,  Green Leaf Warbler and Red-tailed Wheatear. The latter one starts to arrive in October. Then they can turn up anywhere and birds that winter in Kuwait will settle into big wadis mainly in SAANR. The birds seen today were:  Little Egret 20, Steppe Buzzard 1, Sparrowhawk 3, Levant Sparrowhawk 1, Shikra 1,  Laughing Dove 2,  Hoopoe 3, Crested Lark 5, Sand Martin 5, Barn Swallow 10,  Tawny Pipit 1, Tree Pipit 2, Yellow Wagtail 30, Trush Nightingale 3, Red-tailed Wheatear 1, Stonechat 1, Blackcap 2, Garden Warbler 1, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Great Reed Warbler 1, Chiffchaff 2, Green Leaf Warbler 1, Spotted Flycatcher 4, Red-breast Flycatcher 5, Red-backed Shrike 1, Golden Oriole 2, Common Rosefinch 6, Ortolan Bunting 1.

Juvenile Shikra (Accipiter badius) Note pale iris, 5 visible bands on the tail and black wing tips. Not so easy bird to identify in the field.

Juvenile Levant Sparrowhawk (Accipiter brevipes) Note dark iris and bold streaking/spotting on breast and yellow cere.

Same juvenile Levant Sparrowhawk taking off.

Adult male Red-breasted Flycatcher (Ficedula parva)

Green Leaf Warbler (Phylloscopus nitidus) Previously this species was considered to be a race of Greenish Warbler (Phylloscopus trochiloides nitidus)