27-31/03/2008 at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields, Kabd and KISR West

Trips to the Pivot Fields between 27/03 and 30/03 yielded up to 100 Cattle Egrets, 3 White Storks (29/03/2008), 15 Steppe Eagles, 1 Imperial Eagle, 1 Greater Spotted Eagle, 3 Montagu’s Harriers, 6 Pallid Harriers, 1 Eurasian Hobby, 12 Caspian Plovers, over 8 Collared Pratincoles, 50+ Eurasian Hoopoes, in excess of 300 hundred Greater Short-toed Larks and Yellow Wagtails, as well as the usual migrants.

30/03/2008: A visit to Kabd with a visiting Belgium group on 30/03/2008 proved quite fruitful, with 15 Dunn’s Larks, 30+ Black-crowned Sparrow-larks, 1 Short-toed Eagle, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, 1 Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush, 1 Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin, 1 White-throated Robin, 1 Upcher’s Warbler, 1 Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, 1 Asian Desert Warbler, 1 Ménétries’ Warbler, 1 Lesser Whitethroat, 3 Common Redstarts and a Crag Martin. The latter was probably also the same species the visiting German group and myself saw a few days previously, but were unable to identify.

31/3/2008: The lawns at the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR) at Shuwaikh continue to attract small numbers of migrants: the ca. 6 Tree Pipits have now augmented by a group of 20 Red-throated Pipits. Only a couple of Yellow Wagtails remain, but 1 male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush and a female Blue Rock Thrush have joined 4 Eurasian Hoopoes, four Pied Wheatears, 1 Northern Wheatear and Isabelline Shrike on the lawns. A Squacco Heron appears regularly on one lawn immediately after working hours, taking advantage of the peace and quiet. A further 12 Squacco Herons and 120 Greater Flamingos were present in the Sulabikhat Bay at KISR.

Dunn’s Lark singing

Squacco Heron

Red-throated Pipit

Steppe Eagle with Imperial Eagle at the Pivot Fields