Kuwait Trip Report Winter Tour 12-20 November 2016

12^th November: Arrival at Kuwait airport and overnight at Continental Inn.

13^th November: At 6am we left the hotel with boxed breakfast towards Abu Al-Hasaniya. There we first encountered eleven Lesser Crested Tern then a Greater Crested Tern landed on steel wires showed well through scope being distinctly larger the nearby Lesser Crested Terns. At park lawn, we saw 10’s of Common Mynas and a single Asian Pied Starling. At least three Hypocolius flew overhead. At the beach were two Grey Herons, five Great Cormorants, a Spotted Redshank and a couple of Little Egrets, Western Reef Herons and a Slender-billed Gull 16. We also saw Little Stints, a couple of Sanderlings and a House Crow kept flying overhead. On the trees of house garden nearby we saw a Honey Buzzard perching then moving to another, but we couldn’t confirm If it is a Crested or European Honey Buzzard. White-eared Bulbuls were everywhere, we even saw a number of them before we stopped at our first birding site.

We then drove to Green Island arrived at 10 am, we soon were greeted by a number of Hypocoliuses flying overhead, we then had close views of some perched birds, while walking we encountered a perched Red-vented Bulbul. We then stopped at an elevated ground trying to photograph a group of hypocoliuses moving inside a tree, but then a Ruppell’s Weaver came close and perched on a very close tree were everybody had some good views of the bird

We saw in total at Green Island 25 species; Great Cormorant 1, Pallid Harrier 1, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Greater Sand-Plover 10, Kentish Plover 14, Common Ringed Plover 2, Common Sandpiper 1, Eurasian Collared-Dove 14, Laughing Dove 5, Pallid Swift 1, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Masked Shrike 1, Barn Swallow 1, Red-vented Bulbul 3, White-eared Bulbul 20, Common Chiffchaff 1, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Menetries’s Warbler 1, Common Myna 15, Red-throated Pipit 1, Hypocolius 28, Chaffinch 1, House Sparrow 5, Yellow-throated Sparrow 1, Rüppell’s Weaver 2, Eurasian Golden Oriole 1.

Our last birding site of the day was the famous wetland of Kuwait, the Jahra Pools Reserve. We spent less than an hour there and left after sunset. We managed to see:

Mallard 3, Northern Shoveler 10, Eurasian Teal 5, Common Pochard 5, Common Quail 1, Little Grebe 2, Great Cormorant 1, Griffon Vulture 1, Greater Spotted Eagle 12, Steppe Eagle 54, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier 2, Grey-headed Swamphen 12, Common Moorhen 17, Eurasian Coot 21, White-tailed Lapwing 3, Ruff 1, Dunlin 3, Common Redshank 1, White-throated Kingfisher 2, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater 12, Spanish Sparrow 50.

14^th November: We started at Jahra Pools Reserve, birds seen at this site:

Eurasian Wigeon 5, Mallard 3, Northern Pintail 15, Garganey 1, Eurasian Teal 17, Common Pochard 46, Ferruginous Duck 7, Tufted Duck 1, Little Grebe 1, Little Bittern 1, Grey Heron 1, Purple Heron 1, Great Egret 4, Little Egret 2, Squacco Heron 4, Griffon Vulture 8, Steppe Eagle 57, Imperial Eagle 4, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier 3, Little Crake 3, Grey-headed Swamphen 2, Common Moorhen 20, Eurasian Coot 20, Eurasian Oystercatcher 10, Grey Plover 20, White-tailed Lapwing 3, Lesser Sand-Plover 2, Greater Sand-Plover 15, Eurasian Curlew 15, Ruff 2, Broad-billed Sandpiper 1, Dunlin 55, Common Snipe 2, Terek Sandpiper 1, Green Sandpiper 1, Common Greenshank 6, Marsh Sandpiper 3, Common Redshank 5, Caspian Gull 2, Heuglin’s Gull 2, Steppe Gull  1, Gull-billed Tern 4, Caspian Tern 1, Stock Dove 1, Pallid Swift 13, Eurasian Penduline Tit 3, Eurasian Reed-Warbler 1, Graceful Prinia 2, Bluethroat 2, Water Pipit 1.

We then went to Jahra East Outfall which produced: Asian Desert Warbler 4, Menetries’s Warbler 1, Desert Wheatear 2, Isabelline Wheatear 1. Greater Flamingo 70, Great Egret 15, Eurasian Spoonbill 1, Osprey 1.

15^th November: We started in the morning at Mutla’a Ranch, after we had our breakfast and coffee, we found a Red-breasted Flycatcher then a mega rarity appeared! An Eversmann’s Redstart, seen very well by all the visiting group and we spent some time taking photographs of very sought after bird. It is the 12^th record for Kuwait if accepted by KORC. Afterwards we found a stunning male Asian Shikra.

Birds seen at Mutla’a Ranch include:

Eversmann’s Redstart 1, Asian Shikra 1, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 1, Eurasian Collared-Dove 17, Laughing Dove 5, White-throated Kingfisher 1, White-eared Bulbul 21, European Robin 3, Red-breasted Flycatcher 3.

We then visited Doha Spit to the waders, birds seen:

Great Cormorant 1000, Grey Heron 5, Little Egret 1, Western Reef-Heron 5, Pallid Harrier 1, Eurasian Oystercatcher 5, Lesser Sand-Plover 5, Greater Sand-Plover 45, Whimbrel 2, Eurasian Curlew 9, Ruddy Turnstone 1, Curlew Sandpiper 1, Sanderling 1, Dunlin 25, Terek Sandpiper 11, Common Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper 2, Common Redshank 48, Crab Plover 230, Slender-billed Gull 55, Heuglin’s Gull 2, Steppe Gull 7, Little Tern 8, Caspian Tern 17.

In the evening, we visited Sulaibikhat Bay, to see; Greater Flamingo 250, Grey Heron 16, Dunlin 55, Citrine Wagtail 1.

At Sulaibikhat Sports Club, we had Mallard 18, Eurasian Teal 8, White Stork 1, Grey Heron 15, Western Reef-Heron 7, Grey Plover 5, Lesser Sand-Plover 15, Greater Sand-Plover 71, Dunlin 50, Crab Plover 156, White-throated Kingfisher 1.

16^th November: Started our birding day at United Poultry Company dumping Site. We were looking for a Buff-bellied Pipit seen Yesterday, our search was not fruitfull, but we managed to see a single Oriental Lark, Steppe Eagle 1, Black Kite 1, Northern Lapwing 1, Kentish Plover 4, Common Ringed Plover 2, Dunlin 1, Common Kestrel 1, Lesser Short-toed Lark 2, Skylark 4, White Wagtail 15, Water Pipit 10.

We then visited Abraq Al-Habari oasis. A Eurasian Woodcock seen by some of group before it had gone undercover, then managed to see a perched juvenile Asian Shikra and Oriental Honey Buzzard.

Our list included: Oriental Honey Buzzard 1, Pallid Harrier 1, Asian Shikra 1, European Robin 2, Red-breasted Flycatcher 2, Caspian Stonechat 1, Byzantine Stonechat 1, Fieldfare 1, Song Thrush 4, Water Pipit 11, Siskin 1, Common Blackbird 1.

We decided to end the day at Kabd Reserve to search for Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, but we only 45 minutes before sunset, we managed to see only; Namaqua Dove 34, Steppe Grey Shrike 1, European Stonechat 1, Finsch’s Wheatear 1.

17^th November: In the morning, we went back to Kabd Reserve to search again for Black-crowned Sparrow-lark. We saw more than 24 Black-crowned Sparrow-Larks and a male Finsch’s Wheatear.

Birds seen at Kabd Reserve include: Short-toed Snake-Eagle 1, Imperial Eagle 1, Long-legged Buzzard 1, Woodchat Shrike 1, Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark 24, Greater Short-toed Lark 2, Asian Desert Warbler 1, Finsch’s Wheatear 1 male, Desert Wheatear 4, Isabelline Wheatear 4

We then visited Jahra Farms to find; Oriental Honey-buzzard 1, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 2, White-throated Kingfisher 1, Masked Shrike 1, White-eared Bulbul 3, Common Bluethroat 1, Black-throated Thrush 2, Song Thrush 5, Common Myna 4, White Wagtail 2, White Wagtail 3, Olive-backed Pipit 2, Water Pipit 6.

 

We decided to finish the day at Jal Al Zor to find red-tailed Wheatear, we found instead a Hooded Wheatear 1, Long-legged Buzzard 1, Eastern Mourning Wheatear 7, Desert Wheatear 7.

18^th November: This morning, we decided to drive south of the country to find a Red-tailed Wheatear. We stopped at Fintas Park to find; Laughing Dove 2, Masked Shrike 1, Common Chiffchaff 4, Clamorous Reed-Warbler 1, Eurasian Blackcap 1, Garden Warbler 1, Barred Warbler 1, Lesser Whitethroat 1, Rüppell’s Weaver 1. In our way, we stopped also at Zour Sewer Plant Reeds to find only two Eurasian Marsh-Harrier. We reached our destination, Al-Nuwaiseeb – Rubbish Dumps, to find our target bird a Red-tailed Wheatear, and also saw Pied Wheatear 1, Desert Wheatear 5, Isabelline Wheatear 2.

We ended our day at Al-Zour Port Village, were lucky to find a single Hume’s Warbler, which seen very well, also we saw Great Cormorant 12, Common Kestrel 1, Eurasian Hobby 1, Song Thrush, Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat 1, Common Redstart ssp. samamisicus 1, Western Black Redstart 1, Central Asian Black Redstart 1.

19^th November: We started the day at Al-Shallal’s Farm, in the beginning it seemed very quiet, but it got excited as we found another Eversmann’s Redstart, it was a skulking bird but after sometime we managed to see it very well. Birds that were seen at this farm include; Isabelline Shrike 1, Bluethroat 1, White Wagtail 3, Meadow Pipit 1, Red-throated Pipit 1, Water Pipit 12

We then went to Jal Al Zor, to find; Greater Hoopoe-Lark 4, Crested Lark 1, Mourning Wheatear 5, Desert Wheatear 2.

Again, visited the Jahra Pools Reserve to find; Ferruginous Duck 12, Little Grebe 11, Great Crested Grebe 1, Black-necked Grebe 1, Grey Heron 3, Great Egret 1, Little Egret 10, Squacco Heron 3, Greater Spotted Eagle 2, Eurasian Coot 45, Slender-billed Gull 1, Pallid Swift 15.

Finally, we ended the tour at Sulaibikhat Bay, when it was at high tide, we found the following:

Greater Flamingo 850, Great Cormorant 20, Grey Heron 153, Eurasian Spoonbill 1, Kentish Plover 90, Common Ringed Plover 61, Broad-billed Sandpiper 45, Curlew Sandpiper 3, Dunlin 1650, Little Stint 122, Common Redshank 88, Crab Plover 70, Caspian Tern 2, Whiskered Tern 8, Water Pipit 130, Hypocolius 73.

 

Bird List: Taxonomic Order and Sequence follows OSME Region List http://osme.org/ORL which in turn follows Gill & Wright (2006) Birds of the World: Recommended English Names – the published list of the International Ornithological Congress [IOC] regional sub-committees. (http://www.worldbirdnames.org/).

Gadwall Anas strepera 

Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 

Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata

Northern Pintail Anas acuta 

Garganey Anas querquedula

Eurasian Teal Anas crecca

Common Pochard Aythya ferina

Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca

Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula 

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis iraquensis

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus 

Western White Stork Ciconia ciconia 

Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia 

Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus 

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 

Western Great Egret Ardea alba 

Little Egret Egretta garzetta 

Indian Reef Heron Egretta gularis schistacea 

Continental Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax sinensis 

Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus 

Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus

Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus 

Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus 

Greater Spotted Eagle Clanga clanga 

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis 

Eastern Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca 

Asian Shikra Accipiter (badius) cenchroides 

Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus 

Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 

Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus 

Black-eared Kite Milvus (migrans) lineatus 

Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus 

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus 

Little Crake Zapornia parva 

Grey-headed Swamphen Porphyrio (porphyrio) poliocephalus 

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 

Eurasian Coot Fulica atra 

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus 

Crab-plover Dromas ardeola 

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 

White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus

Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola 

Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula 

Kentish Plover Anarhynchus alexandrinus 

Lesser Sand Plover Anarhynchus atrifrons 

Greater Sand Plover Anarhynchus leschenaultii 

Eurasian Woodcock Scolopax rusticola 

Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago 

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 

Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica 

Eurasian Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus 

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata 

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus 

Common Redshank Tringa totanus 

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis 

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia 

Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus 

Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus 

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos 

Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres 

Sanderling Calidris alba 

Little Stint Calidris minuta 

Dunlin Calidris alpina 

Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea 

Broad-billed Sandpiper Limicola falcinellus 

Ruff Philomachus pugnax 

Slender-billed Gull Chroicocephalus genei 

Common Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus 

Caspian Gull Larus cachinnans 

Armenian Gull Larus armenicus 

Heuglin’s Gull Larus (fuscus/heuglini) heuglini 

Steppe Gull Larus (fuscus/heuglini) barabensis 

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica 

Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia 

Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii 

Lesser Crested Tern Thalasseus bengalensis 

Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis 

Little Tern Sternula albifrons 

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida 

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 

Feral Pigeon Columba livia forma domestica 

Western Stock Dove Columba oenas 

African Collared Dove Streptopelia roseogrisea

Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto 

Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis 

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis 

Pallid Swift Apus pallidus 

White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis 

Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops persicus 

Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops 

Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus 

Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo 

Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri 

Daurian Shrike Lanius isabellinus 

Turkestan Shrike Lanius phoenicuroides 

Mauryan Grey Shrike Lanius lahotra pallidirostris 

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator 

Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus 

Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus 

House Crow Corvus splendens 

Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus 

Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus 

Greater Hoopoe-Lark Alaemon alaudipes 

Greater Short-toed Lark Calandrella brachydactyla 

Lesser Short-toed Lark Alaudala rufescens 

Crested Lark Galerida cristata 

Eurasian Skylark Alauda arvensis 

Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula 

Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix nigriceps 

Temminck’s Lark Eremophila bilopha 

Sand Martin Riparia riparia 

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica 

White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis 

Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer 

Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita

Hume’s Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei 

Indian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus (stentoreus) brunnescens 

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon 

Eurasian Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus 

Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis 

Afghan Babbler Turdoides (caudata) huttoni 

Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla 

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin 

Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria 

Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca 

Central Asian Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia (althaea) halimodendri

Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana 

Common Whitethroat Sylvia communis 

Ménétries’s Warbler Sylvia mystacea 

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris 

Common Blackbird Turdus merula 

Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis 

Fieldfare Turdus pilaris 

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos 

European Robin Erithacus rubecula 

Red-spotted Bluethroat Luscinia svecica 

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva 

Eversmann’s Redstart Phoenicurus erythronotus 

Western Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros 

Central Asian Black Redstart Phoenicurus (ochruros) phoenicuroides 

Common Redstart Phoenicurus phoenicurus samamisicus

European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola 

Caspian Stonechat Saxicola maurus hemprichii 

Byzantine Stonechat Saxicola maurus variegatus

Northern Wheatear Oenanthe oenanthe 

Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina 

Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha 

Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti 

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka 

Finsch’s Wheatear Oenanthe finschii 

Eastern Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens 

Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe chrysopygia 

Asian Pied Starling Gracupica contra (Escape)

Common Myna Acridotheres tristis 

Crested Myna Acridotheres cristatellus (Escape)

House Sparrow Passer domesticus

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis 

Yellow-throated Sparrow Gymnoris xanthocollis

Blue-headed Wagtail Motacilla (flava) flava 

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola 

White Wagtail Motacilla alba 

Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris 

Meadow Pipit Anthus pratensis 

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis 

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus 

Caucasian Water Pipit Anthus (spinoletta) coutelli 

Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs 

Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes 

Eurasian Siskin Spinus spinus 

Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra 

Rüppell’s Weaver Ploceus galbula 

TOTAL: 173 species (not counting escapes and subspecies)

Acknowledgement: I would like to thanks Daniel Mauras for allowing me to use his photographs in this report.