Bird Diaries

Tuesday, 12/18/2007 Al Ain, U.A.E.

A pair of Crested Larks outside the walls of the cemetery on the ground, spiky crest prominent.

Some kind of nondescript finch in the palm plantation uniformly grey-brown, feeding on the seed-filled tufts of the long grass.

Wednesday, 12/26/2007

Pair of Little Green Bee-eaters in a tree in the cemetery.

One Palestine Sunbird. Mary noted its iridescence, its metallic blue and lilac sheen, as the guide describes it.

Monday, 1/7/2008

A Nile Valley Sunbird? (Maybe, too big.) A female, perhaps.

Wednesday, 1/16/2008

Very rainy day in the Muataredh oasis, the burnt sienna tones are very prominent.

I believe I saw some Nile Valley Sunbirds, as the yellow belly was evident on the female and glimpsed a male eclipse [?], since I saw some dark on its throat. One close up and saw it flick its wings.

As I approached the oasis I saw a big bird in the sky far away at the other side of the oasis, perhaps the raptor Tim Wright mentioned seeing.

1/24/2008

Lots of Black-winged Stilts here at Neima pools.
2-3 Little Green Bee-eaters
Yellow Wagtail?                                                      frantic pecking on ground near water
(doubtful)                                                                  black legs; also, a darting sideways
(because of)                                                                                           walk as if blown by
(no white eyebrow)                                                                               the wind

White/Pied Wagtails: thin black breast band

Grey Heron (?): very big, at edge of water

Lots of small swallows
              scared up something from rushes several
                                                                    times
                                                                    that flew
                                                                    straight up
                                                                    then away
                                                                    with short tail
                                                                    size of
                                                                    very small heron

4/8/2008 (w/ Huw at Neima pools)

Blue Rock Thrush
Common Sandpiper
Isabelline (Dorian) Shrike & Turkestan (phoenicuroides)
(Rufous-tailed) Rock Thrush
Laughing Dove
? Hume's Wheatear
Pale Crag Martin = Rock Martin
Eurasian Crag = Crag
Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Rufous Bushchat) Rufous Bush Robin
Lesser Whitethroat (warbler) Common Whitethroat ?
Upcher's Warbler vs. Olivaceous (?)
Spotted Crake (didn't spot)
Desert Lark
Collared Dove
Pallid Swift
Black-winged Stilt
Red-wattled Plover
Moor Hens
Teal
Grey Francolin
Striated Bunting (didn't see)
Barbary Falcon (didn't see)
Red & Yellow-vented Bulbuls
House Sparrows
Indian Roller
Wood Sandpiper
Little Stints
Kentish Plover w/ 2 chicks
Green Sandpiper
Common Snipes
Ruff
Caspian Reed Warblers (heard)
Little Grebes
Crested Lark
Egyptian Goose
Little Ringed Plover
? Western Reef Heron
Grey Heron
Little Egret vs. Reef Egret
Great Egret
Terek Sandpiper (1st for Huw in Al Ain)
Glossy Ibis
Greater White-fronted Goose
Little Tern
White-eared Bulbul
Common Mina
Common Redstart
Arabian Babbler
Song Thrush
Desert (Lesser) Whitethroat
50 Purple (Palestine) Sunbirds