THE ORNITHOLOGICAL
poe Y- OF THE
MIDDLE EAST
BULLETIN 20
SPRING 1988
OSME BULLETIN 20 | | SPRING 1988
EDITOR: D. -J. Fisher
All records in this bulletin are subject to acceptance by the
relevant records committee of the country concerned.
Please note that details of expeditions, availability of expedition
reports, news of members, other societies and ornithological events
are welcomed and may be printed in the bulletin free of charge
subject to the discretion of the Bulletin Editor. Contributions for
the next bulletin should be sent to the Editor by 15 August 1988.
Illustrations
We are grateful to the following artists for the illustrations used
in this bulletin:
S. M. Andrews: Striated Scops Owl (cover), Red-wattled Lapwing
(p.15), Bald Ibis (p.26) and Arabian Bustard (p.59).
M. G. Hodgson: Crab Plover (p.5).
P. J. Powell: Desert Lark (p.16).
DJIBOUTI III — PRELIMINARY REPORT Geoff and Hilary Welch
Our third Djibouti expedition monitored the autumn migration of
raptors across the Bab-el-Mandeb straits from Arabia into Africa
between 3 October - 9 November 1987. The team of seven observers,
five British and two Dutch, were based initially at Ras Siyan and
later at Moulhoulé on the north-east coast of Djibouti. As winds
were predominantly south-east throughout the count period, the
movement of raptors was concentrated in the region of Doumeira on
the Djibouti-Ethiopia border.
During the period 246,478 birds of prey were noted, the principal
species being Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus and Steppe Eagle
Aquila nipalensis with over 100,U00 of each. In total 26 species of
migrant raptor were noted including three new to Djibouti - Griffon
Vulture Gyps fulvus, Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina and
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus. Other notable counts were 554
Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus, 1,202 Short-toed Eagles
Circaetus gallicus, 2,135 Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus, 131
Long-legged Buzzards Buteo rufinus and /0 Imperial Eagles Aquila
heliaca.
Besides the raptors good numbers of migrant storks, bee-eaters,
waders and seabirds were observed, and, in addition to the raptors
mentioned above, we added a further four species to the growing
Djibouti list - Crane Grus grus, African Spoonbill Platalea alba,
Alpine Swift Apus melba and Socotra Cormorant Phalacrocorax
nigrogularis.
In addition to documenting this spectacular migration the project
had a strong educational element. Following the interest in
migration expressed by the Djiboutiens during our spring 1987 visit,
(to deliver the Djibouti II Report - see OSME Bulletin 19),
invitations were issued to people in Djibouti city to visit our camp
and observe the migration for themselves. Despite the difficulties
in reaching the north-east coast, c.l00 people came, both French and
Djiboutien, and all were duly impressed. At the end of October, two
student teachers from the Ecole Normale joined us for two days and
on our final evening in Djibouti, Hilary was interviewed by Djibouti
television and then went on to give a talk about our work to an
audience of over 100 at the Ecole Normale. Hopefully this
increasing interest in birds will lead to a greater awareness of the
need for conservation in Djibouti as a whole.
A paper giving fuller details of the raptor migration is in
preparation for Sandgrouse 10 and an expedition report will be
available from ourselves in due course.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all the people and
organisations who supported this project, especially our main
sponsors - OSME, Fauna and Flora Preservation Society, United States
Fish and Wildlife Service, Royal Society for the Protection of
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Birds, Raptor Research Foundation Leslie Brown Memorial Award,
International Council for Bird Preservation (International and
French sections), Israel Raptor Information Center, Eagle Star
Insurance, P.J. Thory, Bollihope Management Limited and, in
Djibouti, the Institut Supérieur d'Etudes et de Récherches
Scientifiques et Techniques, Gellatly Hankey and Ets Marill.
2la East Delph, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire PE/ 1RH, Great Britain.
WADERS AND WATERFOWL IN SOUTHERN TURKEY, SPRING 1987
Tom van der Have and Vincent van den Berk
The lagoons between Tarsus and Yumurtalik in the Gulf of Iskenderun,
south of Adana, form the largest coastal wetland in Turkey. The
fertile soil of the Adana plain with its vast cotton fields is
divided by the rivers Berdan, Seyhan and Ceyhan and fringed with
approximately 600 sq km of lagoons, sand dunes and salt marshes.
Although this area is known for good numbers of wintering waterfowl
(Dijksen and Wolf 1987), a short visit in spring 1986 showed it to
be an important staging area for waders too.
The imminent hunting and agricultural pressure on this area prompted
a more thorough survey, which was carried out in the spring of 1938/7
(OSME Bull. 18: 33-34). A team of twelve Dutch and three Turkish
ornithologists spent three months in different groups in these
deltas, with the base camp in the Omer Golu region near Yumurtalik.
This proved to be a wise choice as this region had never been
censused thoroughly, and much larger numbers of waders than expected
were present during the spring.
The importance of these deltas for migrating waders and waterfowl
was the central issue of this project, and we also hoped to learn
more about how the Mid-Eurasian Flyway is related to the well
studied East Atlantic Flyway. Additionally, a migration profile was
established for passerines with the help of mist netting. Some
1,650 birds of 62 species were ringed including over 250 waders.
The colour marking of Little Stints Calidris minuta was very
successful and a turnover rate could be estimated. This indicated
that, although the maximum number of Little Stints counted in the
whole study area was 9,350, something between 70,000 and 95,000
birds possibly used the Cukurova deltas as staging area during the
whole study period.
Although only 29 Dunlin Calidris alpina were caught, one (the very
first!) was subsequently retrapped at the mouth of the Vistula in
Poland on 4 August 1987. This recovery (as far as we know the first
of a Turkish ringed Dunlin) confirmed the existence of a
loop-migration in the eastern populations of the Dunlin: in autumn
they migrate through Europe, winter in the Eastern Mediterranean and
ee
i i Bn ee ea el
>
3
return in spring through Turkey and Russia to their breeding grounds
in Siberia.
Forty wader species were observed, including Great Snipe Gallinago
media, White-tailed Plover Vanellus leucurus, 81 Greater Sand
Plovers Charadrius leschenaultii and 123 Broad-billed Sandpipers
Limcola falcinellus. The Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus was
the most numerous breeding wader with more than 2,000 pairs together
with good numbers of Spur-winged Plovers Hoplopterus spinosus,
Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola and Black-winged Stilts
Himantopus himantopus. Interesting breeding birds were Marbled Duck
Marmaronetta angustirostris, Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus
and White-breasted Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis.
In the summer of 1987 the local government of Yumurtalik decided to
protect some 9,500ha of the Yumurtalik Lagoons. Hunting: has been
banned from Akyatan Golu since 1986 (6,000ha), although this ban is
variable in effect.
This project was organised with the help of the DHKD (The Turkish
Society for the Protection of Wildlife) and funded by the
Beijerinck-Popping Foundation, the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture and
Fishery, World Wildlife Fund (Dutch Section), IWRB, OSME,
L. Hoffmann, Royal Sluis and Friedrich Europe BV. The Turkish
Forestry Service was of vital help and repeatedly offered
hospitality, as were the local fishermen of Deveciusagi.
Two follow-up projects were launched in the spring of 1988, and will
concentrate on Central Anatolia. A full report on the results of
the South Turkey Project will appear in spring 1988.
Reference
Dijksen, L. J. & P. van der Wolf (1987). Mid-winter Waterfowl
Census - Turkey, January 1987. WIWO - Report No. 18.
Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht, Padualaan 8, Postbus 80.055, 3508 TB
Utrecht, The Netherlands.
SELECTED SPRING OBSERVATIONS FROM THE SUEZ CANAL AND THE GULF OF
SUEZ
Mike Everett
From 7 to 23 March 1988 I was RSPB Ornithologist on a Swan Hellenic
Cruise on board MTS “Orpheus”: the cruising area was the eastern
Mediterranean and the Gulfs of Suez and Aqaba, with assorted shore
trips, including to Sinai, Jordan and Egypt.
During 10 March, the Mediterranean north of Egypt was singularly
birdless until a single Arctic Skua Stercorarius parasiticus was
seen about 50 miles out from Port Said. Thereafter, until we docked
4
at Port Said in the late afternoon, many more birds were seen, the
most notable being seven more Arctic Skuas and two single Gannets
Sula bassana (one of the latter a full adult). Just outside Port
Said, an all-dark shearwater joined the large tail of Black-headed
Gulls Larus ridibundus behind the ship, twice passing very close
under the stern and giving superb views: it was a Wedge-tailed
Shearwater Puffinus pacificus, apparently the first recorded in the
Mediterranean and (subject to confirmation) perhaps also the first
for the Western Palearctic. A more detailed account of this
extraordinary record will appear in Sandgrouse in due course.
Having entered the Suez Canal after midnight, we had almost reached
the Great Bitter Lakes by dawn on 11 March. After an enforced
five-hour wait in the Lakes, we completed the Canal passage during
the afternoon, arriving at Suez towards dusk. We were too late to
encounter any raptor passage over Suez and the only migrants seen
during the day, all flying north along the Canal, were two Ospreys
Pandion haliaetus, a Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus and a ringtail
which was probably Montagu'’s Harrier C. pygargus. A strong
northward passage of gulls was evident throughout the day.
Black-headed Gulls were easily the most numerous species, but both
yellow-legged Herring Gulls Larus argentatus and Lesser Black-backed
Gulls L. fuscus were frequent, in a ratio of roughly 2:1. (The two
larger species were more or less equally represented at Port Said,
but later observations in the Gulf of Suez showed Lesser Black-backs
to be commoner there than Herring Gulls.) A pale-backed Herring
Gull with pink legs was seen on a marker buoy north of the Great
Bitter Lakes, while at least 10 adult “Armenian” Gulls
L. a. armenicus fed around the ship while it was at anchor in the
Lakes.
Other birds moving north up the Canal included two Arctic Skuas
(together) , small numbers of Slender-billed Gulls L. genei and quite
a lot of Sandwich Terns Sterna sandvicensis - but the star birds
were the Great Black-headed Gulls Larus ichthyaetus, with 84 seen in
all, over half of them adults in full breeding plumage.
15 March was spent at Safaga, on the Egyptian coast at the foot of
the Gulf of Suez - an unprepossessing spot, but rich in assorted
migrants, including Quail Coturnix coturnix and Cretzschmar's
Bunting Emberiza caesia. The importance of vegetation cover was
amply demonstrated by 12 Turtle Doves Streptopelia turtur and a
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica in a small garden and a Black-headed
Wagtail Motacilla flava and a Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita in
what was little more than a window-box! A Brown Booby Sula
leucogaster fished in the harbour for much of the day, while
afternoon roosts of two other species there, Slender-billed Gulls
and White-eyed Gulls Larus leucophthalmus, built up to 40+ and 70+
respectively. Four Arctic Skuas flew north, together.
A few White-eyed Gulls were seen as we sailed north to Suez on
17 March, but the highlight of this day came as we passed Gebe! el
_———
5
Zeit, a high ridge on the Egyptian coast already known as a
stepping-off point for migrant raptors crossing to Sinai (OSME Bull.
11: 8). About 20 Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis and at least 15
Steppe Buzzards Buteo buteo were circling over the ridge, while a
total of some 1,300 White Storks Ciconia ciconia, in two flocks (one
of which was accompanied by a Black Stork C. nigra) flew north-east
across the Gulf to Sinai.
Finally, a count of 80 House Crows Corvus splendens in Port
Tewfik/Suez on 18 March is worthy of mention.
Over 150 species were seen during this cruise. A full annotated
list is available to anyone who is interested: write to me at the
RSPB enclosing an A4 SAE or an 18p stamp.
RSPB, The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SGi9 1DU, Great Britain.
OBSERVATIONS ON THE BEHAVIOUR OF THE CRAB PLOVER Mike Evans
The breeding range of the Crab Plover Dromas ardeola lies mostly
within the area covered by OSME, yet little has been published
concerning its biology, especially heterosexual behaviour (Cramp and
Simmons 1983), and thus it seems worth recording the following
observations made in the Yemen Arab Republic during 13-15 April 1986
at a lagoon 3km south of the fishing village of Al 'Urj (15°08'N
AZ°52"E).
The lagoon is sheltered from the
sea by a bank of shell-sand and
contains within it a small area of
mangrove. Seawater floods the
lagoon with each tide and drains
out via a main channel onto an
extensive area of intertidal
mudflats. During 13-15 April Il
located a minimum of 166 Crab
Plovers on these mudflats; most
birds appeared to be paired and,
interspersed between feeding
activity, noisy display between
members of pairs was frequently
observed.
Pair display involved one bird running up to its mate whilst
calling. Sometimes it would be ignored but usually both would then
stand side-by-side, facing in towards each other slightly and
standing as if on tiptoe with necks extended, whilst both called
with a loud, raucous cackling. During this calling the birds’
visibly-opened bills, held slightly below the horizontal, were
repeatedly touched together; it often appeared as if each bird was
trying to place its opened bill, or one of its mandibles, in between
6
its partner's open bill. Sometimes a third bird, presumably an
unattached male, would approach a pair and attempt to initiate this
display with one of them, presumably the female (both whilst the
pair themselves were displaying or while they were engaged in
feeding separately). In these instances the “female's” mate would
bow low in (presumed) threat posture and would rush towards the
intruder, chasing it to a distance of 5-10 metres away; all this
would be accompanied by much calling. This threat posture is
similar to a description of that used by adults against
food-soliciting juveniles (Cramp and Simmons 1983).
Other instances of heterosexual behaviour included an occasion when
one bird of a pair caught a small crab, leading its mate to
"laugh-call' and approach it in a crouched, begging posture similar
to that adopted by juveniles soliciting food from adults (pers.
obs.); however the bird with the crab ignored its mate and devoured
its prey. On another occasion two birds in a group of c.30 Crab
Plovers in an evening high-tide wader roost were seen to copulate,
the act lasting at least 25 seconds; the preliminaries to this event
were not observed however.
Aggressive behaviour was also noted in the aforementioned high-tide
roost of Crab Plovers. Birds were generally less than two metres
apart, and most appeared to be paired. This closely-packed flock
was never quiet for very long; initial, small squabbles and chases
between a couple of birds would cause neighbouring birds to shift
positions and similar disputes to arise, precipitating mass
disruption of the flock and a frenzy of calling before the flock
settled again. The most serious aggressive encounter observed was
when one bird doggedly chased another in and around the flock for
10-15 seconds, ignoring the pecks of other birds, before managing to
grasp its quarry's tail. It then proceeded to drag its struggling
victim backwards through a large, 20-30cm deep pool. Calling from
both birds was intense; the victim repeatedly lost its balance and
fell flopping in the water. It was eventually released after
c.60-90 seconds of this behaviour, exhausted and bedraggled.
Although I did not observe what factors initiated these aggressive
encounters, the intensity of aggression shown in some instances, eg
that described above, suggests that mate-guarding was involved
rather than mere defence of ‘individual distance’ within the
roosting flock. In addition, there does not appear to be much, if
any, aggression between roosting adults in the non-breeding season,
even though flocks are similarly dense (Cramp and Simmons 1983;
pers. obs.).
Overall it appears that most of these birds in mid-April were still
in the process of pair-formation. On a later visit to this same
site on 10 June 1986 I found at least 48 Crab Plovers of which most
were obviously paired, but no pair-display or aggressive encounters
were seen over the three-hour period of observation, suggesting that
pair-formation was complete.
een
Reference
Cramp, S. &:K. E.:L. Simmons (eds.) (1983). The Birds of the
Western Palearctic, Vol. III. Oxford University Press.
Montrose, Llanddeiniol, Llanrhystyd, Dyfed SY23 5AN, Great Britain.
ORNITHOLOGICAL OBSERVATIONS AT SEA AROUND ARABIA W.R.P. Bourne
It does not appear to be generally realised what extensive
observations have been made of birds in Arabian seas, They start in
1839 with a survey of the guano deposited on the Kuria Muria Islands
by the birds exploiting the upwelling off south-east Arabia during
the south-west monsoon (Bailey 1966), and there have been many
subsequent reports on the other seabird breeding stations (Gallagher
et al 1984). Conditions in the winter and further up the Persian or
Arabian Gulf, subsequently referred to as “the Gulf”, have been
described by R.O. Morris (1969) and P.W.G. Chilman (1982, Smith
1970) among others. Observations of migration were started at the
Egyptian lighthouses before World War I (Ticehurst 1924,
Meinertzhagen 1924), and at sea soon afterwards (Alexander 1929,
1931; R.E. Moreau 1938).
Since the 1950s the (British) Royal Naval Bird-watching Society
(RNBWS) have regularly summarised their observations in their annual
report Sea Swallow (SS). There are now thousands of records of
seabirds and about 600 reports of migrant landbirds, usually
individuals, occasionally "falls" of dozens, and exceptionally
passages of hundreds at bottlenecks for migrations such as the Gulf
of Suez, Straits of Bab el Mandeb and Hormuz, and the head of the
Gulf. They include 99 records of wheatear sp., 51 of falcons, 46 of
wagtails, 43 of swallows, 41 of warblers, 28 of herons, 2/7 of doves
and 24 of bee-eaters. The commonest species include 41 Common
Wheatears 0. oenanthe (probably often misidentified?) and 33 Hoopoes
Upupa epops (possibly more reliable?). Some representative
highlights include:
On 18 March 1954 G.S. Willis reported over 100 (probable White)
Pelicans Pelecanus (crispus?) and large numbers of Lesser
Black-backed Gulls Larus fuscus resting in Suez Bay on their
northward migration (SS 8: 9-10).
In February-March 1955 the crew of the survey vessel HMS Owen
recorded that off the United Arab Emirates colonies of Socotra
Cormorants Phalacrocorax nigrogularis were hatching on the
south-east aspect of the summits of the islands, that there were
also two Osprey Pandion haliaetus nests on J. Quarnain, and that a
Lesser Frigatebird Fregata ariel came on board in late March (SS 19:
hI-78) .
8
On 17 September 1957 J.S. Landers saw a Cape Pigeon Daption capense
at 18°N 57.7°E south of Ras Madraka, Oman, and hundreds of Sooty (or
Aden) Gulis Larus hemprichi going to roost on the Kuria Muria
islands at sunset (SS 10: 13).
In the spring of 1961 W.L. Fisken reported that 40-50 “red kites”
(Milvus sp.?) which could have come abroad at Bab el Mandeb remained
overnight at 16.4°N 41.2°E in the south Red Sea on 21 April,
P.P.O. Harrison saw over 100 large raptors, possibly also kites,
strung out across the mouth of the Gulf of Suez on 5 May, and
R.P. de R. Openshaw saw “thousands” of “sparrowhawks” (Accipiter
sp.?) flying north-east at 20-150ft there six aye later (SS 14:
39)%
In early April 1962 Lt. M.B. Casement saw 5-10,000 White Storks
Ciconia ciconia moving north across the mouth of the Gulf of Suez
(SS 15: 29). hird Officer P.A. Brown also reported three groups of
about 5,000 White Storks spread over ten miles moving north into a
north-west Force 5 wind at 28.0°N 33.5°E here on 15 April 1965 (SS
18: 46), and Captain D.M. Simpson 500 White Storks spread over half
a mile flying north-east at wave height at 28.2°N 33.3°E on
8 April 1985 (SS 35: 54).
On 30 August 1965 D. Stam reported that one Spotted Crake
P. porzana, one Little Crake P. parva, one Turtle Dove Streptopelia
turtur, five Hoopoes, two Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava, one
Wiehe diate Luscinia megarhyncha, one Bluethroat L. svecica, one
Common Wheatear, one Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus, | one Great
Reed Warbler A. arundinaceus, one Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca,
two Garden Warblers S. borin, one Icterine Warbler Hippolais
icterina, four Red-backed Shrikes Lanius collurio and one Woodchat
Shrike L. senator arrived and remained until after dark at 29.5°N
49.5°E in the northern Gulf (SS 18: 46).
On 15 September 1977 Engineer S.J. Hingston saw 9-11 Lesser Kestrels
Falco naumanni (five roosted overnight), one Sand Martin R. riparia
at 15.30 rising to over 200 at 17. 30, Nightingales, 10-12 Common
Wheatears, over 20 Isabelline WHOARaes QO. SSS ESitSS. four
Black-eared Wheatears Q. hispanica, Pied Wheatears 0. pleschanka,
Lesser Whitethroats, Whitethroats Sylvia communis, ae Warblers
Phylloscopus sibilatrix, Common Babblers Turdoides caudatus,
Red~backed Shrikes and Lesser Grey Shrikes Lanius minor between
08.30-20.00 hours at 29.7°N 49.9°E in the northern Gulf (SS 28:
39).
Captain P.W.G. Chilman first noticed flocks of 500+, 100+, 50+, and
smaller groups of Pallid Swifts Apus pallidus fiyide north-north-
west from the Musandam Peninsula, Oman, towards the Quoin islands in
the Strait of Hormuz on 25 March 1974 (s S 24: 58). When he was
approaching this area again with a Force 8 dropping to Force 5 west
wind on 31 March 1979 he saw another flock of 200 birds fly weet-
north-west at 26.5°N 56.6°W at 16.43 hours, followed by at least
‘
5
d
9
10,000 mainly in flocks of about 200 before it got dark at 18.30.
When he anchored and then berthed at Kharg Island at the head of the
Gulf during 4-7 April he also saw at least another 161 landbird
migrants of 35 species (Chilman 1982).
On 3 October 1980 SS British Pioneer reported to the British
Meteorological Office that several hundred, possibly over a
thousand, raptors about the size of buzzards or small eagles were
seen flying west in small groups at 0-500ft at 12°40'N 43°18'E near
the Strait of Bab el Mandeb (SS 32: 35).
During the period 14 July-l November 1985 D.M. Simpson, A. Carney
and N. Drummond reported 288 notable birds of 89 species at the
Zuluf and Marjaf oilfields at 28°15-25'N 49°14-40'E off east Saudi
Arabia, without enumerating the commoner ones, of which the most
remarkable were single probable Cory's Shearwaters Calonectris
diomedea on 19 and 30 August; P. Meeth has also reported another in
the Great Bitter Lake when passing through the Suez Canal on
22 September 1986 (SS 36: 15-19, 38). Together with the earlier
report of a Cape Pigeon these last records reinforce growing
evidence, notably from Somalia (Ash 1983) and Eilat (Jennings 1985),
that a variety of stray southern, Atlantic and Pacific seabirds may
sometimes either drift north across the equator into the Arabian Sea
with the south-west monsoon, or attempt an abnormal northward
migration from the Indian Ocean.
During November 198/7-February 1988 I spent a three-month tour as a
ship's surgeon with a support vessel for the Armilla Patrol which
escorts merchant shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to supplement
Roger Bailey's survey of the seabirds frequenting the Arabian Sea
during the south-west monsoon in the 1960s (quoted above) with
observations inshore during the opposite season of the year. It
would be premature to say much about what has been seen yet, except
that there has been surprisingly little oil pollution and a
scandalous amount of floating rubbish, but it may be useful to list
the main new observations of faunistic importance.
In addition to the Yellow-legged Herring Gulls L. (argentatus?)
cachinnans wintering commonly around the Gulf coast the Armenian
Gull L. (a.?) armenicus, discussed by Hume (1983) and Bundy (1986),
was sometimes the commonest large gull out at sea, and was also the
main form seen along the Suez Canal on the way home. Immature
Brown-headed Gulls Larus brunnicephalus were also seen among the
numerous Black-headed Gulls L. ridibundus feeding some 30 miles out
at sea north of Qatar on 25 November 1987, off Muscat on
6 January 1988, off Fujairah on 26 January, and in Port Rashid,
Dubai on 3 February, and an Indian Skimmer Rhynchops albicollis was
also seen at Kalba on 15 January. Grey Phalaropes Phalaropus
fulicarius were also seen among the innumerable Red-necked
Phalaropes P. lobatus wintering in the Gulf of Oman on 2 January and
5 February, and a Plain Nightjar Caprimulgus inornatus came on board
25 miles off the Kuria Muria Islands on 10 November.
me)
I am indebted to the late Captain G.S. Tuck who started to collect
the RNBWS reports, Commander Michael Casement and Stephen Chapman
who have also collated them, and Roger Bailey and Michael Gallagher
who have shared my interest in them; we would be interested to hear
of other observations.
References
Alexander, H. G. (1929). Some birds seen in the Indian Ocean and
Mediterranean. -Ibis-12(5): 41-53.
Alexander, H. G. (1931). Shearwaters in the Arabian Sea. Ibis
USGL eri 5/9 SG.
Ash, J. S. (1983). Over 50 additions of birds to the Somalia list
including two hybrids, together with notes from Ethiopia and Kenya.
Scopus 7: 54-59.
Bailey, R. S. (1966). The seabirds of the south-east coast of
Arabia. Ibis 108: 224-264.
Bundy, G. (1986). Notes on seabirds in south-east Arabia.
Sandgrouse 7: 29-42.
Chilman, P. W. G. (1982). Migrants in the Persian Gulf during
spring 1979. Sea Swallow 31: 25-29.
- Gallagher, M. D., D. A. Scott, R. F. G. Ormond, R. J. Connor &
M. C. Jennings (1984). The distribution and conservation of
seabirds breeding on the coasts and islands of Iran and Arabia.
ICBP Techn. Publ. 2: 421-456.
Hume, R. A. (1983). Herring Gulls in Israel. Brit. Birds 76:
189-191.
Jennings, M. C. (1985) Some unusual seabirds from the Red Sea.
Saudi Arab. Nat..Hist. Soc.- J. 2¢G4)< 14-17.
Meinertzhagen, R. E. (1924). Birds at the Red Sea lights. Ibis
(11) 6: 643-644.
Moreau, R. E. (1938). Bird migration over the north-western part of
the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, and the Mediterranean. Proc. Zool.
Soc. Lond. A 108: 1-26.
Morris, E. N. T. (1969). Notes on birds seen at sea and on islands
- Apr-Aug 1969. Gulf Birdwatchers' Newsl. 2(12).
Smith, R. A. (1970). Seabird report - Persian Gulf and Gulf of
Oman. A summary by Lt. R. A. Smith RN of the sightings by Captain
P. W. G. Chilman MN in 1967, 1968 and 1969 from SS Hydatina,
kl
Volvatella and MS Dorcasia. Gulf Birdwatchers' Newsl. 17(115):
f=". CComment 23 (172): 1).
Ticehurst, C. B. (1924). Birds from the Red Sea lights. Ibis
LI(6): 282-283.
3 Contlaw Place, Milltimber, Aberdeen ABl ODS, Scotland.
SELECTED BIRD OBSERVATIONS FROM TURKEY: SPRING AND SUMMER 1983
Rod Martins and Craig Robson
From 17 May to 13 July we travelled extensively in Turkey. We were
accompanied by Chris Murphy during most of this period. This note
documents observations of 72 species which, based on an examination
of previous Turkish Bird Reports (published by OST/OSME), we feel
are worth recording. Included are records of three species;
Red-wattled Lapwing Hoplopterus indicus, Striated Scops Owl Otus
brucei and Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti for which there are no
previous published records from Turkey. With the exception of
Striated Scops Owl - first discovered by S. Gysel and other Swiss
birdwatchers in 1982 - these records are the first known occurrence
in the country.
Also included are records of scarcely recorded species, species
recorded within areas of Turkey where their known range is supported
by few published records (and thus where precise distribution may be
unclear) and all relevant records of species listed by Harrap and
Martins (1986), for which data are particularly sought for
forthcoming Turkish Bird Reports. In the latter case, reasons for
selection are given by Harrap and Martins. Some interesting
breeding records, particularly of wetland species in the East, are
also included. Comments are given where appropriate.
Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica
Two, Lake Van, 18 June (second calendar year birds in non-breeding
plumage).
Only the second summer record (the last was at the same locality).
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo
Two between Ikisdere and Trabzon, 3 July, c.10 between Ordu and
Samsun, 5 July and two, Gavus, 8 July.
Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus
One or two, Goksu Delta, 7 June and c.13, Bulanik 25 June.
12
The latter appears to be the first summer record from the East. It
has previously been recorded there as a rare autumn visitor.
White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
Three, Goksu Delta, 7 June, c.500 Bendimahi, 21 June, c.55
Dégubayazit, 23 June and seven Ha¢gli Golu, 24 June.
Dalmatian Pelican Pelecanus crispus
One (immature), Hagli G6lu, 24 June.
Recorded infrequently from the East.
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
One, Kulu Golu, 24 May.
Black Stork Ciconia nigra
One, between Midye and Saray, 23 May, two, south of Agri, 23 June
and one between Erzurum and Ispir, 29 June.
Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita
c.30 (including 17 young, mostly close to fledging), Biricek,
10 June.
Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia
17, Hagli Golu, 24 June.
Apparently the first record from the East.
White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons
Two, Biricek, 10-11 June (adult birds, both lacking a few outer
primaries on the right wing) and two, Bendimahi, 21 June (both
immature birds).
These appear to be the first summer records for Turkey.
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Two, Bendimahi, 21 June and c.70, Hagli Gélu, 24 June (including at
least 23 small young).
There are few records from the East, where a detailed picture of
this species distribution is still required.
Ee
Teal Anas crecca
One female with a single chick, Hagli Gélu, 24 June.
This is the first confirmation of breeding for the East.
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris
Three, Kulu Goélu, 24 May and 15, Goksu Delta, 7 June.
Pochard Aythya ferina
Eight females with young, south Van marsh, 19 June.
This is the first confirmation of breeding for the East.
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
C.57, Kulu Golu, 24 May and 22 (including a female with three young)
south Van marsh, 18-19 June.
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus
One, Demirkazik, 27 May.
Black Vulture Aegypius monachus
Two, near Karaisali Bucagi (between Pozanti and Yenice), 30 May.
Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
One, Pozanti, 29 May.
Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
One, between Macka and Sumela, 4 July.
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus
Single birds unless stated; Qamardi, 28 May, four, Biricek,
10-11 June, between Cizre and Siirt, 16 June, Van, 19 June, two
north of Gatak, 20 June, Bendimahi, 21 June, between Galdiran and
Dégubayazit, 22 June, between Hamur and Tutak, 23 June, Patnos,
23 June, three between Patnos and Malazgirt, 24 June, three between
Varto and Erzurum, 28 June and five between Erzurum and Ispir,
29 June.
Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus
Four, between Cizre and Eruh, 16 June.
14
Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae
One, Silifke, 30 May.
Saker Falco cherrug
Singles at Biricek, 10 June, between Van and Ercek, 19 June and
Patnos 23 June.
SS
Caucasian Black Grouse Tetrao mlokosiewiczi
Three (males), Sivri Kaya, 2 July.
Caspian Snowcock Tetraogallus caspius
Five, Demirkazik, 27 May and five, Sivri Kaya, 2 July.
Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus
|
Nine, Cizre, 15 June (calling and display were noted). Previously
unrecorded from South-East Turkey.
Grey Partridge Perdix perdix |
Two, between Erzurum and Ispir, 29 June.
The second record from the East of this locally distributed
species.
Common Crane Grus grus |
169 (apparently all non-breeding adults), Bulanik, 26 June.
This is a remarkably large summer concentration.
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
Two pairs, Bulanik, 26 June. |
Great Bustard Otis tarda
Five (including a female guarding its chick), Géltepe, 14 June and
three, near Patnos (20km along the road to Malazgirt), 24 June.
The breeding record appears to be the first documented for the
East.
L5
Red-wattled Lapwing Hoplopterus indicus
One pair (displaying and apparently holding territory), Cizre,
15 June.
This record from the Tigris valley is the first for Turkey.
rat : 4.
Meinis, H. K. (1986). Predation on a Snake-eyed Lizard by a Hoopoe.
OSME Bull. 16:.14.
Mienis, H. K. (1985). Spur-winged Plovers killing a White-breasted
Kingfisher. OSME Bull. 15: 5-6.
Morgan, J. H. & J. Palfery (1986). Some notes on the Black-crowned
Finch Lark. Sandgrouse 8: 58-73 & 2 plates.
Moser, M. E. (1985). Flamingos on Dubai Creek. Proposal for the
creation of an artificial breeding site for Flamingos on Dubai
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Mountfort, G. (1988). Crown colour of White-crowned Black Wheatear
(Jordan). British Birds 81(2): 78-79.
Moyal, H. (1986). (Sources of raptors’ names in Israel.) Torgos
5(2): 71-90. (English summary p.105.)
Mullié, W. C. & P. L. Meininger (1985). The decline of bird of prey
populations in Egypt. ICBP Tech. Publ. 5: 61-82.
Mumford, S. (1985). Falco eleonorae: a report on the Eleonora's
Falcon at Royal Air Force Akrotiri, Cyprus 1982. Roy. Air Force
Orn. Soc. Newsletter 40: 4-8.
Murray, R. (1987). Distorted views of Cyprus. (letter)
Bird Watching April 1987: 45.
Mycock, J. (1987). Some autumn observations in Turkey (and Cyprus).
OSME Bull. 18: 1-3.
News from Medmaravis (Mediterranean Marine Bird Association),
October 1987, No. 2. (20 rue St. Martin 75004 Paris, France.)
Newsletter United Kingdom Society for the Protection of Nature in
Israel (1987). No. 1. (c/o Anglo-Israel Association, 9 Bentinck
Street, London W1M SRP.)
Nightingale, T. (1986). Little Stints feeding by hovering.
(Bahrain) British Birds 79: 136.
32
Nightingale, T. & M. Overy (1987). The Bahrain Bird Report
1982-1984. In - Wildlife in Bahrain - 4th Biennial Report of the
Bahrain Natural History Society: 45-119.
Nightingale, T. (1987). Additions, status changes and corrections
to the Bahrain checklist of birds. In - Wildlife in Bahrain - 4th
Biennial Report of the Bahrain Natural History Society: 120-121 .
Oman Bird News (1986-). No. 1l-. Issued with the authority of the
Oman Bird Records Committee (c/o P. 0. Box 246, Muscat, Sultanate of
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Noam, M. (1983). Die Vogelwelt Israels. Luscinia 45(1-2): 83-87.
Oman Bird Records Committee (1986). Birds of the Sultanate of Oman:
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Oreel, G. J. (1986). Caspian Plover in Cyprus in April 1984. Dutch
Birding 8: 26-28.
Oreel, G. J. (1987). Probable African Night Heron in Cyprus in
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Osborne, P., N. Collar & P. Goriup (1984). Bustards. Intern. Symp.
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Ornithological Society of North Yemen Newsletter (1985-) No. l -
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Palfery, J. (1986). Dotterel winting in Saudi Arabia. Sandgrouse
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Parker, J. G. (1985). “Intermediate” Booted Eagles. OSME Bull. 14:
LS
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Paz, U. (1987). (The Birds of Israel) Steimatzky Ltd., Tel-Aviv.
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264pp.
33
Philippona, J. (1985). Waterbirds at some wetlands in Turkey and
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Phoenix (1985-). A newsletter compiled and distributed by M. C.
Jennings for contributors to the Atlas of the breeding birds of
Arabia in prep. (Moonraker Cottage, 1 Eastcourt, Burbage,
Marlborough, Wilts).
Pilcher, C. W. T. (1986). A breeding record of the House Crow in
Kuwait with comments on the species’ status in the Arabian Gulf.
Sandgrouse 8: 102-106.
Pinshow, B., A. A. Degen & P. U. Alkon (1984). Water intake,
existence energy, and responses to water deprivation in the Sand
Partridge Ammoperdix heyi and the Chukar Alectoris chukar: two
phasianids of the Negev Desert. Physiol. Zool. 56: 281-289.
Platt, J. B. (1984). Falcon breeding as a conservation tool in
Arabia. International Zoo Yearbook 23: 84-88.
Platt, J. B. (1985). Falcon breeding as a conservation tool in
Arabia. ICBP Tech. Publ. 5: 449-453.
Pleser, C. (1986). (Nesting boxes for Barn Owls at Kibbutz Sde
Eliyahu.) Torgos 5(11): 60-65. (English summary pp.105-106.)
Porter, R. F. & M. A. S. Beaman (1983). A résumé of raptor
migration in Europe and the Middle East. Bull. World Working Group
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Porter, R. F. & M. A. S. Beaman (1985). A résumé of raptor
migration in Europe and the Middle East. ICBP Tech. Publ. 5:
237-242.
Porter, R. (1985). OSME Expedition to North Yemen. (short note)
OSME Bull. 15: 11-12.
Porter, R. & E. Warr (1985). A provisional list of the birds of
North Yemen. Duplicated typescript. OSME.
Porter, R. & S. Christensen (1987). The autumn migration of raptors
and other soaring birds in North Yemen. Sandgrouse 9: 121-124.
Pym, A. (1985). Mystery photograph. (Lesser Golden Plover, North
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Ramadan-Jaradi, G. (1984). L'avifaune des Emirats Arabes Unis,
étude faunistique et caractérisation des peuplements. Thesis.
Aix-Marseille.
34
Ramadan-Jaradi, G. (1985). Les oiseaux non nicheurs observés en
migration dans les Emirates Arabes Unis. Oiseau 55, No. special.
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Ramadan-Jaradi, G. (1987). Analyse écologique de la répartition des
oiseaux nicheurs des Emirats Arabes Unis. Oiseau 57: 113-140.
Rands, M. et al. (1985). The Ornithological Society of the Middle
East's expedition to the Yemen Arab Republic. Preliminary Report.
OSME 12pp.
Rands, M. (1986). An autumn in Arabia: The OSME North Yemen
expedition 1985. OSME Bull. 16: 1-4.
Rands, M. R. W., R. F. Porter, D. J. Brooks & G. F Rands (1987).
The Ornithological Society of the Middle East's Expedition to North
Yemen October-December 1985: an introduction. Sandgrouse 9: 1-3.
Rands, M. R. W. (1987). Philby's Rock Partridge in North Yemen.
Sandgrouse 9: 6/-68.
Rands, M. R. W. & G. F. Rands (1987). The Arabian Red-legged
Partridge in North Yemen. Sandgrouse 9: 69-73.
Raviv, M. (1984). Ring findings on the White Stork Ciconia ciconia
in Israel. Tzufit 2: 17-28. (English summary p.126).
Rayner, G. (1985). The Akrotiri Peninsula - Springboard for
migrants. Earthlines 14: 14-15.
Reaney, L. (1986). The birds of Das Island, UAE, 9.11.85 to
2.11.86. Bull. Emirates Nat. Hist. Group (Abu Dhabi) 30: 2-9.
Reaney, L. (1987). A fast flying Scops Owl - Das Island.
Newsletter Emirates Nat. Hist. Group (Abu Dhabi) 11(9): 4.
Redman, N. J. (1987). The Arabian Accentor in North Yemen.
Sandgrouse 9: /8-81.
Redman, N. & D. Fisher (eds.) (1987). Expeditions and trips
(including Djibouti, Red Sea province of Egypt and Yemen Arab
Republic). British Birds 80: 161-167.
Richardson, C. (1986). Will Flamingos soon breed in Dubai? Phoenix
ae Gs
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July-September 1987. Gazelle - Dubai Nat. Hist. Group Newsletter
2( 10): 8-16.
35
Richardson, C. (1988). Dubai Bird Report October-December 1987.
LOpp. (Privately printed. C. Richardson, P. 0. Box 2825, Dubai,
United Arab Emirates.)
Ricks, G. W. (1987). Birds seen in Cyprus. Gazelle 2(11): 5-7.
Ristow, D. & M. Wink (1985). Breeding success and conservation
management of Eleonora's Falcon. ICBP Tech. Publ. 5: 147-152.
Roberts, J. L. (1985). Waders of the southern salines - studying
the Kentish Plover (Turkey). Country Life 177(4584): 1824, 1826.
Roberts, T. (1986). Breeding areas of Grey Hypocolius. British
Birds 72: 212. — a.
Roberts, T. J. & B. King (1986). Vocalisations of the owls of the
genus Otus in Pakistan. Orn. Scand. 17: 299-305.
Rogers, M. (1985). Valley Surveys (Cyprus). Journ. RAF Orn. Soc.
La O-=10.
Rogers, M. (1986). Valley Surveys. Cyprus Orn. Soc. Bird Rept. 13:
57-60.
Rosen, S., A. Hadani & D. Shoham (1985). Parasitic mites (Acarina,
Arachnoidea) in wild birds trapped in poultry farms in Israel. l.
Species of mites and their hosts. Acarologia 26: 79-85.
Royal Air Force Orn. Soc. Expedition to Cyprus, Mar-May 1982 (1986).
Birds of Cyprus - Cyprus Orn. Soc. 13th Bird Report for 1982:
a2 G0»
Safriel, U. (1984). The known and unknown of bird migration.
Torgos 4(8): 19-25. (English summary p.107-108.)
Safriel, U. N., Y. Ben-Hur & A. Ben-Tuvia (1985). The diet of the
Osprey on Tiran Island: management implications for populations on
the northern Red Sea Islands. ICBP Tech. Publ. 3: 181-193.
Sahin, R. (1982-3). Contribution to the reproductive behaviour of
the free-living Bald I[bises (Geronticus eremita L.) in Turkey.
Okol. Vogel 4: 181-190; 5: 63-72, 255-262, 263-270. (English
summaries.)
Sahin, R. et al. (1987). Contribution to the territorial behaviour
of the free-living Senegal Doves (Streptopelia s. senegalensis L.)
in the reproductive period. Okol. Vogel 9(1): 47-52. (English
summary.)
Schekkerman, H. (1986). Great Knot in Israel in October 1985.
Dutch Birding 8: 99-102.
36
Schiemann, H. (1985). Zum Winterkleid des Odinswassertreters
Phalaropus lobatus. Orn. Mitt. 37: 171-174.
Schiemann, H. (1986). Red-necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus off
the coast of Somalia and Kenya. Scopus 10: 42-44,
Schilperoord, L. & M. Schilperoord-Huisman (1986). Observations of
waterbirds in some wetlands in Turkey, July/August 1986. WIWO
Report 14, Zeist. 40 pp.
Schulz, H. (1985). A review of the world status and breeding
distribution of the Little Bustard. Bustard Studies 2: 131-152.
Serez, M. (1985). Wasservogelparadies an der Schwarzmeerkuste
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Sharrock, J. T. R. & K. Mullarney (1987). Apparent tail length of
Isabelline Wheatear. (Israel) British Birds 80: 168-169.
Sherrard-Smith, D. W. (1985). Cyprus revisited. Bulletin Army Bird
Watching Soc. 1985(2): B6-B7.
Shirihai, H. (1984). (Storm-petrels (Hydrobatidae) in Israel -
their distribution and identification.) Tzufit 2: 29-43. (English
summary pp.125-126).
Shirihai, H. (1986). Black Bush Robin in Israel. Dutch Birding 8:
= 35-00).
Shirihai, H. (1986). (Identification of young White-tailed Sea
Eagle). Torgos 5(11): 91-110. (English summary p.104).
Shirihai, H. (1986). Identification of Oriental Skylark. British
Birds 79: 186-197.
Shirihai, H. (1986). The Small Skylark, a species new to Israel and
the Middle East. Sandgrouse 7: 47-54 & 2 plates.
Shirihai, H. (1987). PhotoSpot - Hoopoe Lark (Israel). British
Birds 80: 376-378.
Shirihai, H. (1987). Identification of Upcher's Warbler (Israel).
British Birds 80: 473-482.
Shirihai, H. (1987). Shearwaters and other tubenoses at Eilat.
Dutch Birding 9: 152-157.
Shirihai, H. (1988). PhotoSpot - Black Vulture (Israel). British
Birds 81(2): 75-76.
Shirihai, H. & P. R. Colston (1987). Siberian Water Pipits in
Israel. Dutch-Birding 9: 8-12.
Denar
a2
Shirihai, H., A. Jonsson & N. Sebba (1987). Brown-headed Gull in
Israel in May 1985. Dutch Birding 9: 120-122.
Shirihai, H. & A. B. van den Berg (1987). Influx of Kittlitz's Sand
Plover in Israel in 1986-87. Dutch Birding 9: 85-88.
Siering, M. (1986). Verlauf und Ergebnisse einer Fruhjahrsreise
nach Unteragypten und in den Sinai vom 15. bis zum 29. April 1984.
Verhandlungen Orn. Ges. Bayern 24(2-3): 319-331.
Sims, J. (1986). Cyprus revisited. Roy. Air Force Ornithol. Soc.
Newsletter 43: 3-6.
Sobel, A. (1985). (Passerine survey on the Tel-Aviv coastline,
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Stagg, A. J. (1984). A note on the breeding birds of Kutambil
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Stagg, A. J. (1984). A note on the White-collared Kingfisher
Halcyon chloris: a new species for Saudi Arabia. Fauna of Saudi
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Stagg, A. J. (1985). (Letter from Riyadh) Newsletter Cyprus Orn.
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Stagg, A. J. (1987). Birds of the Riyadh region: an annotated
checklist. Privately printed. 68pp. (P. 0. Box 1732, Riyadh
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38
Sutton, R. (1985). Call of Bonelli's Warbler (Jordan). British
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Thiede, W. (1986). The autumn occurrence of the Little Gull Larus
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Thomas, D. H. (1984). Sandgrouse as models of avian adaptations to
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Tye, A. (1987). Clinal variation and subspeciation in the
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39
Tye, A. (1988). Mystery photographs - Dunn's Lark (Saudi Arabia).
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Van Den Berg, A. et al (eds.) (1987). Namaqua Dove. (Israel)
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Van Den Berg, A. B. (1987). International Identification Meeting
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Van Den Berg, A. B. (1987). Bill shape of Bimaculated Lark in
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Van Den Berk, V., N. Van Den Berg & R. G. Bijlsma (?). The
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Van Den Berk, V. et al. (1986). Cranes and waterfowl counts of some
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Van Der Ven, J. A. & G. F. Gheyselinck (1985). Some bird
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40
Van Ijzendoorn, E. J. (1985). Finding Long-billed Pipit in spring.
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Vermeulen, J. et al. (1987). Oost-Turkije een Ornithologische Trip
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Walcot, T. (1987). Bird Watching in Upper Egypt. Adjutant 17:
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Walsh, J. F. (1986). White Storks. British Birds 79: 142.
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Welch, G. & H. Welch (1985). Observations on the endemic Djibouti
Francolin (Francolinus ochropectus) with emphasis on potential
threats to the population. Journ. Wld. Pheasant Ass. 10: 65-71.
Welch, G. & H. Welch (1986). Djibouti II expedition. OSME Bull.
16: 4-7.
Welch, G. R., H. J. Welch, S. M. Coghlan & M. L. Denton (1986).
Djibouti II, Autumn 85. Expedition report. Privately printed.
200pp. (2la East Delph, Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire PE7 1RH, Great
Britain.)
Welch, G. & H. Welch (1987). Djibouti II Follow up. OSME Bull. 19:
1-4.
Widen, P. (1987). Rovfagelkonferens i Israel (note on W.W.G.B. of
P. conference). Var Fagelvarld 46: 211-213.
Wildlife in Bahrain (1987). 4th Biennial Report of the Bahrain
Natural History Society. Contains Bahrain Bird Report 1982-1984.
See Nightingale, T. & M. Overy 1987.
41
Wildlife News (1985-1987). (Regular feature containing news about
birds in Israel) Israel - Land and Nature 10: 164-167; 11: 146-149,
191-195; 12: 35-39, 167-171; 13: 39-41, 88-94.
Williams, J. (1986). Where the Sparrow is the native bird. Qatar
Nat. Hist. Group Journ. for 1983-86: 52-53.
Wimpfheimer, D., B. Bruun, S. M. Baha El Din & M. C. Jennings
(1983). The migration of birds of prey in the northern Red Sea
area. Holy Land Conservation Fund, New York. 79pp.
Wittenberg, J. (1987). On the avifauna of a semi-arid mountain
region in southern Jordan (Petra and surroundings). Verh.
Naturwiss. Ver. Hamburg (NF) 29: 5-49. (English summary.)
Yavin, S. & 0. Hochberg (1986). (The Great Tit in the Kinarot
Valley.) Tzufit 4: 103-112. (In Hebrew.)
Zachai, G. (1984). (The reproductive biology of the Mourning
Wheatear Oenanthe lugens.) Tzufit 2: 44-56. (English summary
pp.124-125).
Zatermann, E. (1986). Survey of breeding species: Mt. Hermon,
1982-1983. Tzufit 4: 39-83. (English summary pp. 127-128.)
Zimmerli, E. (1987). Eilat - Sonne, Meer und Vigel. V&gel der
Heimat 57: 147-155.
Zoology in the Middle East (1986). Vol. 1. Eds. R. Kinzelbach &
M. Kasparek. (M. Kasparek, Bleichstrasse 1, D-6900 Heidelberg, West
Germany.)
Journals containing notes on birds, from which individual bird
articles have not necessarily been listed:
Bahrain Natural History Society Bird Lists. Currently issued at
six-monthly intervals and compiled by T. Nightingale. (BNHS, P. 0.
Box 20336, Manama, Bahrain.)
Bahrain Natural History Society Newsletter. Short bird notes in
most monthly issues. (BNHS, P. 0. Box 20336, Manama, Bahrain.)
Cyprus Ornithological Societ 1957) Newsletter. Issued monthly.
(COS (1957), P. 0. Box 4319, Nicosia, Cyprus.)
Emirates Natural History Group (Abu Dhabi) Newsletter. Bird notes
in most monthly issues. (ENHG, P. 0. Box 303, Abu Dhabi, United
Arab Emirates.)
Gazelle - Dubai Natural History Group Newsletter. Bird notes in
most monthly issues. (DNHG, P. 0. Box 9292, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.)
42
Oman Bird News. (Oman Bird Records Committee, c/o P. 0. Box 246,
Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.)
Ornithological Society of North Yemen (later Nature & Ornithological
Society of North Yemen) Newsletter. Bird notes in most issues.
(New address awaited.)
Phoenix. (A newsletter compiled and distributed by M. C. Jennings
for contributors to the Atlas of the breeding birds of Arabia in
prep.) (M. C. Jennings, Moonraker Cottage, 1 Eastcourt, Burbage,
Marlborough, Wilts.)
FROM THE ARCHIVES Geoff and Hilary Welch
Among the items added to the Archives in recent months have been:
Ornithological Observations in Iraq by Pavel Ctyroky - a reprint
from Beitr. Vogelkd. 33 (1987) 3/4, S 141-204. This paper gives
information about birds recorded in Iraq between September 1969 and
August 1971. Although largely restricted to the Baghdad region, the
author was able to visit the Euphrates valley in the west and some
of the mountainous northern areas. The systematic list gives
details of 190 species, two of which (Fieldfare Turdus pilaris and
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos minor) were new to the
country. Details of 11 new Iraqi breeding species are also given.
The paper is accompanied by a map and 63 black and white plates
showing both birds and habitats.
Bird Observations in Canal Zone (Egypt) and Iraq - 1954/55 by
R. Norman. These are a fascinating collection of records made by
the author when he was stationed with the RAF in the two countries
and reflect the difficulties encountered by birdwatchers before the
advent and easy availability of the 'modern' field guide. Besides
field observations, a small amount of trapping was carried out at
one site. (OSME is grateful to R. E. Scott and the RSPB Library for
the donation of this item.)
Compte~rendu d'un Voyage Ornithologique en Egypte by P. de Grissac.
This is a paper contained in Bulletin 8 of the Groupe Ornithologique
de Loire Atlantique (GOLA) and gives details, on a daily basis, of
birds observed between 19 February and 1 March 1987. Records relate
to a return journey from Cairo to the southern Sinai and out to the
Fayoum Oasis and Lake Qarun. The author can be contacted at 10 rue
Ogeé, 44000 Nantes, France, whilst GOLA are based at 7 rue de
Gigant, 44000 Nantes, France.
Ergebnisse ornithologischer Beobachtungen in der Syrischen
Arabischen Republik. Teil 2: Passeriformes (Results of
Ornithological Observations in the Syrian Arab Republic Part 2) by
W. Baumgart and B. Stephan. This is a reprint from Mitt. Zool. Mus.
Berl. 63 (1987) Suppl.: Ann. Orn. 11, 57-95 and follows on from
eee
43
Part 1 which covered the Non-Passerines. This paper gives details
of 117 species including first Syrian breeding records of Herring
Gull, Barn Owl, Pallid Swift, Alpine Swift, White Wagtail, Graceful
Prinia, Ménétries Warbler, Black Redstart, Finsch's Wheatear,
Mourning Wheatear, Blackbird, Masked Shrike, Scrub Warbler and
Moustached Warbler (the latter three also being first records for
Syria). Details are also given of 18 species which were probable
new breeding species and a further 14 species which had not
previously been reported as occurring. German text with English
summary.
Uber Nachweise dunkler Steinschmatzer (Oenanthe) in Nord- und
Sudost-Europa (On Records of Dark Wheatears (Oenanthe spp.) in North
and South-east Europe) by G. Mauersberger. Another reprint from
Mitt. Zool. Mus. Berl. 63 (1987) Suppl.: Ann. Orn. 11, 143-160
which critically reviews recent extralimital records of black
wheatears in Europe. Of the 25 recent records, only nine can
reliably be identified to species - six relate to Black Wheatear
0. leucura, two to White-crowned Black Wheatear 0. leucopyga and one
to Eastern Pied Wheatear 0. picata. Details are given on
distinguishing adult males of the relevant species. German text
with English summary.
Dubai Bird Report - October to December 1987 by Colin Richardson,
This is a very useful publication based on observations made by
members of the Dubai Natural History Group and deals mainly with
migrant species. Anyone visiting the Dubai region of the United
Arab Emirates is urged to send their records to Mr. Richardson, c/o
Dubai Natural History Group, P. 0. Box 1576, Dubai, UAE.
Mid-winter Waterfowl Census - Turkey, January 1987 by L. J. Dijksen
and P. van der Wolf. This is Study Report 18 in the excellent
series produced by the Foundation Working Group International Wader
and Waterfowl Research (WIWO). Twenty-eight wetland areas were
visited during the census and the numbers of waterfowl species
counted at each are shown in table form. Brief comments are made
about 21 of the sites (which were described in full in WIWO Study
Report 13) and more detailed accounts given for seven new sites.
Comparisons are made with the 1986 census figures and conclusions
drawn. Finally, a systematic list gives details of the other birds
recorded during the trip. Copies of this report are available,
price Dfl 7.50 including postage, by payment to postal giro account
2.666.009 of the 'Stichting WIWO', Ewijk, The Netherlands or by
international postal money order to ‘Stichting WIWO', Stuyvenbergweg
2-4, 6644 AB Ewijk, The Netherlands.
Notes on the birds of some wetlands in Northeast Greece and Turkey -
6 July to 6 August 1987 by R. Lensink. This is Study Report 19 in
the series produced by the WIWO. Eleven Turkish sites were visited
and for each a brief description and details of counting methods and
problems, human activities and results is given. All species
recorded are given in a systematic list and there is a comprehensive
a4
bibliography. Copies of this report are available, price Dfl 7.50
including postage - for details see previous item.
A List of Birds of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia compiled by
Mrs. F.E. Warr. This is a privately produced systematic list
covering all species recorded as occurring in the region. The
status of each species is classified using a letter coding and
greater detail is given for scarce or vagrant species. Anyone
interested in obtaining a copy should contact Mrs. Warr, 6 Mansion
Drive, Tring, Hertfordshire HP23 5BD, Great Britain.
Don't discard back copies of British Birds
To help create a sound base for the Archives, OSME would be very
grateful to any members who would be prepared to donate unwanted
copies of British Birds for incorporation into the library. If
you are in a position to help, please contact Geoff and
Hilary Welch.
LETTERS
Dear Sir
I was a little perturbed to read in OSME Bulletin 19: 18-19 the
scathing comment from Simon Harrap complaining about the
impreciseness of nineteenth century records. His comments, while
undoubtedly correct from a modern standpoint do seem to imply that
he has not been used to using records and papers of this period, and
is unaware just how much of the basic groundwork of ornithological
data is in fact based on the work of writers who of course saw no
need for writing with 20th century precision. The “fully documented
sight records" to which Mr. Harrap refers simply did not exist in
the nineteenth century, and to complain that Danford did not supply
any is like complaining that we have no idea what Queen Elizabeth
the First looked like because we have no photographs of her. In the
absence of photographs can we even prove that she ever existed?
Michael Walters, Tring Museum, Tring, Hertfordshire, Great Britain.
45
REVIEWS
Eilat An Intercontinental Highway for Migrating Birds. 1987.
International Birdwatching Center Eilat. 80 pages. Paperback.
Man hotographs (colour and monochrome diagrams and maps. Price
10 plus $l postage from: IBCE, P. 0. Box 774, Eilat 88000, Israel.
The bulk of this work (59 pages) is a paper by Hadoram Shirihai
describing raptor migration through Eilat based on extensive studies
carried out during four springs and an autumn between 1977 and 1986.
The data are comprehensively analysed: with respect to species and
age of birds, season, time of day, weather, topography, annual
variation and observer effort. Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus is the
star, with 852,000 counted in a spring and 228,000 in a day. There
are also summaries of the movement patterns in a broader context,
with useful maps showing routes through the Middle East for six
species. The introduction lists important sites (mostly
Europe/Middle East) for raptor migration studies: I would gloss over
the fact that this omits reference to a moderately important spot
where I did some work myself, but for the fact that it also omits
Falsterbo - so having pointed that out I will mention the existence
of work in southern Turkey by Sutherland and Brooks (Sandgrouse 2:
1-21). Also, it is not correct to imply (p. 69) that Bijleveld
(1974) Birds of Prey in Europe and BWP believed the east European
population of Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina to be no more
than 1,000 pairs: both those sources cited migration counts which
imply a larger population, besides acknowledging that the numbers
breeding in European USSR are unknown. Although, strangely, it is
not mentioned in the present work, what I presume to be the same
paper (in Hebrew) was published concurrently in Torgus 6(2): 36-95,
216-117.
The two remaining papers have much less substance and serve only to
indicate the scope of other work at Eilat: Bill Clark and
Edna Gorney describe the Eilat Raptor Banding Project, though the
results are only discussed in general terms (some have also been
published in Sandgrouse 7: 21-8); and Shirihai and Merav Gellert
detail the logistics of ringing in general at Eilat, the authors
evidently not feeling constrained by their paper's title of ‘Ringing
of Passerines in Eilat', for the list of ringing totals (11,009
birds for 1984-6) includes non-passerines as well.
Editing is lax (annoyingly, for bibliographers, no overall editor ts
credited), and there are a few quirks. Many of the references
mentioned in the text are not listed in the bibliography, and the
details of many which are listed are incomplete; this is not a
forgivable offence. Wherever species are present in sequence, the
order in which they appear is just about random - or might as well
be for all the sense I could make of it. All the tables are
perversely described as figures, and two 'figures' are placed quite
out of order. Spelling is uniformly chaotic and not worthy of the
generally high standard of the English used; in fact the whole thing
46
appears not to have been proof-read at all - even by a
non-English-speaker (which does not promote faith in the accuracy of
the numerical data). And the spelling is actually the thing which
most strikingly stops the book from being a pretty flash production:
the paper is good and glossy, and there's lots of colour inside and
out.
The photographs are of birders (in the field or not), birds (in the
hand or not), or both. Some of the colour photographs are
irrelevant to the text, but several, especially some by Shirihai,
are pearlers - and, except for some ugly marks, the standard of
colour reproduction is as high as that of the photography. Species
include first winter Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni,
non-breeding Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius, Small Skylark
Alauda gulgula and Arabian Warbler Sylvia leucomelaena; there's also
Shirihai's stunning Black Vultures Aegypius monachus which have
appeared in British Birds. Unfortunately the paste-up man proves
twice that he doesn't know which way up Black Kites Milvus migrans
fly, and the captions for photographs of Imperial Eagle Aquila
heliaca and Kittlitz's Plover are transposed.
Altogether, an important and attractive work, let down by some
details of presentation.
Duncan Brooks
The Birds of the Egyptian Western Desert by S. M. Goodman,
P. L. Meininger and W. C. Mullié. 1986. 91 pages. Miscellaneous
publication number 1/2 of the Museum of Zoology University of
Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48109-1079, U.S.A.
This report concerns the birds and the oases of a very poorly known
area of approximately 681,000 sq km west of the Nile, east of the
Libyan border and north of the Egyptian border with Sudan at 22°
north. In this vast area some 242 species of birds have been
recorded, including 47 extant breeding species and six former
nesting species. The report describes in detail each of the nine
oases in the area and gives information on the ornithological
history of each, using as its sources museum specimens, published
accounts, the author's own observations and unpublished works from
various corners. Not all of the oases in the area have been
surveyed equally or at all times of the year, and this leads to
unequal treatment for each. For all nine there is an understandable
dearth of records for the summer months when the area becomes one of
the most inhospitable on earth. Set against records of
ornithologists of the previous century whose scientific zeal was
only matched by their resourcefulness in getting to such remote
places, are records of recent years from the new habitats created in
the oases through irrigation and reclamation projects. There is a
comprehensive list of species occurring in the region which gives
details of all observations by locality, which are fully documented
to source material. In the general discussion section of the paper
47
the authors consider at some length the zoogeography of the region
likening the avifauna of these isolated oases to island avifaunas
and in this respect compare the birds found in the Western Desert to
other parts of north, central and north-east Africa and central
Arabia. The work is supported by ten maps and photographs and a
very comprehensive literature list. This report is clearly the most
important document ever prepared on the ornithology of the Egyptian
Western Desert and is essential reading to anyone contemplating a
visit to that region.
Michael Jennings
Zur Vogel-Fauna einer semi-ariden Gebirgsregion in Suid-Jordanien
Petra and ebu Aves) by Jorg Wittenber Verh. naturwiss, Ver
Hamburg (NF) 29 5-49 Hamburg 1987. In German with English summary.
Jorg Wittenberg has written a useful and comprehensive paper on the
birds of a south Jordan mountainous area of 65 sq kms in and around
Petra. One-hundred and twenty-two species are recorded (up to
1985) , 48 of which are breeders. About a third of the breeding
species reach their northernmost distribution in the area.
Particularly interesting are Tristram's Grackle Nychognathus
tristramii (30 pairs per 10 sq km), Palestine Sunbird Nectarinia
osea (40-50 pairs per 10 sq km) and Sinai Rosefinch Carpodacus
synoicus (60-80 pairs per 10 sq km). Approximately 90 species are
recorded as visitors/migrants.
The most frequent migrants (over 80 birds per day) were Blackcap
Sylvia atricapilla, Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca, Honey Buzzard
Pernis apivorus and Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus.
The author (Dehnhaide 31, D-2000 Hamburg 76, West Germany) appeals
for any other unpublished records from the area.
Don Parr
Urban, E. K., C. H. Fry & S. Keith (1986). The Birds of Africa
Vol. Il. Pp. xvi + 532, 32 colour plates by Martin Woodcock,
numerous line drawings by Ian Willis. London: Academic Press. £65.
ISBN 0-12-13702-9.
Volume II of The Birds of Africa is a truly remarkable achievement.
It is a multi-author work which has been carefully and skilfully
edited by a team of three dedicated ornithologists and
Martin Woodcock has provided a superb collection of illustrations.
Volume II covers gamebirds, button-quail, rails, crakes, gallinules,
cranes, finfoots and bustards, waders, sandgrouse, pigeons and
doves. For each species the basic content and layout of the text is
as it was in Volume I. The policy for English names (always a
problem) is clearly justified on p. xii and I only hope Francophone
Africa is happy with their loss. The Range and Status section is
48
very good, providing more details than in Volume I, although I would
like to see it expanded still further to include more information on
threats and even, possibly, conservation measures needed. The
distribution maps use shading to indicate dense/sparse,
breeding/non-breeding and migratory populations. The descriptions
seem to be thorough and the Field Characters section is an
improvement on Volume I with more detail, although The Birds of
Africa cannot really have been written 'mainly for field
ornithologists' as was originally claimed, can it? The Voice
Section is gratifyingly brief, but provides a short description of
song and calls and leads the reader to detailed sources of tapes for
those researchers requiring further details. Remaining sections
deal with General Habits, Food and Breeding Habits. Finally,
particularly useful references are given for each species which must
be consulted in conjunction with both a list of general and regional
references and a further list of references for each family.
Overall the text is extremely well written (or edited) and
comprehensive, and the standard of the illustrations is very high,
although not yet quite as high as in the latest volumes of Birds of
the Western Palearctic. Fortunately for Academic Press this book,
and the volumes of The Birds of Africa that follow are essential for
ornithologists throughout the world and, while I find the production
quality very pleasing, the price still frightens me.
Mike Rands
Bibliographie der Sdugetiere und Vdgel der Turkei (Rezente Fauna):
A Bibliography of Recent Turkish Mammals and Birds —- with reference
to the neighbouring countries and to papers of more general scope by
Hans Kumerloeve. 1986. Bonner Zoologische Monographien, Number 21.
132 pages. (Obtainable through Zoologisches Forschungsinstitut
und Museum Alexander Koenig, Adenaverellee 150-164, 5300 Bonn 1,
West Germany. Price DM30).
The literature on the fauna of Turkey is extensive, and has hitherto
been widely scattered and difficult to find. Before the publication
of this compendium of what I guess to be over 2,500 references, more
than half relating to birds, there was no exhaustive list of what
exists between two covers. This much-needed publication fills that
gap - the author has sought completeness, though it is not claimed.
An introduction with explanatory notes in German, Turkish, English
and French documents the history of ornithological exploration in
Turkey and adjacent regions up to the 1960s. (It is perhaps
surprising that no attempt has been made to outline developments
during the last 25 years or so as this period has witnessed the
greatest upsurge in interest in the country and a wholesale advance
in understanding of status and distribution.) The list of
references follows - those dealing with countries adjacent to
Turkey, whole (ie not just Turkish) distributions or more general
themes are identified.
49
This publication will be essential for all who have an interest in
what has been written over the years on the fauna of Turkey. It is
also very useful as a source-book for the Middle East as a whole.
Rod Martins
Birds of Turkey. Number 5: Kulu GU1U by Max Kasparek. 1987.
G2 es. = Ss 6: Yenicaga GO1U by Aygun Kilic and Max Kasparek.
1987. 32 pages. Both obtainable through OSME Sales, price £2.00
including postage.
The Birds of Turkey series provides conservationists, birdwatchers
and ornithologists with documents on specific areas or sites in
Turkey. This is accomplished by combining the records of many
birdwatchers. With one exception, all booklets so far (including
the two titles reviewed here) have dealt with wetland sites. This
trend is most welcome given the vulnerability of such sites - many
important wetlands in Turkey have been completely destroyed in
recent years.
The booklets follow a fairly standard format similar to previous
issues in the series with a number of explanatory paragraphs
including details on Geographical position (Yenicaga G81U is in the
western Black Sea Coastlands region, Kulu GélU lies on the Central
Plateau), Altitude, Surface-area and depth, General description of
the area, Climate, Ornithological importance of the area and Nature
conservation and human activities. A detailed list of all know
visits to each site is given, including both published and
unpublished material. A systematic list follows, documenting all
known records, with comments where appropriate.
In the Yenicaga GS1U booklet under Great Snipe Gallinago media I was
surprised to find a statement that for this species “the field
identification is almost impossible” though this is coupled with a
sensible plea that all Turkish records should be re-checked.
Rod Martins
World Birds by Brian Martin. 1987. Guinness Books, Enfield.
208 es. Over 150 colour and black and white photographs and
illustrations. Price £12.95.
This is the first of the Guinness books to concentrate on avian
records, and as such it is most likely to find a home on a keen
young birdwatcher's bookshelf. However, those scouring through for
facts with which to confound the rest of us must accept that some of
the entries are already out-of-date (a reflection on our fast
changing world more than on the book) and some are misleading (a map
implying that the Arctic Tern Sterna paradisaea migrates from the
U.K. to Australia via north and east Africa for example).
50
Considering this is a 'popular' bird book, for £12.95 I would have
expected a less cheaply produced volume, with more exiting
photographs and better line illustrations. However, the author has
done well to bring together all the facts and figures into one
volume, and the long accounts supporting each record give
interesting additional information about the individual species.
Nonetheless, Brian Martin's belief that World Birds should help to
focus on critical areas in the world and thus make a contribution to
the future of ornithology and conservation is perhaps a little
extravagant.
Hilary Welch
Handbook of the Birds of Europe, the Middle East, and North
Africa. The Birds of the Western Palearctic. Vol. V: Tyrant
Flycatchers to Thrushes. Edited by Stanley Cramp et al. 1988.
Oxford University Press. 1,076 pages. 84 colour plates, over 500
drawings, 180 maps. Price £/5.00.
So here it is, at last, the first BWP volume devoted to the
passerines. It is bigger than Vol. IV (but not by much), prompting
the thought that somebody could make a fortune out of reinforced
bookshelves... Whether it will prove tough enough to survive the
years of heavy use it will get remains to be seen.
My general impression of BWP is that each volume surpasses the last
- and not just in terms of physical size and price: the species
accounts seem longer and more detailed and, whether you like the
styles or not, the coloured plates get better and better. The first
volume seems a bit of a poor cousin alongside this one. Ten days of
‘browsing before being asked to dash off this review is too short a
time in which to do justice to such a huge and detailed work, but I
have already concluded that it is quite outstanding in every
respect. No doubt it contains a few mistakes, or some views with
which some will disagree, but in my view a reviewer should not over-
emphasise such things: I don't think it is of any great moment, for
example, that some bird-spotters might raise their eyebrows at the
comments on pipit identification and calls, or that some county
enthusiasts might be offended by the remark a 'Black-bellied
Dipper'. The really important thing is that this volume is likely
to be by far the best and most comprehensive work of reference on
the species it covers than any of us will see in our lifetimes.
OSME members will welcome so much detailed and fascinating
information on some of the most tricky, least known and ‘special'
birds of our ‘region’ —- the larks, pipits and wheatears, for
instance, not to mention those marvellous chats and ‘starts from the
eastern fringes of the Western Palearctic. The illustrations of
many of these are outstanding and likely to be a constant source of
reference in themselves. All told, Vol. V covers 115 species -
larks, hirundines, pipits and wagtails, bulbuls, Waxwing and Grey
Hypocolius, Dipper, Wren, accentors and thrushes and chats are the
— ee
51
main ones. Inevitably, these include quite a lot of vagrants or
rare visitors and three more of them, Brown Thrasher, Grey Catbird
and Acadian Flycatcher complete the list, the last gaining
immortality with its improbable-sounding family name included in the
book's title (I can imagine few things less tyrannical than an
Acadian Flycatcher). Goodness knows how many subspecies are
mentioned or described. Rock, Water and American Pipits are lLumped
under one species entry, but have been treated separately within it,
as if in anticipation of the recent BOU decision; perhaps
conservatively (and unlike Birds of the Middle East and North
Africa), BWP continues to class Cyprus Pied Wheatear as a race
rather than a full species.
The only way to appreciate this important publication fully is to
get your own copy. Most readers will do just that, I'm sure: those
who don't will be missing out.
Mike Everett
GROUPS AND ORGANISATIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
* indicates society membership of OSME
Bahrain |
Bahrain Natural History Society, P. 0. Box 20336, Manama, Bahrain.
Cyprus
*Cyprus Ornithological Society (1957), P. 0. Box 4319, Nicosia,
Cyprus.
Cyprus Ornithological Society (1970), c/o P. Neophytou, Kanaris
Street 4, Strovolos 105, Cyprus.
Egypt
Ornithological Society of Egypt, c/o Dr. Moustfa Fouda, Department
of Zoology, Al Azhar University, Nasr City, Cairo, Egypt.
Iran
Department of Environment, P. 0. Box 1430, Tehran, Iran.
Iraq
*Natural History Museum, University of Basrah, Post Box 432, Basrah,
Iraq.
Israel
*The A. D. Gordon Agriculture and Nature Study Institute,
Deganya A 15-120, Israel.
52
Israel Bird Ringing Center, Queen Helena 13, P. 0. Box 930,
Jerusalem 91 008, Israel.
Israel Raptor Information Center, Har Gillo FSC, Doar Na Harei,
Jerusalem 91 076, Israel.
*Israel Ornithological Center, c/o S.P.N.I., 4 Hashfela Street, Tel
Aviv 66183, Israel.
International Birdwatching Center Eilat, P. 0. Box 774, Eilat,
Israel.
*Society for Protection of Nature in Israel, 4 Hashfela Street, Tel
Aviv 66186, Israel.
United Kingdom Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, c/o
Anglo-Israel Association, 9 Bentinck Street, London W1M 5RP.
Jordan
*Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, P. 0. Box 6354,
Amman, Jordan.
Kuwait
Kuwait Natural History Group, c/o Professor C. W. T. Pilcher,
Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, P. 0. Box 24923
- Safat, Kuwait 13110.
Environment Protection Council of Kuwait, P. 0. Box 24395, Safat,
Kuwait.
Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research, P. 0. Box 24885, Safat,
Kuwait.
Lebanon
Friends of Nature, P. 0. Box 11-8281, Beirut, Lebanon.
Society for the Protection of Nature and Natural Resources in
Lebanon, P. O. Box 11-5665, Beirut, Lebanon.
Oman
*Adviser for the Conservation of the Environment (Mr. R. H. Daly),
P. O. Box 246, Muscat, Sultanate of Oman.
The Historical Association of Oman. Hon. Secretary, P. 0. Box 6941,
| Ruwi, Sultanate of Oman.
Oman Bird Records Committee, P. 0. Box 246, Muscat, Sultanate of
Oman.
Oman Natural History Museum, P. 0. Box 668, Muscat, Sultanate of
Oman.
Qatar
Qatar Natural History Group. c/o Bryan Eccleston (Chairman), P. 0.
Box 7660, Doha, Qatar.
53
Saudi Arabia
Arabian Natural History Association, Box 6336, Dhahran, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia. (No recent information, may no longer exist.)
Desert Ramblers, c/o Michael Denton, Saudi Telephones, P. 0. Box
6350, Riyadh 11442, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Meteorological and Environmental Protection Administration, P. 0.
Box 1358, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, P. 0.
Box 61681, Riyadh 11575, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
*National Wildlife Research Centre, P. 0. Box 1086, Taif, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabian Natural History Society, c/o The Bursar, The
Continental School, P. 0. Box 6453, Jeddah 21442, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Biological Society. General Secretary, College of Science,
University of Riyadh, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Turkey
*Biyoloji Enstutusu. Dr. I. Kiziroglu, Hacettepe Univarsitesi,
Beycepe Kampusu, Ankara, Turkey.
*Dogal Hayati Koruma Dernegi (= Society for the Protection of
Wildlife), PK 18, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey.
United Arab Emirates
Dubai Natural History Group, P. 0. Box 9292, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
Dubai Wildlife Research Centre, P. 0. Box 11626, Dubai, United Arab
Emirates.
*Emirates Natural History Group (Abu Dhabi), P. 0. Box 303, Abu
Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Emirates Natural History Group (Al Ain), P. 0. Box 16027, Al Ain,
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
Yemen Arab Republic (N. Yemen)
Nature and Ornithological Society of Yemen.
Name and address of current secretary unknown at present.
54
NEWS AND INFORMATION (Compiled by Simon Albrecht)
Turkey — Investigation into the Shooting and Catching of Birds
Last year (Bull. 19: 42) we reported that Dogal Hayati Koruma
Dernegi (DHKD) was about to survey the extent of illegal bird
shooting and catching especially in north-east Turkey. The project,
which is being carried out jointly with the International Council
for Bird Preservation (ICBP), is now well under way. Its aims are
to (a) investigate the magnitude of bird persecution at selected
sites in Turkey, (b) document deficiencies in current wildlife
legislation and (c) present the findings to the Turkish Government.
Surveys led by Gernant Magnin began during August 1987 in the
Borcka-Arhavi region of north-east Turkey. This is an important
migratory bottleneck area where well over 100,000 raptors have been
recorded on passage in a single day and where the catching of
Sparrowhawks Accipiter nisus for hawking Quail Coturnix coturnix is
known to be common. Preliminary results indicate that over 10,000
Sparrowhawks were caught during the autumn of 1987, some of which
died in captivity. Goshawks Accipiter gentilis and Peregrines Falco
peregrinus were also kept by falconers. In addition large raptors,
particularly Honey Buzzards Pernis apivorus, Booted Eagles Hieraatus
pennatus, harriers Circus sp. and falcons Falco sp., were being
discriminatorily shot or caught. The raptors killed were fed to
shrikes, mainly juvenile Red-backed Shrikes Lanius collurio, which
are kept as a decoy to catch Sparrowhawks.
Investigations in the lakes and coastal wetlands show that there is
also some pressure from hunters on pelicans Pelecanus sp. and Cranes
-Grus grus as well as other waterbirds.
A full report is in preparation which will be presented to the
Turkish Government and to the Standing Committee of the Bern
Convention (which requires the protection of the migratory species
listed in the Convention's Appendices) to which Turkey is a
Contracting Party. This will be accompanied by a publicity campaign
in Turkey directed by DHKD.
We shall continue to report progress in this area. Meanwhile, while
Turkey is keen to promote its tourist image abroad, visitors should
be aware of the situation and report any relevant observations to
DHKD at Pk 18, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey.
Turkey - Central Anatolia Survey
DHKD and WIWO (Working Group International Wader and Waterfowl
Research, a Dutch based Foundation) will carry out wetland surveys
in central Anatolia during spring 1988. The project aims to
determine the importance of the lakes of the region for passage
waders and waterfowl. In previous years WIWO teams have
investigated wetlands on the anatolian plateau during autumn and
ID
winter. This is the first time that detailed information on the
spring migration on the interior lakes of Turkey will become
available. We look forward to further information on this important
subject.
Turkey - Lake Gala, Meric Delta
Lake Gala (Gala Golu), a 5,000ha wetland near Enez in the Meric
Delta, is one of Turkey's most important flyway sites for migratory
waterfowl during their migration to and from their breeding areas.
The Meric Delta, on the Turkey/Greece border, is undoubtedly of
international importance and is included in the preliminary list of
Important Bird Areas in Europe to be published by ICBP later in
1988. In the 1960s Lake Gala supported breeding populations of
Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus, Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides,
White-tailed Eagle Haliaeetus albicilla, Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila
pomarina and Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus. In addition, the
lake was particularly important for wintering waterfowl and raptors,
especially Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus, Greylag Goose
Anser anser, White-fronted Goose A. albifrons, Wigeon Anas penelope,
Pintail A. acuta, White-tailed Eagle, Spotted Eagle A. clanga and
Hen Harrier C. cyaneus. The lake is currently unprotected and is
threatened by drainage schemes to provide farmers with land for rice
cultivation. Adjacent reedbeds are being regularly burnt and
shooting takes place illegally during the close season.
A DHKD project team is conducting regular surveys of Lake Gala
between October 1987 and August 1988. Each survey will assess the
importance of the area as a breeding, staging and wintering site for
migratory birds as well as for other wildlife. The impact on the
wetland of various existing and proposed development projects,
especially agricultural schemes, is being assessed and pressure from
shooting is being monitored. Survey work has started and the team
is interviewing villagers, hunters and local authorities (including
the State Waterways Department) to complement the data obtained from
the field.
A symposium is scheduled for May 1988 in Enez bringing together
DHKD, Government officials and representatives of the local
communities to discuss recommendations for the sustainable
utilisation and conservation of the lake.
DHKD will seek to publish articles on Lake Gala in conservation
periodicals and magazines in Turkey and abroad to promote the
preservation of the site.
Turkey - Wetland Protection
Turkey has 18 National Parks but only one is a wetland, Kuscenneti,
which is only a small area (64ha) amounting to less than a half
percent of Manyas Golu.
56
According to the General Directorate for the Environment, the State
Planning Organisation has now given protection to three wetlands:
Manyas Golu (which includes Kuscenneti), the Sultan Marshes and
Seyfe Golu. The main threats to Manyas include pollution and
drainage and irrigation schemes (see OSME Bull. 17: 22 for recent
problems at Lake Manyas). The Sultan Marshes, one of the most
important wetlands in the Middle East, is also threatened by
drainage which has already had a serious negative impact on the
local populations of several birds (see Kasparek: Die Sultanssumpfe.
On OSME sales list). Seyfe Golu has also been threatened by a
drainage project (see Husband & Kasparek: Birds of Turkey 2, Seyfe
Golu. On OSME sales list) but this has apparently been cancelled.
We congratulate the Turkish authorities on these initiatives and
hope that the State Planning Organisation will take effective
measures to protect and conserve these vital and fragile areas.
Turkey -— Tourist development at Dalyan Beach
Dalyan beach is one of the few places where the endangered
Mediterranean Loggerhead Turtle Caretta caretta breeds. A hotel
development has been given planning permission in spite of
opposition. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources (IUCN) have prepared a management plan for the
beach and its surroundings. We hope the Turkish authorities will
adhere to this management plan both during the development of the
site and during its subsequent use.
Turkey - Bird book for primary school children
Following the publication of “Kuslari Taniyalim" - the native
language popular birdbook - in 1986 (OSME Bull. 16: 18), DHKD are
now directly entering the world of education with the production of
"Kuslarin Dunyasi”. This 20 page booklet is about birds and their
environment and is aimed at encouraging children to become
interested in birds and the places where they live. The booklet
will provide information and ideas for topics to be used in class
incorporating the study of birds near the youngsters' homes and
schools.
Turkey — new book on important bird site
Following the production of Die Sultanssumpfe in 1985 (see Bull. 16:
33-36 for review) Max Kasparek has produced another publication in
the same format. Like the first publication on the Sultan Marshes
“Bafasee Natur und Geschichte in der turkischen Agais” is also in
German. The 174 pages give a detailed account of both the history
and wildlife of the Bafa Golu area on the Aegean coast. This book
will be reviewed in a future bulletin. It is available from
Max Kasparek, Bleich Strasse 1, 6900 Heidelberg, West Germany, price
DM34.50.
57
Turkey — ICBP European section conference. Spring, 1989
The European section of ICBP will hold its next conference in Adana,
Turkey in spring 1989. In addition to the usual business of the
conference there will be a two day workshop covering bird
conservation in Turkey and migratory birds in Africa. The date of
the conference will be announced shortly. Further details from
DHKD, Pk 18, Bebek, Istanbul, Turkey or ICBP, 219c Huntingdon Road,
Cambridge CB3 ODL, Great Britain.
Cyprus - Bird-liming continues despite international campaign
Following the production and distribution of the anti-liming poster
(OSME Bull. 19: 44) the Cyprus Anti-liming Committee, now known as
the Cyprus Conservation Committee (CCC), and the ICBP exerted
international pressure on the Republic of Cyprus Government to
effectively enforce existing laws against bird-liming and netting.
Over 100,000 pre-printed "Stop the Massacre” postcards were sent in
autumn 1987 to the President of Cyprus and/or the High Commission in
London by ICBP's network of member organisations. The World Society
for the Protection of Animals, Western Hemisphere office
spearheaded a campaign in the U.S.A.
Unfortunately large scale bird-liming continued last autumn
according to CCC. The Government has admitted candidly that due to
this year's Presidential Election no unpopular measures would be
taken such as rigidly enforcing the wildlife laws. CCC and ICBP
will continue to monitor the situation and are considering
alternative ways of putting pressure on the Government.
We congratulate Mr. Vassiliou as the new President of the Republic
of Cyprus and hope that he will respect and preserve Cyprus's
natural heritage initially by enforcing the laws on hunting and
trapping.
Egypt —- Establishment of environmental education unit to promote
wetlands conservation
Egypt is one of the most densely populated countries in Africa, with
the highest population densities being found along the Nile Valley.
The wetlands of the river and particularly the delta are vital
life-support ecosystems on which the future of Egypt's agriculture
and fisheries depends. However, these biological resources are
becoming increasingly depleted and over-exploited. While
reclamation and habitat degradation increase there is a complete
lack of awareness of the importance and plight of these wetlands or
of their need for sustainable development.
The Egyptian Wildlife Service (EWS), the Government body in charge
of daily management of protected areas, has no staff currently
assigned to environmental education. Egypt also lacks an
infrastructure of non-Governmental organisations addressing
58
environmental matters. Three societies do exist: the Wildlife
Society (1962), the Society for the Conservation of Natural
Resources and the Ornithological Society of Egypt, but all have a
small membership consisting of mainly Government officials,
university lecturers, students and research workers.
EWS and ICBP have developed a three-year programme to establish an
environmental education unit with EWS. The unit will develop and
implement a public awareness programme on conservation in general
and on wetlands and migratory birds in particular. The Friends of
Animals Club (FAC) was established by EWS some years ago to promote
environmental awareness among 10-18 year old school children. As
part of the programme FAC will be strengthened and given a new
headquarters at Giza Zoo.
It is planned to establish an education centre at one of the
wetlands and that teachers become involved with FAC. Workshops on
environmental education will be organised and hopefully the lessons
incorporated into classroom teaching.
ICBP is initiating this project in conjunction with EWS and the
Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency and aims to enhance the
conservation status of migratory birds in Egypt. It is hoped that
the project will be formalised by an agreement signed by all parties
this spring.
Egypt - Lake Manzala gets protection
Perhaps the most important lake on the Nile delta, Lake Manzala, is
now getting official protection. The lake is nominated as a Ramsar
site of international importance and the EWS has proposed it to be
gazetted as a protected area.
Saudi Arabia -— Arabian Bustard Survey, 1987
The National Commission for Wildlife and Development has produced
its first technical report on the endangered Arabian Bustard
Ardeotis arabs. The authors (Asad Rahmani of the Bombay Natural
History Society, India and Mohammed Shobrak of the National Wildlife
Research Centre, Saudi Arabia) travelled 3,000km from 19 October to
3 November 1987 in the Tihama region of Saudi Arabia and saw one
Arabian Bustard and footprints in two other places. In addition
they were told of sightings at five other places in the last five
years.
The authors conclude that the Arabian Bustard is not extinct in
Saudi Arabia. Their recommendations include that the Arabian
Bustard be given total protection and that the law be strictly
enforced. That a bustard sanctuary be established at Jabal Labiba
in the Asir National Park where they sighted their bustard. That
more, detailed surveys be carried out to find if there is a viable
bustard population. That detailed ecological studies be carried out
I
59
on the Arabian Bustard either in
Saudi Arabia or elsewhere to
discover its conservation
requirements. The main cause of
the species' rarity appears to be
uncontrolled shooting from 4-wheel
drive vehicles and habitat
deterioration through overgrazing.
They recommend a publicity and
education campaign including
making the Arabian Bustard a
national bird. They support the
views of others that captive
breeding is not the answer to the
protection and conservation of the
Arabian Bustard. The National
Wildlife Research Center's address
aenr. Of Box1086, Taif, Saudi
Arabia.
Slender-billed Curlew - any more records?
Last autumn (Bull. 19: 47) we reported that ICBP were carrying out a
survey of Slender-billed Curlews Numenius tenuirostris in Morocco
this winter and requested any sightings from the Middle East. By
7 March 1988 only four had been reported from Morocco and none from
the Middle East. If you have any relevant information please send
it without delay to Mike Rands, ICBP, 219c Huntingdon Road,
Cambridge CB3 ODL, Great Britain. ICBP are trying to raise money to
appoint a full-time worker on the project for the next two years.
We expect to be able to report more fully on this in the autumn.
Yemen Arab Republic
Following the visit of Jamil Al Ba'dani to Britain last summer to
study conservation education (see Bull. 19: 45) Richard Porter and
Mike Langman made a return two week visit over the new year period
to Yemen. The purpose of the visit was twofold. First to prepare
drawings for an educational book on the birds of the Yemen Arab
Republic. This will be another title in the native language
birdbook series - devised by ICBP - on which we have reported from
time to time (Bull. 16: 18). Second to help develop Jamil's
understanding of Yemen wildlife and its conservation.
Mike made numerous drawings and so far has finished over 20 plates
for the new book. It is hoped that the illustrations and text of
the book will be finished in the next three months and that
publication will follow fairly quickly.
Jamil, who works for the Ministry of Agriculture, is being
encouraged to take a leading role in wildlife conservation issues in
Yemen. Following his successful visit to Britain last summer he
shows great aptitude in handling the conservation issues of his fine
60
country. During the course at the International Centre for
Conservation Education (ICCE) Jamil designed and produced a booklet
called “Saving Yemen's Endemic Birds". The booklet devotes a page
to each of Yemen's endemic birds and features a line drawing of the
bird, a short description of its distribution and habitat and a
summary of the threats to its continued existence. He also designed
a car sticker, poster and calendar depicting rare and endemic birds
and adapted a slide talk concerning wildlife conservation in the
Yemen.
Jamil accompanied Richard and Mike on their two week trip and was
able to distribute the material he had prepared at ICCE. The
material was very well received and much interest was shown
particularly in the booklet on endemic birds which resulted in long
discussions.
During the trip Jamil had his first experience of many of Yemen's
endemic birds as well as experiencing flocks of Cranes Grus grus and
Demoiselle Cranes Anthropoides virgo at Ta‘izz. One of the
excitements of the trip was three Long-tailed Cormorants
Phalacrocorax africanus at the Marib Dam, though at a distance of
two miles it may be difficult to get the record accepted! If
confirmed it would be the first record for Arabia.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Kuwait Natural History Group
The Ahmadi Natural History and Field Studies Group is now known as
the Kuwait Natural History Group. They have no permanent address at
present but correspondence can be addressed to Professor
C. W. T. Pilcher, Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine,
B. 0. Box 24923’ — Safat, Kuwait 13210.
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION
Len Reaney saw a colour marked Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus
(probably a first-winter) on Das Island in the Arabian Gulf on
17 January 1988. Its underwings and undertail were bright red. He
has been unable to trace its origin and would appreciate any
relevant information. Please write to 67 Bigby High Road, Brigg,
South Humberside DN20 9HB, Great Britain.
61
OSME NEWS
Stick with OSME and join a friend
In this our 10th Anniversary year, we are aiming to promote
awareness of OSME and hope that you will help us. Enclosed with
this copy of the Bulletin you will therefore find:
1. Stickers - depicting the Society's Sandgrouse logo. Stick these
anywhere that they will be noticed - on binoculars, telescopes,
notebooks, friends... and
2. Flyer - an attractively produced leaflet giving details of the
Society's aims and achievements, with a membership form on the back.
It is astonishing .just how many people with an interest in the
Middle East do not know of the existence of OSME. So, if you cannot
get a friend to join straight away, display the flyer in your local
library, at a natural history group meeting or on your office
noticeboard.
If each of us recruits just one new member, our membership will
break the four-figure barrier. This will not only increase OSME's
standing and influence in the Middle East but will also enable us to
carry out more important conservation work in the region.
Further copies of the flyer are available from the Publicity Officer
on request.
10 Years of OSME - A celebration
1988 marks 10 years of the Society, and coincidentally 21 years of
its predecessor the Ornithological Society of Turkey. To celebrate
the occasion, OSME is organising a ‘birthday afternoon' and we hope
you will come along and join in the festivities.
Saturday 26 November at the Friends' House, Euston Road, London is
the date to remember. At present, the precise details of the
afternoon are still to be finalised but there will be talks about
conservation in the Middle East (speakers to include William
Wilkinson and Richard Porter); an exhibition and sale of paintings
of birds of the region; a small number of ‘trade stands' (optical
firms, publishers, tour companies etc); a quiz and raffle.
Refreshments, in the form of Cream Teas will be provided.
Besides celebrating OSME's 10th birthday, the afternoon is aimed at
raising funds for the next OSME Expedition - a fitting and practical
way to go forward into the next 10 years of the Society. With this
in mind, there is no fixed price for tickets, other than a minimum
charge of £5.00 per person - if you wish to pay more, please do.
All proceeds from the afternoon will go directly towards active
conservation in the Middle East. Full details will be announced in
due course. In the meantime, anyone wishing to reserve tickets can
do so by sending their fee to the Secretary. We look forward to
seeing you.
62
Subscriptions
All those who paid a full subscription of £7 for 1987 should have
received Bulletins 18 and 19 and Sandgrouse Vol. 9. If not, please
let the Secretary know as soon as possible.
New Display Boards for OSME
OSME would like to take this opportunity to record its thanks to
Pergola Products Ltd of High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, for the
generous donation of a set of Portamaster display boards for the
Society's use. The set of eight double-sided boards will be used to
exhibit displays about the work of the Society at future talks and
meetings. The expo-loop system allows displays to be changed
readily and, with the sturdy carrying case provided, the whole
system is completely portable.
Membership List
It is the policy of Council not to allow the names and addresses of
individual members to be used other than for distribution of the
Society's literature or for other administration matters. People
wishing to contact specific members should write to them c/o OSME
and letters will be forwarded by the Secretary.
From time to time the Society is asked for contacts in particular
areas of the Middle East by bona fide birdwatchers. If you would
prefer your address not to be given to such enquirers please let the
Secretary know.
Notes from the Sales Officer
Apology
We apologise to all concerned that Zoology of the Middle East:
Volume 1 and Die Sultanssumpfe were omitted from our autumn 1987
sales list. It is worth checking Notes from the Sales Officer
against the sales list because mistakes do happen. We also
apologise for the delay in dispatch of Birds of Turkey 2 which was
out of stock. It is now in stock so if you have not received a copy
that you ordered please send a reminder.
Sales have been exceptionally heavy in the first two months of 1988
with over 100 packets dispatched. If you have had to wait several
weeks for your order please be patient - there is a limit to what
can be done in spare time. On the other hand an oversight is
possible so don't be too patient!
63
Birds of Turkey
We are pleased to announce that both Birds of Turkey 5 (Kulu Golu)
and 6 (Yenicaga Golu) have been published since last autumn and are
available from OSME Sales price: £2.00 surface postage and £2.50
airmail each. Birds of Turkey 7 on Acigol is in an advanced state
of production.
OSME North Yemen Expedition Report
“Birds of the Yemen Arab Republic: Report of the OSME Expedition
1985” is now published and available from OSME Sales price: £4.00
surface and £6.00 airmail postage. The report presents the findings
in a non-technical way (in contrast to the papers in Sandgrouse 9)
and in addition gives details on and recommendations for
conservation which are not published elsewhere.
Wildlife in Bahrain: Fourth Report 1982-1984
We are now out of stock of this report and do not yet know if more
copies are available. It has been removed from the sales list for
the time being at least.
Sandgrouse — Special Offers
The numbers of the early Sandgrouse for sale have now dropped to a
low level (Sandgrouse 1 has sold out). We have already withdrawn
the special offer. The remaining available Sandgrouse will be sold
on a first come first served basis.
OBITUARIES AND RECENTLY DECEASED MEMBERS
STANLEY CRAMP OBE Stanley Cramp had just retired after ten
years as Vice President of OSME when he died on 20th August 1987 at
the age of 73.
His first visit to the Middle East was in 1975 when he visited
Turkey. This was shortly before his retirement from Britain's
H.M. Customs and Excise to take up the position of Chief Editor of
The Birds of the Western Palearctic. This covered many of the
countries in the Middle East and OSME and its members played a key
role in providing information for it. He made several visits to the
Middle East during the 1970s and 80s notably to Turkey, Iran, Israel
and Egypt which was the last country he visited before he died.
Stanley's abilities as an organiser, committee member and Chairman
as well as his numerous ornithological achievements are historical
facts and remain a testament to him. They have been widely
documented and acclaimed in the numerous obituaries that have
already appeared in publications from British Birds to The Times.
64
PAUL HAYNES It is with regret that we learn of the untimely
death of Paul R. Haynes. He was very active as an ornithologist in
Kuwait, a member of the Ahmadi Natural History and Field Study
Group, a member of OSME and a correspondent for The Birds of the
Western Palearctic.
MRS. S. VERE TAYLOR We were also sorry to learn of the recent
death of Mrs. S. Vere Taylor (S. Vere Benson) who was perhaps best
known to OSME members as the author of Birds of Lebanon and the
Jordan area.
STOP PRESS
Just as this bulletin was going to press we received one of the
first copies of Birds of the Middle East and North Africa by
P.A.D. Hollom, R.F. Porter, S. Christensen and Ian Willis. This,
the first field guide to cover all of the Middle East, will be a
major asset to those birdwatching in the region, providing excellent
illustrations and accompanying text and distribution maps for all
Middle Eastern species (except those covered in Peterson, Mountfort
and Hollom). A full review will appear in the autumn bulletin but
in the meantime a leaflet about the book is enclosed.
DUTCH
BIRDING
Quarterly journal
SF for every keen
"ANNOUNCING:
RAPTOURS
Join Bill Clark ZN
author of NAm
raptor guide :
on a raptor
watching tour.
birder!
* Aug 88 Trinidad.
Intro to Neotropical
Raptors.
Sept 88 Cape May
Raptor Workshop.
Oct 88 Israel (& Cyprus).
Eleonoras & Sooty Falcons
+ raptor migration.
O) Excellent papers on identification,
distribution, movements and
behaviour of Palearctic birds.
(] Latest news on rare birds in the
Netherlands and Belgium.
In English or with English summaries.
_ Well produced with numerous high
quality photographs.
OO
and many other exciting tours,
workshops, & 3-day weekends.
RAPTOURS
Box 8008. Silver Spring.
MD 20907, USA
For information write to:
Dutch Birding, Postbus 5611,
1007 AP Amsterdam,
Netherlands.
Subscribers to Outch Birding can claim 25% off a British
Birds subscription
_ ORNITHOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF THE MIDDLE EAST
clo THE LODGE, SANDY, BEDFORDSHIRE, ENGLAND.
~The Ornithological Society of the Middle East was formed in April 1978
and is a successor to the Ornithological Society of Turkey.
~ Aims
1. To collect, collate and publish ornithological data on the birds
sof the Middle East.
mn
i
2. To encourage an interest in and conservation of the birds of the
_-—s Middle East.
om ..
3. To develop a mutually beneficial working relationship with all
ee ronmental and conservation bodies and natural history
a . societies in and concerned with the Middle East.
_
~
= on
Viel iei
r var X
a
rshif is Open to all and spans over 40 countries.
i ie re
Pt D] cations Sandgrouse is the annual journal of the Society and
le East. A bulletin is also issued bi-annually to all members.
For further details and current
subscription rates, write to:
The Secretary, OSME, c/o The Lodge,
Sandy, Beds, SG19 2DL, England
CONTENTS
Djibouti III - Preliminary Report ....... Geoff & Hilary Welch
Waders and waterfowl in Southern Turkey, spring LISP < sats toe
ccesccecevecceseseoosecs LOM Yan der Have & Vinces’ san ece once
Selected spring observations from the Suez Canal and the Gulf
GE CSU e u-aaieieiete die initea\w labeler ay a tetcalee anole aie o ce eae ssa SKC EVCECES
Observations on the behaviour of the Crab Plover .. Mike Evans
Ornithological observations at sea around Arabla .............
PECereriwrreyrrrrrrrr rrr rr ry rr oor ey
Selected bird observations from Turkey: spring and summer 1983
aie aiaiaae odine's swede ud 0 5 2106 a ale ee aie ie ener ee fae Craig Robson
Some comments on the Armenian Gull in Turkey ..........eeee0e.
siete tevatere . Yves Bertault, Philippe J. Dubois & Jean-Yves Frémont
Desert birds seeking shelter beside a vehicle .... Paul Goriup
Catching of Common Terns by children in Egypt .. Wim C. Mullié
Mass movements of Alpine Swifts ......... errr re ri yy
ip aihe ya ase alot es eon erecete cece cccecceseee Peter Meininger & Rob Bijlsma
A Swift over Istanbul in October............... Walther Theide
R.E. Moreau, the Bald Ibis, and the conservation situation in
its winter quarters ...... 5a") ahaa te aseese eer Re W.R.P. Bourne
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