KORC Rarity Report 2009

1- KORC Rarity Adjudication

KORC meets quarterly each year to review and adjudicate submitted Rarity Forms for species that are considered Accidental, Vagrant, Rare and Scarce, as well as other specified species that have low and infrequent abundance.

The completed Rarity Forms are reviewed, discussed and either accepted or not by the core KORC members (MP, SIR, PF) who are all based in Kuwait. Consensus must be reached for a decision, but if a decision cannot be reached, then the external adjudicators (OC, PK) are asked for their opinion for a final decision, which requires a majority vote.

The current Committee is as follows:

Mike Pope (MP) – Kuwait (Chairman, voting member)

Abdulrahman Al-Sirhan (SIR) – Kuwait (Secretary, voting member)

Pekka Fagel (PF) – Kuwait (voting member)

Brian Foster (BF) – England (voting member)

2- Accepted Records  by Species for Category A and C

Seven (7) new species (1^st) were recorded and accepted in Kuwait in 2010 and these are highlighted in the table below.

SPECIES	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SIGHTING #	DATE	# Birds	LOCATION	OBSERVER(S)
Asian Koel	Eudynamys scolopaceus	1	22 Feb 09	1	Abdaly	Ouda Al-Bathali
Mongolian Finch	Bucanetes mongolicus	1	05 Mar 09	1	SAANR	K Al Alghanim
Sooty Shearwater	Puffinus griseus	1	09 May 09	1	On route to Kubbar Island	H Al-Shayji
Sombre Tit	Poecile lugubris	1	04 Sep 09	1	Messila Beach	W Scheepers
African Darter	Anhinga (melanogaster) rufa	1	24 Sep 09	2	Jahra Pools Reserve (JPR)	R Al Hajji
Dusky Warbler	Phylloscopus fuscatus	1	29 Oct 09	1	Jahra Farm	P Fagel
Indian Pond Heron	Ardeola grayii	1	7 Nov 09	1	Al-Abraq	A Al Sirhan
White-tailed Eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla	1	25 Nov 09	1	Jahra Coastal Area	O Al Bathali

Many other rarities were recorded during the year and these are reflected in the table below:

SPECIES	SCIENTIFIC NAME	SIGHTING #	DATE	# Birds	LOCATION	OBSERVER(S)
Crested Honey Buzzard	Pernis ptilorhyncus	9	01-Jan-09	1	Al-Abraq	M Pope, P Fagel
Stock Dove	Columba oenas	5	01-Jan-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	P Fagel
Buff-bellied Pipit	Anthus (rubescens) japonicus	11	21-Feb-09	3	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	A Al Sirhan
Pallid Scops Owl	Otus brucei	4	28-Feb-09	1	Jahra	M Kaoiwi
Buff-bellied Pipit	Anthus (rubescens) japonicus	12	24-Mar-09	1	SAANR	M Pope
Black Stork	Ciconia nigra	9	07-Apr-09	1	Sulaibikhat Reserve	M Pope
Grey-necked Bunting	Emberiza buchanani	2	13-Apr-09	1	SAANR	B Moreth, H Krieger
Spur-winged Lapwing	Vanellus spinosus	9	22-Apr-09	1	Jahra East Outfall (JEO)	R Al Hajji
Grey Phalarope	Phalaropus fulicarius	4	29-Apr-09	1	Jahra East Outfall (JEO)	R Al Hajji
Rock Bunting	Emberiza cia	3	05-May-09	1	SAANR	K Al Ghanem
Red-footed Falcon	Falco vespertinus	2	10-May-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	R Al Hajji
Black Tern	Chlidonias niger	10	24-Jun-09	1	Jahra East Outfall (JEO)	R Al Hajji
Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea	4	27-Jun-09	1	Jahra East Outfall (JEO)	R Al Hajji
Long-tailed Skua	Stercorarius longicaudus	2	01-Jul-09	1	Jahra Coastal Area	H Al Shaygi
Black Tern	Chlidonias niger	11	04-Jul-09	1	Jahra East Outfall (JEO)	R Al Hajji
Black-winged Kite	Elanus caeruleus	11	17-Jul-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	M Pope
Arabian Grey Shrike	Lanius aucheri	2	09 Aug 09	1	Khiran	R Al Hajji
Common Crane	Grus grus	4	17-Sep-09	35	Jahra East Outfall (JEO)	R Al Hajji
Black-winged Kite	Elanus caeruleus	12	23-Oct-09	1	Al-Abraq	P Fagel
Eurasian Golden Plover	Pluvialis apricaria	6	1-Nov-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	H Al Shaygi
Dead Sea Sparrow	Passer moabiticus	8	4-Nov-09	1	Jahra Pools Reserve (JPR)	R Al Hajji
Rustic Bunting	Emberiza rustica	2	7-Nov-09	1	Al-Abraq	B Foster, P Fagel, S Price
Dead Sea Sparrow	Passer moabiticus	9	6-Nov-09	4	Al-Abraq	P Fagel, B Foster, S Price
Rufous Turtle Dove	Streptopelia o. meena	7	6-Nov-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	AbdulMohsen Al-Suraye
Sociable Lapwing	Vanellus gregarius	5	8-Nov-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	A Al Suraye
Ferruginous Duck	Aythya nyroca	6	9-Nov-09	1	Jahra Pools Reserve (JPR)	R Al Hajji, A Al Sirhan
Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons	2	14-Nov-09	2	Kuwait International Golf Course	S Price
Stock Dove	Columba oenas	6	14-Nov-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	R Saval
Ferruginous Duck	Aythya nyroca	7	2-Dec-09	2	Jahra Pools Reserve (JPR)	Khaled Al-Ghanem
Hume’s Wheatear	Oenanthe albonigra	7	12-Dec-09	1	SAANR	B Foster, P Fagel
Buff-bellied Pipit	Anthus (rubescens) japonicus	13	19-Dec-09	1	Sulaibiya, Pivot Fields	M Pope, B Foster

Aside from the new species added to the Kuwait List, there were some very good 2^nd records for during this year.

• Grey-necked Bunting in SAANR, with the 1^st record also been found in SAANR in 2005
• Red-footed Falcon in Pivot Fields, with the first record being that of a deceased bird found in 2002
• Long-tailed Skua in Jahra Pools Reserve, with the 1^st record being seen at Doha in 1994
• Rustic Bunting at Al Abraq, with the 1^st record being discovered in Ahmadi in 1953 – so this was a great find
• Greater White-fronted Goose at Kuwait International Golf Course near Wafra, with first record from Ras Subiya in 2005

3- Not Proven Records

Species	Scientific Name	Date	Location	Not Proven Reason
Oriental Pratincole	Glareola maldivarum	21 Apr 09	Pivot Fields	Withdrawn by observer
Arctic Tern	Sterna paradisaea	29 Apr 09	Jahra East Outfall	Key features could not be confirmed from single photograph

4- Other Records of Interest

Other interesting observations in 2009 were for:

• The Buff-bellied Pipit at Tuhla was the first photographic record of this species in breeding plumage
• Exciting news that finally Basra Reed Warbler was confirmed breeding at Jahra Pools Reserve when a young juvenile was photographed
• The Little Bunting was recorded as a winter rarity, as it has been seldom seen and this was the first confirmed photograph of this species
• A Great Snipe is a rarity and a good record seen at Jahra Farms in May, toward the end of Spring