Kuwait Trip Report Winter Tour 12-20 November 2016

Participant from left to right: Brian Rasmussen, Daniel Mauras, Henrik Rask, Jean-Jacques CLEMENT, Thierry JEAN, Francis SMIGIELSKI and Hugues Axel DUFOURNY.
12th November: Arrival at Kuwait airport and overnight at Continental Inn.
13th 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.
14th 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.
15th 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 12th 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.
16th 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.
17th 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.

Crested Honey Buzzard at Jahra Farms. This bird’s wing moult has reached the 6th primary, only outer 5 primary are old. Photo: ©Daniel Mauras
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.
18th 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.
19th 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.