SANDGROUSE Volume 22 (2) | 2000 ee Nag Aa ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF THE MIDDLE EAST ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF THE MIDDLE EAST OSME OSME was founded in 1978 as the successor to the Ornithological Society of Turkey. Its primary aims are: - & To collect, collate, and publish data on all aspects of the birds of the Middle East. — & To promote an interest in ornithology and bird conservation throughout the Middle East. @ To develop productive working relationships with other governmental and non-governmental organisations with an interest in conservation and/or natural history in the region. MEMBERSHIP OSME is open to all, and its membership spans over 40 countries. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP Individual £15 (UK address) £20 (Europe) £20 (Surface mail outside Europe) £25 (Airmail outside Europe) Institutions £30 (Add £5 for Airmail) Write to the Membership Secretary at the address below for a membership form detailing methods of payment and also rates for Family, Supporting and Life membership. For any other information on the Society, write to the Secretary at the same address. PUBLICATIONS OSME publishes a scientific journal, Sandgrouse, containing papers, news and features on all aspects of Middle Eastern ornithology. Published twice yearly, it is issued free to members. Further copies are available for sale from OSME. MEETINGS ____ An Annual General Meeting is held in London at which guest speakers provide new perspectives on ornithology in the region. There are also occasional special meetings, some taking place outside the UK. PROJECTS OSME organises field expeditions to collect data on birds in little-known parts of the region and in areas where OSME can. assist by teaming up with local groups. The Conservation & Research Committee grants funds to valuable field projects and desk studies which further knowledge and conservation of birds in the region. Grants have been awarded to over 30 projects since the Conservation & Research Fund was set up in 1982. VICE PRESIDENTS: Prof. Abdulaziz H. Abuzinada Sherif Baha El Din Shaika Noora Bint Isa Bin Sulman AI Khalifa B. Behrouzi-Rad Dr Saeed Mohamed Anis Mouasher ~ Dr Omar Al-Saghier Dr Yossi Leshem Richard Porter COUNCIL AS AT SEPTEMBER 2000: __. | ee D. Balmer D. Moore Publicity K. Betton Information Officer publicity@osme.org information@osme.org A. J. Morris C. G. Bradshaw fundraiser@osme.org Conservation & Research S. Parr c&r@osme.org S. Busuttil iba@osme.org R. Daniel Librarian A. Grieve Chairman chairman@osme.org Dr D. Harvey Features Editor, Sandgrouse features@osme.org R. P. Martins (co-opted) Turkey Bird Report O. Roberts Secretary secretary@osme.org H. I. Scott (co-opted) Publications Officer F. E. Warr (co-opted) Sales & Mailing sales@osme.org A. J. Warr Treasurer & Membership membership@osme.org a RS TT © 2000 Ornithological Society of the Middle East ISSN 0260-4736 Registered charity no 282938 c/o THE LODGE, SANDY, BEDFORDSHIRE SG19 2DL, UK ~ OSME WEs SITE - http://www.osme.org Contents SANDGROUSE Volume 22 (2) Editor Guy M. Kirwan Features Editor Derek Harvey Assistant Editor lan J. Andrews Editorial Committee Michael Blair, Paul Goriup, Ben Hoare, Mike Jennings, Rodney Martins, Peter L. Meininger & Dr Stephen Newton Photographic Editor Paul Doherty Design & Production Harry |. Scott Identification Consultants C. G. Bradshaw, Arnoud B. van den Berg & Steve Madge Cover Photograph: Eagle Owl Bubo bubo, taken by Leo Boon at Eilat, Israel, January 1993. OSME ts grateful for sponsorship from Subbuteo Natural History Books towards the cost of printing the colour photographs inside this issue. 82 84 85 87 93 101 104 109 113 118 122 2D 125 127 130 131 ike) 135 136 137 152 141 143 145 146 OSME News REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION NEWS AND INFORMATION Habitat, distribution and breeding biology of Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria BOJAN MILCHEV AND ANTON KOVACHEV Dhahran: an Arabian Gulf hotspot DR GRAHAM R. LOBLEY PHOTOSPOT Collared Pratincoles breeding in Oman HANNE AND JENS ERIKSEN PAPERS AND NOTES The desert birds of south-west Asia P. J. COWAN The occurence of the North African subspecies of Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens halophila in Egypt SHERIF M. BAHA EL DIN AND MINDY BAHA EL DIN Primary moult in Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius on autumn migration in Kuwait GEORGE GREGORY A characterisation of the homozygous dark morph of Eleonora’s Falcon D. Ristow, L. WITTE AND M. WINK Notes on the birds of Lebanon, autumn—winter 1999 COLIN BEALE Shearwater passage along the north Cyprus coast ARTHUR STAGG The first Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf PETER HELLYER The first Pink-backed Pelican in Jordan HADORAM SHIRIHAI, FARES KHOURY, SHARIF AL-JBOUR AND REUVEN YOSEF The first Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor in Yemen and the Middle East DAvID B. STANTON The first Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma in Israel and the Western Palearctic HADORAM SHIRIHAI First and second records of Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus in Iran. MARC DUQUET AND COLIN RICHARDSON Comments on the buzzards of the Central Plateau, Turkey ALAN VITTERY Cannibalism and scavenging by wintering Coot Fulica atra REUVEN YOSEF The first Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata in Egypt and the Western Palearctic SEPPA HAAVISTO AND ANTE STRAND Status of White-tailed Plover Chettusia leucura and Sociable Plover C. gregaria in coastal north-west Saudi Arabia—an addendum to Kasparek (1992) BRIAN S. MEADOWS Physical characteristics of a hybrid Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica x House Martin Delichon urbica at Eilat, Israel REUVEN YOSEF Two new bird species in Kuwait N. CLEERE, D. KELLY AND COW: 1. PIL@HER The first breeding record of Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus in Syria JOSE TAVARES, PEDRO SA PESSOA AND FAUSTO BRITO E ABREU Notes on the breeding biology of Arabian Babbler Tiurdoides squamiceps and nestlings of Common Myna Acridotheres tristis PETER CASTELL 148 PROFILE Geoff & Hilary Welch DEREK HARVEY 152 REVIEWS & RECENT LITERATURE 156 AROUND THE REGION CHRIS G. BRADSHAW AND Guy M. KIRWAN ol Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 COUNCIL CHANGES OSME was sorry to see the retirement from Council of Adrian Colston (former Treasurer), Pete Davidson (Information Officer) and Tony Morris (Secretary); grateful thanks to them for their assistance over the past five years. The role of Secretary is a particularly important task in any voluntary organisation, and OSME’s recent strength is a reflection of the dedication and service of the retiring incumbent. Fortunately Tony has agreed to remain on Council to assist with fund-raising projects. Council is particularly pleased to welcome Owen Roberts as the new Secretary, following a baptism of fire, as Membership Secretary, during the last two years; we are pleased to have found such a worthy successor to Tony. John Warr has agreed to extend his Treasurer role to cover the membership database, as the two jobs are closely intertwined. We are also pleased to welcome Dawn Balmer and Keith Betton onto Council, both have excellent connections with different parts of the region. Keith will serve as a point of contact for those seeking information concerning the region, as OSME Information Officer. Council invites others interested in promoting birdwatching and conservation of birds in the _ Middle East to make contact. We need your help in order to achieve more in the region, in ways that only a voluntary charity such as OSME can do. OSME, THE CENTRAL ASIAN CONNECTION For many years it has been recognised that the typically Middle Eastern avifauna occurs 82 LS Dies a much broader geographical area than that presently covered by ©3SME Wie development of contacts with ornithologists and conservationists in Central Asia has demonstrated that we share similar objectives. BirdLife International, Middle East Division, operating from Jordan, are now also promoting bird conservation in Central Asia and it appears logical for OSME to also forge closer links with this region. Council has therefore decided, with the agreement of the AGM, to extend the OSME region to cover those countries at our former northern boundary, namely Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. Our initials, OSME, will remain unaltered, but the Strapline .will be expanded «fo tie ‘Ornithological Society of the Middle East and Central Asia’. In future, Sandgrouse (commencing with volume 23 part 1) will feature (as it partially does already) papers, news, requests, etc. from Central Asia and the Caucasus, and will publish records of note from these areas in Around the Region. Council will also consider conservation and research funding requests, and invites those interested in birdwatching in these countries to join OSME to help such work. Anyone requiring more information, or interested to discuss this further, are welcome to contact me by e- mail at chairman@osme.org, or at the following address: Hillcrest, Whitgift, near Goole, East Yorkshire, DN14 8HL, U. K. OSME/NHBS BOOK AWARD OSME is pleased to announce that Fares Khoury of Jordan has been awarded a OSME/NHBS book award. We are grateful to the Natural History Book Service (NHBS) for providing this opportunity to promote birdwatching and conservation in the Middle East. Applications are invited, from residents of the Middle East and Central Asia, for an OSME/NHBS book award in 2001. Awards are made to the value of UK£100. Please include details of the books requested, together with some information concerning yourself, and an address for the books to be sent to. NHBS are a mail order bookstore with one of the widest ranges of natural history books in the world. You can view the entire bookstore at http://www.nhbs.com. SPONSORSHIP OSME wishes to acknowledge the very generous sponsorship provided by the OSME News following during the year, and for providing prizes at the British Birdwatching Fair in August 2000: Greentours Natural History Holidays, Bird Images, Subbuteo, WildSounds, BirdGuides, In Focus, Gilleard Bros., C. J. Wildbird Foods, the Arabian Breeding Bird Atlas, and Viking Optical. Thank you from OSME. Andrew Grieve, Chairman 22ND ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING There was a good attendance at the AGM in London, on 15 July 2000. Chairman, Andrew Grieve, first introduced Adnan Budieri, Head of BirdLife International Middle East Division, for news of recent conservation developments in the region. This was followed by a positive discussion of OSME incorporating those countries to the north and east of our accepted region, which are not covered by OSME or the Oriental Bird Club. The principle of this development was generally accepted. .There followed an insight into the conser- vation of the Ammiq wetland, in the Lebanese portion of the Bekaa Valley, by Chris Walley of A Rocha. The AGM took place before lunch, with the major change being Owen Roberts taking over as Secretary from Tony Morris. Following the break there was the punishing ordeal of the Chairman’s quiz (he will surely have finished his term before members finally work out his strange sense of humour). The final two presentations were birdwatching in northern Oman, by Derek Moore, and a photographic tour of the . Yemen, by Rob Morris. Thanks are due, again, to Geoff and Hilary Welch for organising the lunch. RECENT AERC MEETING The most recent conference of the Association of European Rarities Committees (AERC) was held in Lednice, Czech Republic, on 17-21 September 1999. Attendees included Judy Dawes, Jeff Gordon and David Whaley, from Cyprus. Unfortunately, Sancar Baris, who is involved in the formation of a much-needed Turkish Rarities Committee, was unable to participate. Among other issues, the meeting discussed progress in rarities committees partnerships, the work of the taxonomic subcommittee, the creation of an International Slender-billed Curlew (Numenius tenuirostris) Committee, slightly revised main aims for the AERC and the problem caused by escapes. Information on the work and aims of the AEG can be accessed via http:/ /aerc.mypage.org. OSME SURVEY IN THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN The Society is currently planning its third expedition, this time to Iran. The research objectives of the project are diverse, and it is hoped to cover many different areas of the country during the planned three-month field programme, in April-June 2002. Members of OSME interested in participating in the survey should contact the expedition leaders, Derek A. Scott and Guy M. Kirwan, at OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U. K. Please provide details of your ornithological and other experience of potential use to the survey (e.g. are you a botanist, car mechanic, first-aider, photog- rapher etc.). Survey participants will be expected to spend at least a month in Iran, and preference will be given to those able to make the entire period. They must also be prepared to make a contribution, probably of £500, towards the cost. THE OSME LIBRARY The library has recently moved to 12 Pine Grove, Paddington, Warrington WA1 3HEF, U.K. Thanks to those who sent items mentioned in Sandgrouse 20: 83. We still lack The birds of Israel (Shirihai) and Birds of southern Arabia (Robinson & Chapman), and the number of trip reports received is still very low. Current gaps include Bahrain Nat. Hist. Soc. Newsletter 1993 (9), 1994 (3 and 6), 1995 (4), 1997 (1); Cyprus Orn. Soc. Ann. Rep. 1976; Dutch Birding 1979.14), 1993-(15.1); Torgos 1983 (6), 1993 (22) and Oman Bird News 1990 (8). All items for the library that do not require a review in Sandgrouse, may be sent direct to the address above. The vast collection of material within the OSME library (see Sandgrouse 20: 83) is available to OSME members and bona fide researchers. Applications to loan material from the OSME library should be made to Ray Daniel at the OSME address or via library@osme.org. Ray Daniel, Librarian 83 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 OSME CONSERVATION PROGRAMME OSME welcomes applications for grants of up to UK£500 from its Conservation and Research Fund, to support research projects in the region. Priority will be given to projects involving nationals from the region, and applicants are required to write up their results for possible publication in Sandgrouse. For further information contact Chris Bradshaw at the OSME address or by e-mail at grants@osme.org. OSME/NHBS BOOK AWARDS The OSME/NHBS book award scheme is a collaborative venture between OSME and the Natural History Book Service (NEIBS). Applicants from the Middle East and Central Asia can apply for ornithological books to the value of UK£100 (c. US$150). The aim of the award is to assist nationals in obtaining materials that are otherwise difficult and expensive in their own countries, to promote their use in bird conservation. Further information and guidelines on how to prepare an application can be obtained by writing tO Book Award” at the OSME address, or by e-mail from book.award@osme.org. BLACK & WHITE ADVERT RATES _ Full page: 210mm tall x 135 wide £100 Half page: 100mm tallx 135 wide £60 Quarter page: 100mm tall x 61 wide £ 40 FULL-COLOUR ADVERT RATES Full page: 210mm tall x 135 wide £200 Back cover: 245mm tallx 170 wide £300 Flyers & insert: Please call for details 54 SITES MONITORING SCHEME The Sites Monitoring Scheme specifically monitors registered Important Bird Areas (IBAs) and potential IBAs in the Middle East and Central Asia. If you would like to contribute to this scheme by targeting specific IBAs on a visit to a country in the Middle East or Central Asia, this would be extremely valuable. For further information and recording sheets, please contact Simon Bussutil at the OSME address or by e-mail iba.sites@osme.org FURTHER INFORMATION For further information concerning the OSME Conservation Programme, please write to OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire, 9G19 2DL, UK cr e-mail OSME at osme@osme.org. Ringed waders and shrikes The IBRCE, in Israel, have been mime waders and shrikes, with red or yellow rings on the left leg. Any observations of such individuals should be directed to Reuven Yosef, International Birding & Research Center in Eilat (IBRCE), P. O. Box 774, Eilat 88106, Israel. Turkey bird sightings sought The Society for the Protection of Nature (DHKD) is seeking unpublished ornitho- logical sightings/reports from Turkey. DHKD has recently started to collate bird literature in order to compile the avifaunal component of the Turkish Biodiversity Atlas Project. Thus, all reports will directly support the conservation of birds and nature in Turkey. All contributions will be fully acknowledged and all reports cited. Please contact Bahtiyar Kurt at Dogal Hayati Koruma Derne$gi, Biirytik Postane Caddesi 43-45, Kat 5-6, Sirkeci, Istanbul, Turkey. E- mail: bahtiyar.kurt@dhkd.org. Fax: + 90 212 528 20 40; Tel: + 902125282030. News & Information On NEWS 6 EINFORMATION The aim of this section is to inform readers about events in the OSME region. It relies on members and others supplying relevant news and information. If you have anything concerning birds, conservation or development in the OSME area please send it to News and Information, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U. K. This section is not intended as a definitive report or write-up of the projects concerned. Many of the projects are sponsored; such support is appreciated but is not generally given acknowledgement here. GENERAL _BirdLife Middle East is producing a newsletter which provides information on projects and developments throughout the region. The inaugural issue, published in March this year, includes short items from Yemen, Lebanon, Bahrain, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Jordan. (Source: BirdLife Middle East in litt. June 2000.) New Important Bird Areas in Europe inventory launched The revised directory of Important Bird Areas in Europe, published by BirdLife International (which again includes Turkey , within its remit), was launched, on 29 March AVOO; at the European Parliament. The inventory has been published in two parts, the first volume covering northern Europe and the other southern Europe, including all of Turkey. The work is likely to be of key importance to | conservation planners, as well as to birdwatchers. (Source: World Birdwatch 22: 6.) Birdwatch Artist of the Year Entries for these prestigious annual awards are now invited. There are four categories: colour, black-and- white, identification and young artist of the year. The only stipulation concerning the subject matter is that the work should feature wild birds. The 2000 awards are being presented in conjunction with HarperCollins Publishers and Swarovski Optik. Each ye oe SSS NRE category winner will receive prizes to the value of £850, with the work deemed to be of the highest overall quality attracting a further, cash prize of £1000. Entries must be submitted by 30 November 2000. A copy of the rules and a registration form can be obtained from Birdwatch, Artist of the Year 2000 Awards, 3D/F Leroy House, 436 Essex Road, London N1 3QP. (Source: Birdwatch press release July 2000.) BAHRAIN End of the road for roosting Grey Hypocolius in Bahrain? Gordon Hoad has described how he listened in stunned silence as he received the news that bulldozers were already on site destroying the Sar roosting site which holds large numbers of Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus from October to late January each year. The area has been one of the best places to see this elusive species throughout the region and its loss will be a tragedy for the birds and birdwatching in the archipelago. What has happened to the government policy in Bahrain to protect the environment and wildlife? Mrs M. Skinner, who lives opposite the Sar site, and who has done much to protect this roost says the owner claims not to have been aware of the area’s value to birds. He has promised to leave some trees and it remains to be seen whether these remnants will hold any attraction for Grey Hypocolius. (Source: Bahrain Nat. Hist. Soc. Newsletter 5, 2000). CYPRUS Serious damage to habitats and birding facilities Phasouri reedbeds and wet meadows will be known to the many who have enjoyed the thrills of watching birds at close quarters at this super place. Great concern has been expressed in recent years at the lack of fresh water present and the drying-out of the habitat. The lack of water is not just due to reduced rainfall, but is largely related to the construction of dams in the adjacent mountains. Recently the inevitable happened and a substantial fire destroyed the 85 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 reedbeds completely. Without knowledgeable water management and commitment to the site’s preservation it is unlikely that it will ever regain its former glory. Coupled with this news is the destruction of the hide at Larnaca Sewage Works, apparently by a bomb, just a month after its completion. Repair work will commence as soon as funds become available. (Source: Birding World 13: 214) RAFOS expedition successful The Royal Air Force Ornithological Society (RAFOS) undertook field work in the north-west of the island during September to October 1999. The survey aimed to monitor autumn bird migration and seabird movements in the Khrysochou Bay area, and was facilitated by the Cyprus Ornithological Society (COS) (1957). Full details of the work will be published in the RAFOS journal in 2000. For further information about the expedition and work of RAFOS contact John N. Wells, Chinook EDIT, RAE ©diham.” Hook Hampshire RG29 1QT, U. K. ISRAEL Ringing at Kibbutz Lotan There is a new ringing station in Israel, c. 60 km north of Eilat. In March 1999 a visiting party of six English ringers caught 700 birds in one week in the kibbutz grounds. Following this initial success, the kibbutz decided to establish a permanent ringing station, which started in spring 2000 when it was operated almost daily from 21 February to 20 May, with William Velmala—a Finnish ringer— managing the station, assisted by local secretaries and visiting ringers. During this first full season, 3,672 passerines of 72 species were ringed along with 127 non-passerines of 12 species. Uhis total ineluided $74 Messer Whitethroat Sylvia curruca and 480 Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida. Two each of Bluethroat Luscinia svecica and Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus were retrapped from the previous spring visit. Two foreign-ringed Lesser Whitethroat were controlled; one from England and one from the Netherlands. This clearly shows the great potential for a long- term programme to study Palearctic migrants passing through or overwintering within the Arava Valley. The kibbutz has its own bird reserve within walking distance of the tourist lodges. As a part of the Green Kibbutz movement it is very keen to support and develop ecotourism and the new ringing station. As yet, the future of the station 86 depends on attracting visiting ringers and helpers. Thus any experienced ringers are welcome to join the research programme. Contact the Kibbutz, via James Smith/David Dolev, Kibbutz Lotan Ringing Station, Doar Na Chevel Eilot 88855, Israel, phone +972-7- 6356-935, fax +972-7-6356-827, or by email Birdlotan@hotmail.com, for more details. KUWAIT Bird recording in Kuwait The number of serious birders in Kuwait has always been very small, though it has increased to 8-9 in the last few years, and is augmented by the occasional visitor. In addition to the recently formed Ornithological Society of Kuwait (see Sandgrouse 22: 3), the country’s ornithological record has been separately maintained over many years, with Charles Pilcher taking over this duty in 1979. The wholly independent Kuwait Ornithological Rarities Committee, KORC, has undertaken this task since 1994, with Charles as bird recorder. Rarity reports are adjudicated on with the help of overseas experts. KORC continues to welcome the submission of ornithological records (charles@hsc.kuniv.edu.kw). Birders seeking further information on Kuwait birding may contact Peter Cowan, KORG secretany, at desertlark@hotmail.com. Information on Kuwait’s new natural history group, which holds field trips and meetings, may be obtained from Howard Marsh (him@bsk.edu.kw). (Source: Peter Cowan in litt. July 2000.) TURKEY Optics needed to help to save Turkey’s birds At present there are 11 active birdwatching groups throughout the different regions of Turkey. They all suffer from the usual lack of finances needed to purchase optical equipment. Telescopes, necessary for undertaking monitoring and survey work, are in especially short supply. Co-ordinated work is now beginning in co-operation with DHKD, for which binoculars and telescopes are vital to guarantee the success of the work. You can help Turkey’s IBAs and birds by donating your old or unwanted optical equipment. If you wish to support Turkish birdwatchers then please contact: Bahtiyar Kurt, DHKD, BirdLife Turkey Biodiversity Programme, Biiytik Postane Caddesi 43-45, Kat 5-6, Sirkeci, Istanbul, Turkey. Fax: +90 212 528 20 40. Tel; +90 21252320 307 Bama: bahtiyar.kurt@dhkd.org. Habitat, distribution and breeding biology of Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria Habitat, distribution and breeding biology of Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria BOJAN MILCHEV AND ANTON KOVACHEV rphean Warbler is a southern Palearctic species, with a fragmented distri- bution and strongly depleted population in south Europe largely confined to Mediterranean regions (Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1991, Tucker & Heath 1994). Its distribution and status in the south-east Balkans, including European Turkey and adjoining Bulgaria, is little known. In Turkey, it is a passage migrant and summer visitor (Kirwan ef al. 1999). It breeds throughout European Turkey (Simeonov & Michev 1991, Cramp 1992), east to the narrow coastal strip around Istanbul (Snow & Perrins 1998). The first record in south-east Bulgaria was a male near Burgas on 10 May 1977 (Prostov & Smilova 1983), but it has been suggested that the species has been extending its range along the Black Sea coast (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997). This study details the distribution, preferred habitats and breeding biology of Orphean Warbler in south-east Bulgaria. STUDY AREA ‘South-east Bulgaria, as defined here, covers an area of c. 10,000 km’. Its southern border is that with Turkey, encompassing the Strandja Mountains (highest peak Makhiada, 1031 metres, in Turkey), the Derevent Hills (Gurgenbair, 556 metres, in Bulgaria) and Mt. Sakar (Vishegrad, 856 metres, in Bulgaria) (Fig. 1). It is contained by the Maritza and Sazlijka rivers in the west, the foothills of the St. [lijski Hills (416 metres), Bakadjk (403 metres) and Hisar Hills (515 metres) in the north, and the Black Sea coast between the town of Burgas and Turkey in the east. The. region lies within the Transitory Mediterranean Climatic Zone (Galabov 1982). The core breeding area of Orphean Warbler (see Distribution) differs climatically from the rest of this region in having higher annual solar radiation (>=140 Kcal/cm’) and annual max. air temperatures (>=38°C) (Anon. 1973). Oak Quercus forests formerly covered much of this region, but are now restricted to small areas, mainly on hilltops and montane peaks. Wooded Mt. Strandja is the only exception (Milchev 1994). Uncultivated land is dominated by dry grassland formations, often combined with Christ’s Thorn Paliurus spina- christi. Of 130 10-km squares investigated, 107 (82%) had habitats of thorny scrubs dominated by Christ’s Thorn (Bondev 1991) (Fig. 1). Within the past 50 years, most eroded montane slopes (particularly Mt. Sakar) or abandoned agricultural lands have been forested, predominantly with conifers (Pinus nigra). Local fires in dry scrub and forest are annual in July-August. Farmland on slopes, between hills and in river valleys is sown mainly with wheat, barley and sunflower, or occasionally under tobacco, vineyards, vegetables etc. Most infertile land along the Black Sea coast, and in montane areas, has been abandoned within the past 7-8 years. This is also true of pastures, owing to a sharp decline in numbers of cattle. Economic changes have reduced forestation with conifers and curbed the use of insecticides. Burgas and Jambol are the region’s only industrial centres and there are thermoelectric power plants between the River Sazlijka and Manastir Hills. METHODS Data for this study were collected on 256 days, in April-June 1994-1999, while monitoring Eagle Owls Bubo bubo and some diurnal raptors. The breeding avifauna was recorded on the basis of 10-km squares on the Universal Transverse Mercator grid. Bulgarian Strandja had been mapped in 1988-1990 (Milchev 1994), but was extensively revisited during the current study. A narrow strip on the border with Bojan Milchev & Anton Kovachev 87 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 87-92 2000 Turkey was not investigated, with the exception of along the Tundja River. Squares holding Orphean Warblers were revisited in subsequent years to determine the extent of the core area. One pair, in square MG 98, was observed for 45.4 hours, on seven days, in May-June 1998. Quantitative data comes from line transects (Bibby et al. 1992) in squares MG 24-34, MG 54 and MG 65, which were 4.87 km, 2.55 km and 4.46 km long, 100 metres wide, and covered the lower shrub zone up to open areas. Several changes in methodology were made owing to this biotope’s poor accessi- bility, and considering the species’ biology. Transect length was measured while moving in a zigzag within the strip, but keeping close to its centre. Christ’s Thorn thickets were negotiated from several points. Breeding was considered definite when pairs were observed feeding young and visits to a territory prompted rattle calls. Dominant plant species and building material of two investigated nests were identified by Dr Gusev and Dr Dimitrov. HABITAT PREFERENCE Orphean Warbler inhabited the peripheral Zone, ‘of -2=3 metre-high thorn’ shrubs; occasionally within groups of trees near open areas (pastures, cultivated fields), on sunny and dry, often stony slopes, at 50-350 metres (Plate 1). Christ’s Thorn was dominant in all breeding territories, while Oriental Hornbeam Carpinus orientalis, Common Hawthorn Crataegus monogyna, Dog Rose Rosa canina, Blackthorn Prunus spinosa, Olive-leaved Pyrus elaeagrifolia and Almond-leaved Pears P. amygdaliformis added diversity and alternated with clearings. Of these, oaks (Quercus pubescens, Q. virgiliana, Q. cerris and Q. frainetto) and Pyrus eleagrifolia and P. amygdali- formis were most prevalent. In two territories Christ’s Thorn had penetrated a Pinus nigra plantation. DISTRIBUTION Orphean Warbler bred in 24 squares, or 22% of the 107 squares containing suitable habitat. Using the European Bird Census Council (EBCC) categories (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997), possible breeding was recorded in six squares, probable in nine squares and confirmed in nine squares (Fig. 2). A core area, where breeding occurred regularly, was identified on Mt. Sakar and the Derevent Hills, near the River Tundja. Densities varied from 11 pairs/km/’, in square MG 65, and 12 pairs/km* in MG 24-34 to 16 pairs/km/? in MG 54. Sporadic breeding occurred north and north-east of this region. In 14 squares, a single pair or male occupied a territory in only 1-2 years. In any year, a mean three (2-5) squares were occupied within the marginal area and breeding occurred twice in three such squares. Twenty-six per cent of breeding males had. dark veyes- (Miultschev. & Kowatschev in press) and were significantly more frequent than pale-eyed males outside the core distribution area (x17=6.92, P<0.01). See Fig. 2 for the relative distributions of males with pale and dark eyes. There was a highly significant correlation between Orphean Warbler and squares with greater than 5% Christ’s Thorn coverage (x37=19.48, P<0.001). The species was confirmed to breed in only one square (NG 16) where the area of Christ’s Thorn was less than 1%. It was encountered in this and the two neighbouring “wooded’ squares (NG 07 and 17) in years when the oak-dependent caterpillar Limantria dispar failed. There was no significant correlation between its distribution and this caterpillar’s failure in these squares. BREEDING BIOLOGY 1. Arrival and occupation of breeding territories The earliest observations were made on 7 April 1995, when four males sang in adjacent bushes. The following day this slope was shared by two males that sang 200 metres apart. Two breeding territories in the marginal breeding area measured 8.3 ha in square MG 78 and 7.6 ha in MG 86. 2. Song activity On 29-30 May 1998 (08.00-18.40), the male of the study pair (nest with eggs) sang frequently, with longer breaks only in the hottest part of the day (13.50-16.53 on the first day and 14.12-17.04 on the second), from the tops of the highest bushes and trees in the territory, moving repeatedly in horizontal song flight. 3. Nests Three nests, at 0.61-1.70 metres (mean=0.97), measured as follows: outer diameter 94-108 mm (mean=102), inner diameter 53-71 mm 88 Bojan Milchev & Anton Kovacheo Habitat, distribution and breeding biology of Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria (mean=63), overall height 67-87 mm (mean=77), depth of cup 48-54 mm (mean=50). They were constructed in the topmost third of bushes, among dense branches of Prunus spinosus, Crataegus monogyna and Pyrus amyegdalifornis (type E according to Bochenski 1985) (Plate 2). A part-built nest of the study pair was found at 20 cm in a Christ’s Thorn. All three had a more diverse central layer of fibres and bark, surrounded by dry grass stalks. In both nests of the study pair (Table 1) and in the uncollected nest of another pair, stalks of two grasses Galium aparine and Xerantheum annum were used. Fibres measured up to 9.0 cm in width and 13.3 cm in length, and there was a stalk of Galium aparine as long as 56.2 cm. Nests collected, once the young had fledged, had a lining of down. Cobwebs were used, principally in the middle layer. The distance between the first and second nest was 60 metres and between the second and part- built nest 14 metres. 4. Period Extrapolating egg-laying (one per day), incubation (12-13 days, commencing one day ‘before the last egg was laid) and fledging periods (12-13 days) (Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1991, Cramp 1992), the first clutch of the study pair was initiated on 20-22 April (four fledglings) and the second on 19-21 May (five). The latter was commenced immediately the young from the first brood became independent. Other data supporting incubation in the last ten days of April are a well-grown fledgling fed by an adult on 21 May 1995, a nest with three 7-8 day-old nestlings on 18 May 1999, and an adult bringing food to a fledgling on 21 May 1999. . The last dependent fledglings were observed on 23 June 1997 (Plate 3) and the latest singing male was seen next day. The male of the study pair did not appear to incubate. During short breaks in song, the male fed, accompanied by the female when away from the nest or building the new nest. Twice during song breaks the male collected cobwebs for the second nest, picking them in the bill, at the centre, and with a circular motion of the head wound it round the bill. During longer breaks in song, it was confirmed that the incubating bird was the female. 5. Replacement of the male with a buffer male Approximately 50 minutes after the male of the study pair was killed, the song of another male outside the breeding territory was heard. This area had been repeatedly searched for the species, without success. The new male gradually entered the territory and 20 minutes later was singing in the oak tree within its centre, albeit in the upper third of the crown. This was also a dark-eyed male, which helped raise the second brood of five fledglings, initiated on 19-21 May. 6. Food Adults took only caterpillars for themselves and the fledglings. Larger caterpillars were repeatedly beaten on a branch, while hairy caterpillars had their bristles removed in the bill. The feeding rate for five 10-11 day-old nestlings, in warm and sunny weather between 08.00 and 14.30, on 13 June 1998, was a mean one caterpillar every 17.7 minutes, with 45% of feeding visits between 12.00 and 14.00, at a mean of one every 12 minutes. 7. Behaviour Parental anti-intruder strategies When removed from the nest, the fledglings squeaked and the parents swooped as close as two metres to the handler, uttering rattle and alarm calls. They flew on fast, shallow wingbeats, with broadly fanned tails. Once a female Whitethroat Sylvia communis, nesting in an adjacent bush, joined in the mobbing. When a nest with three 7-8 day-old nestlings Table 1. Material used in two nests of Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria. No. / weight Nest A (18.2 g) External and internal layer Nest B (10.6 g) Xeranthemum annuum, Galium aparine (8.6 g) Xeranthemum annuum, Galium aparine, one oak Quercus sp., three stalks of Carduus sp. (3.4 g) Bojan Milchev & Anton Kovachev Middle layer Fibres and bark of Rosa sp., Carduus sp., Prunus sp., Salix sp. and other tree species (9.6 g) Fibres and bark of Rosa sp., Carduus sp., Prunus sp., Salix sp., and other tree species, and fragments of leaves of Poaceae (7.2 Q) 89 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 was approached, the female uttered moaning sounds and appeared at the base of a nearby bush, with a hunched body, fluffed-out rump, slightly fanned drooping tail and half-open wings. This occupied four minutes and attracted a Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator that swiftly departed frightened by the close human presence. RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER SPECIES IN THE BREEDING TERRITORY The male once chased a nearby singing male Whitethroat, but was chased in turn by Woodchat Shrike (five occasions), Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio (three occasions) and Hawfinch Coccothraustes coccothraustes (once). Once an Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum, which had a nest with young in a bush below the tree, chased the male Orphean bringing food to the nest. DISCUSSION In south-west Europe, intensifying agriculture has negatively affected Orphean Warbler numbers (Tucker & Heath 1994). Though agriculture has become less intensive in the last ten years in south-east Bulgaria, the species bred in only 22% (n=24) of squares containing suitable habitat, with a core area of ten squares, which is part of the most suitable region. in” south-east ~ Buledria tor Mediterranean species (Simeonov 1970, Tucker & Evans 1997). Milchev (1994) previously rejected the possibility that the species’ breeding range is spreading aiong the Bulgarian Black Sea coast (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997). Due to the absence of earlier detailed studies in this area, or adjacent Turkey, we consider it difficult to establish whether the breeding range is extending northwards. Only single pairs were found within the marginal range and, during the study period, Plate 1 (left). Habitat of the Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis: thorny shrubs dominated by Christ’s Thorn Paliurus spina- cristi along the River Tundja, close to the Bulgaria—Turkey border, south-east Bulgaria. (Bojan Milchev) Plate 2 (below left). Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis nest with five eggs, south-east Bulgaria, 30 May 1998. (Bojan Milchev) Plate 3 (below right). Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis fledgling, south-east Bulgaria, 18 June 1998. (Anton Kovachev) 90 Bojan Milchev & Anton Kovacheo Habitat, distribution and breeding biology of Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria Figure 1. Area of thorny scrub dominated by Christ’s Thorn Paliurus spina-christi in each 10-km square, south-east Bulgaria (after Bondev 1991). 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 i 8 2 AL ® Cc = ©Q Q n Kn Sake aes | i? [__] Without thorny scrub (23 squares, 18% of total surveyed) [__| Up to 1% (31 squares, 24% of total surveyed) 1-5% (28 squares, 21% of total surveyed) Over 5% (48 squares, 37% of total surveyed) od Not surveyed Figure 2. Breeding distribution map of the Orphean Warbler Sylvia hortensis in south-east Bulgaria. M 0 3 2 1 H 0 N ee) i) BS See ee tae ee ee on \ La , ee ewe + 9 w Pale-eyed and Pale-eyed dark-eyed males (7) Peed males (9) Confirmed Probable breeding (9) breeding (9) Ne) Possible breeding (6) ed j ro) Bojan Milchev & Anton Kovachev 91 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 there was no evidence that numbers were increasing or the core area widening. Density in the latter approached the 17 pairs/km’ quoted as the maximum density in south- west Bulgaria (Simeonov 1986). Future field work, in Turkey, should establish its breeding status on the south slopes of Mt. Sakar and Derevent Hills, where similar habitats occur. Two proposed protected areas within the core breeding range have awaited official designation since 1996. Our observations confirm that the species occurs in Bulgaria between 4 April and 6 October, which concurs with dates published by Simeonov. (1986): The three nests discovered by us differ from the 13 described by Bochenski (1985) in that they had a distinct central layer of fibres and bark. Their height above ground is within the range (0.20-1.80 m) reported by Spiridonov & Simeonov (1988) in south-west Bulgaria. Egg-laying commenced in the last third of April (complete clutch on 26 April), which is similar to data from Greece, with fledging listed as 17 May in south-west Bulgaria (Glutz von, Blotzheim, & Bauer 1991). Our observations of the first male and its successful replacement with a buffer male during the incubation period support Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer’s (1991) assumption that it is the female that incubates. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to Dr T. Michev for maps, V. Georgiev for field work assistance, and Dr Gusev and Dr Dimitrov for identifying the plants. J. Menzel is thanked for literature and financial support in 1999. The 1994-96 investigations were operated within Grant B-302/1993 of the National Fund for Scientific Research and, in 1996-97, with partial support from Grant 164/1996 of the Scientific Research Fund of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia. REFERENCES ANON. (1973) Atlas of Bulgaria. Central Institute of Statistics, Sofia. [In Bulgarian] Bippy, C., BURGESS, N. AND HILL, D. (1992) Bird census techniques. Academic Press, London. BOCHENSKI, Z. (1985) Nesting of the Sylvia warblers. Acta Zool. Cracov. 29: 241-328. BONDEV, I. (1991) The vegetation of Bulgaria. St. Kliment Ohridski University Press, Sofia. [In Bulgarian] CRAMP, S. (ED.) (1992) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 6. Oxford University Press. GALABOV, Z. (ED.) (1982) Geography of Bulgaria. Vol. 1. BAS, Sofia. [In Bulgarian] GLUTZ VON BLOTZHEIM, U. AND BAUER, K. (1991) Handbuch der Végel Mitteleuropas. Vol. 12. Wiesbaden. HAGEMEJER, W. J. M. AND BLAIR, M. (EDs.) (1997) The EBCC atlas of European breeding birds: their distri- bution and abundance. T. & A.D. Poyser, London. KIRWAN, G., MARTINS, R., EKEN, G. AND DAVIDSON, P. (1999) A checklist of the birds of Turkey. Sandgrouse Suppl. 1: 1-32. MILCHEV, B. (1994) Breeding bird atlas of the Strandja mountains, south-east Bulgaria. Sandgrouse 16: 2-27. MILTSCHEV, B. AND KOWATSCHEV, A. (in press.) Einige Besonderheiten bei der Bestimmung der Orpheusgrasmiicke, Sylvia hortensis. Limicola. Prostov, A. AND SMILOVA, D. (1983) Ornithological collection of Department ‘Priroda’ Burgas. Orn. Inf. Bull., Sofia 13-14: 14-30. [In Bulgarian] SIMEONOYV, S. (1970) Uber die Verbreitung mediterraner Vogelarten in Bulgarien. Vogelwelt 91: 59-67. SIMEONOV, S. (1986) The birds of the Pirin mountains. Fauna Southwestern Bulgaria 1: 61-81. [In Bulgarian] SIMEONOV, S. AND MICHEV, T. (1991) A field guide to the birds of the Balkan Peninsula. Beron Publishing House, Sofia. [In Bulgarian] SNow, D. W. AND PERRINS, C. M. (1998) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise Edition. Oxford University Press. SPIRIDONOV, Z. AND SIMEONOV, P. (1988) Studies on the nesting avifauna of the ‘Tisata’ reserve. Fauna Southwestern Bulgaria 2: 23-29. [In Bulgarian] | TUCKER, G. AND EVANS, M. I. (1997) Habitats for birds in Europe: conservation strategy for the wider environment. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 6). TUCKER, G. AND HEATH, M. F. (1994) Birds in Europe: their conservation status. Cambridge, UK: BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 3). Bojan Milchev, Faculty of Biology, University of Sofia, Blud. Dragan Tzanko 8, 1421 Sofia, Bulgaria. Anton Kovachev, k-s Izgrev, BI. 29, Vh. 7, Et. 3, 5008 Burgas, Bulgaria. D2 Bojan Milchev & Anton Kovachev Dhahran: an Arabian Gulf hotspot Dhahran: an Arabian Gulf hotspot DR GRAHAM R.LOBLEY “yhahran and adjacent Al Khobar are modern oases within a desert environment that provide exciting year-round birding. Remarkable greening of these urban communities has dramatically enhanced the area’s potential for migrant, wintering and even breeding birds. Irrigation sustains mature parklands and wastewater provides isolated freshwater wetland habitats. Together with the nearby traditional date palm oasis of Qatif, and Tarut Bay, this compact area has emerged as one of the premier birding localities of the entire Arabian Gulf region. INTRODUCTION Dhahran is a large community comprising two centres of low-density housing and many green areas. Foresighted landscaping and planting of exotic trees and shrubs has transformed the desert into a superb, mature parkland invaluable to many birds. Situated a few kilometres inland of the Gulf, the natural topography is dominated by attractive limestone outcrops (jabals). Following significant winter rains, which occur erratically in November—March, natural vegetation on the desert fringes briefly flourishes. Mean annual rainfall is c. 80 mm, but occasionally exceeds 200 mm. Flowering Rhanterium, Ochradenus and vigorous grasses, such as Panicum, make a wonderful sight in spring. Within Dhahran a near-tropical habitat has been created and colonised by several breeding species. Trees include Date Palm Phoenix dactylifera, Doum Palm Hyphaene thebaica, Banyan Ficus benghalensis, ‘ Mesquite Prosopis juliflora, Flame Tree Delonix regia and Frangipani Plumeria rubra. Treated wastewater is used to irrigate sprayfields and feeds a small freshwater lake on the desert edge. This oasis is a magnet to migrating and wintering birds. The total species list is c. 250, but the area is extremely under-watched. This article summarises the highlights of over three years birding at Dhahran, in September 1996-January 2000. SPRING MIGRATION Spring passage occupies mid-February to mid- May, peaking in April. Several more abundant species migrate over an extended period, e.g. European Bee-eater Merops apiaster and White- throated Robin Irania gutturalis (late March-—mid-May). Others pass during a relatively short period, e.g. Red-rumped Swallow Hirundo daurica (late February—early March), Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata (mid-March-early April) and Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor (late April-early May). March is a key month for shrikes, wheatears and rock thrushes. Woodchat Lanius senator and Isabelline Shrikes L. isabellinus and Pied Oenanthe pleschanka and Isabelline Wheatears O. isabellinus are numerous in sprayfields at Dhahran Hills. Jabals attract Rock Monticola saxatilis and Blue Rock Thrushes M. solitarius. A sprinkling of Masked Lanius nubicus and Red-backed Shrikes L. collurio also occur, the former preferring lightly wooded areas near the lake and west sprayfields. Passage of European Bee-eaters during April is very conspicuous, as vibrant vocal flocks of 15-25 occur throughout the day. Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters Merops persicus are less common and pass later, typically in mid-April to mid-May. While European Bee-eaters mainly use the parklands to feed, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater prefers desert fringes and sprayfields. Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus pass in small numbers in early to mid- May. Males are usually located by their fluty calls emanating from tall Tamarix aphylla trees bordering the west sprayfields. Tamarix aphylla also screens the sewage effluent lake, with Banyan and Mesquite growing nearby. Natural vegetation comprises Tamarix arabica shrubs and relatively tall Phragmites australis reeds, which partially border the lake and have colonised adjacent lower lying ground. Tamarix also borders some sprayfields, providing cover for elusive migrants such as White-throated Dr Graham R. Lobley 93 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 93-100 2000 Figure 1. Main map of the Dhahran area. Figure 2. (inset bottom left) Site map of the Dhahran Hills. Figure 3. (inset top right) Site map of north Al Khobar. <—to Kuwait Tarut Bay : Tarut Qatifo ce Island | DHAHRAN HILLS A oe West Sprayfields Jabals Residential community effluent ~.__ Sprayfields lake > Z ~ OS S Plant Sprayfields | nursery NORTH AL KHOBAR Bay with Phragmites extensive reedbeds mudflats Arabian Brackish Phragmites Lagoons reedbeds Phragmites reedbeds SihatO M5 ‘Dammam Arabian Gulf Dhahran Ce Al Khobar Manama ae King Fahad Causeway Bahrain 20 kms 94 Dr Graham R. Lobley Dhahran: an Arabian Gulf hotspot Robin, Barred Warbler Sylvia nisoria, Nightingale Luscinia megarhynchos and Thrush Nightingale L. luscinia, as well as occasional Wryneck Jynx torquilla. Common warblers are Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla, Lesser Whitethroat S. curruca, including Hume’s S. c. althaea and Desert Lesser S. c. minula, and Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita. The latter is abundant, but has not been subspecifically identified. Spring rarities include Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus on drier sprayfields in late February, Black-headed Emberiza melanocephala and Cinereous Buntings E. cineracea in early April, and Alpine Swift Apus melba over the lake in May. Although spring raptor passage is erratic, Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus, Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus and Hobby Falco subbuteo are all relatively common. Small flocks of Black Kite Milvus migrans occasionally move north in early May. On brackish lagoons adjacent to the coast at north Al Khobar, handsome Great Black-headed Gulls Larus ichthyaetus in summer plumage are noted from mid-February to early March, ~ when numbers peak at up to 20 (5 March 1993) In- March-early April, Greater Charadrius leschenaultii and Lesser Sand Plovers C. mongolus occur in attractive breeding-plumaged flocks at north Khobar. Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus, Squacco Ardeola ralloides, Purple Ardea purpurea and Night Herons Nycticorax nycticorax all use the effluent lake during spring and autumn migration. Little Bittern are also encountered in small ditches or ponds, feeding on small tadpoles and dragonflies. It may breed locally. at Qatif oasis, in quieter, reed-fringed drainage canals. BREEDING BIRDS The limited breeding avifauna includes summer visitors, e.g. Rufous Bush Robin Cercotrichas galactotes and Olivaceous Warbler Hippolais pallida, as well as residents, including several introductions. The first two share open Tamarix and Phragmites habitat with Graceful Prinia Prinia gracilis, a common resident. White-cheeked Bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys, Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto and Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis all breed within the residential community, and Ring-necked Parakeet Psittacula krameri may do so. In mid-April 1998, two Hoopoe Upupa epops repeatedly entered a nest site, beneath Dr Graham R. Lobley the roof of an unoccupied building, providing the first confirmation of breeding in east Saudi Arabia (Phoenix 15: 10). In mid-March 1999, one was calling and apparently prospecting nest holes on a limestone jabal at Dhahran Hills. Resident Namaqua Oena capensis and Laughing Doves Streptopelia senegalensis probably breed on desert fringes. Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus breeds in gravel desert and Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus on brackish lagoons at north Al Khobar. Nearby, small numbers of Pallid Swift Apus pallidus have been observed flying around the Research Institute building on the campus of KFUPM University in late March, and breeding is distinctly possible. In April-May 1999, a pair of Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus built several nest platforms at the effluent lake (Lobley 1999). This was probably the first nesting attempt in Arabia (M. Jennings pers. comm. 1999). It was unsuccessful, probably due to fluctuating water levels and casual recreational disturbance, but certainly underlines the lake’s potential for breeding birds. Given appropriate management, the lake would probably become even more important for birds and worthy of nature reserve status. Waterbird records at the lake have included nine heron species, seven ducks, three grebes, three kingfishers and five plovers—a remarkable variety for an isolated desert-edge area. Four tern species breed, in May-July, on offshore Gulf coral islands, including Jana, c. 100-120 km north of Dhahran. Both Lesser Crested Sterna bengalensis and White-cheeked Terns S. repressa also occur inshore, along the causeway to Bahrain and sometimes at north Al Khobar. They return to the northern Gulf from late February. Saunders’s ‘Tern. 5S. saundersi is a common summer visitor to the central Eastern Province coast (Jennings 1995). AUTUMN MIGRATION Autumn passage is generally less heavy than spring and includes several different species. Little-understood dispersive movements of desert species such as Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor and Black-crowned Finch Lark Eremopterix nigriceps sometimes reach Dhahran during August and early September. Great Grey Shrikes Lanius excubitor include the pale pallidirostris race in August-September. European Bee-eater passage is .much- less heavy. in 95 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 August-September, but Blue-cheeked Bee- eater numbers are higher, moving during October and into early November, with a maximum flock of 41 in late October 1999. European Roller Coracias garrulus pass singly or in small groups of up to four in spring but are uncommon. In August-September, they are virtually daily at the sprayfields, with a maximum of five on 10 August 1999. Two White Stork Ciconia ciconia arrived in early September 1998, with one staying until early October. This species is rare at Dhahran. Purple Heron passes in early September, when peak counts of up to 12, mainly juveniles, have been noted at the lake. Numbers of migrating waders also use the lake, including small groups of Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus in August-early September and occasional Spotted Redshank Tringa erythropus in early August. An adult White-tailed Plover Chettusia leucura was present briefly on 9 September 1999. The most significant migrant during September is the regional endemic, Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis, which has been recorded in small numbers (up to four), usually in Phragmites and around small ponds. The species is now well described (Harris et al. 1996, Shirihai 1999). Key field characters include: (i) long primary projection; (11) relatively square tail; (iii) whitish supercilium extending beyond eye; and (iv) prominent dark lores accentuating broken white eye-ring. The dark brown alula and primary-coverts, contrasting strongly with the rich mid-brown greater coverts/secondaries, are also very noticeable in the field (Plate 5). WINTER November to February is an excellent season for comfortable birding, with cool mornings and evenings, and daytime highs below 80°F. Rarities, especially those from west Asia or the Orient, can be anticipated. Lawns attract White Wagtail Motacilla alba and Song Thrush Turdus philomelos in numbers. Possibly overlooked due to its secretive behaviour, single Robins Erithacus rubecula in a small garden park near the main Al-Mujamma community building, in February and December 1999, suggest occasional overwin- tering. The desert fringes and effluent lake host Desert Warbler Sylvia nana, Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti, Isabelline and Great Grey Shrikes, Bluethroat Luscinia svecica, Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus and Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus. Stonechat Saxicola torquata (probably of the race maura) is relatively common on the sprayfields, while up to six Lapwing Vanellus vanellus were intermittently seen there in November—December 1998. At Qatif refuse dump, 40 km north-west of Dhahran, some interesting raptors are often present: Steppe Aquila nipalensis and occasional Imperial A. heliaca and Short-toed Eagles Circaetus gallicus. Imperial Eagle is globally threatened, with a declining west Asian population (Hagemeijer & Blair 1997). Mainly juveniles overwinter in Oman but both adults and juveniles occur across Saudi Arabia at this season. Significant numbers of wintering wildfowl, grebes and herons use the effluent lake. Of up to 250 ducks present, there are c. 100 each of Pochard Aythya ferina and Tufted Duck A. fuligula, with many fewer Wigeon Anas penelope, Shoveler A. clypeata and Mallard A. platyrhynchos. Peaks in December include 11 Great Crested and 18 Black-necked Grebes Podiceps nigricollis. Herons include up to 40 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea, 100 Cattle Bubulcus ibis, 25 Little Egretta garzetta and up to four Great White Egrets E. alba (usually in November—December). Resident Western Reef Herons E. gularis also use the lake. Up to 250 Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo arrive daily to feed on the plentiful fish. Single White- breasted Halcyon smyrnensis and Pied Kingfishers Ceryle rudis have also overwintered here, while Kingfisher Alcedo atthis is regular at the effluent lake and small ponds in Dhahran, and relatively common on the coast. A Red-wattled Plover Hoplopterus indicus wintered between the lake and adjacent domestic refuse dump, from early December 1997 to mid-February 1998. Near the lake, a Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe xanthoprymna was present in the desert in November 1999 and a juvenile Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus was noted the same month. North Al Khobar has also hosted notable wintering rarities, including Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis and Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus. The former remained near the Gulf Meridien Hotel from early November to late December 1997. Another was at Dhahran west sprayfields on 12 October 1999. Rose-coloured Starling probably overwintered in 1997-98 and early 1999. A maximum of four, feeding on lawns 96 Dr Graham R. Lobley Dhahran: an Arabian Gulf hotspot pe Plate 1. Sewage effluent lake, Dhahran, November 1999, with Little Egretta garzetta and Great White Egrets E. alba. (Graham R. Lobley) em. Plate 2. Jabals, Dhahran, March 1999, with flowering Rhanterium epapposum. (Graham R. Lobley) tal se NOS oa 10 times more common than ‘DD x DD’-formation. We have evidence that females of two other ‘D x D’-pairs were in fact homozygous ‘DD’- genotypes, not only from evidence of their offspring but because they match the description of the above individual. One female is now 14-years-old, the oldest known female of the species in the wild. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are indebted to the Greek Ministry of Agriculture for permitting field studies in Crete. Mrs H. Sauer- Gtrth and Mrs H. Staudter provided technical assistance in the laboratory. REFERENCES Ristow, D., WINK, C. AND WINK, M. (1979) Site tenacity and pair bond of the Eleonora’s Falcon. Il-Merill 20: 16-18. Ristow, D., WINK, C., WINK, M. AND SCHARLAU, W. (1998) Colour polymorphism in Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae. Sandgrouse 20: 56-64. SWATSCHEK, I., Ristow, D., SCHARLAU, W., WINK, C. AND WINK, M. (1993) Population genetics and paternity analysis in Eleonora’s Falcon. J. Orn. 134: 137-143. WINK, M., WINK, C. AND Ristow, D. (1978) Biology of Eleonora’s Falcon (Falco eleonorae): 2. Heredity of the morphs dark and light. J. Orn. 119: 421-428. WINK, M., WINK, C. AND Ristow, D. (1982) Biology of Eleonora’s Falcon (Falco eleonorae)—12. Biometrics of sexual dimorphism of adult and fledged falcons. Die Vogelwelt 103: 225-229. WINK, M. (in press) Advances in DNA studies of diurnal and nocturnal raptors. Proc. World Working Group Birds of Prey. Dietrich Ristow, Pappelstr. 35, D-85579 Neubiberg, Germany. Ludger Witte, Wilhelm-Bode-Str. 52, D-35106 Braunschweig, Germany. Michael Wink, Institut fiir Pharmazeutische Biologie, Universitit Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany. at Do any D. Ristow, L. Witte and M. Wink Sandgrouse 22 (2): 122-124 2000 Notes on the birds of Lebanon, autumn-—winter 1999 COLIN BEALE Two species previously unrecorded in Lebanon—Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos and Rustic Bunting E. rustica—are described. Observations of 13 other species with few records in the country, or for which the data presented here substantially amplify current knowledge of status and distribution in Lebanon are provided. INTRODUCTION ESPITE RECENT INTEREST, Lebanon’s avifauna is poorly known, with most data dating from prior to the civil war (1975-1992). These records were consol- idated into a new list by Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi (1999). The initiation, in 1999, of regular surveys at Aammigq marsh, Bekaa Valley (33°44’N 35°47’E) has, unsurprisingly, produced a number of interesting observations. Two species were first recorded in Lebanon in autumn 1999, and a number of other scarce or rare species recorded. Descriptions of the new species are presented here, and other interesting observations briefly described. SPECIES NEW TO LEBANON Pine Bunting Emberiza leucocephalos At midday on 9 December 1999, a large mixed flock of finches and buntings was feeding in a field near the edge of Aammiq marsh. Within a group of c. 40 Yellowhammers Emberiza citrinella, a very high number for Bekaa, was a winter- plumaged male Pine Bunting, which I watched for several minutes. Although structurally similar to nearby Yellowhammers, it was much colder in ground colour. In particular, the mantle and wings lacked any yellow suffusion and the nape was cold grey. Chin, moustacial and supercilium rich chocolate-brown. Running immediately below the eye was a thin white stripe, bordered at the rear by black. Underparts white, heavily streaked chestnut on breast and flanks. Rump and tail patterns almost identical to nearby Yellowhammers and, although the wing and mantle patterns were identical, the coloration was colder. Its calls were similar to those of nearby Yellowhammers. Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi (1999) list this species for Lebanon solely on the basis of a comment in Shirihai (1996), although no details were available. Pine Bunting is a scarce but regular winter visitor to northern Israel, where it prefers higher altitudes than the majority of Yellowhammers that winter there (Shirihai 1996). It winters on Israeli-occupied Hermon, within sight of Aammiq, which is at nearly 900 metres. Personal observations suggest Yellowhammer is more abundant in Lebanon than northern Israel, and as Pine Bunting associates with this species, this new record appears unsurprising, and further observations may prove this species to be as regular as in Israel. 122 Colin Beale Notes on the birds of Lebanon, autumn—winter 1999 Rustic Bunting Emberiza rustica On 4 November 1999, during a bird census of the Riachi River, bordering Aammiq marsh, Chris Naylor and I flushed a small bunting, which flew from some reeds into a nearby tree uttering a soft ‘tsic’ call. Suspicions that it was a Rustic Bunting were soon confirmed. A small bunting, generally warmer in coloration than Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus. In particular, the head and ear-coverts markings were rusty, rather than dull brown, and an irregularly speckled bar on the otherwise white breast was warm chestnut, with streaks continuing onto the flanks. Rump also chestnut. Supercilium broad and cream, and head slightly peaked. Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi (1999) also list this species for Lebanon on the basis of Shirihai (1996), although again no details are available. Within the Middle East, it as an accidental migrant in Israel, principally in mid-November (Shirihai 1996), and a vagrant in Arabia, Iran, Syria and Turkey (Porter et al. 1996). NOTES ON OTHER SPECIES Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo Regular at Qaraoun Reservoir (33°35’N 35°44’E) from 12 November 1999, with up to eight there until December. In addition, 42 flew south over Ras Beirut on 21 November 1999. As suggested by Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi (1999), it appears likely that it winters at Qaraoun and possibly elsewhere in Lebanon. Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos A scarce migrant through Lebanon that may breed (Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan- Jaradi (1999). An adult of the race homeyeri hunting over steppe near Hermel (northern Bekaa), on 4 December 1999, may be indicative of either residence or wintering. Saker Falco cherrug An immature over Aammig marsh on 22 September 1999 is one of few recent records in the country. Black-winged Pratincole Pratincola nordmanni One over Aammig marsh on 24 September 1999 is the third country record (and first in autumn), the others being in April 1969 and 1975 (Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan- Jaradi 1999). Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria My only record of this scarce migrant in Lebanon concerns six at Aammiq marsh on 26 November 1999. _ Stock Dove Columba oenas One at Aammiq Marsh on 9 November 1999 is the fourth country record and first since 1959 (Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi 1999). Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola A first-winter flew over Aammiq marsh calling on 17 August 1999. This is the fifth record in Lebanon and first in autumn (Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi 1999). Colin Beale 123 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Stonechat Saxicola torquata The subspecies maura was recorded regularly and widely between 20 October and late November 1999. A first-winter male variegata was at Aammiq on 27 October and two were at the same site, with a probable female of this form, on 29 October. This is the first published record of variegata in Lebanon. Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina Although known as a breeder and common migrant through Lebanon, three in the Hermel steppe, on 5 December 1999, suggests wintering in the region. It winters in adjacent Syria (Porter et al. 1996). Goldcrest Regulus regulus Although listed as very rare and irregular by Raiden jarai & Ramadan-Jaradi (1999), at least three were at Barouk cedars on 18 November 1999, with others at Ain Zahlta cedars on 8 December, suggesting it may be more regular than previously known. Alpine Chough Pyrrhocorax graculus At least 20 were around crags on Jebel Sannine, above Zahle, on 5 December 1999. This site is c. 15 km from the recently discovered breeding colony at Ayou Al Siman (Ramadan-Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi 1999). Rook Corvus frugilegus Four flew south over Qaraoun among groups of Jackdaw C. monedula on 30 October 1999. Benson (1970) regarded it as a vagrant to Lebanon, with no recent records, although one was at Aammigq in autumn 1998 (Boisclair-Joly pers. comm.). Ramadan- Jaradi & Ramadan-Jaradi (1999) list this species on the basis of Benson, but knew of no additional records. Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus First recorded, in 1999, on 16 November, when four were at Aanjar swamp » (33°35’ N 35°56’E). Subsequently, recorded at Aammiq, with 1-3 regular seen from 18 November into December 1999. REFERENCES PORTER, R Ee Cae S. AND SCHIERMACKER-HANSEN, P. (1996) Field guide to the birds of the Middle East. T. & A. D. Poyser, London. RAMADAN-JARADI, G. AND RAMADAN-JARADI, M. (1999) An updated checklist of the birds of Lebanon. Sandgrouse 21: 132-170. SHIRIHAI, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. Colin Beale, A Rocha Lebanon, The Post Office, Qabb Elias, The Bekaa, Lebanon. 124 Colin Beale Notes Shearwater passage along the north Cyprus coast ARTHUR STAGG LINT (1999) described observations of large numbers of Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea off north Cyprus, in October 1998, and postulated that such movements may be regular, but have been overlooked owing to a dearth of past seawatching activity. This assessment is supported by the findings of a Royal Air Force Ornithological Society (RAFOS) expedition, which studied bird movements in Khrysokhou Bay, during 15 September to 13 October 1999. Observations were made from a viewing point at the Baths of Aphrodite caravan site, on the Akamas peninsula, which enabled the entire bay to be scanned. The site was manned daily between 06.30 and 18.00. Single Cory’s Shearwaters were observed on 16, 17 and 22 September. On 1 October, 141 flew west past the Baths of Aphrodite and a further 166 moved in the same direction on 2 October. Occasionally some lingered to feed or rest, but passage principally continued uninterrupted in a south-west direction across the bay and beyond Cape Arnauti. Less surprising was the westerly movement of Mediterranean Shearwater Puffinus yelkouan during the same general period. On 1 October, 44 passed with C. diomedea; smaller numbers were seen randomly during the entire expedition period. Some movements of both species were well offshore the Baths of Aphrodite watchpoint, provoking the thought that some passage might skirt Khrysokhou Bay, crossing its fringes more directly between Pomos Point and Cape Arnauti. A long- experienced local fisherman claimed that the witnessed movements were normal at the time of year. REFERENCE FLINT, P. (1999) Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris diomedea off northern Cyprus in autumn 1998. Sandgrouse 21: 176-177. Arthur Stagg, Hollybank, 1, Cooper’s Drive, Barnstaple, Devon, EX31 3SQ, U. K. The first Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis in Qatar and the Arabian Gulf PETER HELEYER N THE AFTERNOON OF 4 November 1999, PH, with Clare and David Gillespie, visited two areas of indigenous mangroves in eastern Qatar. The second area was the village of Dhakhira, just north of Al Khor lagoon and south of Dhakhira lagoon, which is also flanked by mangrove. While observing the inner edge of the mangrove, the attention of PH was immediately drawn to a bird standing in the water among 125 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Grey Ardea cinerea and Western Reef Herons Egretta gularis. Largely white, with black visible on the folded wing, it was clearly much larger than adjacent Western Reef Herons. Through binoculars, it was immediately identified as a stork, from its size, shape and appearance. On the basis of the slightly down curved yellowish bill, prominent red bare facial skin and reddish legs, it was identified as an adult Yellow- billed Stork. It was watched for 2-3 minutes, at which point it and the herons were flushed by a passing boat and flew out of view. In flight, we observed the black and white patterned wings and tail. That evening, PH met Andrew Hooper, Bird Recorder of Qatar Natural History Group (QNHG), to discuss the find and consultation of available literature confirmed the identification. On 6 November AH also obtained good views and noted the same diagnostic features. Yellow-billed Stork has not previously been recorded in Qatar and is unknown in private collections there or on Sir Bani Yas island, United Arab Emirates (UAE), less than 150 km south-east of Dhakhira. This sub-Saharan species is an occasional long- distance vagrant to north-west Africa, Egypt, Israel and south Turkey (Snow & Perrins 1998). Shirihai (1996) notes 18 records, of 1-4 individuals, in Israel between 1944 and 1989, dated early February—late October. All, except four, concerned juveniles. There are no records in Oman (with the exception of presumed released birds, see below), or elsewhere in the Arabian Gulf. On 1 May 1998, five Yellow-billed Storks appeared in Khor Dubai, UAE. These were subsequently determined to have originated from a private collection in Dubai. Their numbers rose to a maximum of 11 on 17 December 1998, and five remained until 10 January 1999, while one was at nearby Zabeel fishponds in late November 1999. Evidence for this group’s dispersal exists, as one was caught at Hamriyyah refinery, south of Umm al-Qaiwain, on 25 October 1998, and was subsequently taken to Sharjah Desert Park and Breeding Centre. Two at Khor Kalba, in eastern UAE, flew south into Oman, on 19 December 1998 (Dick Forsman, per Colin Richardson). Another was at Khor al-Beida, Umm al-Qaiwain, in early 1999. But no records have come from the 400 km coastline of Abu Dhabi, which lies between Dubai and Qatar. The Qatar individual had not previously been seen at Dhakhira, which is watched irregularly. Its behaviour on 4 November suggests a possible wild origin, although released birds can swiftly re-adopt ‘wild’ behaviour (Erik Hirschfeld pers. comm.). In the absence of any evidence of the species being held in private collections in western Abu Dhabi or Qatar, we suggest that it was a genuine vagrant and the first such record in the Arabian Gulf. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Iam grateful to Andrew Hooper for details of his observation of the Qatar bird and the Breeding Centre for Endangered Arabian Wildlife, Sharjah, for information. Colin Richardson and Erik Hirschfeld provided data and comments on a first draft. : REFERENCES SHIRIHAI, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. SNOW, D. W. AND PERRINS, C. M. (1998) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise edition. Oxford University Press. Peter Hellyer, Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, P. O. Box 45553, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emurates. 126 Notes The first Pink-backed Pelican in Jordan HADORAM SHIRIHAI, FARES KHOURY, SHARIF AL-JBOUR AND REUVEN YOSEF WENTY-SIX YEARS AFTER THE FIRST Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens was recorded at Eilat, in 1974 (Shirihai 1996), a second reached the site, in the evening of 20 April 2000. Found by Deniz Aygen and Magnus Hellstrém, of the International Birding and Research Center in Eilat (IBRCE), at the new freshwater bird pond (named Lake Anita) in the IBRCE Bird Sanctuary, it was observed there by many birders throughout May-June and into July (see below). From the first day the pelican caused confusion as to its identity, and controversy among observers. Some initially believed it to be an atypical Pink-backed Pelican, but most considered it a small, aberrant White Pelecanus onocrotalus or Dalmatian Pelican P. crispus. Subsequently, on the evening of 24 April, HS confirmed it as a strongly bleached, first-year Pink-backed Pelican (based on prior field experience in East Africa and his work on Shirihai et al. 1996). That evening HS saw the bird fly east over the international border to Aqaba sewage pools, in Jordan, and return to what became its favoured roosting site, Lake Anita. Pink-backed Pelican had not previously been recorded in Jordan. Fortunately, on 26 April, HS met FK and SA-J in Wadi Dana, Jordan, and informed them about the new record. They did not hesitate to join HS in travelling south to observe the species from within Jordan (see discussion of similar instances of new birds to Jordan being observed from Israel in Andrews et al. 1999). On 28 April it was successfully located on Aqaba sewage pools, a fitting end to a perfect piece of Middle Eastern collaboration. Here we describe the Eilat/ Aqaba Pink-backed Pelican in detail, given that the strongly bleached, first-year plumage is not well known (Cramp & Simmons 1977). General notes concerning the species’ identification are also presented, as is a description of this individual’s behaviour. Identification Adult plumage in pelicans is acquired slowly and completed in the 4-5th calendar years (younger individuals retain some immature markings). Pink-backed and Dalmatian Pelicans exhibit relatively less conspicuous age-related variation. The three Western Palearctic species are distinguishable using a combination of size, underwing pattern, head shape, bill pattern (chiefly ‘basal area) and other bare-part coloration, including the throat sac (pouch) and legs, which change little with age. Size varies considerably. Females are smaller than males and juveniles are usually smaller than adults; with wear and bleaching some upperwing characters and diagnostic facial markings are obscured to a certain degree, especially in young before their first complete moult (such as the Eilat/ Agaba bird). Pink-backed Pelican, including young and worn individuals, is generally drabber, greyer and less strongly patterned than White Pelican (thus approaching Dalmatian), but is usually noticeably smaller than these two species. All plumages have an inconspicuous darkish nape crest (neither drooping nor curly as in the other two species) that gives the rear head a triangular shape. In all plumages the blunt forehead feathering reaches the upper-mandible base, like Dalmatian (i.e. the forehead feathering abuts the upper mandible in a broad, slightly concave line; White has much narrower feathering that tapers to a point at the bill 127 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Plates 1-2. First-year Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens, Eilat, Israel, May 2000. (Hadoram Shirihai) base). Otherwise, in all plumages, Pink-backed has a variable pink tinge above, partic- ularly to the undertail-coverts, although this may appear absent, especially in younger individuals. Diagnostic bare parts The very dark eye and loral patch, set within a small area of bare skin around the eye, which variably develops a blackish outer ring to the pale inner (orbital) eye-ring, impart a characteristic fixed-stare expression. Eye usually yellow or orange, but pinkish grey in non-breeding or young birds (such as the Eilat/ Aqaba individual). Be aware that juvenile and other young birds (like the Eilat/ Aqaba bird) have a less distinct facial pattern, lacking a black surround to the facial skin and have a dusky (not black) loral patch, which may appear almost absent. Characteristically, usually has a paler bill and throat sac than White or Dalmatian, they being pale yellowish flesh, becoming yellow when breeding, and with a dark ribbing effect visible at close range. Moreover, bill and throat sac of juvenile (fresh and worn), and even non-breeding adult, are more subdued, with no hint of yellow, appearing very pale and washed out (like the Eilat/ Aqaba individual). Legs pale, flesh-grey (as the Eilat/Agaba bird) to orange, becoming pinkish red in breeding season adults. In flight Usually clearly less heavy bodied and narrower winged and, in good overhead views, the outermost visible primary tips are relatively shorter in comparison to those of the larger species. Underwing pattern usually intermediate between White and Dalmatian, or reminiscent of juvenile/immature White, but much less contrasting appearance, with dusky-grey flight feathers and cinnamon-grey coverts, and charac- | teristic broad pale central band (i.e. a whitish greater covert-band through centre of wing, unlike White but not dissimilar to Dalmatian). Moreover, Pink-backed, in 128 Notes juvenile and non-breeding adult plumages with greyish-white coverts, may recall non-juvenile White, but flight feathers not as dark and possess less contrasting overall effect. Note that juvenile remiges, unlike those of adult, are more variegated with contrasting dark inner webs, while immatures are intermediate. Bicoloured remiges never occur in White, but are not unlike those of Dalmatian, and unlike White, Pink- backed still possesses the characteristic pale central band on the underwing-coverts. At all ages, but particularly in young birds, tends to have rather marked whitish uppertail-coverts/rump, extending well onto back and mantle, and contrasting with darker scapulars and tail. Upperwing pattern similar to young Dalmatian, but pale pinkish-grey (adult) or brownish-grey (juvenile) coverts, with darker grey flight feathers (always exhibiting less contrast than either White or Dalmatian). However, older juveniles, with strong wear and bleaching (as in the Eilat/Agaba individual), often possess strongly abraded coverts, especially on the outer and rear lesser coverts, creating a confusingly strong upperwing contrast, sometimes manifest as a broad whitish band or carpal bar running parallel to, and just above, the median coverts. Otherwise, juveniles are relatively browner above, but not dissimilar from non- breeding adults (and juvenile Dalmatian); and have a dark brown tail, while immatures are similar, but less brownish, with greyer cast above (see also flight). Distribution and occurrence The species breeds throughout sub-Saharan wetlands and in coastal Africa/south- west Arabia, north to 23°N, and is known to disperse in the non-breeding seasons, or undertake limited migrations. Though recorded in neighbouring Israel, and Egypt, where it is a rare but regular non-breeding summer visitor to the extreme south (Goodman & Meininger 1989), this is the first Jordan record. This is the eighth Israeli record since 1939, of which five were reported in Shirihai (1996), with two subsequent records (A. Gantz and HS pers. obs). Most have been recorded at wetlands within the Rift Valley. The Israeli records exhibit a pattern of oversummering by young birds, which may remain for up to three months and form daily routines of moving between roosting and feeding sites (see below). In the north-east Israeli valleys, the most favoured habitat is shallow fish ponds, partially empty and usually surrounded by reeds, making the Eilat/Agaba bird’s choice of summering location appear relatively impoverished. General behaviour in Eilat Lake Anita has a healthy population of the fish Telapia mozamiqus that attract species such as Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo and Grey Heron Ardea cinerea. The pelican roosted on an artificial island in the south part of the pool, in the company of Cormorants. It foraged throughout the day in the freshwater lake, or perched on a rocky lookout in a saltwater pond c. 50 metres to the south. Interactions were noted with Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia, Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta, Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus, Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus and Spur-winged Plover Vanellus spinosus. Initially, the last three species, which were at the peak of their breeding in the immediate area, mobbed the pelican, but became immune to its presence within two weeks. The bird left the Bird Sanctuary when disturbed by human activity. Large groups of birders that were especially noisy or attempted to approach it for photographic purposes generally caused it to depart. On several occasions it flew into Jordan and settled on the sewage pools, or in one of the ditches in no-man’s-land, on the international boundary between the two countries. It invariably returned towards dusk to roost on Lake Anita, and was last observed on 13 July 2000. 129 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 REFERENCES ANDREWS, I. J., KHOURY, F. AND SHIRIHAI, H. (1999) Jordan bird report 1995-97. Sandgrouse 21: 10-35 CRAMP, S. AND SIMMONS, K. E. L. (EbDs.) (1977) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. GOODMAN, S. M. AND MEININGER, P. L. (1989) The birds of Egypt. Oxford University Press. SHIRIHAL, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. SHIRIHAL, H., CHRISTIE, D. A. AND Harris, A. (1996) The Macmillan birders’ guide to European and Middle Eastern birds. Macmillan, London. Hadoram Shirthai, c/o M. San Roman, Ausserdorfstrasse 6, 8052 Zurich, Switzerland. Fares Khoury and Sharif Al-Jbour, Research and Survey Section, Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, P. O. Box 6354, 11183 Amman, Jordan. Reuven Yosef, International Birding & Research Centre in Eilat, P. O. Box 774, Eilat 88000, Israel. The first Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor in Yemen and the Middle East DAVID B. STANTON S IT APPROACHED ADEN sewage works on the morning of 19 February I noticed a rather large slender duck feeding among Cattle Egrets Bubulcus ibis at the edge of a pond. My immediate impression was that it was a Fulvous Whistling- duck Dendrocygna bicolor, which I have seen on numerous occasions in Africa and USA. When approached closely, it flew to the opposite side of the pond. I photographed it several times during the following two days, often at a range of less than 50 metres. Plate 1. Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor, Aden sewage works, Yemen, 19 February 2000. (David B. Stanton) 130 Notes Description. A large slender duck with a relatively long neck and upright posture on land. Tail, back and crown dark chestnut, with a concolorous and continuous narrow stripe on the nape. Most upper wing-coverts had tawny edges, presenting a scalloped appearance when at rest. Head, neck and underparts rufous-tawny, with a narrow white margin between rear flanks and flight feathers. White rump and uniformly dark wings (i.e. no speculum) noted in flight, which consisted of relatively slow wingbeats for a duck. This is the first Middle East record of a species whose closest range is Ethiopia (van Perlo 1995). REFERENCE VAN PERLO, B. (1995) Collins illustrated checklist of the birds of eastern Africa. HarperCollins, London. David B. Stanton, Yemen Ornithological Society, P.O. Box 2002, Sana’a, Republic of Yemen. The first Southern Pochard Netta erythroph- thalma in Israel and the Western Palearctic HADORAM SHIRIHAI N 29 APRIL 1998 I received a telephone call from Barak Granit and Daniel Gilbert requesting assistance with the identification of a strange duck at a marshy pond c. 10 km north of Eilat. Together with Ben Hoare, I arrived to inspect the bird and immediately realised that it was probably a Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma, which I was familiar with from East. Africa, but was only able to confirm the identifi- cation when I reached home later that day. Subsequently I met Kees Renes and Rita Huisman who had observed it at the same site and same time. When I reported the record to Steve Gantlett (Birding World), he informed me that Jean-Philippe Siblet had first seen it on 22 April. It remained at the same site until at least 8 May, and was the first record in Israel, the Middle East and Western Palearctic. Clearly all the above- -mentioned observers should take credit in the bird’s discovery and identification, but special mention must be made of Barak Granit and Daniel Gilbert, who were the first to alert the birding community’s attention to this interesting individual, thereby initiating one of the most crucial steps in its identification. It is interesting to note that the first Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemala in Israel, which was also recorded in Eilat, in December 1979, was only finally identified when Amir Ben-Dov and Yoav Golan relocated and studied it carefully (Shirihai 1996). Clearly strange-looking ducks in desert surroundings have the capacity to be very unusual! Field characters and identification N. e. brunnea is the sole race occurring in Africa (see below), and obvious origin of the Israel individual. Female plumage characteristically includes a striking facial pattern (white crescent-shaped cheek patches, from eye to upper-neck level, white throat and bill-base), and as the individual in question lacked any vestiges of immature markings, it appears that it was probably an adult. However, only limited information is available on immature/eclipse plumages and the variable moulting periods for different populations. Therefore, I tentatively follow the information in Madge & Burn (1988) and Brown et al. (1982), which suggests that the Israel bird was an adult female, Lt Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Plate 1. Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma, 10 km north of Eilat, April 1998. (Hadoram Shirihai) principally due to the complete facial markings. But, the possibility that this individual was actually an immature or female-like male cannot be excluded given present knowledge. Rather large, dark diving duck, almost Gadwall Anas strepera size. Larger and bulkier than accompanying Garganey A. querquedula. Slight peak to rear crown. Swam buoyantly, but low in water, with tail depressed when feeding. Overall darkish or warm reddish brown, but clearly darker (sooty) reddish-brown head and intermediate (or dark brown) neck and breast; body- sides and central belly especially appeared (weakly mottled) paler, fulvous-brown. Most striking feature was conspicuous white facial pattern, with isolated, but broad, whitish patches around bill-base, and whitish throat-band extending onto head-sides behind ear-coverts where gradually tapered to become narrow eye-stripe behind eye, forming diagnostic, slightly ill- defined but contrasting, whitish crescent-shaped bands (cheek patches) to head. Bill olive slate- grey, with moderately broad and rather clear paler grey band to edge of culmen (see Plate 1). Nail blackish. Iris dark brown, or reddish brown. Legs and feet grey. In flight, rather long necked, with short, narrow wings set well back on body. Conspicuous bold white Aythya-like speculum extending entire length of flight feathers, upperwing otherwise dark brown. Underwing dusky with diffuse pale central band. In flight, even when distant, readily separated from all Aythya by relatively larger size, darkish underwing and lack of obvious white belly. Fed almost throughout day, by diving, upending, or from surface by submerging bill or entire head. — Appeared to primarily take aquatic plants or seeds from surface. Dives timed at up to c. 20 seconds, occasionally longer; relatively confiding compared to accompanying Garganey, but when disturbed sometimes head alone would reappear, before diving again. Igy Notes Range The species’ disjunct distribution recalls that of White-faced Whistling-duck Dendrocygna viduata, with N. e. brunnea occurring throughout much of southern and eastern sub-Saharan Africa north to Ethiopia, and including Madagascar and the Comoro Islands, and the nominate race, which is much rarer and more localised, in Central and South America, from Costa Rica south, east of the Andes, to north Argentina and Uruguay (Sibley & Monroe 1990). Given the significant number of wetland Afrotropical species recorded within the Israeli part of the Rift Valley (Shirihai 1996, 1999), the appearance of Southern Pochard is not especially surprising. Southern African birds are known to undertake moderately extensive movements, dispersing north during the dry season as far as Kenya (Brown et al. 1982), where peak numbers occur in winter (Zimmerman et al. 1996). REFERENCES BROWN, L. H., URBAN, E. K. AND NEWMAN, K. (EDS.) (1982) The birds of Africa. Vol. 1. Academic Press, London. MADGE, S. AND BURN, H. (1988) Wildfowl. A. & C. Black, London. SHIRIHAIL, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. SHIRIHAL, H. (1999) Fifty species new to Israel, 1979-1998: their discovery and documentation, with tips on identification. Sandgrouse 21: 45-105. SIBLEY, C. G. AND MONROE, B. L. JNR. (1990) Distribution and taxonomy of birds of the world. Yale University Press, New Haven & London. ZIMMERMAN, D. A., TURNER, D. A. AND PEARSON, D. J. (1996) Birds of Kenya and northern Tanzania. A. & C. Black, London. Hadoram Shirihat, c/o M. San Roman, Ausserdorfstrasse 6, 8052 Zurich, Switzerland. First and second records of Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus in Iran MARC DUQUET AND COLIN RICHARDSON R VISITED QESHM ISLAND, Iran, on 1-4 December 1999, and travelled around the whole island during this period. The island is relatively flat with extensive salt flats and scrub punctuated by limestone outcrops, each rising to c. 200 metres. Situated c. 20 km south-west of Bandar Abbas, it is separated from the mainland by the Clarence Strait and is the largest island in the Arabian Gulf, at 100 km long by a mean 15 km wide. The weather during the period was warm and calm, with clear skies, and temperatures rising from 21°C at 07.30 to around 26°C at midday. On 3 December, at c. 09.00, as CR travelled west along the south coast, approaching a point south of the airport at Tiotang (26°48’N 56°04’E), where a series of high craggy outcrops looked of interest, five raptors including an Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus and two Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus drifted into view. The other two had smallish heads, barred and short, rounded wings, and appeared to be Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus, which are scarce in Iran (Derek Scott pers. comm.). This species is a rare winter visitors to UAE, only c. 200 km to the south, so I examined them carefully. One was strongly barred, with dark carpal patches and appeared to be a well-marked adult Honey Buzzard. The other was larger, closer in size to Long- legged Buzzard, with broader wings, on which six ‘fingers’ were visible, and had two broad bars on the tail, the second partially concealed behind the feet. It lacked a very dark carpal patch, which was evident on the adjacent Honey Buzzard and Long- 133 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 legged Buzzards. These features indicated that it was probably a Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus and, in retrospect, it is possible that the other individual may have been a juvenile or female Crested Honey Buzzard, which have very similar plumages. Unfortunately they passed over quickly and I was unable to carefully note the head pattern or any other features. On 20 February—8 March 2000, MD visited Iran together with Philippe J. Dubois, Serge Nicolle, Alain Perthuis and Henri-Pierre Roche. On 5 March, they found an adult (possibly male) Crested Honey Buzzard near Abpkhash along the Hilleh river, north-west of Bushehr, south-east Iran. It was seen for several minutes, initially flying very low, at a distance of c. 50 metres, before landing briefly atop a palm tree at 300-400 metres. While soaring it was seen both from above and below and, when perched, it was observed from behind. It was a heavily built buzzard-sized raptor. Long and very broad wings with bulging trailing edge. Broad outerwing (‘hand’) with six ‘fingers’ on wingtip (AP). Rather broad, longish tail. Protruding pigeon-like head. Upperparts dark brown lacking any contrast, and apparently unmarked. Underparts and underwing-coverts tawny, slightly and finely barred. Lacked a dark carpal patch. Flight feathers whitish with distinct barring at base and a rather broad dark band on trailing edge. Tail whitish with a broad black terminal band and another, of equal width, at the base of tail (obscured by the feet). The group immediately identified the individual in the field, as the species was previously known to four members from Siberia, China and Mongolia. Identification was subsequently confirmed through reference to the literature (e.g. Clark 1999, Forsman 1994, Porter et al. 1996). Due to a better understanding of its field identifi- cation and increased awareness of the likelihood of its occurrence, Crested Honey Buzzard can be regarded as a scarce migrant and winter visitor, rather than a vagrant, in the Middle East: 19 had been recorded in Israel prior to the end of 1999 (with additional records in spring 2000; Bradshaw & Kirwan 2000), with at least 21, several awaiting assessment, up to spring 2000 in UAE (Emirates Bird Records Committee files), three in Saudi Arabia, two in Turkey and singles in Egypt and Oman (Shirihai et al. 2000). Indeed, there is a previous report of the species in Iran, two at Hormuz Island, on 30 November 1999 (I. A. Green). ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS MD thanks Dr M. Ebtekar, Vice President of the Islamic Republic of Iran and director of the Dept. of the Environment; Dr Rostamian, director of the Dept. of the Environment for Bushehr province; Dr J: Mansoori, ornithological researcher at the Dept. of the Environment; and Mrs Elen Tavakoli, for endless assistance during his and his colleagues’ visit. REFERENCES BRADSHAW, C. G. AND KIRWAN, G. M. (2000) Around the region. Sandgrouse 22 : 156-160. CLARK, W. S. (1999) A field guide to the raptors of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. Oxford University Press, Oxford. FORSMAN, D. (1994) Field identification of Crested Honey Buzzard. Birding World 7: 396-403. PORTER R. F., CHRISTENSEN S. AND SCHIERMACKER-HANSEN P. (1996) Field guide to the birds of the Middle East. T. & A. D. Poyser, London. SHIRIHAL, H., YOSEF, R., ALON, D., KIRWAN, G. M. AND SPAAR, R. (2000) Raptor migration in Israel and the Middle East: a summary of 30 years of field research. International Birding & Research Center, Eilat. Marc Duquet, 22 avenue du Tambourin, 34230 Vendemuian, France. Colin Richardson, P. O. Box 50394, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. 134 Notes Comments on the buzzards of the Central Plateau, Turkey ALAN VITTERY INCE A QUALIFIED JUDGEMENT concerning the specific identity of the ‘red’ buzzards of the Anatolian Plateau was made in the first OST Bird Report (1966-67), it has been assumed that Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus is a breeding resident in central and eastern Turkey. This diagnosis, to which neither I nor my contemporary in Ankara, John Squire, subscribed (even as co-editors of the report) was reinforced by the distribution map for B. rufinus in BWP (Cramp & Simmons 1980), although the text for B. buteo refers to the view that Anatolian birds are a race of Common Buzzard. The most recent checklist of the birds of Turkey (Kirwan et al. 1999) also lists rufinus as a breeding resident, without qualification. During my three-year residency in Ankara in the late 1960s I became very familiar with the locally resident buzzards Buteo. They were bulky, sluggish and generally ‘untidy’ birds. I was greatly struck by the contrast between them and classic rufinus when the latter passed through, in very small numbers, in spring and autumn. These immaculate, pale-headed birds were much larger and longer winged, paler (lacking the chestnut on the underwing of residents) and had more uniform tails, always without the well-defined chestnut subterminal band of the majority of residents. The upperparts were noticeably less saturated. Visitors to the Central Plateau, comparing resident buzzards to nominate buteo and the small, rather neat vulpinus, which they may have seen in numbers over the Bosphorus, perhaps understandably assumed bulky, chestnut plateau birds to be rufinus. The literature did not assist-in eliminating confusion. Voous (1960) suggests that rufinus breeds throughout Turkey, but questions the status of buteo. Vaurie (1965) regarded rufinus as a summer visitor to Asia Minor and south-east Europe, but does not admit resident status in Turkey for either vulpinus or the other chestnut race menetriesi. However, Mackworth-Praed & Grant (1952) describe ‘Buteo menetriesi’ as follows: ‘Very similar to vulpinus but generally more chestnut; below less barred; under wing coverts chestnut; tail chestnut with a sub-terminal bar .... A smaller, darker bird than rufinus, but distinctly more richly coloured than vulpinus’. Moreover, they accord it the distribution of ‘south Russia and Turkey’. I agree with Vaurie (1965) that their ‘in non-breeding season to Cape Province’ is erroneous, but otherwise the description matches Anatolian buzzards perfectly. If the buzzards of central and eastern Turkey are menetriesi (which is perhaps worthy of the specific status accorded by Mackworth-Praed & Grant), what is the true status of Long-legged Buzzard in the country? The species occurs both east and west of Turkey, being at least partially resident in more arid areas to the east (e.g. Iran) and principally a summer visitor to the western extremity of its range, in south-east Europe, where it arrives from late March (pers. obs.), although Handrinos & Akriotis (1997) indicate that some overwinter in south Greece. It may therefore be expected to breed regularly in Turkey, as frequently claimed. Confusion with putative menetriesi has been demonstrated in some instances, however, and is likely in others. In four 135 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 years of relatively intensive birding in central Turkey, John Squire and I failed to find a single pair of rufinus, although the occasional individual was encountered in summer. Neither did we see the species in winter. Although most of my activities were confined to the Ankara area, the many roadside Buteo on a long tour of east Turkey in September exhibited the same characteristics as the Central Plateau birds. The more arid south-east of the country would appear to be the most likely breeding area given the species’ preference for semi-desert conditions, but there is no conclusive evidence that rufinus is either a resident or summer visitor there. While the status of any species can change radically in 30 years, and there is some evidence for a northward and westward range expansion in south-east Europe during the 20th century (Cramp & Simmons 1980), it seems unlikely that a species in decline in parts of its nearby range (e.g. Israel) could newly establish itself in an area already ‘occupied’ by a sympatric species with similar habitat requirements. Migrants wintering south and east of Turkey must account for the small number of birds passing through the Central Plateau in spring and autumn. (Sudan and the north-west Indian subcontinent plains appear to be the principal wintering areas, outside the known breeding range, but even here it is sparsely distributed.) Few undisputed rufinus are recorded at migration watchpoints, such as Eilat and the Bosphorus (Shirihai et al. 2000), possibly reflecting both the small total migrant breeding population in south-east Europe and west Asia, and the apparent lack of winter concentrations. Indeed, the literature, supported by my own experience in the Punjab and north-east Africa, suggests rufinus is uncommon in global terms, making an accurate assessment of its status in Turkey all the more important. REFERENCES CRAMP, S. & SIMMONS, K. E. L. (EDS.) (1980) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 2. Oxford University Press. HANDRINOS, G. AND AKRIOTIS, T. (1997) The birds of Greece. A. & C. Black, London. KGRWAN, G. M., MARTINS, R. P., EKEN, G. AND DAVIDSON, P. (1999) A checklist of the birds of Turkey. Sandgrouse Suppl; e132. MACKWORTH-PRAED, C. W. AND GRANT, C. H. B. (1952) Birds of Eastern and North Eastern Africa. Vol. 1. Longmans, London. OST (ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF TURKEY) (1969) Bird Report 1966-1967. OST, London. SHIRIHAL, H., YOSEF, R., ALON, D., KIRWAN, G. M. AND SPAAR, R. (2000) Raptor migration in Israel and the Middle East: a summary of 30 years of field research. International Birding & Research Center, Eilat VAURIE, C. (1965) The birds of the Palearctic fauna. Non-passeriformes. H. F. & G. Witherby, London. Voous, K. H. (1960) Atlas of European birds. Nelson, Edinburgh. Alan Vittery, 164 West Clyne, Brora, Sutherland KW9 6NH, U. K. Cannibalism and scavenging by wintering Coot Fulica atra REUVEN YOSEF OOT Fulica atra is an abundant passage migrant and winter visitor throughout Israel (Shirihai 1996), which also breeds in small numbers, chiefly in the centre and north of the country. The species is omnivorous, although plant materials | predominate. It usually feeds by scraping algae off submerged objects, picking food from the water surface, while swimming, or up-ending (occasionally diving) in 136 Notes shallow water up to 40 cm deep, but also ingests seeds, grasses and cereals, and takes young emergent plant shoots on land. Animal food includes invertebrates, fish, amphibians, small birds and mammals (del Hoyo et al. 1996, Snow & Perrins 1998). Coots are also known to kleptoparasitise conspecifics and other waterfowl. In March 1999, the International Birding and Research Center in Eilat (IBRCE) created a new freshwater lake, in the ‘Bird Sanctuary’, which attracted a wide range of bird species, including Coot. During December 1999 and January 2000, the foraging behaviour of Coots in this area was observed. Flock size was 12-41 and the birds spent most time feeding in alfalfa Medicago sativa, or foraging on fresh leaves of Pink Sorrel Rumex cyprius and Seablite Suaeda monoica. Several flock members were handicapped birds, with a broken leg, or had been collected during the winter in a state of complete starvation. On four separate occasions carnivorous feeding was noted. Twice, conspecifics with a broken leg were consumed while feeding in alfalfa. During January 2000, the species was also observed consuming what I assumed to be a recently dead Moorhen Gallinula chloropus. However, on 15 January I observed them actively kill and consume an incapacitated, apparently very weak, Corncrake Crex crex. These observations are interesting because all prey items were Rallidae and of a much larger body mass than previously reported. Although known to take carrion (del Hoyo et al. 1996), I know of no reports of Coot feeding on live prey. Given that the species may kill its own and neighbouring pairs’ young during the breeding season (Taylor & van Perlo 1998), I consider it probable that stronger members of the wintering flock cannibalised weaker individuals and others during periods of food shortage. REFERENCES DEL Hoyo, J., ELLIOTT, A. AND SARGATAL, J. (EDS). (1996) Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 3. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. SHIRIHAT, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. SNow, D. W. AND PERRINS, C. M. (1998) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Concise edition. Oxford University Press. TAYLOR, B. AND VAN PERLO, B. (1998) Rails. A guide to the rails, crakes, gallinules and coots of the world. Pica Press, Robertsbridge. Reuven Yosef, International Birding & Research Center in Eilat, P. O. Box 774, Eilat 88000, Israel. The first Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata in Egypt and the Western Palearctic SEPPA HAAVISTO AND ANTE STRAND URING A BOAT TRIP on 6 May 1997, with nine colleagues, along the shore of Lake Nasser up to 20 km north of Abu Simbel, a moorhen was located at 09.20 in partially submerged vegetation by a small island, c. 800 metres away. Subsequently we refound it amidst floating algae c. 10 metres from the island’s shore which was principally covered with tamarisk. We passed slowly within 40-50 metres of the bird during which time SH, who observed it continually through binoculars in this period, dkeyA Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 became baffled as to its identity. It did not have the jizz of Moorhen Gallinula chloropus, having a smaller head and bill and thinner neck. Moreover, the bill was mostly bright yellow. Following consulatation with various field guides (e.g. van Perlo 1995) we elected to slowly approach the bird again. When we were c. 30-40 metres from it, the boat’s engine was stopped, and the bird carefully studied with binoculars and telescopes. We drifted closer to the bird and when we had got within c. 20 metres, it started to skulk within the thick algae and uttered a number of sharp penetrating alarm calls, tik or dik. Its behaviour became almost submarine-like between dives, with just the bill and crown visible above the water surface, like a Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis. Unfortunately, due to the wind, we got too close to the bird and it was lost from sight when we were within 4-5 m distance of it. However, we had been able to confirm that it was a Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata, having observed the bird for c. 15 minutes in good light at close range. The following details were noted. Size and shape: smaller and less bulky than Moorhen; neck, in particular, LONE, head smaller and beak shorter and less deep-based. Head: greyish black. Upperparts: mantle and back concolourous with head and hindneck; primaries, wing-coverts and tertials dark olive-brown. Underparts: greyish black; undertail-coverts brilliant white with a black central line; narrow ereyish-white line on upper flanks narrower and thus less conspicious than in Moorhen. Bare parts: eyes red; bill had yellow lower mandible and upper mandible also yellow on distal two thirds, with a small red frontal shield on the basal third, coloration much as Moorhen but less conspicious. Voice: a very short, sharp and piercing tik or dik was heard three times on close approach Sex and age: considered an adult male, because of its rich dark olive-brown wings and the lack of the pale grey face and hindneck of adult female (based on subsequent literature study, e.g. Urban et al. 1986). Plate 1. Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata, c. 20 km north of Abu Simbel, Lake Nasser, Egypt, 6 May 1997. This is the only publishable photograph made during the observation. (Bo Carlsson) 138 Notes Lesser Moorhen is a resident or intra-African migrant that is widespread and locally common in sub-Saharan Africa from Senegambia east to southern Sudan and south-west Ethiopia (rare) and south to Namibia and the Cape (Urban et al. 1986). Its appearance in the north of its range is governed by rainfall, as the species makes use of temporary waterbodies. There is one previous record in the Middle East, in Oman in November 1991 (OBRC 1994), but this is the first record in Egypt and the Western Palearctic. REFERENCES OMAN BIRD RECORDS COMMITTEE (OBRC) (1994) Oman bird list. The official list of the birds of the Sultanate of Oman. 4th edition. OBRC, Muscat VAN PERLO, B. (1995) Collins illustrated checklist of the birds of eastern Africa. HarperCollins, London. URBAN, E. K., Fry, C. H. AND KEITH, S. (EDs.) (1986) The birds of Africa. Vol. 2. Academic Press, London. Seppo Haavisto, Upplandsvdgen 3, S-186 35 Stockholm, Sweden. Ante Strand, Kruthornsvdgen 17, S-192 53 Stockholm, Sweden. Status of White-tailed Plover Chettusia leucura and Sociable Plover C. gregaria in coastal north-west Saudi Arabia—an addendum to -Kasparek (1992) BRIAN S. MEADOWS ASPAREK (1992) reviewed the status of Chettusia leucura and C. gregaria in the Middle East but did not cover their status in Arabia in detail. I was a resident at Yanbu, central Hijaz, Saudi Arabia, in 1984-1994. An account of my ad-hoc observations of these species in coastal Hijaz between 23°N to 25°N forms the basis of this communication. WHITE-TAILED PLOVER Status as a passage migrant Kasparek (1992) considered the species’a rare to uncommon migrant throughout Arabia and Cramp & Simmons (1983) reported only two records from coastal western Arabia. At Yanbu spring passage was observed in all years except 1987 and in all autumns, except 1988 and 1992. Table 1 presents my records during 1984 to 1993. Table 1. Monthly distribution of records and total numbers (-) of White-tailed Plover Chettusia leucura. Jan* Jul 0 Feb Aug 0 Mar Sep 8 2 3 1 Apr Oct May = Nov Jun 0 ( Dec 3 * Excludes 1986-7 overwintering record. Spring passage was limited to February and March, with the exception of two on 12 April 1985, while autumn passage extended from September to November. My records indicate evidence of peaks between mid-February and the third week of 139 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 March, and from the third week of September to the final week of October. The March influx, in particular, accords well with its arrival on its Central Asian breeding grounds in April. Many records concerned small parties of 5-6 individuals (max. 12) and recerds of 1-3 were principally in October-November. White-tailed Plover appears to rarely migrate in larger flocks, unlike Sociable Plover (Kasparek 1992). Overwintering Overwintering was confirmed once: in winter 1986-7 two were present from 22 December to 1 February. In addition, in 1990, two were seen on 7 December but not subsequently, and were considered late migrants. Other observations Kasparek (1992) suggested that broad-front passage occurs across Arabia, with the majority being en-route to and from Central Asia and wintering areas in the Nile Valley in Sudan. My observations support this. On several occasions in spring I observed small parties arriving off the Red Sea from the south-west. On 25 February 1991, I followed a party of five, which had arrived off the sea, continue inland without changing direction. On 12 February 1988, six were resting in a dry wadi, over 100 km inland, directly on the south-west-—north-east course. Most were seen adjacent to natural or man-made wetlands. White-tailed Plover frequently occurred (both spring and autumn) on the seaward edge of mangrove, which fringes the coast at Yanbu al- Sinaiyah, but were never observed feeding. The vast majority of those at other sites, which included springs, sewage treatment lagoons, saltpans and dams, were usually resting rather than actively feeding. SOCIABLE PLOVER Jennings (1981) considered the species an uncommon migrant and possible winter visitor in western Saudi Arabia. Since the early 1980s it appears to have become even more uncommon, probably continuing a trend that commenced in the 1970s or earlier (e.g. Nikolaus & Hamad 1984). This is unsurprising given that it is globally threatened due to increased agricultural development within its breeding areas in Central Asia and apparently continues to decline, at least in Kazakstan (B.O.U. 1999). I recorded the species only once throughout my period in western Arabia, one photographed 5 km inland of Yanbu al-Bahr in the Tihama, on 20 December 1990 (it was not seen subsequently). This contrasts with the observations of P. J. Baldwin, at Yanbu in 1979-1984, who recorded it in October 1980, 1983 and 1984 (Baldwin & Meadows 1988). However, in line with my observations he failed to record Sociable Plover in western Saudi Arabia in 1985-88. REFERENCES BALDWIN, P. J. AND MEADOWS, B. S. (1988) Birds of Madinat Yanbu Al-Sinatyah and its hinterland. Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, Riyadh. BRITISH ORNITHOLOGISTS’ UNION (1999) Summary report on a project supported by a B.O.U. Research Grant. Ibis 141: 709. CRAMP, S. AND SIMMONS, K. E. L. (EDS.) (1983) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 3. Oxford University Press, Oxford. JENNINGS, M. C. (1981) The birds of Saudi Arabia: a checklist. Jennings, Whittlesford. KASPAREK, M. (1992) Status of Sociable Plover Chettusia gregaria and White-tailed Plover C. lewcura in Turkey and the Middle East. Sandgrouse 14: 2-15. NIKOLAUS, G AND HAMAD, D. M. (1984) Distinct status changes of certain Palearctic migrants in Sudan. Scopus 8: 36-38. Brian S. Meadows, P. O. Box 10476, Jubail 31961, Saudi Arabia. (Permanent address: 9 Old Hall Lane,Walton-on-the Naze, Essex C014 8LE, U. K.) 140 Notes Physical characteristics of a hybrid Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica x House Martin Delichon urbica at Eilat, Israel REUVEN YOSEF HE PHENOMENON OF Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica x House Martin Delichon urbica hybrids was first documented by Haverschmidt (1932) and van der Most van Spijk (1937). More recently, several cases have been observed on the breeding grounds across Europe (Vensteenwegen 1981, Glutz von Blotzheim & Bauer 1985, Cramp 1988, Nicolau-Guillaumet 1998, van den Brink 1999). I present the first record of a hybrid swallow on migration, south of the breeding range. On 11 March 1999, a swallow with mixed characteristics was caught at the International Birding & Research Centre ringing station, at Eilat, Israel. Biometric data and other characteristics were noted, it was ringed (T82008, Israel) and released in good health. Based on the feathering and other characteristics, and in-hand comparison with other hirundines caught simultaneously, I concluded that the individual was a hybrid House Martin x Barn Swallow. The forehead was largely black with a little rufous flecking, the chin pale rufous, while the throat had some dark flecking suggesting a band, and the bill was shaped more like that of House Martin than Barn Swallow. The wings were rounder in shape than those of other swallows caught at the same time and the uppertail-coverts were iridescent blue/black. The rump was white/pale buff, flecked blue or black. The shafts of the undertail-coverts were similar to those of adult male House Martin. The tail had a relatively short fork but the outer rectrices were narrower and longer than those of House Martin. White spots were present on only the two outermost rectrices, but were considered one of the most reliable indications that one parent was a Barn Swallow. The white spots were not as bold as in Barn Swallow and were wholly absent from the other rectrices. The legs were similar in shape to those of Barn Swallow, but feathering extended to just above the feet. This is unlike Barn Swallow, which have unfeathered tarsi, but very similar to House Martin, whose tarsus and feet are feathered. It was photographed and the slides archived at the IBRCE. Figure 1. Field notes taken by J. D. Fletcher. flecks, blue / black heed forehead arniniy black with a “finele cufous flecking ieedescen ay ~ chin, hake tens Kang oe - threat, seme dack Plecking suggests band T %2002 = bel da! uch shape uppers - iridescent blue / black ramp - whike [light babe Fiecked with btue / black UTC - black shafes (6K ge! uch?) a MV bail = ralatweln shallow fork ’ hut feathers (particularly oukec mtrices) \\ aN ; : oe \ are thuner and longer y ~Z euber retrieas have white spots. Not ae bold ag hin rus lege ~ feathers extend down bargus to -op of feet. u/3/* 141 Sanderouse 22 (2): 2000 Plates 1-5. Hybrid swallow sp., Eilat, Israel, 11 March 1999 (Reuven Yosef). 142 Notes REFERENCES CRAMP, S. (ED.) (1988) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 5. Oxford University Press. GLUTZ VON BLOTZHEIM, U. N., AND BAUER, K. M. (EDs.) (1985) Handbuch der Vogel Mitteleuropas. Bd. 10. Wiesbaden. HAVERSCHMIDT, F. (1932) Waarnemingen van een bastaard van Boerenzwaluw (Hirundo r. rustica (L.) en Huiszwaluw (Delichon urbica (L.). Ardea 21: 120. NICOLAU-GUILLAUMET, P. (1998) L’hybridation Hirondelle rustique Hirundo rustica x Hirondelle de fenetre Delichon urbica: mythe ou realite? Alauda 66: 283-297. VAN DEN BRINK, B. (1999) Hybrids Barn Swallow x House Martin in the Netherlands. Dutch Birding 21: 30-31. VAN DER MOST VAN SPIK, A. (1937). Vermoedelijke bastaard tusschen Boerenzwaluw (Hirundo rustica (L.) x Huiszwaluw (Delichon urbica (L.)). Ardea 26: 221-222. VENSTEENWEGEN, C. (1981) Nidification d’un hybride presume entre l’Hirondelle de fenetre (Delichon urbica) et l’'Hirondelle de cheminee (Hirundo rustica). Gerfaut 71: 611-615. Reuven Yosef, International Birding & Research Centre in Eilat, P. O. Box 774, Eilat 88000, Israel. Two new bird species in Kuwait N. CLEERE,.D. KELLY AND:C. W. T: PILCHER ETWEEN 1 October and 7 December 1995, we conducted a bird-ringing project at Jahra Pool Nature Reserve, under the sponsorship of the Kuwait Environment ~ Protection Council (EPC). The study site, situated at the south-west corner of Kuwait Bay, in east Kuwait, is the country’s only freshwater wetland, and is an Important Bird Area (Evans 1994) covering 250 ha of coastal sabkha and includes a large area of dense Phragmites reed and 4—5 ha of open, shallow water, fed and maintained by the outflow of wastewater from nearby Jahra town. Two species previously unrecorded in Kuwait were trapped and ringed during the project, a Wren Troglodytes troglodytes, on 23 November (see Plate 2), which is the first record in the Arabian Peninsula (Porter eft al. 1996), and a Black-throated Accentor Prunella atrogularis, on 28 November (Plate 1), the second record in the Arabian Peninsula (Alstr6m 1991). The records have been accepted by the Kuwait Ornithological Rarities Committee (KORC). Black-throated Accentor Prunella atrogularis Size and structure Similar to Dunnock Prunella modularis. Head Forehead and crown greyish, heavily blotched brown, crown-sides dark brown. Broad greyish-white supercilium, becoming narrower in front of eye and extending to bill, tinged buffish behind eye. Incomplete whitish eye-ring. Lores and ear-coverts dusky brown. Greyish- white submoustachial stripe. Upperparts Nape greyish, heavily blotched brown. Mantle and back brown, heavily streaked dark brown. Rump olive-brown tinged greyish, lightly streaked brown. Uppertail-coverts olive- brown, faintly streaked brown. Lesser coverts chestnut-brown, streaked dark brown. Greater coverts brown, broadly streaked dark brown, the innermost with buffish-white tips to outer webs, the four outermost with whitish tips. Underparts Chin and throat dusky grey, faintly speckled whitish. Lower throat edged whitish, forming distinct band between dark throat and brighter breast. Prominent orange-brown band across lower throat and upper breast. Breast and belly greyish white, faintly blotched grey. Flanks buffish brown streaked brown. Bare parts Bill (both mandibles) pale pinkish on proximal third, dark grey-brown on distal two thirds. Iris brown with a richer, brighter outer ring and a duller, inner ring. Tarsus and feet pale orange-flesh. 143 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Age It was accorded a EURING age code of 2 (fully grown, year of hatching unknown, current year not excluded), but the dull eye colour and contrast in coloration between the greater coverts tips suggested a first-year. Biometrics Wing length 73.5 mm, tail length 61.5 mm, bill to skull 13.8 mm, tarsus 20.0 mm, and weight 17.0 g. Wing formula (counted ascendently): emarginated 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th primaries, wing point formed by 3rd, 4th and 5th primaries, primary notches—none, p1—p2 = 41 mm, first primary = 4 mm shorter than primary-coverts. Subspecies Although not identified subspecifically, the whitish border between the dusky-grey throat and orange-brown breast suggests the nominate race. ie 7 Plate 1. Black-throated Accentor Prunella atrogularis, Jahra Pool Nature Reserve, Kuwait, 28 November 1995. (N. Cleere) Mae Me Le Lo Troglodytes troglodytes, Jahra Pool Nature Reserve, Kuwait, 23 November 1995. (N. Cleere) Mae 2. Wren Plate 144 Notes Wren Troglodytes troglodytes Size and structure Rather small, with a very short tail and thin bill. Head Forehead and crown brownish. Broad off-white supercilium. Lores and ear-coverts dusky brown. Upperparts Nape, mantle and back brownish. Rump and uppertail-coverts chestnut-brown. Wing-coverts chestnut-brown, barred dark brown. Primaries brown, barred buffish. Underparts Chin, throat, breast and belly buffish white. Flanks buffish. Bare parts Bill dark brown, iris brown, legs and feet brownish. Age Immature (EURING code 3) based on contrast in coloration of the greater coverts, the inner, moulted feathers being browner and paler than more rufous-brown, unmoulted outer feathers. Biometrics Wing length 49.5 mm, tail length 32 mm, bill to skull 13.2 mm, and weight 7.9 g. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Ringing studies in 1995 were generously funded by a grant to CWTP from the Environment Protection Council of Kuwait. We would also like to thank Stephen Rumsey for all his assistance during the project. REFERENCES ALSTROM, P. (1991) A Radde’s Accentor Prunella ocularis from Oman reidentified as Black-throated Accentor P. atrogularis. Sandgrouse 13: 106-108. EVANS, M. I. (1994) Important Bird Areas in the Middle East. BirdLife International (BirdLife Conservation Series No. 2), Cambridge. PORTER, R. F., CHRISTENSEN, S. AND SCHIERMACKER-HANSEN, P. (1996) Field guide to the birds of the Middle East. T. & A. D. Poyser, London. N. Cleere, c/o 3 Pear Tree Lane, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2LU, U. K. Kelly, c/o The Glebe, Fetlar, Shetland, ZE2 9DJ, UK. ~ C.W. T. Pilcher, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, P. O. Box 24923, Safat 13110, Kuwait. The first breeding record of Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus in Syria JOSE TAVARES, PEDRO-SA PESSOA AND FAUSTO BRITO E ABREU N THE EARLY MORNING of 27 August 1998, we observed 2-3 recently fledged Bearded Tits Panurus biarmicus vocalising incessantly at Sed Wadi Abiad dam, a small reservoir surrounded by rocky desert, 20 km north of Palmyra. No adults were seen. Some tamarisk and other shrubs surround the shore, along with reeds Phragmites sp. and rushes. The birds were within a small patch of reeds, flying to and from some small shrubs nearby. This is the second confirmed, and first breeding, record of the species in Syria, the first also being of 2-3 at the same location, on 22 May 1998 (Kirwan 1998). A subsequent record, in late 1999, involved 2-5 at Al Jaboul (Bradshaw 2000). Our observation is the southernmost breeding record ever. In Turkey, it is a widespread but local resident at wetlands throughout the country. It is an uncommon winter visitor to Israel, but records from Jordan are lacking (Shirihai et al. 1999), although it is accidental in Egypt and Kuwait (Cramp & Perrins 1993), and irregular in winter on Cyprus, principally in November-—February (Flint and Stewart 1992). In Iran it a winter visitor to the north of the country (Cramp & Perrins 1993). 145 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 The subspecific identity of those occurring in Syria is open to question. Nominate biarmicus, from western and southern Europe, may also occur in west and south Turkey (Roselaar 1995), but most Turkish birds are russicus, which occurs from central Europe to Central Asia and China. This race has a paler head, upperparts and flanks than the nominate (Roselaar 1995). Another subspecies, kosswigi (Kumerloeve 1958) (darker and more rufous-/pinkish-brown above, with a much darker head), was described from Amik Géli, south-east Turkey. This lake was drained in the late 1950s and the subspecies is presumed extinct. Roselaar (1995) speculates that those breeding in the Cukurova and Goksti deltas, further west, may belong to kosswigi, but confir- mation is required. Former Amik Gol is relatively close to Sed Wadi Abiad dam and it would therefore be interesting to confirm the subspecies present at this locality. REFERENCES BRADSHAW, C. G. (2000) Around the region. Sandgrouse 22: 78-80. CRAMP, S. AND PERRINS, C. M. (EDS.) (1993) The birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. 7. Oxford University Press. FLINT P. R. AND STEWART, P. F. (1992) The birds of Cyprus. British Ornithologists’ Union, Tring. KIRWAN, G. M. (1998) Around the region. Sandgrouse 20: 157-160. KUMERLOEVE, H. (1958) Eine neue Bartmeisenform vom Amik G6lti (See von Antiochia). Bonn. Zool. Beitr. 9: 194-199. , ROSELAAR, C. S. (1995) Songbirds of Turkey: an atlas of biodiversity of Turkish passerine birds. Pica Press, Mountfield & GMB, Haarlem. SHIRIHAI, H., ANDREWS, I. J., KIRWAN, G. M. AND DAVIDSON, P. (1999) A checklist of the birds of Israel and Jordan. Sandgrouse 21: 36-44. José Tavares, Kelebek Sokak 28/4, 06700 GOP, Ankara, Turkey. Pedro Sa Pessoa, Rua Padre Américo 20-5C, 1600 Lisboa, Portugal. Fausto Brito e Abreu, Apartment 170, The Circle, Queen Elizabeth Street, London SE1 2JL, U. K. Notes on the breeding biology of Arabian Babbler Turdoides squamiceps and nestlings of Common Myna Acridotheres tristis PETERS GASMEIEI N MAY 1998, my wife and I found c. 100 fresh nests of Arabian Babbler Turdoides squamiceps in Acacia scrub/woodland in the Digdagga / Khatt area, United Arab Emirates (UAE). Nine contained eggs or young. Most nests were in thick bushes, up to c. 2 metres above ground, but others were up to five metres up in tree forks. The nest is a thick, bulky cup of dried grasses and plant material (resembling that of a Blackbird Turdus merula) with twigs in the base, and thickly lined with hair and rootlets. We saw no ‘partially domed’ nests, which have occasionally been reported from other parts of the breeding range and observed no evidence of co-operative breeding, although nearby there was a mixed group of adults and fledglings. The nests contained 2-4 eggs or similar numbers of young. In co-operative breeding, the dominant female is reported to lay 3-5 eggs, with other females then laying 6-13 eggs in the same nest. The nests we found were clearly insufficiently large, nor 146 Notes Pilate 1. Nest and eggs of Arabian Babbler Turdoides squamiceps, Digdagga / Khatt area, United Arab Emirates, May 1998. (Peter Castell) Plate 2. Newly hatched young of Arabian Babbler Turdoides squamiceps, Digdagga / Khatt area, United Arab Emirates, May 1998. (Peter Castell intended, for more than the normal clutch of up to five eggs. We established that incubation commences with the laying of.the final egg. Nestlings appear not to have been described. They are altricial, and naked at hatching. The skin is flesh-pink, but darkens to brown within a few days. Mouth and tongue orange-yellow and gape flanges whitish yellow. Tongue narrow and elongated, with two dark grey but faint markings, one at either side of the base of the tongue, merging near the base in the form of a horseshoe. These markings become larger, darker and more distinct within a few days of hatching. Rather surprisingly, the nestlings of Common Myna Acridotheres tristis do not appear to have been adequately described in the literature. In UAE, in May 1998 I found two nests containing nestlings, one in a broken lamp post and the other in a tree hole. The nestlings are altricial and almost naked at hatching, with a few wisps of pale grey down on the crown, nape, the centre of the mantle and on the sides. The mouth is yellow and the gape flanges pale yellow. Peter Castell, 19 Berry Drive, Great Sutton, Ellesmere Port, Cheshire CH66 2LN, U. K. 147 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 148 2000 Profile teenage move from the industrial English Midlands to the coast—Geoff to Suffolk, Hilary to Sussex—the discovery of birds and joys of voluntary wardening on Royal Society for Protection of Birds (RSPB) reserves, and both were hooked! Hilary was soon setting the ‘feminist pace’ with contracts at The Lodge and Minsmere, and Geoff was studying Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta at Minsmere as part of his degree. Three years later they were married and they have been an integral part of both the UK and Middle East birding scenes ever since. It was in 1984 that they first visited Djibouti, then ornithologically unknown, and commenced what has become an ongoing study of raptor migration between Africa and Arabia at the southern end of the Red Sea. They have visited the area on several expeditions since, establishing that hundreds of thousands of raptors cross the Bab el- Mandeb strait annually. Saudi Arabia and VWemen were added to them recurrent itinerary, and field work has been followed with education and awareness projects, in what has become a major National Biodiversity Plan for Djibouti in collabo- ration with the government. In addition, Geoff and Hilary are increasingly involved with DHKD, the Turkish BirdLife International partner, in census work, and in the publication of Where to watch birds in Turkey, Greece and Cyprus, of which Hilary was principal author. Geoff was recently seconded by RSPB to survey the Wadi Rum Protected Area in Jordan, with staff from the Royal Society for Conservation of Nature (RSCN). They have also been closely involved in the development of OSME, serving in several capacities on Council, culminating in Geoff's chairmanship until 1995. Somehow all this has been fitted around managing Minsmere reserve and Hilary’s life as a freelance graphic designer for conser- vation-oriented projects. From small acorns grow large trees, and there can be few bigger or more positively committed oaks than Geoff and Hilary! Derek Harvey 148 | Derek Harvey Advertisment ENATURAL HISTORY BOOKS LTD The dependable, experienced, worldwide mail order book service. Specialists in all aspects of the natural sciences, birdlife and wildlife, plus travel books, guides and maps. Including all books in print as advertised in SANDGROUSE. PISTYLL FARM, NERCWYS, Nr. MOLD, FLINTSHIRE CH7 4EW, UK FREE TEL: +44 (0)1352 756551 CATALOGUE FAX: +44 (0)1352 756004 E-mail: sales@subbooks.demon.co.uk. ON RE QUEST 149 Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Gfrican Bird Club WORKING FOR BIRDS IN AFRICA - JOIN US! ~R Membership benefits. e reputable colour Bulletin sent twice a year with African regional news, identification articles, site guides, photographic profiles, reviews and more African ornithology literature supplement each year you support ABC Conservation Fund projects Annual subscriptions: e UK, Europe and Africa: £15, Rest of World: £17 e pay by sterling cheque, money order or VISA, Access, Mastercard or Eurocard (please send card number and type, cardholder's name and address, expiry date, signature and amount payable) Please write to: African Bird Club, c/o Birdlife International, Wellbrook Court, Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ONA, United Kingdom UK charity 1053920 http://www.africanbirdclub.org TURKEY May, June 2001 Turkish Lake District or Pontic Alps. Enjoy a good cross-section of Turkey's avifauna and a rich pageant of flowers and butterflies. 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CALL NOW FOR YOUR BROCHURE! rs 8LX. 01179610874 “=r web: www. wildwings. co.uk ¢ email: wildinfo @ wildwings.co.uk _ RESERVATIONS AND ENQUIRES CALL 0117 984 8040 FOREIGN BIRDWATCHING| | \ The World REPORTS AND | | 1% of a population) at individual sites are listed in a separate table in the accounts. It is here that one can pick up some real gems: an Iranian lake with 308,000+ Mallard Anas platyrhynchos, 210,000 Teal A. crecca and 101,000+ Pintail A. acuta among others; details of Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor counts in Oman and Saudi; UAE and Oman are the only reliable places to see Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura in the region, and many more. Reviews & Recent Literature Unless you are really obsessed by waterfowl, this is not the sort of book many folk will read from cover to cover. However, it is well worth a browse, and rather than buying it why not participate in the IWC next January and get future instalments free! Contact the coordinator, Simon Delany, at Wetlands International HO. Stephen Newton Eriksen, H. & J. (1999) Birdlife in Oman. Al Roya Publishing. Available from the authors: SQU—Science, P. O. Box 36, Al Khod 123, Sultanate of Oman. pp 103, 160 colour plates, £19.95. This publication is a coffee-table book with a text aimed at the general reader interested in nature rather than the committed birder. It is thus rather lightweight, and most readers of this journal are unlikely to learn very much from this book. Following the introduction there are nine sections, each dealing with a particular region of Oman and depicting some bird species typical of that area. Hanne & Jens Eriksen’s superb photography is well known to most people and this publication includes some of the finest bird portraits I have seen. The standard is quite simply stunning, with page after page of wonderful bird images. My personal favourites include a Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus rising from a drinking pool, an immature Sooty Falcon Falco concolor and a superb summer-plumaged Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus, but on almost every page there is an image that takes your breath away. The authors hope that this book will raise awareness of birds in Oman; anyone picking up this book cannot fail to be inspired by this superb collection of images. Chris Bradshaw Grimmett, R., Inskipp, C. & Inskipp, T. (1999) Pocket guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent. A. & C. Black, London. pp 384, 153 colour plates, 1200 colour distri- bution maps, £17.99. Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 Kazmierczak, K. (2000) A field guide to the birds of the Indian subcontinent. Pica Press, Robertsbridge. pp 352, 96 colour plates, 1300 colour distribution maps, £25. The appearance of the parent hardback of the Grimmett ef af guide, which offered handbook-level information on the avifauna of the subcontinent, has rightly achieved universal acclaim. Now the same authors have issued a truly portable field guide that will further revolutionise birding in the region. But, they have a challenger in these stakes. So, what are the relative merits of the two? Perhaps most importantly, the Grimmett et al. volume is, for my money, the better illustrated, the plates beine of a universally higher standard (despite being a team effort, versus the solo work of Ber van Perlo) and appearing less cramped. Both use full-colour distribution maps, with Kazmierczak mapping more species, but neither is able to present the majority of these on the same double-page spread as the nelevant text and plate Where the Kazmierczak tome really comes to life is in its clever design, with many neat space-saving features, coupled with its more thorough detailing of habitat, altitudinal range and vocalisations. The latter, in particular, are poorly represented in the Grimmett et al. euide. Of course, such information, and much more, is available in the unabridged hardback volume of the latter work, which is truly essential for all birding visitors to the subcon- tinent. As for the field’ guide to choose, if only we could have the plates of one and text of the other! Nonetheless, it is surely pertinent to note that students of the region’s field ornithology have gone from a relatively impoverished position to one of almost untold riches within the space of a couple of years. As remarked by Eric Salzman in Birding (31: 38-55), the present really is the ‘golden age’ of bird books. del Hoyo, J., Elliott, A. & Sargatal, J. (eds.) (1999) Handbook of the birds of the world. Vol. 5. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. pp 760, 76 colour plates, 406 colour photographs, 758 distribution maps, £105. Konig, C., Weick, F. & Becking, J.-H. (1999) Owls. A guide to the owls of the world. Pica Press, Robertsbridge. pp 462, 64 colour plates, 212 distribution maps, £35. 154 These two volumes, part of ongoing series’, can be considered competitors owing to the inclusion of owls within volume 5 of HBW. It has become impossible to find new plaudits with which to laud the Barcelona-based series, and the present volume does nothing to diminish the overall feel of unparalleled quality. Even if you never plan to travel to the high Andes in search of some of its extravagantly plumaged (and named) hummingbirds (many treated here in system- atically novel ways), New Guinea for its extraordinary owlet-nightjars, or just about any region of the world that possesses a little-known swift, you can still revel in this book. My only gripes are wholly minor (and have already been made to the editors). It is superb in virtually every respect and I cannot imagine a serious birder not wanting to own this volume. Owls is a significant contribution to the ornithological canon. Kénig has long been involved in research on this intriguing group and this is reflected in the many original taxonomic ideas proposed here. For readers of this review some of the most interesting include the long-touted elevation of Bubo (bubo) ascalaphus to specific rank and the rather more surprising suggestion that Athene noctua of the form lilith may deserve species status on the basis of DNA and vocalisations. The authors also advance several other new taxonomic arrangements, principally among south American taxa. Coupled witha the section, authored by Wink and [Heidich, discussing molecular evolution and systematics of owls, there is much to recommend this work, even if the proposals therein demand further testing and in some cases may be subject to considerable refinement. (Indeed, a comprehensive re- evaluation of species limits within Malagasy scops-owls Ofus has already appeared since the book’s publication.) At least one rather apologist review of the plates in this guide has already appeared. Frankly, I find them disappointing, at times confusing and above all unflattering represen- tations of these birds’ supreme grace and beauty. Those in HBW are unquestionably superior. Given the almost universally stunning series of photographs also presented — there, HBW is unequivocally the superior volume in terms of illustrative material. A charge frequently levelled at works such as Owls is that they offer little more than -compendia of published information. Ironic then that the present title’s failing to take notice of significant quantities of distribu- tional literature marks one of its weakest points. For example, the presence of Aegolius harrisii in north-east Brazil goes unmapped and the text is insufficiently clear on this pomet, the occurrence of A. funereus in Bulgaria and Turkey has not been noticed, and altitudinal records of Glaucidium hardyi are ignored. It is surprising that no efforts were made to contact recent visitants to Socotra to enquire as to the availability of vocalisations of the Otus there, hesitantly treated within brucei in this volume, but which the authors speculate may deserve separate taxonomic status. In summary, HBW really does earn the well- worn, but in this instance wholly appropriate platitude ‘deserves to be on the bookshelf of every birder’. Those with a serious interest in owls (and I know few birders for whom they fail to spark some level of fascination) will want to avail themselves of both works, for despite the failings of Owls outlined above, it still commands attention and respect. Guy M. Kirwan ALSO RECEIVED Fisher, M., Ghazanfar, S. A. & Spalton, A. (eds.) (1999) The natural history of Oman. A Festschrift for Michael Gallagher. Backhuys Publishers, P. O. Box 321, 2300 Pid Leiden, Yhe Netherlands. pp 206, eight pages of black-and-white photographs and 31 figures, NLG96 excl. p&p. This tribute to Michael Gallagher contains reviews of the flora, reptiles and amphibians, sea turtles, birds, terrestrial mammals and cetaceans of Oman, along with discussions of the status of Arabian Leopard Panthera pardus minor and Arabian Tahr Hemitragus jayakari. The section discussing bird studies in Oman during the past 20 years, by Jens Eriksen, provides a history of recording effort, an introduction to the work of the Oman Bird Records Committee and some results of the breeding bird atlas project. Reviews & Recent Literature Kasparek, M. & Kinzelbach, R. (eds.) (1999) Zoology in the Middle East Volume 19. Kasparek Verlag, Heidelberg. Volume 19, which features a newly designed front cover, is a special issue devoted to amphibians and reptiles in the Middle East, and includes a paper describing a new species of Tropiocolotes gecko from fluvial regions of southern Egypt. King, H. (1999) The breeding birds of Hawar. Ministry of Housing, Bahrain. pp 94, many colour photographs and maps, no price provided. This exceedingly well-illustrated hardback belies its slightly coffee table book-like dimensions and appearance by providing a very clear and detailed résumé of the ornitho- logical importance of the Hawar archipelago, Bahrain. The islands support breeding populations of Sooty Falcon Falco concolor, Lesser Crested Tern Sterna bengalensis (the only colony in Bahrain), Socotra Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis (the 25,000+ pair colony is currently in decline), Western Reef Heron Egretta gularis, and the only known colony in Arabia of Caspian Tern Sterna caspia. Regionally important numbers of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber and Slender-billed Gull Larus gene winter within the area. Much analysis and discussion of the relative fortunes of the islands’ 20 breeding species are presented, along with recommen- dations for future conservation action. Guy M. Kirwan Sandgrouse 22 (2): 156-160 2000 —_ —_ Ayana. tie eonon compiled by Chris G. Bradshaw and Guy M. Kirwan Records in Around the Region are published for interest only; their inclusion does not imply acceptance by the records committee of the relevant country. Some records have been authenticated and these are usually indicated. All records refer to 2000 unless otherwise stated. Records and photographs for Sandgrouse 23 (1) should be sent, by December 15, to Around the Region, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U.K.; or aroundtheregion@osme.org Co — Jones ene / Bee-eaters Merops apiaster by D. Powell In Kuwait, nine Great-crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus at Jahra Bay on 11 and 31 March is a record count for the country, while the tenth record in UAE was of one at Khor Dubai until 12 February. Given its rarity in the region, a belated report of a Slavonian Grebe P. auritus at the Godksu delta, south Turkey, in February 1989, is significant. A Brown Booby Sula leucogaster at Kalba on 18 April would be only the fifth record in UAE, if accepted. In Egypt four Gannets Morus bassanus were off Zaranik on 10 January. A Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus passed Jaffa, Israel on 7 January. Ten Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus were at Aden causeway, Yemen on. 19 Pebruanyeanc: mune Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala at Aden sewage works the previous. day were also noteworthy, while one of the latter at East Khor, Salalah, on 15 February (but apparently present since August 1999) is the second record in Oman. The ninth Bittern Botaurus stellaris in UAE was at Zabeel Fish Ponds on 29 November and 30 December 1999. UAE’s first Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor, last seen on 12 November 1999, reappeared at Khor Dubai on 9 February and 5 April. In Saudi Arabia, two adults were at Jeddah, South Corniche, on 18 January. A Mute Swan Cygnus olor was at Tirat-Tzvi, Israel on 17 December 1999. Further records from Turkey of . Bewick’s Swan C. columbianus involved ten at Burdur G6lt, on 30 January, and one at Kizilirmak delta, on 12 December 1999 (Kuscu Bulteni 3: 6). The first record of Greylag Goose Anser anser in Lebanon involved a flock of nine at Aammigq marsh, on 25 January, while one at Jahra, on 11 November 1999, has been accepted as - the sixth in Kuwait. Two Red- {_ breasted Geese Branta ruficollis (an adult and first-winter) at Larnaca sewage works, on 11 January—18 February is the fourth record in Cyprus. Four Lesser Whistling-duck D. javanica at Khor Tagah, on 11-14 February, and seven at East Khor, Salalah on 15 February are the first records in Oman; the only previous Middle Eastern record was in Israel, in 1967 (Shirihai 1996). Unusual numbers of Shelduck Tadorna tadorna were recorded at widespread locations throughout the the region: at Sabkha al-Fasl, Saudi Arabia large numbers were present in early December 1999—mid-March, with a max. of 1200 on 4 January; 1500 were at Eilat km 20 throughout January, while in Yemen there were 70 at Aden sewage works on 20 February and 17 at Hodeidah Chris G. Bradshaw and Guy M. Kirwan Marsh on 6 March. A count of 201 between Jahra Bay and Sulaibikhat on 13 January is the largest in Kuwait since January 1983, while a small influx into Bahrain involved four at Ras Tubli sewage outfall from 21 January with two still present on 4 February; one on -Rubud. Al Gharbiyah—Hawar, on 3 February, may have been one of those previously at Tubli. A male Red- crested Pochard Netta rufina at Sabkha al-Fasl, on 4 February, is the second record in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province, while a Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca at Jahra Pool, on 5 September 1998, has been accepted as the first record in Kuwait. In Yemen, two were near Yarim on 22 February, and 16 at Aqaba sewage works, Jordan, on 22 February is a record count in that country. Four Red- breasted Merganser Mergus serrator present off Dreamland Beach, Umm al Quwain, on 25 February, with one remaining until 3 March, is the fourth record in UAE. Smew Mergus albellus is an irregular winter visitor to Israel, thus a male at Tirat-Tsvi, on 16 December 1999 and a female near Tsor’a (Beit Shemesh), on 15 January are noteworthy. Additionally, there was a female at Mogan Gol, Turkey, on 20 February (Kus¢u Bulteni 3: 6). In Central Asia, large counts of White- headed Ducks Oxyura leucocephala involved 2500 at Lake Akushpa, Uzbekistan on 21 October 1999, with 1137 at Lake Deizgul in 11 January (Threatened Waterfowl Specialist Group News 12: 16) and 2000 at Lake Tenghiz, Kazakstan (date uncertain). Small numbers have also been discovered recently at several wetlands in east Azarbaijan, Iran (Shahbazi 2000). A female and first-winter male at Larnaca sewage works, on 13-17 January, is the first record for Cyprus _for three years. The male lingered until 29 February. Reports of Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus continue to increase in the region. One at Eilat on 28 April was followed by a total of ten individuals in Israel on four dates during § to 15, May. In UAE, the 13-19th records were made between 2 February and 13 April. Notable records of Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus involved the sixth record in Israel, at Revadim on 19 May, the 12th record in UAE, at Dayah on 27 February, and one at Abu Simbel, Egypt, on 13 February, which is new for the area. Pallas’s Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus is now a great rarity in Iran, thus one at Khor Govater on 25 February is noteworthy. The long-staying White-eyed Buzzard Butastur teesa, believed to be of suspect Around the Region origin, was at Emirates golf course on 18 March. In Jordan, a Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga at Azrag on 14 April and possibly the same individual again on 23rd is the second site record. Sightings of single Tawny Eagles A. rapax at Urim on 16 March and Gevulot on 29 March are thought to relate to the same individual, which if accepted would be the fourth record in Israel. Golden Eagle A. chrysaetos is a vagrant to UAE; one at a nest near Liwa on 26 February is therefore noteworthy and follows the species’ recent first confirmation of nesting in the country (Aspinall & Hellyer 1999). Nearby, Hen Harriers Circus cyaneus were noted at Al Ain camel track on 17 December 1999 and 2 March, Al- Aryam Island on 22-23 December 1999 and Medinat Zated—Liwa road on 20 February. A ringtail was at Doha, Kuwait on 10 February. Shikra Accipiter badius was present at Saffa Park, UAE on 1-21 April and Emirates golf course on 16 June. A Goshawk A. gentilis was in the Dead Sea area of Jordan on 26 May. The second Amur Falcon Falco amurensis in UAE was at Al Wathba camel track on 24 March, while a Merlin F. columbarius at Gayathi on 31 December 1999-19 January is the 17th record in UAE. Sixty Lesser Kestrels F. naumanni at Fujairah dairy farm on 5 May was an exceptional count. In Jordan a Sooty Falcon F. concolor at Dana campsite on 14 April was rather early, while one at Fagal Nursery (Zarga River) on 1 May is the first record in the Northern Highlands, but distinctly more remarkable is a published report of one at Burdur Golu, Turkey, on 29 October 1999. (Kuscu Bulteni 2: 7), which is the northernmost record ever. An Eleonora’s Falcon F. eleonorae was also at Dana, on 22 April. A See-see Ammoperdix griseogularis at KISR Field Station on 8 July 1999 is the first record in Kuwait, but most likely refers to an escape. Single Corncrakes Crex crex were at Das Island on 21 May and Khalidiyah, both UAE, on 24-25 May. A White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus in Dubai on 9 April is the 11th record in the same country. The only wintering flock of Siberian White Crane Grus leucogeranus in West Asia numbered seven, at Es Baran, Iran, on 21 February. A Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata at Badaan Farm, Bahrain was the first observation there for several years. A count of 390 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus at Jahra Bay, on 26 August 1999, is a record for Kuwait. In Israel, the first breeding at Eilat was confirmed when a pair raised three young in July 1999. A Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni at Al Wathba camel track on 18 March will be the tenth record for UAE if accepted. In Jordan, a Painted Snipe Kostratula benghalensis at Aqaba sewage works on 6 May would be the first record in the country, if accepted. A record count of 57 White-tailed Plovers Chettusia leucura was made at Judailiyat, Kuwait, on 26 February 1999, while the only breeding record in UAE (and probably Arabia) in 2000 involved five, including three recently fledged juveniles, at Dubai sewage works on 18 June. Four were at Igneada, Turkey, on 29 April, the first record in Thrace. A Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus at Paphos Lighthouse on 31 March is the tenth record in Cyprus. A record of 3-4 at Paralimmi on: 3-4 May. 1999 (Sandgrouse 22: 79) referred to three (two males) on 3 May 1999, with one male remaining on 4th. A Sociable Plover Chettusia gregaria at Fujairah dairy farm, UAE, on 8 January-11 February is the 13th country record, while a Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva at Judailiyat on 25 November 1999 is only the second record for Kuwait in the past five years. This species was also noted at Aqaba, Jordan, on 26-27 April. The 12th European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria in UAE was at Abu Dhabi golf club on 29 January—3 May. A remarkable record of two Western Sandpiper Calidris maura (one apparently trapped and photographed) at Zaranik Protected Area, on 30-31 January, will be the first record for Egypt, if accepted. A Sharp-tailed Sandpiper C. acuminata photographed at Khor Taqgah on 11 February is the first record for Oman. The first and second records of Pectoral Sandpiper C. melanotos in Cyprus have recently been accepted: singles at Akhna Dam on 14-22 September 1997 and Akrotiri gravel pits on 26 September 1999. In UAE, up to nine Great Knot C. tenuirsotris were at Khor al Beidah/Umm al Quwain, between 29 January and 17 March. Five were at Minab, Iran in late March or early April. A Knot C. canutus at Akrotiri Salt Lake on 26 February is the 14th record in Cyprus, and 40 at the Gediz delta, on 28 January, continues in the recent tradition of small numbers regularly wintering in Aegean Turkey (Kuscu Bulteni 3: 6). The first record of Pintail Snipe Gallinago stenura in Iran involved two in the Bushehr area on 3 March, while the third in Israel was at Kfar Rupin on 3 December 1999. In Jordan, 16 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica at Aqaba on 27 April is the Chris G. Bradshaw and Guy M. Kirwan T5Z Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 fifth record: in the country. Potentially of great interest are unconfirmed reports that Slender- billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris was seen near Bushehr, Iran during the winter. A Terek Sandpiper Xenus cinereus at Spiros Pool, on 10-11 May, is about the 11th record in Cyprus and the first since 1997. Records of Pomarine Skua Stecorarius pomarinus from the Baths of Aphrodite, Cyprus on 5 and 7 October 1999 (Sandgrouse 22: 79) have been accepted as skua species only. A Brown Skua Catharacta lonnbergi at Al Aqqah on 8 January is potentially the third record in UAE. Also in UAE were the seventh record of Little Gull Larus minutus, on 19-20 January, and eighth record of Common Gull L. canus at Kalba beach, on 1 March. A gathering of 111 Great Black-headed Gull L. ichthyaetus between Fahaheel and Fintas, Kuwait, on 3 February is a record national count. Further interesting gull reports, from Aqaba, Jordan, involved three Little Gull on 22 February and a record 51 White- eyed Gulls L. leucophthalmus on 23 February. An Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea was at Ma’agan Mikhael, Israel, on 23-24 June. The 5-7th records of Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata in UAE related to sightings of one near Dubai sewage works on 18 March, four at Al Riqah beach on 20 April and one at Ras al Khaimah on 6 May. Two Black- bellied Sandgrouse P. orientalis at Mandria (Paphos) on 30 January is the first record in Cyprus for eight years. A Stock Dove Columba oenas at Jahra, Kuwait on 15 October 1999 has been accepted as the first record in Kuwait, while the fourth in Lebanon was at Aammigq marsh on 9 November, and was followed by a flock of 27 on 14 January and one on 25 January. A flock of seven Snow Pigeon C. leuconota at c. 3000 metres, near Altyn Arashan, in the Kyrghz Republic in June appears to be the first record in this part of the Tien Shan. A flock of 140-180 Woodpigeon C. palumbus at Wadi Tayin, on 29 January 1999, is the largest ever flock recorded in Oman, and one at Mushref Palace gardens on 2-11 April is the fifth record in UAE, where records of Namaqua Dove Oena capensis involved up to two at Al Wathba camel track on 21 December 1999 and 10-11 January, with one there on 3 and 11 February, and three at Al Ain camel track on 20 February and one on 8 April; elsewhere an impressive gathering of 200 was north of Aswan, Egypt, on 19 January. Seven African Collared Dove Streptopelia roseogrisea in Wadi Rawa, 158 south-west of Hamatta in the Red Sea mountains is a new location for the species, as is Wadi Let’hie, north of Sharm EI! Shiekh, where two were . seen on 28 May. A singing Hume’s Tawny Owl Strix butleri discovered at Sho’ab, western Socotra, on 23 May 1999, is the first island record. The Tawny Owl Strix aluco reported from Paphos on 11 August 1999 (Sandgrouse 22: 79) has not been documented and cannot be added to the Cyprus list. In UAE up to eight Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius were at Al Ain camel track on 15 January—23 March, while one was at Ghantoot plantation on 20 February—3 March. Another was at Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, on 14 March, and in Kuwait there were was one at Kuwait Towers on 17 March and two (one dead) at Sabah Al Salem on 27 March. Notable swift records involved the 18th records of both Alpine Swift Apus melba and Little Swift A. affinus in UAE. The former was near Ras al Khaimah golf course on 11 March, with the latter at Hamraniyah fields on 15 March. A Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius at Ayios Nikolaos, Famagusta on 9 January is the first record in that month in Cyprus. The 16-18th records of Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis in UAE involved singles at Zabeel between 9 November 1999 and 19 February, at Eastern Lagoon to 19 February and Khor Kalba to 21 February. In Kuwait, single Indian Rollers Coracias benghalensis were wintering at Jahra Gardens, on 2 December 1999, and Abu Halifa, on 17 December 1999. The second recorded breeding by Hoopoe Upupa epops in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Province was confirmed, when adults were seen carrying food to a nest at Jabal, Dhahran Hills, on 21 April. ‘ oy Se gs . ee 4s. eS te 19 April 2000. (Alan Vittery) In Kuwait an old report of Dunn’s Lark Eremalauda dunni at Dibdibah/ Al Abraq, on 15 December 1989, has recently been accepted as the second national record. An influx during 1999 resulted in the 3-11th records as follows. One at Salmi on 14 May, one at Shigaya on 13 August, three there on 19 August, and four at Al Abraq on 26 August. Further singles were noted at Al Haraijah on 27 August, Shigaya on 2 September and eight at Al Abraq on 9 September. Finally, three were near Al Abragq on 22 October. All have been accepted. In Egypt two seen 40 km north of Sharm El Sheikh is the first record in south Sinai. Other larks in Kuwait involved a record 48 Bar- tailed Desert Larks Ammomanes cincturus between Salmi and Al Abraq and a record 30 Bimaculated Larks Melanocorypha bimaculata at Rawdatain on 22 October 1999. In UAE, single Bar-tailed Desert Larks were at Ghantoot on 29 January and 25 April, with two on 30 June, while potentially the first record in Turkey is a report of two at Akg6él, Goksu Delta, on 27 April; an earlier claim, from the same area, remains under consideration (Kirwan & Martins 2000). One of up to four present at Zafer Burnu, Cyprus, on 19-22 April, was photographed (Plate 1). Further Bar-tailed Desert Larks were found in north Lebanon, 30 singing males in the semi-desert area around El] Qaa on 29 April, where there appears to be a healthy breeding population. This is the first national record. In the same area at least six singing Temminck’s Horned Lark Eremophila bilopha is only the second national record. Reports of four Woodlark Lullula arborea at Al Abrag on 10 February 1995 and Ar Rimam on 18 February have been accepted as the 6—7th records for Kuwait in the last 20 years. Plate 7 Bar-tailed Desert Lark Ammomanes cincturus, Zafer Burnu, Cyprus, re Chris G. Bradshaw and Guy M. Kirwan Possibly the largest number of Small Skylark Alauda gulgula recorded in Saudi Arabia involved 18 in Jubail on 26 January—12 February, with one remaining until 2 March. The first record for Lebanon was one at Aammig marsh on 3 November 1999. The species was also noted at Al Wathba camel track, UAE on 8 March. The third national record of Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra was noted at Al Wathba camel track on 28 January. Two Dupont’s’ Lark Chersophilus duponti were c. 20 km west of El Dab’a, Egypt on 30 January. A Brown-throated Sand Martin Riparia paludicola at Al Ain camel track on 19 December 1999 reappeared at nearby Ain al Faydah reedbeds on 17 January, and was joined by another on 25 January. These are the second and third records in UAE. The 4-6th records of Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii in UAE were at Al Wathba camel track on 23 December 1999-5 January, 18 March and 7 April. The first Kuwaiti records of Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris since 1997 involved 1-14 at five sites between 19 and 27 March. A Blyth’s Pipit Anthus godlewski at Al Habab on 21 December 1999 was followed, at Al Wathba camel track, by two on 23 December 1999, one on 10 January—24 February and two on 8 March. A Richard’s Pipit A. richardi was in the south-east Caspian area on 22 February. The species is regarded as a scarce migrant in Iran. Two Buff- bellied Pipit A. japonicus at Qaraoun Reservoir on 19 February are the first in Lebanon, while one at Dubai Creekside Park on 15 March will be the fourth record in UAE, if accepted. In Jordan, a Long-billed Pipit A. similis at Azraq on 8-9 April is the second site record. A report of one at Paphos lighthouse on 10 March would be the second in Cyprus, if accepted. There are fewer than 30 records of Olive-backed Pipit A. hodgsoni in UAE, so one at Mushref Palace gardens on 23 December 1999-5 January, 3 February and 10 March is noteworthy, while in Israel one was at km 40 north of Eilat on 31 March—4 April. In Kuwait, up to 17 Meadow Pipit A. pratensis were in Jubail on 18 January—28 February. A Forest Wagtail Dendronanthus indicus at Mushref Palace gardens on 23 December 1999-5 January is the 13th record in UAE. The 14-15th records followed from the same site, with two on 6-11 April and one on 13 April. Also in UAE, a high count of 120 Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola was made at Ain al Faydah reedbed on 17 January. Single Masked Wagtails M. (alba) personata were at Dibba dairy farm on 21 February and Al Ain on 12-14 March. At km 20; Eilat, a male Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus was present during March, while in UAE the highest spring count was 124 at Ghantoot on 27 March. A light spring passage was noted in Kuwait during March, with a total of 19 at four sites. In Bahrain, the last known roosting site for 1000s of wintering individuals was bulldozed on 6 April. Three Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris in Wadi Swanit on 24 February is the first record in central/south Israel, while one at Dana, Jordan, on 26 February, is only the second national record. The second Black Bush Robin Cercotrichas podobe in UAE was one at Mushrif on 2-3: Aprils In. UAE, Eversmann’s Redstarts Phoenicurus erythronotus were recorded at Khalidiyah on 24 December 1999 and Jebel Ali Hotel beachfront on 3 February. A first-summer Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha at Cape Drepanum, Cyprus on 13 April is the eighth recent island record, while a first-winter at Al Zor Ridge on 1 January 1999 has been accepted as the fourth in Kuwait, and a White- crowned Black Wheatear O. leucopyga at the same site, on 28 March 1999, was the ninth in Kuwait. The fifth record of the latter in Cyprus was at Akamias- on 12-23 April. In UAE, single Mourning Wheatears O. /ugens at Ghantoot, on 28 December 1999-30 January, and Masafi, on 23 February, were the only winter records in 1999/2000, while a Finsch’s Wheater O. finschii was at Gayathi resthouse on 25-26 March. A first-summer male Pied Wheatear O. pleschanka at Azraq on 2-3 and 14 April would be the first in Jordan, if accepted. The 20th record of Blackbird Turdus merula in UAE was on Arzanah Island on 1 February. In Yemen, two Song Thrush T. philomelos were at Mahwit on 25 February. Three Fieldfare T. pilaris and a Redwing T. iliacus were at Sidi Abdu Rahman, Egypt, on 31 January. Elsewhere, a Dusky Thrush T. naumanni eumonus was at Ghaba Resthouse, Oman, from mid-February until at least 6 March and the first Black-throated Thrush T. ruficollis for Lebanon was at Aammiq marsh on 11 February. A River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis caught by a cat and released alive at Dubai College on 24 May is the third record in UAE. Two more were reported at Abu Dhabi on 26 May and a singing bird at Kocacay, Turkey, on 22 May, once again raises the possibility that this species may occasionally remain to breed in the Around the Region country. The 11th Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon in UAE was at Wimpey Pits on 8 November 1999-20 March, while more exciting was a report of UAE’s first Paddyfield Warbler A. agricola at Fujairah dairy farm on 8 January. A Blyth’s Reed Warbler A. dumetorum trapped at Kfar Rupin on 26 April would be the fourth record in Israel, if accepted. In Saudi Arabia an Olive- tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum photographed in the Dhahran hills on 19 May appears to be only the third Spring. record in the east of the country. An interesting report from Thrace concerns an Upcher’s Warbler H. languida tape-recorded at the Holiday Inn marina, Istanbul, on 24 May 1998, which appears to be the first European record. A Hume’s Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia (curruca) althaea was:at Mushref Palace gardens on 5 January. Unusual winter records in Israel involved a Barred Warbler S. nisoria at Yotvata until 21 February and a male Ménétries’s Warbler S. mystacea trapped at Kibbutz Lotan on 28 February. A Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides at Aammiq Marsh, Lebanon, on 2 May, is the first national record. In Israel, Hume’s Leaf Warblers P. imei were at Kfar Blum (Hula) on 11 January, Kibbutz Mashabe-Sade on 1 February and Ein Avdat on 2 February. Of greater interest, in Israel, was a Yellow- browed Warbler P. inornatus at En- Afeq nature reserve until 28 March. Another at Evretou Dam on 25 March is the eighth record in Cyprus. A Willow Warbler P. trochilus of the race yakutensis at Lake Arjan, Iran, on 1 March is a very early date. A Red- breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva at Wafra on 27 March is only the second spring record in Kuwait. The first Common Babbler Turdoides caudatus in Kuwait, at Jahra Pool on 25 February 1999, has been accepted and a Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus, at the same site on 28 August 1999, has been accepted as the second national record. Up to three Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus were present at Khafrah Marsh, Saudi Arabia on 26 November 1999-3 March. The species has previously been regarded as a vagrant to Eastern Province, but has been recorded annually in winter since 1994. A Southern Grey Shrike Lanius (excubitor) meridionalis, of the form elegans, photographed at Larnaca sewage works on 26 February is the fourth record for Cyprus and the second of elegans. Records of two Brown-necked Raven Corvus ruficollis at Jal Az Zor Ridge on 27 January 1999 and 25 February were the first in Kuwait for eight years. A House Crow Chris G. Bradshaw and Guy M. Kirwan 165) Sandgrouse 22 (2): 2000 C. splendens on the Tel Aviv coast, on 13 November 1999, is the first record in Israel away from Eilat. UAE’s third Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea was present intermittently at Zabeel fish ponds on 23 January—22 March, and the fourth involved 12 at Al Ain camel track on 5 February. Common Mynah Acridotheres tristis continues to be recorded in Ankara, Turkey, where one was present on 16 June. Three Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus at Ayios Yeoryios, Cyprus, on 27 May, is the 13th island record. In south-east Plate 2. Probable Spotless Starling Sturnus unicolor, Harran, near Urfa, south-east Turkey, 5 May 2000. (Murat Bozdogan) Turkey, a probable Spotless Starling S. unicolor was photographed (Plate 2) at Harran, near Urfa, on 5 May; the species is not considered to have been reliably recorded in the country or the Middle East (Kirwan et al. 1999). A Tree Sparrow Passer montanus near Hula lake on 4 December 1999 is the sixth record in Israel. In Cyprus the 5—6th records of Pale Rock Sparrow Carpospiza brachydactyla involved 15 at Khlorakas and Paphos lighthouse area on 28 April, with two at Cape Greco on 28 April, increasing to 13 later the same ¢day. Miale and female Trumpeter Finch Bucanetes githagineus noted at Salmi on 19 March 1999 and at Al Zor Ridge on 27 March 1999 have been accepted as the 9-10th records in Kuwait. A further report, at Kabd on 24 March, will be the 11th record, if accepted. Up to six at Cape Greco, Cyprus, on 24-28 April, and one at Mandria, Paphos on 18 April, are the largest numbers ever recorded in Cyprus, while in Turkey a pair was again in the Gaziantep region, on 5 May; the species now appears regular in summer in this area. The first Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis nest to be discovered in Arabia was found in central Saudi Arabia on 17 April 1999 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (Jennings 1999). A very belated report of a Common Redpoll C. flammea at Hula, Israel on 19 March 1989 has only recently come to light and pre- dates the only other record in Israel by eight years. Three Cinereous Buntings Emberiza cineracea were in the Jebel Ali Hotel grounds, UAE, on 1 April, while a recent record of 12 at Dana, Jordan (Sandgrouse 22: 191) has been rejected by the Jordan Bird Records Committee. Two new buntings for Lebanon, both at Aammiq marsh, were a Rustic Bunting E. rustica on 4 November 1999 and a winter plumaged male Pine Bunting E. leucocephalos on 9 December 1999. Subsequent records of up to three male Pine Bunting, until 23 January, indicate overwintering. The sixth record of Reed Bunting E. schoeniclus in UAE involved two at Ain al Faydah on 4 February, with one still present on 21 February. A House Bunting E. striolata at Kfar Rupin’s cowshed on 7 February is the northernmost record in Israel. A concentration of 100 Corn Buntings Milaria calandra at Mudayarah oil lakes on 4 February was a record count in Kuwait, and another notable count, of 60, was made at Ar Rimam on 18 February. The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Aydin Akin, lan Andrews (on behalf of the Jordan Bird Records Committee), Sherif and Mindy Baha El Din, Richard Bashford (Naturetrek), Arnoud B. van den Berg (Dutch Birding), Colin Beale, Murat Bozdogan, Lawrie Conole, Barbaros Demici, Joakim Djerf, Philippe J. Dubois, Robert Franklin, Steve Gantlett (Birding World), Bernt Godin, Eichoen Goetz, Andrew Gouldstone, Barak Granit, Magnus Hellstrém, Kari Haataja, Erik Hirschfeld, Steve Holliday, Baz Hughes, Howard King, Peter Knaus, Elena Kreuzberg-Mukhina, Bahtiyar Kurt, Dr Graham R. Lobley, Brian S. Meadows, Goran Pettersson, Richard Porter, Jens Ramnebro, Colin Richardson (on behalf of the Emirates Bird Records Committee), John Sanders, Nir Sapir, Derek Scott, Hadoram Shirihai, Thomas Spencer (on behalf of Kuwait Ornithological Rarities Committee), David Stanton, Tim Strudwick, Sami Tuomela, Lars Svensson, Alan Vittery and Reuven Yosef. REFERENCES ASPINALL, S. AND HELLYER, P. (1999) Golden Eagle—a new breeding species for the UAE. Phoenix 16: 2-3. JENNINGS, M. C. (1999) Birds on farms in central Saudi Arabia: ABBA survey 25—April 1999. Phoenix 16: 11-15. KiRWAN, G. M. AND MartINS, R. P. (2000) Turkey Bird Report 1992-1996. Sandgrouse 22: 13-35. KIRWAN, G. M., MARTINS, R. P., EKEN, G. AND DAVIDSON, P. (1999) A checklist of the birds of Turkey. Sandgrouse Suppl. 1: 1-32. RICHARDSON, C. AND ASPINALL, S. (1998) The Shell birdwatching guide to the United Arab Emirates. Hobby Publications, Dubai. SHAHBAZI, Y. (2000) Status of the White-headed Duck in eastern Azarbaijan, Iran. Threatened Waterfowl Specialist Group News 12: 34-38. SHIRIHAI, H. (1996) The birds of Israel. Academic Press, London. Chris G. Bradshaw, 6 Collet Walk, Parkwood, Gillingham, Kent ME8 9QL, U. K. Guy M. Kirwan, 74 Waddington Street, Norwich NR2 4JS, U. K. 160 Chris G. Bradshaw and Guy M. Kirwan SANDGROUSE GUIDELINES FOR AUTHORS The Editorial Committee of Sandgrouse will consider for publication original papers which contribute to knowledge on the birds of the Middle East: their distribution, breeding biology, behaviour, identification, conser- vation, etc. The Middle East for this purpose includes Turkey, Cyprus, and Libya in the west to Afghanistan and the Palearctic fringe of Pakistan in the east, the southern shores of the Black and Caspian Seas in the north, and the Arabian peninsula and the Palearctic limits in Sudan and Ethiopia in the south. Submissions are considered on the understanding that the work has not been previously published and is not being offered for publication elsewhere. Papers should be in English, but non-English-speaking authors who are unable to obtain translations of their work may apply to the Editor for help. 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