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BULLETIN 27
AUTUMN 1991

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OSME Bulletin 27

Autumn 1991
Editor: Mark Boyd

Alirecords in this Bulletin are subject to acceptance by the
relevant records committees of the country concerned.

Any articles, announcements or requests to do with birds in the
Middle East are welcome, and may be published free of charge,
subject to the discretion of the Editor. Accompanying photographs
and line-drawings are welcome. Bird names generally follow those
of Birds of the Middle East and North Africa. |

Contributions to the next Bulletin should be received by 15
February 1992.

They should preferably be double-spaced and typed. Articles
on disk (3.5 or 5.25 inch only please ) can be accepted, but a
paper copy must also be supplied.

Illustrations

_ Weare grateful to the following artists for the illustrations

used in this Bulletin:

SM Andrews: Swallow and Sand Martin migrating through
Gulf Cover and 37; Kentish, Ringed, Lesser Sand and Crab
Plovers 2; Sacred Ibis 8; Collared Pratincole 15; Spur-winged
Plovers 18; Citrine Wagtail 30; Senegal Thick-knee and White-
eyed Gulls 37; Crab Plover 43; Striated Scops Owl 45; Long-

billed Pipit 47.

PJ Powell: Hooded Wheatear 44.

Impact of the Gulf War on birds

MI Evans, CWT Pilcher and P Symens

The war for Kuwait has had a profound and lasting effect on coastal
habitats and inland landscapes in the surrounding countries, most
especially Kuwait itself and Saudi Arabia. We summarise here the
findings of three teams sent to the Gulf by the International Council for
Bird Preservation (ICBP) to assess the impact of the Gulf War on bird
populations. They were supported by and worked with the staff of the
National Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development
(NCWCD) of Saudi Arabia and the Environment Protection Council
(EPC) of Kuwait, with financial assistance generously provided by the
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Roy Dennis (RSPB) and Burr Heneman (ICBP-USA) arrived in Saudi
Arabia on 28 February, the last day of the war, and spent the first half of
March carrying out a rapid assessment of oil pollution damage and
making recommendations to the NCWCD for immediate action.

One urgent recommendation was that the spring wader migration
should be monitored because of the threat posed by the huge amounts of
beached oil along the shores of the Gulf. An international team of eight
ornithologists, led by MIE, undertook this during 5 April-29 May and
also censused the breeding seabirds of the offshore islands in June
together with PS (NCWCD). In Kuwait CWTP and Dave Sexton (RSPB)
spent 3-28 May surveying the coastal and inland desert habitats for war
damage. The results of these surveys are summarised below, together
with other information on war damage known to us.

Regional round-up

The longer-term damage of the Gulf War to ecosystems in the region
cannot be predicted now and will only become clear if there isa concerted
effort by Gulf states to monitor the health of these ecosystems over the
coming years. This article deals only with the short-term, obvious impact
of the Gulf War on birds.

Kuwait

Current estimates are that.7-8 million barrels of oil were spilled into the
sea during the war in late January/February, by far the biggest spill in
history. Kuwait's mainland coastline and offshore islands were
endangered by two of the three major slicks. That from Mina Al-Bakr in
Iraq threatened Kuwait Bay and the northerm islands, whilst the other,

RECYCLED PAPER ]

from Kuwait's Mina Ahmadi terminal, was expected to impact on the
southern coastand offshore coral islands. In fact, an estimated 95% of the
mainland coastline was clear of recent oil deposits and all the islands,
except Bubiyan, which had small deposits on its northeastern coast, had

escaped pollution.

The most polluted shoreline was that of the entire Sulaibikhat Bay
subsystem, where a 10-metre wide band of fresh oil had been deposited
at the highwater line. Fortunately, the extensive intertidal mudflats,
critical feeding grounds for waders in winter and on passage had been
spared. However the major roost at the Doha Reserve, which is used by
hundreds of Crab Plovers Dromas ardeola and thousands of Lesser Sand
Plovers Charadrius mongolus, Kentish Plovers Calexandrinus, Grey Plovers
Pluvialis squatarola and Ringed Plovers C hiaticula amongst others, was
heavily polluted. Although it was too late in the migration to observe
large numbers of waders, it can safely be assumed that most of those
using the site would have become oiled.

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Four species of terns breed on Kuwait's southern islands (Swift Sterna
bergii, Lesser Crested S bengalensis, Bridled S anaethetus and White-
cheeked S repressa) and a census taken on 19 May, when nesting had just
commenced, indicated that numbers were similar to those of the last two
censuses, in 1990 and 1987. Less than 1% of all terns (10 species were
recorded) showed noticeable oiling, a figure comparable to that obtained
in Saudi Arabia.

Inland, pollution from leaking oil wells in all the main fields was
extensive and worsening daily, some of the numerous lakes having
grown to several square kilometres. Lakes and streams of oil appear to
have been mistaken for water by birds and at one small lake over 200
dead or dying individuals were counted, including herons, ducks,
hawks, sandpipers, sandgrouse, nightjars, bee-eaters, hirundines,
wagtails, shrikes and warblers.

During the project period, more than 500 wells continued to burn,
producing vast quantities of soot-laden smoke, and resulting ina heavy
soot fall-out over much of the eastern and southern parts of the country.
Many birds were begrimed from flying through the smoke or foraging in
sooted vegetation; the birds affected included eagles, hirundines, larks,
shrikes and warblers.

Desertification has been an accelerating problem in Kuwait: the
destruction of vegetation, along with compaction and churning of the
desert surface caused by the movements of hundreds of thousands of
men and vehicles, has enormously exacerbated this problem.

Saudi Arabia

At least 25-30,000 seabirds were killed by the oil spills, mainly Black-
necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis, Great Crested Grebe P cristatus, Socotra
Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis and Great Cormorant P carbo; it is
likely that the grebes were particularly badly hit given the high density
of beached corpses found. Any oil which did not sink had washed ashore
along the northern half of the Saudi Arabian Gulf coastline by early April,
carpeting most of the intertidal zone between Khafji and Abu Ali, some
460 km of shoreline (Dennis 1991).

This coast is known to be important for waders on an international scale,
holding up to 260,000 waders in winter (Zwarts et al. in press: based on
a survey in January/February 1986). The ICBP/NCWCD wader survey
found that extremely few waders were present on the polluted coast,
which from rough calculations using the raw data of Zwarts et al.
probably normally supported over 100,000 waders in winter (and certainly
atleast that total ona year-round basis). What happened to the wintering
wader population along that coast when the oil impacted remains
uncertain, since no ornithologists were able to visit the area until one or
two months later. The mass death of invertebrates observed by the team
on the oil-smothered tidal flats indicates that food shortage is sure to be
a major factorin the continuing absence of waders. On current knowledge
of wader behaviour, there would have been a discrete population of
waders which would have traditionally wintered in that area, and also
one which would have habitually depended on the area for stop-over
refuelling on spring and/or autumn migration. Both have now been
deprived of their essential feeding grounds.

The Arabian Gulf is the last coastal refuelling site available to migrant
waders such as Bar-tailed Godwits Limosa lapponica before their final
flight across Asia to the polar regions in spring. Sucha drastic loss of food
is bound to have placed major stress on these waders and will have
certainly affected their breeding success this summer, as will any
significant degree of oiling. Virtually all 39 wader species recorded were

directly oiled, but some, suchas Lesser Sand Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits
and Terek Sandpipers Xenus cinereus, appeared to have been particularly
badly hit.

The seabird census took place in the first half of June and the second half
of July and covered seven of the 11 islands off the Saudi Gulf coast, where
the same four tern species breed asin Kuwait. The islands hold the largest
concentration of breeding Lesser Crested Terns in the world, already
known from the only previous census, in June 1986 (IUCN /MEPA 1987).
Compared with that census, Lesser Crested Terns and the endemic
White-cheeked Ternshave decreased by 22% and 28% respectively to
20,751 and 10,200 pairs, whilst Bridled Terns have increased dramatically
to 44,300 pairs (+270%), making the group of islands one of the top five
sites in the world for this species. The population changes are thought to
be partly due to an increase in vegetation cover on the islands, but are
clearly not related to the oil spills since less than 1% of the terns were
noticeably oiled. The terns bred well this year: hatching success was in
the range 70-95% for all species, and overall chick mortality was less than
10%.

Several hundred million migrants, mostly passerines, are thought to pass
through the Gulf in spring (Dolnik 1990; WCMC 1991a); the NCWCD/
ICBP ringing activity led by PS indicated that the commonest passerine
species in April/May include Whitethroats Sylvia communis, Marsh
Warblers Acrocephalus palustris, Redstarts Phoenicurus phoenicurus, Red-
backed Shrikes Lantus collurioand Willow Warblers Phylloscopus trochilus.
The smoke from the burning oil wells in Kuwait has the potential to
significantly affect this migration, since it lies as a dense, dark pall
stretching for hundreds of kilometres down the Gulf. Many bird species,
both residents and migrants, were 'sooted’, having flown through the
_ cloud or come into contact with sooty vegetation. The decrease in
migrants’ flight efficiency due to oily sootin their lungs and the begriming
of their plumage are probably notimmediately lethal, but may reduce the
breeding success of large numbers of passerines in Europe and the USSR.
Ringing suggests that 10% of migrant passerines were 'sooted' at Ras
Tanajib (150 km from the nearest fires), compared with 5% at Jubayl (300
km from thenearest fires). Preliminary analysis of weights and recaptures
indicates that 'sooting' slows a bird's migration and severely affects its
capacity to refuel.

Iraq

-Noinformation has been received on the effect of the war on birdsin Iraq.
Two species are virtually endemic to the country, Basra Reed Warbler
Acrocephalus griseldis and Iraq Babbler Turdoides altirostris, and a large

proportion of the world's Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus also
breeds there.

Iran

Iran appears to have escaped serious oil pollution but the burning oil
wells in Kuwait may have the potential, through generating acid rain, to
affect montane habitats in Iran and further afield (eg Pakistan, Nepal).

Bahrain, Qatar, United Arab Emirates

The oil slicks never reached as far south as these countries; only small
amounts of tar-balls have been reported from the beaches of Bahrain so
far, and little detected in the other states above the high background level
of oiling that occurs in the Gulf. The breeding colonies of Socotra
Cormorants on the islands of these states, as well as in Saudi Arabia, will
have been reduced in size following the large-scale mortality due to the
oil. The lack of baseline data will make these decreases difficult to
quantify. Severe overhead concentrations of smoke have been reported
from Bahrain, on occasions occurring as a ground-level smog.

Jordan

There was concern that the important wetland at Azraq oasis might
suffer from the huge numbers of refugees from Kuwait camped nearby.
However, they probably made little impact on the water resources over
and above the already large-scale extraction of water that is taking place
to supply the capital city, Amman (T Jones pers. comm.).

Future action

Further initiatives on bird conservation work in the Gulf are being
actively pursued by ICBP, NCWCD and EPC, with the priorities being:

1 A census of the breeding population of the Socotra Cormorant in
the Gulf, its main breeding area, co-ordinated amongst all the
relevant states. No adequate baseline data exist by which to judge
the severity of the large-scale mortality in the Gulf; the species is
thought to be declining owing to disturbance and development of
its breeding islands.

2 Anassessment this autumn of the scale of bird mortality caused by
the oil lakes in Kuwait and of the effects of the smoke from burning
oil wells on bird migration in the country.

3 A wader survey this winter in Saudi Arabia is necessary in order
to monitor the recovery of the oiled intertidal habitats and to
gather further baseline information on species, numbers and
movements.

4 A workshop between ICBP, NCWCD, EPC and other involved
bodiesis planned this autumn toassess the results and implications
of work so far and to co-ordinate further conservation action.

Acknowledgments

In Saudi Arabia, we are very grateful to HRH Prince Saud al Faisal, Prof. Dr
Abdulaziz Abuzinada and all other staff of the NCWCD for their support and
encouragement. In Kuwait, we greatly appreciate the help given by Mr Ibrahim
Hadi of the EPC, who organised the provision of vehicles and documentation.
Earthtrust generously provided accommodation and valuable logistical support
in Kuwait. Dr Mike Randsand his staff at ICBP are thanked for the effort they put
into organising travel, funds and other logistics.

References

Dennis, R 1991. Arabian Gulf Oil Spills, March 1991. Unpublished report to
ICBP. ,

Dolnik, VR 1990. Bird migration across arid and mountainous regions of Middle
Asia and Kasakhstan. Pp. 368-386 in Gwinner, E. (ed.) Bird Migration: Physiology
and Ecophysiology. Springer-Verlag, Berlin.

IUCN/MEPA 1987. Chapter 4, "Birds and other key species". In Saudi Arabia: an
assessment of biotopes and management requirements for the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast.
Unpublished report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature
and Natural Resources to the Meteorology and Environmental Protection
Administration, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. In draft.

WCMC 1991a. Environmental impact of the Gulf War - 1991: an initial assessment
[April 1991]. World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK.

WCMC 1991b. Gulf War Environmental Service: environmental briefing (1 June
1991). World Conservation Monitoring Centre, Cambridge, UK.

Zwarts, L, Felemban, H and Price, ARG in press. Wader counts along the Saudi
Arabian Gulf coast suggest that the Gulf harbours millions of waders. Wader
Study Group Bull.

MI Evans, International Council for Bird Preservation, 32 Cambridge Road, Girton,
Cambridge CB3 OP], UK; Professor CWT Pilcher, Fields House, Wadborough,
Worcestershire WR8 9HB, UK; P Symens, National Commission for Wildlife
Conservation and Development, PO Box 61881, Riyadh 11575, Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia

[Much of the scientific results of the ICBP work on the Gulf will be published in
the OSME journal Sandgrouse. Ed]

Blue Tits in Jordan
Ian Andrews

An Italian naturalist, Festerboschi, was the first person to report the Blue
Tit Parus caeruleus in Jordan. This was at Wadi Sir (west of Amman) on

23 April, but no year was given (maybe 1940-45)(in Hardy 1946).

There were no further records until 17 April 1984, when Blue Tits were
discovered at Dibbin Forest, southwest of Jerash in northern Jordan (G
Bennett, Ornitholidays, in litt). Dibbin is an 8 km? remnant of mature
Aleppo Pine Pinus halepensis forest with Arbutus andrachme undergrowth
and evergreen Holly Oak Quercus calliprinus, which lies at 550-1,000 m
altitude on the slopes of the highest hill range in north Jordan.

Since 1984, Blue Tits have been recorded every April at Dibbin Forest
(Ornitholidays and Cygnus Wildlife, in litt). In 1989-91, I recorded Blue
Tits in all seasons, establishing their resident status, and the presence of
some fledged young in June 1990 confirmed that, as suspected, they
breed in Dibbin. The number of Blue Tits at Dibbin is not small, with
roaming flocks in winter. I do not know what race is involved, but it
appears to be similar to that of European birds. The Blue Tits are found
alongside a partly European fauna of Great Tits Parus major, Blackbirds
Turdus merula, Wrens Troglodytes troglodytes and Jays Garrulus glandarius.

Farther north of this site, two Blue Tits were also seen at Ajlun castle on
8 April 1990 (J Wittenberg, in litt), with one in well-vegetated Wadi el
Yabis (northwest of Ajlun) and three in open Holly Oak woods near Ibbin
(northeast of Ajlun) on 2 November 1990 (pers obs).

Hollom et al. (1988) map the nearest breeding birds in the Taurus
mountains, Turkey, at least 500 km from the Dibbin forest. Elsewhere in
the Middle East, Hue and Etchécopar (1970) recorded Blue Tits at the end
of April in northwest Syria and also in the cedars of Becharre, Lebanon,
where they suspected they bred. These are presumably the records
quoted by Hollom et al. (1988).

Does anyone have other records of Blue Tits in the Middle East outside
of Turkey?

I should like to thank J Wittenberg for telling me about the 1940s'
sightings.

References

Hardy, E 1946. A Handlist of the Birds of Palestine. Published by Education Officer
in Chief, GHQ, Middle East Forces.

Hollom, PAD, Porter, RF, Christensen, S and Willis, I 1988. Birds of the Middle
East and North Africa. T and AD Poyser, Calton.

Hue, F and Etchécopar, RD 1970. Les Oiseaux du Proche et du Moyen Orient.
Boubee, Paris.

Ian J] Andrews, c/o British Embassy, PO Box 87, Amman, Jordan

Birds and conservation in Egypt, past,
present and future

Mindy Baha El Din

Ancient history

The Ancient Egyptians were among the first natural historians in the
world, and until modern times, were the only Egyptians to have any
major involvement in ornithology.

The Ancient Egyptians vividly
depicted the rich bird life of their
country on the walls of tombs and
temples, many of which survive
today. These people were also the
first to enact laws to protect birds;
it was illegal to kill sacred species,
such as the Sacred Ibis Threskiornis
aethiopicus and falcons. To do so
was punishable by death.
However, sacred birds were killed
in ritual sacrifices, and tombs
containing millions of mummified
Sacred Ibisesand falcons have been
found. The Ancient Egyptians ma
have been among the first people to breed wild birds, such as Sacred
Ibises, in captivity. They also conducted expeditions to other countries to
~ collect species.

From the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great until the 1950s, Egypt
was under foreign domination. Through these centuries, there were
periodic ornithological studies. Under Islamic rule, there were several
Arab scholars who travelled around the country and wrote about the
birds they saw. But it was the French who mounted the first modern
scientific expedition. When Napoleon conquered Egypt in 1798, he
commissioned a team of scientists to record the flora and fauna. This was
published in the monumental work The Distribution of Egypt.

Early 20th century ornithology

When Egypt was under British occupation, ornithology started in earnest.
Briton Michael Nicoll, director of the Giza Zoological Garden, travelled
the country observing birds and collecting specimens. Unfortunately, he
died before he could publish a book on his findings. Nicoll's wife then

asked another famous British ornithologist, Richard Meinertzhagen, to
complete her husband's work, and in 1930 the book Nicoll ‘s Birds of Egypt
was published. Even today, this is one of the foremost works on Egyptian
birds.

Modern times

Between the 1930s and the 1970s, some Egyptians started to become
involved in omithology. Ahmed Al Hussaini and Abdallah El] Negumi
were two Egyptian scientists who travelled the country and published
books in Arabic about the bird life of Egypt.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s there was a sudden increase in interest
in Egyptian omithology, which resulted in a flurry of research. Much of
this came from abroad: the Danes studied waterbird migration along the
Mediterranean Coast of northern Sinai; the Holy Land Conservation
Fund undertook studies of raptor migration at Suez and surveyed
wintering waterbirds; Germany's Max Planck Institute studied bird
migration in the western desert; British Petroleum Egypt conducted
surveys of seabird colonies breeding in the Red Sea.

Two Dutch birdwatchers, Peter Meininger and Wim Mullie, came to
Egyptin the late 1970s and established the Foundation for Omithological
Research in Egypt. For over 10 years, they conducted omithological
surveys. Their researchled to their meeting the AmericansSteve Goodman
and Joseph Hobbs, as well as my husband, Sherif Baha El Din. In 1989,
they co-authored the comprehensive book, The Birds of Egypt.

Conservation in the 20th century
The first modern conservation laws were passed in the 1920s, probably
as a result of pressure from the British authorities.

There had been a noticeable decline in common agricultural species such
as the Hoopoe Upupa epops and Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis, probably due
to hunting pressure. Laws were passed to protect species beneficial to
agriculture, and acampaign was launched to develop public awareness.
This was very successful, and still can be felt today: every Egyptian child
learns in school that the Cattle Egret is a farmer's friend.

In 1979, the US Fish and Wildlife Service helped to establish the Egyptian
Wildlife Service at Giza Zoo. Through this body, a number of laws were
passed to protect beneficial and endangered species. In 1980, Law 102
was passed, which led to the creation of a system of Protected Areas. In
1983, the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency took over management
of the Protected Areas and became responsible for the country's
environment. In 1982, the Ornithological Society of Egypt was formed by
three Egyptians. It promoted ornithological research and bird and habitat

conservation. It was quiet for some years, until I helped to reactivate it in
1988, along with Dr Mustafa Fouda and Sherif Baha El Din.

Research in the 1970s and 1980s revealed the international importance of
Egypt for birds, as wellas the increasing level of threats to birds and their
habitats. Drainage, landclaimand development, the misuse of pesticides,
oil pollution and uncontrolled hunting were all devastating bird
populations.

In the past two years, the Ornithological Society of Egypt has launched
several successful conservation campaigns: the saving of a Cattle Egret
colony at Giza Zoo; a two-year moratorium on foreign bird shooting
tours; and the prohibition of bird hunting at the Italian War Memorial at
E] Alamein. These have been among the first occasions that the Egyptian
government has responded to pressure from non-governmental
organisations.

In 1987, ICBP hired me to run a conservation education project, based at
Giza Zoo. This culminated in the opening of a Conservation Education
Centre in September 1990. This comprises an auditorium, classroom,
library and office space, and is the first facility of its kind in the country.
The centre has produced bird books and wallcharts in Arabic, and the
education programme is running well.

ICBP has also helped the formation of the Egyptian Wildlife Society,
which now has 100 members.

Present concerns

These are two-fold. Firstly, pollution of Egypt's northern delta lakes has
led to a decrease in wintering waterfowl, including an 80% fall in coot
Fulica atra numbers. The lakes hold around 40,000 Little Gulls Larus
minutus in winter.

The other main concern is the dramatic increase in falcon trapping.
Falcons, especially the larger species, are trapped for export to the Gulf
states, where they fetch an extremely high price. The smaller falcons are
sold on markets either as pets or as bait for the trapping of larger species.

Conservation in Egypt has to be shown to have tangible human benefits:
the delta lakes are important fisheries; and birds of prey are good for
wildlife tourism.

Future opportunities
Birdwatching tourism brings in income to Egypt, but can also still make
real contributions to Egyptian ornithology. Thereis still much to discover

about bird distributions, migrations and numbers, even in well-known
sites.

For example, little is known about bird of prey migration along the Red
Sea coast, or stork passage through northern Egypt. There is more to
learn about migration along the Western Desert Mediterranean coast, as
well as the hunting that takes place in the area.

The Zaranik Protected Area in north Sinai has recently opened, and its
migrant birds should be counted every autumn. There is a need for a
thorough survey of Lake Nasser.

If youare interested in Egyptian ornithology, please join the Ornithological
Society of Egypt. I should be delighted to help visiting birdwatchers or
researchers to enjoy this wonderful country and to contribute to the
conservation of its wildlife.

Mindy Baha El Din, c/o Executive Business Services, Cairo Mariott Hotel, PO Box
33, Zamalek, Catro, Egypt

Important Bird Areas in the Middle
East: the new OSME/ICBP project

MRW Rands and MI Evans

OSME members will know that the Middle East is ornithologically rich,
with a diversity of extreme environments - deserts, wetlands and
mountains in particular - as well as regional specialities including 20
endemic and 23 globally threatened bird species. Some of the largest and
most diverse wetlands and steppes are to be found in the Middle East,
upon which millions of waterfowl, waders and grassland birds depend
as breeding, stopover or wintering areas. Their value to birds is but a
reflection of their overall ecological importance.

Initiatives to conserve birds and wildlife habitats at either a national or
a regional level in the Middle East are, however, far from advanced.
Given the rapid increase in the region over the last 20 years of human
population, agricultural intensification and industrialization, heralding
increased rates of over-grazing, wetland drainage, woodland clearance,
coastal landfill and over-hunting, the need for a directory. of the most
critical areas for conserving birds and habitats is now urgent. Such a
volume, if effectively used, could save many of the region's valuable
ecosystems and so help to maintain global biological diversity.

For these reasons OSME, jointly with the International Council for Bird
Preservation (ICBP), is initiating the Important Bird Areas in the Middle
East project, starting in September this year.

The project will last for two years and aims to produce an inventory of
internationally important areas for conserving birds in the Middle East,
by drawing together published and unpublished information, including
the OSME Sites Register, as well as the expertise of Middle Eastern
conservation organisations and individuals so as to compile details of
such sites in one volume. Although knowledge of the avifauna and
wildlife habitats of the region is quite comprehensive, no previous
attempt has been made to draw this information together, critically
assess the value and status of sites, and then publish it.

In recent years, similar inventories and directories of key wildlife sites
have been published for other areas of the world and have proved to be
successful tools for implementing conservation action (eg Grimmett and
Jones (1989) Important Bird Areas in Europe; Scott (1989) A directory of Asian
wetlands).

The following countries are included in the Middle Eastern inventory:

Afghanistan Israel Qatar

Bahrain Jordan Saudi Arabia

Egypt Kuwait Syria

Iran Lebanon United Arab Emirates

Iraq Oman Yemen (including Socotra)

Site identification and book compilation are being carried out by MIE,
based at ICBP's office in Cambridge, and the project is supervised by a
steering committee chaired by MRWR (Chairman of OSME and
Programme Director of ICBP). Forcertaincountries, national co-ordinators
will be appointed to gather information.

Sites will be included only if they meet certain criteria; details of these are
being drawn upnowatthestart of the project, but sites important for four
groups of birds will certainly be included:

° species at risk of total extinction (globally threatened species);

° species or subspecies threatened throughout all or large parts of their
range in the Middle East but not globally;

° species that have relatively small total world ranges with important
populations in the Middle East;

e regularly occurring migratory species which concentrate at and are
dependent on particular sites either when breeding, on migration, or
during the winter.

Once completed the directory will havea number of important functions,
including:

e to guide the implementation of national conservation strategies and in
particular to promote the development of national protected-area
programmes;

e to inform decision makers at all levels of the existence of these vital

habitats and thereby to enable them to oppose land-use proposals which
would be incompatible with habitat conservation;

e to provide an indication of the sites which are currently threatened and/
or inadequately protected so as to assist the lobbying activities of national
and international conservation bodies;

° to serve the conservation activities of international governmental
organisations;
° to promote the implementation of global agreements such as the Ramsar

Convention (on wetlands), Bonn Convention (on migratory species) and
‘World Heritage’ Convention.

OSME is contributing £3,000 to the project, a very substantial sum for an
organisation such as ours. The project's major sponsor is The Royal
Society for the Protection of Birds (UK), and the project will also receive
data and technical support from the International Waterfowland Wetlands
Research Bureau.

For further information, please contact: Mike Evans, 'IBAs in the Middle East’
Compiler, ICBP, 32 Cambridge Road, Girton, Cambridge CB3 0PJ, UK. Tel: (0223)
277318. Telex: 818794 ICBP G. FAX: (0223) 277200.

Is Azraq still an oasis?

Ian Andrews

It is now 10 years since anything up to date has appeared in OSME
publications about the famous Azraq oasis in eastern Jordan. In what
state would members of the 1963 Jordan Expedition (Mountford 1965)
find the Azraq oasis if they returned today? Change has certainly been
widespread and far-reaching in the last 28 years, in a country that has
severe water problems and a rapidly growing human population.

Improvements in access are the first obvious change, with the long desert
treks replaced by a choice of two well-used tarmac roads. However, with
trade routes from Amman and Syria to Iraq, Saudi and the Gulf states

passing through Azraq, one's initial impression is of a dusty truck stop
rather than a lush oasis. The two villages, dating back 80 years, have also
grown, but at least there is now a choice of hotels and a modern
government rest house. However, amongst other things, a military
airfield has now been built, agriculture has become established and there
is now little hope that the planned desert reserve will be designated.

Azraq oasis essentially comprises a (formerly) permanent, spring-fed
wetland; and a large, seasonally flooded mudflat (‘qa' in Arabic).

The marsh (Azraq Wetland Reserve)

In the 1960s, the two major springs flowed into the marshes at an
impressive rate of 7.5 million gallons/day, as they must have done when
Colonel Meinertzhagen visited Azraq in 1922 and first described this
‘perfect paradise for birds with green meadows, pools and bushes.’ It was
not long, however, before the potential of this valuable underground
water resource was recognised, and as far back as 1963 water was being
pumped to the city of irbid. Various consultants, visiting naturalists and
indeed the Jordanian Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature
pointed to the problems in maintaining a wetland area whilst exploiting
the water resource. However, demand soon overtook conservation
warnings for restraint, and from 1979 water was being pumped to
Amman and Irbid at ever-increasing rates, which soon exceeded safe
extraction rates. Flow into the marshes of the newly established Wetland
Reserve soon reduced to virtually nil, as Peter Conder discovered when
he visited Azraq in April 1981. Measured flow rates in 1986 had fallen to
a quarter of their former figure and are now even less. Over-exploitation
has already led to a reduction in water quality, but at least this may result

in a reduction in pumping rates.

The net result is that the pools and marshes of Azraq oasis have become
a poor remnant of their former glory, and water rarely flows beyond the
immediate vicinity of the village pools. The oasis was formerly the
breeding site of many wetland birds and some 347,000 ducks wintered in
the marshes. The number of wintering ducks was down to 2,500 in early
1979 (Conder 1982) and now the winter population probably never
exceeds 100-200, mainly Teal Anas crecca. Losses to the breeding birds are
also great, especially amongst those dependent on marsh vegetation and
water. In the 1960s, a community of 28 aquatic species was recorded

breeding (or possibly breeding) at Azraq (Wallace 1983). I have no

suspicion of any herons nesting now. Water Rails Rallus aquaticus and
Moorhens Gallinula chloropus may still breed - but in considerably lower
numbers - but Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis, Mallard Anas
platyrhynchos and Garganey A quergedula now only visit on passage.
More than 200 pairs of Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola nested
along the edge of the marsh in 1969 (Nelson 1973) and it was good to see
10 successful pairs in the same area in 1991.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters Merops superciliosus do not nest now, as their
preferred island sites no longer exist, and numbers of reedbed warblers
are well down, with no singing Savi's Locustella luscinioides, Clamorous
Reed Acrocephalus stentoreus or Great Reed Warblers A arundinaceus
recorded. A healthy population of 30-60 pairs of Fan-tailed Warblers
Cisticolajuncidis inmarsh vegetation at the outfalls has totally disappeared.
On the positive side, a few Laughing Doves Streptopelia senegalensis are
now found at Azraq.

The mudflat (Qa al Azraq)

The qa is a flat, crescent-shaped basin surrounding the wetland. It is
_ several metres lower than the marsh and forms the lowest part of a large
rainwater catchment. In wet winters, the qa fills with flood water to a
maximum depth of 1.25 m and is 35 km around. The water does not seep
into the underlying aquifers, rather it evaporates over a period of three
months or so. Needless to say, the qa does not flood every year: the British
expeditions in the 1960s found 1965/66 and 1966/67 to be wet years (but
not the subsequent two winters), and Conder reported that 1981 was the
first wet year since 1976. It also flooded in 1982. It was thought thata dam
in Syria may be affecting the flow into the qa, but during my stay the
springs of both 1990 and 1991 have fortunately seen the qa filled to
capacity. The water never, however, rises high enough to flood into the
marshes themselves and, as Conder (1982) pointed out, this leads to the
extraordinary juxtaposition of dry marshand a vast shallow lake teeming
with birds along its edges. Birds soon make use of this lake, especially as
its formation usually coincides with the migration season of March to
May. Its margins are less barren than some other nearby qas and it
contains many invertebrates. Itis not surprising, therefore, that it attracts
large numbers of waders and terns, some ducks and gulls and also some
passerines. In 1990 and 1991, I recorded a peak of 3,625 birds using the
accessible margins of the qa, and the total was probably well over 5,000.
The majority of these were Ruffs Philomachus pugnax, Little Stints Calidris
minuta and White-winged Black Terns Chlidonias leucopterus, but in total
I have recorded 27 species of waders, nine of gulls and terns and seven
of ducks, plus Black-necked Grebes Podiceps nigricollis and Coots Fulica
atra on the flooded qa.

Scattered islands, formed by mounds of the local salt workings in the dry
season, form important refuges for breeding birds, but as a whole we

have not found disturbance too excessive, until the drying of the glutinous
mud allows the salt working to restart. Black-winged Stilts Himantopus
himantopus, Avocets Recurvirostra avosetta,and Kentish Plovers Charadrius
alexandrinus nest in wet years as they did in the 1960s, but the timing of
the drying up must be crucial to breeding birds and the unfledged young
could find themselves leftona barren dry mudflat by mid-May, especially
now they cannot retreat into the marsh. The question of breeding success
has previously remained unanswered as no stilts or Avocets nested
when Bryan Nelson made observations there in the summers of 1968 and
1969.

In 1990, the qa filled in early March and there were some wader broods
in late May along the edge (table 1), but I did not return until mid-June
and the qa had long since evaporated. The year 1991 had a wet and cool
late spring, with the water staying far longer than normal - there was still
shallow water and extensive mud at the end of June. Waders took full
advantage of thisrarecombination of favourable conditionsand breedin
success was exceptional (table 1). On 19 June, I estimated 500 young stilts
of various sizes, many fledged or almost so, many young chicks and there
were even some adults still sitting on nests. On 28 June, the total number
of stilts exceeded 1,200, but it was unlikely that the mud would last long
enough for some of the smallest chicks and sitting adults. The young
Avocets were already well grown on 8 June, with approximately 80
fledged young on 19 June. The Avocets settled earlier in the season,
which may explain why they did better than the stilts in 1990 (table 1).
Kentish Plovers did very well in both years and several hundred young
were reared.

24 May 1990 19 June 1991
Total Noof Noof Total Noof Noof
pairs broods young pairs broods young
_ Black-winged c.50 2 3 C3002"? 500+
Stilt
Avocet 50? & 25 c.20 C155 980

Table 1. Numbers of breeding Black-winged Stiltsand Avocets at Azraq ga, 1990-
91. Counts were made along approximately 40-50% of the ga edge, although
these were probably the most productive parts.

These two wet years also allowed five species to nest at Azraq that had
not been recorded previously (Wallace 1983). In 1990, I saw a brood of
small Shelduck Tadorna tadorna chicks, and later a brood of Marbled
Ducks Marmaronetta angustirostris also appeared. In the following year,
up to 60 Little Terns Sterna albifrons sammered,a few were seen courtship
feeding and visiting islands, and one juvenile was seen on 20 July. Gull-
billed Terns Gelochelidon nilotica, also present throughout the 1991 breeding

season, produced two flying young. Two pairs of Little Ringed Plovers
Charadrius dubius also bred successfully.

Perhaps the most interesting species at Azraq is the White-tailed Plover
Chettusia leucura. The nearest regular breeding area is 600 km east in the
marshes of the Euphrates, but in successive summers I have seen family
groupsat Azraq - two families on3 August 1989 and one on 23 July 1990.
White-tailed Plovers are regularly seen in April, and there were one or
two territorial pairs in April 1963. On 25 May 1991, an adult flew over
with alarm-calling pratincoles, but could not be relocated. No-one has
yet found a White-tailed Plover's nest at Azraq.

At least 10 successful pairs of Yellow Wagtails Motacilla flava were seen
in June 1991. The race involved has not previously been determined.
Wallace (1983) saw males resembling M f flava with puzzling females
with uniform dark heads, and was unsure of the race involved. Nelson
(1973) thought his breeding record referred to M f feldegg. My observations
of Yellow Wagtailsin the breeding season virtually all refer to feldegg, but
one pair feeding young on 28 June involved a feldegg male and a female
with a clear supercilium resembling M f flava.

Autumn and winter

For much of the year, including the winter, even in wet years, the Azraq
wetland now contains a very small amount of surface water - a far cry
from the permanent lushness of the past. Apart from the pools in the
villages themselves, the birds have to seek refuge on a small marsh
formed by an artesian borehole and a small, recently dug area of fish
pools. Both are near the town and since they are outside the Wetland
Reserve, are often disturbed by frequent shooting or even the erection of
a bedu tent nearby! Birdwatchers may be the only ones to benefit, as this
paucity of water concentrates the birds, but it also means that birds have
so few alternatives when disturbed.

In autumn, these sites are magnets for birds as they are the only wetlands
in the entire Jordanian desert. Birds of prey come in to drink, and waders
and terns make use of the only pools for hundreds of kilometres. During
two autumns, I have seen 15 species of raptor at the pools. Most notable
were 66 drinking Montagu's Harriers Circus pygargus (8 September 1990)
and 14 Honey Buzzards Pernis apivoris (15 September 1990). Total numbers
of birds rarely exceed 200, but the lack of large numbers is made up for
by variety, with Baillon's Porzana pusilla, Little P parva and Spotted
Crakes P porzana, Broad-billed Sandpipers Limicola falcinellus, Terek
Sandpipers Xenus cinereus, Black-winged Pratincoles Pratincola nordmanni,
Little Gulls Larus minutus, Citrine Wagtails Motacilla citreola all seen in
autumn. It shows how important such a small area of water is and how
many birds are migrating across the desert. In winter, shooting leaves

just a few flighty birds, but Black-necked Grebes and Common Gulls
Larus canus have been added to the Azraq list and a few Kingfishers
Alcedo atthis and Pied Kingfishers Ceryle rudis make it across 200 km of
desert to winter here.

When there is no water in the desert, the Samra sewage lagoons, on the
desert fringe, 35 km northeast of Amman, provide a valuable alternative
to birds that may have used the Azraq staging post in the past. These
extensive lagoons were completed in 1985 and provide a habitat for
passage storks, herons, ducks, waders, gulls and terns as well as a few
passerines. Rarities for Jordan seen at Samra include White Pelican
Pelecanus onocrotalus , Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca , Pacific Golden
Plover Pluvialis fulva, Grey Plover Psquatarola, Turnstone Arenariainterpres
and Curlew Numenius arquata. Breeding birds are few, but include Spur-
winged Plover Hoplopterus spinosus and possibly Citrine Wagtail.

CEsd
a Pa rae iy: AN maser Ad seed Het (1
W,

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Aalto

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se BT "1 Mace. al (ZL OCT a fel eel

pean CA ¢
Be asiuiuth ices

_ Although the facts about Azraq's water pumping and desiccation make

depressing reading, it is clear that something of the oasis's former glory
hangs on. Spring flood water has now become of overwhelming
importance, but resourceful migrants still make use of a shrinking
number of pools in autumn and winter. Unfortunately, the Wetland
Reserve is hardly wortha visit, providing ample evidence of what could
so easily happen to, for example, the Coto Dofiana in Spain. However,
unless a large new water resource is discovered soon, there is no way
Jordan itself can survive without Azraq's water and perhaps conservation
efforts should concentrate on protecting and enlarging the few remaining

permanent wetland sites.

Finally, Azraq and its surrounding desert is surprisingly not on the
regular birding trail through the Middle East. Suffice it to say that I
thoroughly recommend it!

References

Conder, PJ 1981. Birds of the Azraq Wetland Reserve, Jordan: January and
February 1979. Sandgrouse 2: 22-32.

Conder, PJ 1981. Water extraction at Azraq. OSME Bull 8.

Meinertzhagen, R 1924. An account of a journey across the Syrian Desert from
Amman in Transjordania to Ramadi on the Euphrates. Ibis 1924: 87-100.
Mountfort, G 1965. Portrait of a Desert. Collins, London.

Nelson, JB 1973. Azraq: Desert Oasis. London.

Wallace, DIM 1983. The breeding birds of the Azraq oasis and its desert
surround, Jordan, in the mid-1960s. Sandgrouse 5: 1-18.

Ian J Andrews, c/o British Embassy, PO Box 87, Amman, Jordan

Postscript

On 27 July 1991, the Jordanian Government announced its plan to dam Wadi
Rajil, 45 km north of Azraq, to provide water for the bedu through the summer.
Wadi Rajil is the single most important wadi feeding flood water into Azraq qa,
having its source in Syrian Jebel Druz. Will this now see the end of the flooded
qa? This autumn has also seen an increase in shooting at Azraq and the virtual
drying up of the artesian marsh. IJA

Turkey Bird Report: a request for
records and notes for contributors

Rod Martins and Richard Webb

We are now seeking records for the Turkey Bird Report, covering the
years 1987-1991. Some material has already been received.

Observers are requested to submit records in systematic order, on one
side of each sheet of paper only. 'Unusual' records and records of rarities
should be accompanied by further details, including a description where
appropriate.

Please avoid submitting records in an unsystematic, semi-anecdotal
form, such as photocopies of pages from notebooks.

All records should include the names of the observers and highlight the
address of one observer to whom any queries can be referred.

The compilation of previous Turkey Bird Reports has been hindered by
confusion over place names. This is because a) two or more widely

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sayeaydny eIPPIW (®)
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YOULIIZIYy (9)

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separated locations may have the same name; b) a single locality may
have different names on different maps; and c) place names on road signs
may differ from those shown on maps. Therefore, please include details
of the itinerary and a note of which map(s) were used for place names.
Also, please try to assign records to the biogeographical region of Turkey
shown on the map.

We require records from the period to be covered by the next report
(1987-1991) and also unsubmitted records for earlier years. Please send
all records to the Turkey Bird Report Editorial Committee, OSME, c/o
The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK.

The publication of five Turkey Bird Reports, covering the period 1966-
1986, has greatly increased our knowledge of Turkish birds, but has also
highlighted the gaps that remain. Understanding of the status and
distribution (particularly breeding distribution) of many species remains
incomplete. The following list therefore details those species for which
records are particularly sought. Note that the list includes some species
for which records are notoriously difficult to assess.

RD Red Data Book species. These are considered to be threatened globally and
were included in Birds to Watch: the ICBP World Checklist of Threatened Birds (Collar
and Andrew 1988).

V Vulnerable species in Europe. These are some of the 111 species classed by ICBP
as vulnerable in Europe. They include some listed as ‘near threatened’ in Birds to
Watch. Several birds of prey, and many species associated with wetlands, come
in this category, but are not listed. Please submit all information on these
threatened groups. Any observer visiting a wetland site is encouraged to submit
an OSME Site Register form (available from the Secretary).

U Status uncertain. This includes those species for which the status in at least one
biogeographical region is uncertain, including those species which have been
only recently discovered in Turkey.

I Identification problematical. This category covers known pitfall species.
Observers are asked to take particular care, both in the field and with the
presentation of their observations. Written evidence may be essential for record
assessment. This may be a full description, but in some cases may simply be
confirmation that the observer is aware of the particular pitfalls and that enough
was seen or heard to avoid them.

Some species will fall into more than one category. For them, the codes
are listed in order of importance. Records of rarities should always be
submitted with full details (such species are not included in this list).

Black-throated Diver Gavia arctica V
Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo ULV
Pygmy Cormorant P pygmeus RD

White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus
Dalmatian Pelican P crispus

Bittern Botaurus stellaris

Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita
Red-breasted Goose Branta ruficollis
Marbled Duck Marmaronetta angustirostris
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala
Black Kite Milvus migrans

Red Kite Milvus milvus

White-tailed Eagle Haliaaetus albicilla
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus

Black Vulture Aegypius monachus
Goshawk Accipiter gentilis
Sparrowhawk A nisus

Levant Sparrowhawk A brevipes
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus
Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga

Imperial Eagle A heliaca

Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus
Osprey Pandion haliaetus

Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni
Eleonora's Falcon Falco eleonorae

Lanner F biarmicus

Saker F cherrug

Peregrine F peregrinus

Causasian Black Grouse Tetrao mlokosiewiczi
Caspian Snowcock Tetraogallus caspius
Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus
Pheasant Phasianus colchicus

Spotted Crake Porzana porzana

Little Crake P Parva

Baillon's Crake P pusilla

Corncrake Crex crex

Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio
Demoiselle Crane Anthropoides virgo
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax

Great Bustard Otis tarda
Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor
Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni
Red-wattled Plover Hoplopterus indicus
Sociable Plover Chettusia gregaria
White-tailed Plover C Leucura

Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus

Great Snipe Gallinago media
Slender-billed Curlew Numenius tenuirostris
Audouin's Gull Larus audouinii _
Lesser Black-backed Gull L fuscus
Herring Gull L argentatus/cachinnans
Armenian Gull L armenicus

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Great Black-backed Gull L marinus
White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata

Striated Scops Owl Otus brucei

Eagle Owl Bubo bubo

Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis

Tawny Owl Strix aluco

Long-eared Owl Asio otus

Tengmalm's Owl Aegolinus funereus

Pallid Swift Apus pallidus

Kingfisher Alcedo atthis

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus
Wryneck Jynx torquilla

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major
White-backed Woodpecker D leucotos

Lesser Spotted Woodpecker D minor

Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti

Rock Pipit Anthus petrosus

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola

Radde's Accentor Prunella ocularis

Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka

Cyprus Pied Wheatear O cypriaca

Red-tailed Wheatear O xanthoprymna

River Warbler Locustella fluviatilis

Savi's Warbler L luscinioides

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon U, |
Sedge Warbler A schoenobaenus
Paddyfield Warbler A agricola
Marsh Warbler A palustris

Upcher's Warbler Hippolais languida
Garden Warbler Sylvia borin

Green Warbler Phylloscopus nitidus U
Mountain Chiffchaff P sindianus U
Chiffchaff P collybita U
Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata

Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva U,
Semi-collared Flycatcher F semitorquata U
Collared Flycatcher F albicollis U,
Pied Flycatcher F hypoleuca

Great Rock Nuthatch Sitta tephronota I,
Rock Nuthatch S neumayer I
Treecreeper Certhia familiaris

Short-toed Treecreeper C brachydactyla U
Great Grey Shrike Lanius excubitor

Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus

Tree Sparrow Passer montanus

Yellow-throated Sparrow Petronia xanthocollis
Yellowhammer Emberiza citrinella

Cirl Bunting E cirlus

Cincreous Bunting E cineracea

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The length of this list indicates the amount of work that still needs to be
done, even in such a comparatively well-known country. It must be
stressed, however, thatrecords, ee aan ies arerequired
for all species, not just those listed above.

Our knowledge of the breeding distribution of many Turkish birds is at
best incomplete, and is absent for many regions. Even the simplest notes
distinguishing breeding birds fromconspecificmigrants would be helpful.

Rod Martins and Richard Webb, for the Turkish Bird Report Editorial Committee,
OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK

Karapinar Ovasz1, a little-known
Turkish IBA

Guy Kirwan

The Karapinar Ovasi, north-west of the town of Karapinar, Konya
Province, is included in the recent list of Turkish Important Bird Areas
(Ertan et al 1989; Grimmett and Jones 1989), although comparatively few
data are available except during mid-winter. Van den Berk et al (1983)
and Dijksen and Koning (1986) mention the apparently recent origin of
this wetland, but thisis far from true. Djiksen and Koning do suggest that
the water table in this plain is highly variable; they state that it was
consistently higher in the 1980s than in the 1970s. The area, then rather
confusingly labelled Tuzlu G6l, isincluded in a map prepared by Kiepert

in 1911-12, which was itself based on information collected in the

nineteenth century (Kilic and Kasparek 1990).

The huge salt-pan at the centre of this virtually bare plain varies greatly
in area and, to a lesser extent, depth. The lake regularly dries up
completely or nearly so during the summer (Grimmett and Jones 1989).
In winter, the normal water depth is half a metre or less, and it frequently
freezes over completely. A visitin 1989 showed that the lake can, possibly
through lack of rain, split into two or more main sections (G Magnin pers
comm).

Most ornithological data for the area are for the winter only, when the site
isimportant for White-fronted Geese Anser albifrons and Ruddy Shelducks
Tadorna ferruginea, which both feed and roost there (Grimmett and Jones
1989; G Magnin pers comm).

Few visits had been made in summer, until Warncke discovered a
breeding colony of Greater Flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber in 1977 (Kilic
1988). Although this species has been recorded in the summer since then,
breeding has not been recorded. Nevertheless, the huge size of the plain
(19,000 hectares) and the problems of access caused by the soft mud
surrounds of the lake may have prevented records. Also, Greater
Flamingos are known to have a cycle of breeding sites, not necessarily
using the same ones each year.

Other breeding species include Ruddy Shelduck, Greater Sand Plover
Charadrius leschenaultii and, perhaps, Marbled Duck Marmaronetta
angustirostris (Grimmett and Jones 1989).

Together with Uygar Ozesmi, I visited this area, having been informed
by locals around Hotamis that the Karapinar wetland was now perhaps
amore important site. Certainly, the large number of hunters who travel
fromas far as Istanbul and Syria, have, over the past two years, abandoned
Hotamis Sazligi in favour of the bird-rich Karapinar Ovasi.

Wespent two days here in April 1991, but the sticky mud prevented a full
circuit of the lake or even making accurate counts from the southern side.
We estimated the size of the lake at 6x7 km.

We approached the area from the southwest, via Karapinar itself, rather
than from the road to Gotoren which is east of the plain and which runs
along the Karadja hills. This approach has, however, been used by most
visiting birdwatchers as it allows a more complete view of the whole
area.

Following a small, reed-choked drainage canal (good for migrant
passerines) about 5 km from Karapinar, we eventually reached an
excellent reedbed Phragmites, intersected by small, apparently freshwater
but possibly brackish lagoons. This area was surrounded by wet grassland
and sedge Scirpus beds and was approximately 1x2 km in area. This
surprised us, given the comments of Grimmett and Jones (1989). This
marsh may be new, asit was not noticed in a visit in 1989 (G Magnin pers
comm). The reeds may be harvested in the summer, making the marsh
less noticeable in winter.

During the two days we spent at Karapinar Ovasi, we recorded the
following species.

Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus 1

Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus 8

White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus 8

Bittern Botaurus stellaris 2 Possibly a pair seen, but no booming heard
Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax 3

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides 9

Little Egret Egretta garzetta 23

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea 5

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea 21

White Stork Ciconia ciconia 148

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus 55

Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber 159 No signs of breeding
Greylag Goose Anser anser 6

Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea 25 Principally in pairs
Shelduck Tadorna tadorna 4

Mallard Anas platyrhynchos 16

Garganey Anas querquedula 15

Red-crested pochard Netta rufina 1

Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus 10

Water Rail Rallus aquaticus 4

Moorhen Gallinula chloropus 6

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus 8

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola 2

Kentish Plover Charadrius alaexandrinus 10

Greater Sand Plover Charadrius leschenaultii 2

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus 4

Little Stint Calidris minuta c. 150

Ruff Philomachus pugnax c. 700

Snipe Gallinago gallinago 4

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa 8

Redshank Tringa totanus 1

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola 5

Black-headed Gull Larus ridibundus 50

Slender-billed Gull Larus genei 50 No signs of breeding
Little Tern Sterna albifrons 1

White-winged Black Tern Chlidontas leucopterus 30
Black-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles orientalis 15

Little Owl Athene noctua 1

Kingfisher Alcedo atthis 3

Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus 21

_ Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola 1 Migrant

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra 1

Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinoides 4

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon 10
Reed Warbler Acrocephalus scirpaceus Common

Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus Common
Whitethroat Sylvia communis 1

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus c. 200

Bearded Tit Panurus biarmicus 3

Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio 5

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis c. 4,000 Roosting flock in canal reedbed
Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus 10

More extensive surveys are required to clarify the ornithological
importance of Karapinar Ovasi and the threats to it. Winter hunting is
possibly intensive, but there appears to have been little agricultural
development as yet.

References

Berk V vd, Berk, N vd, Bijlsma, RG and Roder, FEd (1983) The importance of some
wetlands in Turkey for transient and wintering birds in Turkey. WIWO Report 6, Zeist,
The Netherlands.

Dijksen, LJ and Koning, FJ (1986) Midwinter Waterfowl Census, Turkey, January
1986. WIWO Report 13, Zeist, The Netherlands.

Ertan, A, Lilic, Aand Kasparek, M (1989) Turkiye’nin Onemili Kus Alanlan. Ikinci
baski, Kasim.

Grimmett, RFA and Jones, TA. (1989) Important Bird Areas in Europe. ICBP
Technical Publication 9. Cambridge.

Kilic, A (1988) The Eregli Marshes: A new nesting site for the Greater Flamingo
Phoenicopterus ruber in Turkey. Zoology in the Middle East 2: 39-42.

Kilic, A and Kasparek, M (1990) The Eregli Marshes (Turkey). Assessment of their
biological importance and recommendations for conservation. Report for ICBP / WWF.

Acknowledgments
I should like to thank OSME for its financial support which enabled this project
to run and to Uygar Ozesmi for his company in the field. Gernant Magnin
(DHKD) supplied much useful discussion, as well as access to his unpublished
fieldnotes on Karapinar.

Guy Kirwan, 12 Carlton Avenue, Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria LA13 9AU, UK

Turkish IBAs: an appeal for
information

A list of possible additions to the Important Turkish Bird Areas has been
prepared in collaboration with DHKD. Members wishing to visit these
areas should contact Richard Webb or Guy Kirwan, c/o OSME, for
further information. Any survey work undertaken will be used in the
preparation of a new list of Turkish IBAs, which is to be compiled over
the next two years. All contributions will be fully acknowledged.

List of Important Turkish Bird Areas for which more information is
required, and potential additions to the IBA list.

IBA number

~ Abant Golu (40.370N, 31,15°E) and Yedigoller Lilli Parki (41.20°N,
31.500E)(Bolu)(Black Sea Coastlands). Forest areas.

12 Ilgaz Daglari (40.00°N, 33.40°E)(Kastamonou) (Black Sea

Coastlands). Montane forest area.
27

15
13

32
23

Kizilirmak Deltasi (40,35°N, 36.00°E)(Samsun)(Black Sea
Coastlands). Coverage of western half especially.

Kackar Daglari (40.35-41.10°N, 40.42-41.35°E)(Artvin)(Black Sea
Coastlands). Montane forest area.

Northeast Turkey (41.20°N, 41,30°E)(Artvin and Rize)(Black Sea
Coastlands). Special attention to alpine habitat and remaining
forest areas.

Longoz Ormani (41.49°N, 27.59°E) (Kirkaleri)(Thrace). Pristine
wetland and forest area with threat of tourist development.

Taurus Mountains. Central part: forest areas on road Mut-Ermenek;
western part: Koprulu Canyon (Antalya)(Southern Coastlands).
Potentially important for vultures and forest species. Tourism
may be damaging some areas.

Akyatan Golu (36.39°N, 37.17°E)(Adana)(Southern Coastlands).
Notes on water levels, the dunesystem and wader counts required.

Topprakale (37.10°N, 36.10°E)(Adana)(Southern Coastlands).
Potentially important raptor watchpoint.

Amik Golu (36.23°N, 36.18°E)(Hatay)(Southern Coastlands).
Drained during the 1960, but recent data lacking.

Aksehir Golu (38.10°N, 31.28°E)(Konya, Ayfon)(Central Plateau).
Boat required for survey.

Golbek Golu (39.23°N, 32.55°E)(Ankara)(Central Plateau). Inland
saline lake which initial observations suggest may be important.

Tersakan Golu (38.37°N, 33.08°E)(Konya)(Central Plateau). Part
of Tuz Golu complex which may be an IBA in its own right.

Eregli Sazligi (37.30°N, 33.44°E)(Konya)(Central Plateau).
Imminent plans for drainage.

Sultansazligi (38.20°N, 35.15°E)(Kayseri)(Central Plateau). Dried
up to large extent in past two years. Current extent of wetland
habitat and it importance unknown.

Demiryurt Goiu (39.53°0N, 37.36°E)(Sivas)(Central Plateau). Little
Studied wetland. —

Ceylanpinar (36.51°N, 40.03°E)(Urfa, Mardin)(Southeast). No
recent data, but very important for bustards, including perhaps
Little Bustard Tetrax tetrax.

Nazik Golu (38.05°N, 42.20°E)(Bitlis)(East). Poorly known lake at
western end of Van Golu.

a ————

76 Arin Golu (38.49°N, 42.59°E)(Bitlis)(East). Potentially important
for White-headed Ducks Oxyura leucocephala.

- Hazapin Golu (41.11°N, 43.16°E)(Kars)(East). Potentially
interesting wetland, no recent data.

- Cildir Golu (41.02°N, 43.16°E)(Kars)(East). Interesting but
underwatched wetland near Soviet border.

More selected bird observations from
Turkey, spring and summer 1990

Jonathan Eames

From 29 June to 15 July 1990, I led a party of Naturetrek birdwatchers to
the East and along the Black Sea Coastlands of Turkey. This note
documents 23 species recorded during this period. Data are presented
forall species listed by Harrapand Martins (1986), except Steppe Buzzard
Buteo buteo vulpinus and the Lesser Black-backed/Herring Gull
superspecies Larus fuscus/argentatus. All records are included for the
15 species included in Collar and Andrew (1988). In addition, records are
included for selected species mentioned in Beaman (1986) and Martins
(1989), where few documented records exist and the pattern of occurrence
is unclear. Several breeding records are also included.

Place-names and locations

The spelling of place-names follows the 1:800 000map of Turkey produced
by Media Print, Basim Ticaret AS, Harita ve Turistik Yayinlar, Istanbul
(ISBN 975 7702 01 3), but the accents are omitted. The regional divisions
used follow those of the Turkish Bird Report:

Black Sea Coastlands: Dilberduzu, Kackar Dagi, Sumelas Manastiri,
Yaylalar.

East: Akdamar Adasi, Aygir Golu, Ahlat, Bendimaha, Caldiran, Cecirme,
Dogubayazit, Ercek Golu, Golduzu Golu (Arin Golu), Gole, Golyuzu,
Igdir, Ishak Pasa Sarayi, Kucuk Agri Dagi, Nemrut Dagi, Nemrut Golu,
Van Golu.

Pygmy Cormorant Phalacrocorax pygmeus Up to 15, Bendimaha Marsh, 5 July.
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis Flock of seven, near Igdir, 7 July.
Velvet Scoter Melanitta nigra Six, Nemrut Golu in Nemrut Dagi, 3-4 July. One

pair fired on unsuccessfully by hunter, 3 July.

White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala Three females or immatures, Golduzu
Goiu (Arin Golu), 4 July. One female or immature, Bendimaha Marsh, 5 July.
Lammergeier Gypaetus barbatus One, Yaylalar, 10 July. Two or three, Dilberduzu,
11 July. One, near Dilberduzu, 12 July. All localities lie in the Kackar Dagi.
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni Up to 10 pairs nesting on Akdamar Adasi, Van
Golu, 1 July.

Lanner Falco biarmicus One, Aygir Golu, near Ahlat, 5 July.

Saker Falco cherrug One Ercek Golu, 2 July. One, near Aygir Golu, 4 July. One,
near Golduzu Golu (Arin Golu), 5 July.

Caspian Snowcock Tetraogallus caspius One seen and up to four heard, near
Dilberduzu, Kackar Dagi, 11 July.

Great Bustard Otis tarda 23, near Golduzu Golu (Arin Golu), 4 July and 32 there
on 5 July. Both sightings of single flocks on ploughed land at edge of cereal field.
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia One, Aygir Golu, 5 July.

White-winged Black Tern Chlidonias leucopterus 30, including several first-
summer individuals, Ercek Golu, 2 July.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater Merops superciliosus Seven, 17 km east of Igdir, 7 July.
Breeding suspected.

Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major One female, near Gole, 8 July.
Sand Martin Riparia riparia 150, drinking at small pool near Golduzu Golu (Arin
Golu), 4 July.

(24 *fGacew

ver

Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola One male, Ercek Golu, 2 July.

Alpine Accentor Prunella ocularis Common around Dilberduzu, Kackar Dagi, 10-
12 July.

Bluethroat Luscinia svecica One, north of Cladiran, 5 July. One, Ishak Pasa Sarayi,
6 July.

Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschanka One male, near Golyuzu, Kucuk Agri Dagi,
6 July.

Green Warbler Phylloscopus nitidus Adult feeding young, Sumelas Manastiri, 13
July. :

Rock Nuthatch Sitta neumayer At least two pairs, near Cevirme, Kucuk Agri
Dagi, 6 July.

Wallcreeper Tichodroma muraria Pair feeding young, near Yaylalar, 9 and 12 July.
Two, Dilberduzu, 11 July. One, near Dilberduzu, 12 July. All localities lie within
the Kackar Dagi.

Rose-coloured Starling Sturnus roseus Many flocks of five to 50 individuals along
roadside between Dogubayazit and Igdir, 7 July.

References

Beaman, M (Ed) 1986. Turkey: Bird Report 1976-1981. Sandgrouse 8: 1-41.
Collar, NJ and Andrew, P 1988. Birds to Watch; the ICBP World Checklist of

Threatened Birds. |CBP, Cambridge.

Harrap, S and Martins, RP 1986. Turkish Bird Report 1982-1986. Sandgrouse 11:

1-41.

Jonathan Eames, 17 Brookside Drive, Oadby, Leicester LE2 4PB, UK

Compiled by Simon Albrecht

News and Information

The aim cf this section is to inform our readers about events in the OSME region. It is not
intended as a definitive report or write up of the projects concerned. Most of the projects
are sponsored; such support is appreciated, but is not generally acknowledged here.

The Gulf

Fires out

Many of the oil wells set on fire during
the Gulf war have already been
extinguished, and a British team, the
last to join the international effort, will
fly out on 15 October to help. Suleiman
Muttawa, the Emir of Kuwait's special
envoy, said on BBC Radio's Today
programme on 2 October 1991 that all

the oil well fires would be out by

January 1992. We can only hope that
work on the other environmental
problems starts soon.

Atmospheric pollution

The Guardian newspaper on 2 August
reported the extent of atmospheric
pollution resulting from the oil well
fires in the Gulf. Smoke was reported
2,400 km from buring wells, with
temperature distortions noted up to
1,000 km away. It was covering anarea
of 15,000 km?, and rising to 5,000 m.
We can only guess at the effects on
wildlife. The breakdown by country
was as follows:

Kuwait Smoke cloud at desest; animals
reported dying in desert; inhabitants
reporting asthma attacks, increased

lung disease and skin complaints;
regional temperatures reported to be
10-15°C below normal.

Iraq Black rain; fear of reduced growing
season; particle fall-out and rise in
water acidity affecting cropsand forests
expected.

Saudi Arabia Reports of smoke and
black rain; changes in regional
temperatures south to Riyadh.

Gulf states Reports of smoke and
increased air pollution.

Iran Black rain reported from early
March in Dexful in north and Kernan,
Shiraz, Genavahand Bushehrin south;
smoke in Lut desert; fears for growing
season; soot dumped in mountains and
washed into water supplies; threat to
2.5 million hectares of semi-arid forest
along Persian Gulf and Sea of Oman.
Afghanistan Black rain and smoke
reported.

Pakistan Black rain in Balochistan in
April.

India Late March, skiers in Himalayas,
3,000 km from Kuwait, reported black
snow 5 cm thick in Kashmir, giving
rise to fear of floods due to premature
melting.

Turkey Black rain and smoke reported.
Early March, Governor of Adana state
orders residents not to use rain water
or let animals drink it; soot dumped in
mountains and washed into water
supplies.

Bulgaria Black rain and smokereported.
USSR Black rain and smoke reported
in south.

Great Knot in the Gulf

Following the report of a Great Knot
Calidris tenuirostris in Bahrain (Bull 26:
21), we now have a report of 107 at
Tarut Bay, Saudi Arabia, on 9 April
1991. Asingleindividual wasalso seen
therein the second week of May. These
observations were made during the
ICBP/RSPB/OSME assessment of
damage caused by the war for Kuwait.

A paper is planned on the status of
Great Knot in the Middle East (east to
Pakistan). If you have any records or
other information that could be
included, please send them to Mike
Carr, c/o OSME.

Turkey

The Pontic Mountain forests
Thelackofknowledge about the status
of forests in Turkey has been a cause
for concern for many years (eg Bull.
18:29). Wenow havesome preliminary
observations from Guy Kirwan on
forests in the Pontic Mountains, in the
Black Sea Coastlands. West of Unye
(on the coast between Samsun and
Ordu), most of the accessible forest
appears to have been felled, except in
the national parks, suchas Abant.Some
of this area has been replanted with
deciduous trees, such as oaks, which
appear to be cropped on a 15-year
rotation. East of Unye, large areas of

forest remain.

Enquiries are continuing both in
Turkey and elsewhere with a view to
providing a fuller account. If you can
help, please contact OSME's Turkey
Officer.

Dalmatian Pelicans and Greater Flamingos
Dalmatian Pelicans Pelecanus crispus
bred at four Turkish locations in 1991,
with a total of 152 adults and 100
juveniles. They did not, apparently,
breed in the Kizilirmak Delta, where a
maximum of four adults were seen.

Greater Flamingos bred at Tuz Golu,
where 3,500 juveniles were seen.
Breeding was also confirmed at the
freshwater marsh of Eregli Sazligi.

Hotamis Golu

Guy Kirwan visited Hotamis Golu in
the spring. In 1985, the Turkish Water
Authority built an irrigation canal from
the lake towards the Tuz Golu basin.
This has resulted in over half the lake
being drained. Some 7-8,000 hectares
remain. This area holds small number
of Pygmy Cormorants Phalacrocorax
pygmeus and is important for White-
headed Ducks Oxyura leucocephala and
Marbled Ducks Marmaronetta
angustirostris. Although some villagers
continue the traditional reed harvest
outside the breeding season, others
burn reeds in an uncontrolled way, to
provide grazing. This is a threat to
nesting herons and to the traditional
reed harvest.

The wetland is probably safe for the

_ next 10 years, as it is used to store

excess rainwater. After this, its use will
be reviewed.

Burdur Golu

Burdur Golu was declared a Special
Protection Area by the Turkish
Government at the beginning of 1991.
Among other species, the lake is
important for its wintering White-
headed Ducks. Some 10,927 were
counted there in February 1991.

Egypt

Bird catching in North Sinai

Sherif Baha El Dinand Waheed Salama,
from ICBP, investigated bird catching
activities along the north Sinai coast in

autumn 1990. Probably over 200,000
Quails Coturnix coturnix were caught
along 170 kilometres of shoreline
during the 1990 season. In addition,
over 1,000 birds of prey of 12 species
were caught by a variety of
sophisticated methods, plus about
30,000 passerines; so-called non-target

species.

The ICBP team recommended
recommend a law banning trade in
birds of prey in Egypt: capture and
killing birds of prey is already illegal.
At present, itis impossible to takeaction
against anyone selling wild-caught
birds of prey in the markets.

The team also proposed that the ban
on Quail hunting inthe Zaranik nature
reserve area (about 17 kilometres of
shoreline) be continued, and that it be
coupled to ornithological and
ecological research in the area. This
proposal is both realistic and
practicable, and would provide a
cornerstone for future action in north
Sinai. —

The results of the study have been
published as ICBP Study Report 45. It
includes maps, diagrams and
photographs, and is available (price£5
including surface mail postage) from
ICBP, 32 Cambridge Road, Girton,
Cambridge CB3 OPJ, UK.

Maltese hunting tours
Following the banning of package
holiday hunting tours to Egypt from

Malta (Bull. 24: 20), one of the Maltese
companies involved, Spinx Tours, has
now sued the Malta Ornithological
Society for £52,000 loss of income. The
court froze the society's assets, and it
was unable to pay its bills until it was
lent £20,000 by the RSPB, following
appeals from ICBP. We hear that Spinx
Tours failed to show up at a recent
court hearing, which may be a sign
that they aregoing to relent. Meanwhile
the Malta Ornithological Society
desperately needs more funds. If you
can help or want further information,
please contact Georgina Green, ICBP,
32 Cambridge Road, Girton,
Cambridge CB3 OPJ, UK.

Ramsar monitoring mission to visit
Egyptian Wetland of international
importance

In October 1991, Cairo will host a
meeting of the countries that have
signed the Barcelona Convention for
the Protection of the Mediterranean
Sea Against Pollution. This includes a
protocol on Mediterranean Specially
Protected Areas. This has prompted
the Deputy Secretary-General of the
Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of
International Importance, together
with ICBP and WWF representatives,
to visit both Egyptian Ramsar sites:
Lake Burullus in the Nile Delta and
Lake Bardawil in north Sinai. They
will investigate the ecological state of
the sites which continue to be
threatened by increasing pollution,
drainage, land fill and fish farms.

OSME News

Thirteenth Annual General Meeting

The thirteenth AGM was held on 20 July 1991, at the Natural History
Museum, London. Over 80 people attended the meeting and were
treated to anenjoyable programme of talks; enhanced by having speakers

from the Middle East. Mindy Baha El Din gave a full account of the
problems and efforts towards conservation in Egypt. Charles Pilcher
described a depressing picture of the state of oil pollution occurring as a
result of the Gulf War. Nigel Cleere used slides and audio tapes in a
comprehensive review of Middle Eastern nightjars. Finally, Nergis Yazgan
presented a dynamic talk on conservation in Turkey, and showed how
DHKD are putting forward reasoned arguments for the protection of
wildlife-rich sites, especially in tourist development areas.

In the AGM, the Chairman explained that because of the Gulf War, the
OSME expedition to southern Yemen had been delayed to 1993. However,
OSME was planning a major initiative to Turkey in 1992 (details to be
announced). Hilary and Geoff Welch were to represent OSME at a
meeting with DHKD and WIWO in Turkey in 1991, when various
conservation topics would be debated. The task of gathering data for the
Important Bird Areas in the Middle East, announced at the twelfth AGM,
was to start in September 1991.

Various changes in Council membership had taken place during the
year, and the Chairman was pleased to welcome Richard Grimmett, Guy
Kirwan and Stan Howe as new Council members. The nominations of
Professor Abdulaziz H Abuzinada, Secretary General of the National
Commission for Wildlife Conservation and Development, Kingdom of
Saudi Arabia, and Shaika Noora Bint Isa BinSulman Al Khalifa, President
of the Bahrain Natural History Society, as Vice Presidents were warmly
welcomed. The full list of OSME Officers is given below.

Vice-presidents

Prof Dr Abdulaziz H Abuzinada

Sir Derek Barber °

Prof Dr W Buttiker

Major MD Gallagher

_ Shaika Noora Bint Isa Bin Sulman A] Khalifa
Prof H Mendelssohn

Dr G Tohme

Sir William Wilkinson

Mrs N Yazgan

Council Members

S Mark Andrews Publicity Officer
Dr Mark Boyd Bulletin Editor
Duncan J Brooks Sandgrouse Editor
Major David JR Counsell Treasurer
Richard FA Grimmett

_ Peter C Heathcote Secretary

Phil AD Hollom

Stan Howe

Mike C Jennings

Guy Kirwan

Tom Nightingale

Richard Porter Chairman, Conservation Research Committee
Dr Michael RW Rands Chairman

Richard Webb Turkey Officer

Mrs Hilary Welch

Co-opted Members

Mrs Irene Hutson Postal Clerk

Ms Chris Tucker Membership Secretary
Mrs FE Warr Sales Officer

Geoff R Welch Librarian

Others
Mike I Evans Middle East IBA Co-ordinator
Rod P Martins Turkish Bird Report Co-ordinator

Retiring Council members
This year's AGM saw theretirement by rotationoftwolong-standing and
outstanding members of OSME Council.

Simon Albrecht has served the Society faithfully since its inception. For
a number of years, he painstakingly and thoroughly dealt with and
developed OSME's sales and throughout his time as a Council member
he has always broughta great deal of original thought and perceptiveness
to meetings, from which the Society has benefited. We shall miss his
contributions in no small measure, but have no doubt he will remain a
committed member of the Society.

Geoff Welch has also made a quite outstanding contribution to OSME.
His thoughtfuland considered remarks are always sharp and to the point
and in his own quiet way he has contributed a great deal to the Society
over the last few years. Together with his wife, Hilary, Geoff has worked
wonders as joint Honorary Secretary and as Librarian, where his
meticulousness and hard work have served the Society far beyond the
call of duty. Council has agreed to co-opt Geoff for a further year, and he
is happy to continue to look after the library for this time.

Sadly, we also lost one Council member and one co-opted member this
year. Chris Bowden, who was Chairman of the Conservation Research
Committee, and Elizabeth Smith, who was co-opted as Membership
Secretary for a while, left the UK to work on the ICBP Kupe Mountain
Forest conservation programme in Cameroon. They both made lively
and productive contributions to OSME, and we wish them well with
their efforts in Cameroon.

Weare very grateful to all these individuals for helping to shape OSME's
growth and development.

Mike Rands
35

Fourteenth Annual General Meeting

The fourteenth OSME AGM willbe held on the afternoon of Saturday 11
July 1992, in the Lecture Theatre, Natural History Museum, Cromwell
Road, South Kensington, London, UK. Further details will be published
in Bulletin 28.

Subscription renewals

Many members find it more convenient to pay their annual subscription
by Bankers Order, and it certainly helps us. All UK members will have
recieved a Bankers Order and Covenant form with their subscription
reminder. If you can, please change to this method of payment. If youcan
fill in the covenant section (UK tax-payers only), OSME will benefit even
more, as we can claim back the income tax you paid on your £7.

If any overseas members have a bank account in the UK and would like
to pay their subscription by Bankers Order, please write to the Membership
Secretary for a form.

Special Gulf meeting, 14 November 1991

The Flora and Fauna Preservation Society and the British Ornithologists’
Union have joined OSME for an evening meeting considering the
environmental aftermath of the war in the Gulf. The two speakers are
Andrew Price, the Special Advisor to the Marine Programme of IUCN,
and OSME's Chairman and ICBP Programme Director, Dr Michael
Rands.

The meeting will be held at the Meeting Rooms, Zoological Society of
London, at 6 pm on Thursday 14 November 1991. Tickets are available at
£6 each (cheques payable to FFPS) from FFPS, 1 Kensington Gore,
London SW7 2AR. The ticket price includes a wine and cheese buffet.
Please enclose a stamped addressed envelope, and note that tickets are
not available from the OSME address.

OSME tour to Egypt

Due to the war in the Gulf, the OSME/Sunbird tour to Egypt planned for
last April had to be cancelled. We are pleased to announce that the tour
will be offered again in April 1992, following the same itinerary, but on
slightly later dates. The tour will run from 2-12 April and will be led by
Mike Everett and Sherif Baha El Din. The tour will visit most of Egypt's
_ well-known birdwatching sites, including Suez, Wadi Natrun, the Nile
at Luxor and Aswan, Abu Simbel and Hurghada on the Red Sea coast.
Spring migration will be at its peak, and the tour should see a good
variety of migrating raptors, waders and passerines, as well as Egypt's
resident birds. Egyptian specialities should include Black-winged Kite

ape GF
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OTAU OY? ae °

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Elanus caeruleus Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis, Senegal Thick-
knee Burhinus senegalensis, Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius, Sooty
Larus hemprichit and White-eyed Gulls L leucopthalmus, Swift Sterna bergii
and Lesser Crested Terns S bengalensis, Senegal Coucal Centropus
senegalensis and Nile Valley Sunbird Anthreptes metallicus.

The tour will also visit the main historical sites, including the Valley of
the Kings, the temples at Philae, Abu Simbel and Karnak, the Great
Pyramids and the Sphinx. OSME members qualify for a 10% discount on
the tour price, reducing it to about £1,520. In addition, OSME members
receive priority booking and until 1 November only OSME members
may book for the tour.

We hope that the tour will provide OSME members with an opportunity
to birdwatch in a structured way in one of the most ornithologically
famous of the Middle Eastern countries. For full details of the tour, please
write to Sunbird, PO Box 76, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DF, UK.
Telephone (0767) 682969. Please make sure that you mention your OSME
membership when making your booking or enquiry.

Cover auction

The original pen-and-ink drawing
for the front cover of this Bulletin,
passerines flying through the Gulf
war zone, by Mark Andrews,
measuring 13x13 cm, is forsaleina
postal auction. The proceeds will
go to the Conservation Research
Fund. Please send your bid (no
money at this stage) to Cover
Auction, OSME, c/o The Lodge,
Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL,
UK; to arrive by 31 December 1991.
If your bid is successful, we will
inform youimmediately, and send
the drawing onreceipt of a cheque.

Requests

Oiled birds

The massive oil slicks released in the Gulf in January and February
caused large-scale mortality of wintering seabirds, waders and other
waterfowl. The oil lakes and riversin Kuwait are also takingaconsiderable
toll. Considerablenumbers of conspicuously oiled birds did not, however,
die immediately and will have dispersed and migrated away from the
war zone this spring. Huge numbers of spring migrants have also been
covered in oily soot while flying through the immense smoke clouds in
the northern Gulf. The same is now happening this autumn.

The International Council for Bird Preservation is urgently seeking
information on the impact of the Gulf War on bird populations in the
region, and should like to hear of any observations of oiled or 'sooted'
birds away from the immediate impact zone of Kuwait and the Saudi
Arabian Gulf coast: ie central Europe, the eastern Mediterranean, the
USSR, eastern Africa and other parts of the Middle East. Suchinformation
will be immensely valuable in assessing the true effects of this war on
bird populations. Please send information to: Mike Evans, ICBP, 32
Cambridge Road, Girton, Cambridge CB3 OPJ, UK. Telephone 0223
277318. Fax 0223 277200.

Photographs for Sandgrouse

If you can lend good photographs of any of the following for possible
publication in forthcoming Sandgrouse papers, please send details, or the
pictures themselves, as soonas possible, to the Sandgrouse Editor, Duncan
J Brooks, c/o British Museum (Natural History), Akeman Street, Tring,
Hertfordshire HP23 6AP, UK. (Telephone 081 5203943 home; 0442 890125
office) Photographs will be welcomed in any form, though good quality
black-and-white prints or colour slides are best; all will be returned.
Unfortunately, responsibility for loss or damage cannot be accepted,
though all material will be carefully looked after.

Crane Grus grus showing birds and dark morph from basalt of Jordan/

wintering habitats in Israel Syria
Radde's Dunnock Prunella ocularis Kruiper's Nuthatch Sitta krueperi
Yemen Dunnock P fagani . House Crow Corvus splendens

Black-throated Dunnock P atrogularis | Ruppell's Weaver Ploceus galbula
Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleia

Volunteers wanted in Turkey
Volunteers are wanted for two surveys of birds in Turkey. The first, the
WIWO survey of breeding birds and migration at the Kizilirmak Delta,

runs between mid-March and mid-June 1992. This survey is organised by
WIWO, but OSME volunteers who can spend at least two weeks in the
field would be most welcome.

The second survey is planned for spring 1993. It will cover Great Bustards
Otis tarda breeding throughout Turkey. DHKD will have close
involvement with the planning and fieldwork of this project. The status
of Great Bustards in Turkey in recent years is uncertain. The effects of
increased hunting and agricultural change give particular cause for
concern, and this survey should clarify the species’ status.

If you are interested in taking part in either or both of these surveys,
please write to Guy Kirwan, c/o OSME. Please include a CV stating
relevant experience and skills (eg mechanic, ringer), and availability.

Gazelles in Yemen and southern Saudi Arabia

To clarify the taxonomy of gazelles in the Arabian Peninsula, we should
like to collect information about the dark forms occurring in Yemen and
the south of Saudi Arabia. Gazelles like that in the photograph are
breeding at the National Wildlife Research Centre in Taif, Saudi Arabia.
This taxon could be Gazella bilkis, described as a new species by Groves
and Lay (1985, Mammalia 49: 27-36) on the basis of specimens from
Yemen, or more probably a dark subspecies of Gazella gazella. The status
of Gazella bilkis and of this uncertain subspecies is unclear, but, in view of
the paucity of information, they could be endangered.

G bilis or G gazella, Taif, Saudi Arabia, May 1991 (Photograph NWRC)

The main sightings of Gazella bilkis were in the area of Ta'izz, North
Yemen. If thisisa dark subspecies of Gazella gazella, its originis unknown.
Any information about these taxa - taxonomy, distribution, sightings,
photographs, contacts of people concerned - will be useful for co-
ordinating international conservation measures. If you can help, please
write to Arnaud Greth, National Commission for Wildlife Conservation
and Development, PO Box 1086, Taif, Saudi Arabia.

Be 9 Spy p17 hb
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oS Announcements

MEDMARAVIS Conference 1992

Next year's conference theme is Management of Island and Coastal
Ecosystems in the Mediterranean. It will take place on the island of Chios,
Greece, from 15-20 September 1992. There are eight conference sessions:
importance of existing coastal parks and reserves; known populations of
infralittoral ecosystems; management of beach and dune ecosystems;
managements of coastal wetlands; ecological monitoring of small islands;
plans and policies for major Mediterranean ecosystems; and projects for
sustainable development. There will be specialised workshops and
poster sessions which will deal with ecological research on the
Mediterranean fauna, especially seabird. For conference registration and
further details, please contact: Xaver Monbailliu, MEDMARAVIS, BP 2,
83470 Saint Maximin, France.

Wetland and waterfowl conservation in south and west Asia,

Karachi, Pakistan, 14-20 December 1991

The above conference and symposium, organised by the International
Waterfowl and Wetlands Research Bureau, the National Council for the
Conservation of Wildlife (Pakistan) and the Asian Wetland Bureau, will
have sessions on the following topics: status of Asian wetlands and
waterfowl; wetlands and waterfowl conservation and management;
wetland and waterfowl management and research needs; and
international cooperation and action. If you are interested in attending,
please write immediately to IWRB, Slimbridge, Gloucester GL2 7BX, UK.

“ee a Reviews
as =
ZEEE
The conservation of western Lesser Kestrel populations By Jean-
Pierre Biber. International Council for Bird Preservation Study Report
No 41: Spiral bound 46pp.

The Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni is a small, gregarious falcon which was once
common in many towns and villages in the Mediterranean Basin. During the last
30 years, its population has crashed in large parts of its Western Palearctic
breeding range. It has apparently disappeared as a breeding species from six
countries. This concise report provides an overview of the current status of the
_ western Lesser Kestrel populations.

The author examines the reasons for the decline: thought to be loss of hunting
habitat and nesting sites. Open grassland and shrub areas are increasingly
converted to intensive agriculture or built development. Older buildings are
being demolished or renovated to modern designs that no longer providenesting
niches. Furthermore, the large-scale application of pesticides in modern agriculture

dramatically reduces prey availability. Spain is believed still to hold the major
breeding population within the region.

This important report summarises the biology, habitat and nesting requirements
of the species, and highlights large gaps in our knowledge of its ecology. Little is
known about the migration routes of the different Lesser Kestrel populations or
of their ecology in their African winter quarters.

The author lists a number of conservation recommendations and suggests areas
requiring further research. Although the general situation revealed in this review
is depressing, it is hoped that the habitat conservation measures outlined will
benefit a number of other species such as White Storks Ciconia ciconia, Great
Bustards Otis tarda, Little Bustards Tetrax tetrax, Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles
alchata and Gull-billed Terns Gelochelidon nilotica.

Nick P Williams

Birds of Israel. Computerized Bird Identification System and
Ornithological Data Base/ Encyclopedia. Eds Ron Frumkin, Noah
Rotary and Tzila Ahariv. Published by A Sapir, 19 Dov Hoz Street,
44356 Kfar Saba, Israel.

This computer database contains basic information about 464 Israeli birds: size,
sexual dimorphism, distribution, nesting habits, scientific names etc. In fact, it
containsas much accurate information as many bird books, butina farless usable
form. Computer software has a long way to go before it can really help bird
identification.

The identification and encyclopediac functions of the software are accessed in
different ways: looking up the characteristics of unknown birds can lead to their
identification; or it can be used almost asa book by using the index screens to find
details of a particular species.

Unfortunately, the identification route is clumsy and has many pitfalls. I found
that even if I knew the species, the software would often lead me in completely
the wrong direction. The idea is that when you see a bird, you can narrow its
identification down by entering the data of your observation. For example, a bird
nestbuilding in July will not be solely a winter visitor to Israel, sothe programme
then excludes winter visitors from your consideration. The identification can be
narrowed further by a series of similar choices, with the hope that eventually you
have entered enough information to lead to one species. It is, however, very easy
to make the ‘wrong’ choice just because of the particular circumstances of an
observation.

Identification through keys can be successful for many groups, particularly
plants and invertebrates, but has never proved satisfactory for birds. Books have
tried the approach and at least have the advantage of being able to include
pictures to confirm the identification.

Even if the limitations of a keyed approach to bird identification are ignored, this
software is poor. The encyclopediac side of the programme has about 70 data
entries for each bird, but many of these are abbreviated and poorly laid out.

Despiteits being designed to run onallcomputers with DOS 2.0 or higher, I found
that the programme would not operate on three out of four supposedly suitable
systems, and would often ‘hang.’ The help screens are often inadequate and the
documentation is poorly produced. Despite the claims in the manual, this
software is neither revolutionary nor remarkably user-friendly. It is, however,
supplied in a durable rigid case.

Mark Boyd

Zoology in the Middle East, Volume 4. 1990. Edited by Ragnar
Kinzelbach and Max Kasparek. Heidelberg. DM 25.

This is the fourth issue of this increasingly regular journal, it now being the stated
aim of the editors to makea virtually annual publication. Previous reviews (Bull.
19:40-41; 25:36-37) have outlined the scope of the journal.

Fourteen papers are presented in the 120 pages of the present volume, the
contents being divided as follows: mammals (two papers), birds (four), insects
(three), crustacea (one), arachnids (one), leeches (one), molluscs (one), parasites
(one) and scyphozoa (one). A welcome development is the increasing number of
papers submitted by Middle East nationals and residents.

The subjects of the four bird papers are as follows: On the distribution and status
of the Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus in Cyprus; First record of the Storm
Petrel Hydrobates pelagicus in Turkey; On the migration of the Whimbrel Numenius
phaeopus in Turkey; and On the migration of the Whimbrel in Bulgaria.

The paper on Black Francolins is a useful contribution to knowledge of the
species’ status in the eastern Mediterranean. The Storm Petrel paper is only a
short communication, and, unfortunately, only brief identification characters are
presented for this important but not unexpected record.

The two papers dealing with Whimbrel migration comprise the main body of
bird-related material. Both are interesting and informative, although one may
say with the benefit of recent hindsight that the species is distinctly more
common in Turkey than Kasparek suggests. Nonetheless, the main points,
including the timing and concentration of migration are correct.

Two other papers will be of interest to birders: Notes on mammals (Insectivora,
Rodentia) taken by the Tawny Owl Strix aluco in N.W. Turkey; and Flat-worms
of two species of gull (Larus ichthyaetus and L Canus)[Great Black-headed and
Common Gulls] from Basrah, Iraq.

Another paper, Historical record of a Tiger Panthera tigris (Linnaeus 1758), in
Iraq, also interested me.

The journal continues to act as a useful vehicle for shorter papers on a range of
topics that may otherwise not be published. It is typically well produced, and the
material well presented, justifying its cost of just under £10. The continued
preponderance of bird papers dealing with Turkish ornithology, in partno doubt
resulting from the interests in one half of the editorial team, will satisfy (but never

satiate) the avid Turcophile. The journal will, however, be unlikely to gain the
readership of OSME members with a more general interest in the region.

Guy Kirwan

Around the Region

This section details recent bird sightings within the OSME region. Whenever possible,
the significance of the record will be included. Records are published for interest only, and
their publication here neither implies acceptance nor rejection by the records committee
of the relevant country. Any OSME member is welcome to contribute to this feature, and
we are particularly keen to hear fromanyone resident in the Middle East who could submit
records. To submit records for Bulletin 28, covering the period September 1991 to
February 1992, please write to: Around the Region, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy,
Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK. Closing date for records is 15 February 1992.

Compiled by Guy Kirwan

All dates refer to 1991, unless otherwise stated; and all records refer to single
individuals unless numbers are given.

Bahrain

Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus Bahrain
Fort, 30 January. First winter record
(see Bull 26:59). E Hirschfeld
Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla
Janabiyah reeds, 12 April. Rare
migrant. E Hirschfeld

Corncrake Crex crex Janabiyah reeds, 5
May. Rare migrant, not annual. E
Hirschfeld

Crab Plover Dromas ardeola ASRY, 10-
12 June, and four adults, ASRY, 4
August. Annual May to September,
but uncommon. E Hirschfeld

Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus
Flock of 45, Muharraq,5 March. Largest
flock. E Hirschfeld

Long-toed Stint Calidris subminuta
Flock of seven, Dumistan, 16 May First
record for Bahrain. E Hirschfeld

Palm Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
Three to four individuals, displaying
and holding territory, Riffa, from April.
E Hirschfeld

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis Male,
Sakhir, 23 March, Male, Dadan Farm, 9

May, male Muharraq, 12 March. E
Hirschfeld, N Chapman

Small Skylark Alauda gulgula
Wintering flocks, Badan Farm and
Muharragq (Bull 26:23), last seen 1 April
and 15 March respectively. E Hirschfeld
Richard's Pipit Anthus novaeseelandiae
Wintering flock, Muharraq (Bull 26:
23), last seen 14 April. E Hirschfeld
Eversmann's Redstart Phoenicurus
erythronotus Male, Arad, 15 February,
possible same as January individual.
This makes possibly fiveduring winter
1990/91 (see Bull 26: 24). E Hirschfeld
Hooded Wheatear Oenanthe monacha
Female, Gebel Dukhan, 10 March Rare
winter visitor. M Adlam, N Chapman, E
Hirschfeld

Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus
melanopogon Janabiyah reeds, 9 March.
Third record, previous ones, September
1969 and December 1974. E Hirschfeld

Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus
Male Hamed town, 24 March. First
spring record of this locally common
autumn migrant. E Hirschfeld, N
Chapman

Pale Rock Sparrow Petronia
brachydactyla At least five, Jasra Farm,
13 March, two Refinery wadi, 8 April;
and three, Hamad town, 28 April.
Scarce, not annual spring migrant. Dr
WRP Bourne, E Hirschfeld

Cinereous Bunting Embiriza cineracea
Seven recorded between 10 and 23
April with flocks of Ortolan Buntings
E hortulanus. Probably overlooked
spring migrant. E Hirschfeld

Israel

Ethiopian Swallow Hirundo aethiopica
Beit-Shean, March, trapped and ringed
with Swallow H rustica roost. First
Israeli and West Palearctic record

(details will be published in Sandgrouse
in due course). per Ron Frumkin
Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus
trochiloides Metsuba, northern Israel,
21 April, trapped and ringed. Third
record, others were in April 1982 and
April 1983. per Yakov Langer

Qatar

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis
Seen with young, Slawa Pools, 12-14
May. Casual breeder. RJ Shepherd
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyrocaUmm
Said, March. Uncommon winter
visitor. RJ Shepherd

Garden Warbler Sylvia borin Doha,
April 12. Uncommon passage migrant,
early in comparison with UAE. RJ
Shepherd

Saudi Arabia :
Arabian Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris melanocephala Pair, Jebel Figrah
(Between Yanbu and Medina), 4-5
April. Reconfirmation of northerly
range extension, prior to 1989 known
only south of Taif. BS Meadows

Little Tern Sterna albifrons Four, Wadi
Rabigh, 31 May. Status uncertain in
western Arabia; All breeding littleterns
appear to be Saunders’ Little Tern S
saundersit. BS Meadows
Lichtenstein's Sandgrouse Pterocles
lichtensteinit Three Hadirah (140 km
north of Medina, 23 May. First record
from this locality. BS Meadows
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles
exustus Rabigh, 31 May. First record
here since Bates (1936). BS Meadows
Pin-tailed Sandgrouse Pterocles alchata
Four, Hadirah, 24 May. First located
here in 1990 (Bull 25: 45). BS Meadows
Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur
Breeding ‘colony' of 20 pairs, Hadiah,
23-24 May. Hitherto unrecorded from
this locality. Species has been noted
breeding at several isolated localities
innorth-west Arabia over the past three
years, the sub-species is St arenicola. BS
Meadows

Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator
glandarius Yanbu al Sinaiyah, 24
February. First spring record; Two
previous autumn records form the
Western Province. per L Vickers
Striated Scops Owl Otus brucei Four
showing characters of this species,
Yanbu al Sinaiyah, 2 January-11
February. Note that Scops Owls Otus
scops resembling Striated Scops have
wintered here in recent years. BS
Meadows

Hume's Tawny Owl Strix butleri Yanbu
al Sinaiyah, 25-26 January. New
locality. BS Meadows

Nubian Nightjar Caprimulgus nubicus
Wadi Rabigh, 25 July. New locality. BS
Meadows

Arabian Woodpecker Dendrocopos
dorae Jebel Fignah, 5 April. New
locality, one two other sites known
north of Taif. BS Meadows

Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis Up to four,
Yanbu al Sinaiyah, 24-31 January. First
winter records from this locality. BS
Meadows

Stonechat Saxicola torquata Yanbu al
Sinaiyah, 13 January. First winter
record at Yanbu of regular passage
migrant. BS Meadows

Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens

Two pairs (Ol lugens?), between Doha
and Tabuk in sandstone outcrops
(Hisma formation), 1-2 May. New
breeding locality, only found in this
biotope in 1986 (Bull 26:63). BS Meadows
African Reed Warbler Acrocephalus
baeticatus Up to 30 pairs in mangroves,
Yanbu al Sinaiyah, March to April.
This species was discovered here in
1984, with specimens obtained in 1986
(see Bull BOC 109: 36-43). BS Meadows
Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
Eighteen, Fort Farrah, 15 February; up
to 150 Yanbu al Bahr, 21 February to 3
March. Only second winter influx in
11 years recording around Yanbu. BS
Meadows

Pale Rock Sparrow Petronia
brachydactyla Four hundred, Wadi
Rabigh, 1 March. Only two previous
records by this observer in the Hejaz
since 1984, and the largest flock to
date. BS Meadows

Rtippell's Weaver Ploceus galbulaTwo
colonies nest-building, Wadi Qudah
(near Masturah), 22 March; nine nests,
Rabigh, 35 July Previously unrecorded
north of latitude 22°N. BS Meadows

United Arab Emirates

Greylag Goose Anseranser Two, Zabeel
eater treatment plant, Dubai, 22 March
to 9 April. Larger wild flock reported
in palace grounds near Dubai during
- same period. C Richardson, K Hyland
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Two, Ramtha tip, Sharjah, 10 May.
Seventh UAE record. S Turner, C
Richardson, J] Bannon

Montagu's Harrier Circus pygargus
Three young (second year) males,
summering in fodder fields, All Habab,
19 July to 9 August. Only fifth positive
record of males in UAE. C Richardson,
E Hirschfeld et al

. Sooty Falcon Falco concolor Flying over
alfalfa field, Digdaga, 21 March. First
mainland record for seven years. C
Richardson

Quail Coturnix coturnix Up to six,

calling in field at Digdaga, 22 March to
5 April, but not after harvest in mid-
April. First breeding evidence. C
Richardson,] Bannon |

Corncrake Crex crex Saffa park, 23-27
March; another there, 13 May; Sir Bani
Yas Island, 2-3 May; and one with
injured leg, Emirates golf course, 7
May. Less than 10 previous records. J
Bannon, C Richardson

Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus
New Dubai creek golf course, 20
August, and two there, 27 August. Rare,
seldom lingering on passage in UAE.
C Richardson

Dotterel Charadrius morinellus Emirates
golf course, 18 July. Thirteenth UAE
record. C Richardson

Sabine's Gull Larus sabint Summer
plumaged individual, Ramtha tip, 24
June to 26 July. First record for UAE
and probably Arabia. C Richardson
Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur 240
feeding onalfalfa stubble (with c. 7,000
Collared Doves S_ decaocto),
Hamraniyah, 16 May. Noteworthy
numbers. C Richardson

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis Asab, 3-
29 April; Digdaga, 19 April; and Bu
Hasa, 6 May. Only five previous
records, butapparently becoming more
common. L Reaney, J] Bannon, C
Richardson

- Long-billed Pipit Anthea similis Up to

three, Masafi, 15-22 February; one in
song there, 4-16 April. First breeding
record since 1972. C Richardson, ]
Bannon

Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
Bu Hasa, 14 April. Fifth UAE record. D
Robinson

Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia
Bu Hasa, 3 April; Saffa park, 23 April
and 10-11 May; Emirates golf course,
25 April. Less than 10 previous
confirmed records. D Robinson, J
Bannon, C Richardson

Whinchat Saxicola rubetra Sixty, Abu
al Abyadh, and 13, Emirates golf
course, 17 May (sites 170 km apart).

Exceptionally heavy passage. R Morris,
C Richardson

Yellow-browed Warbler Phylloscopus
inornatus Bu Hasa, 23 April. Scarceand
probably overlooked. D Robinson
Starling Sturnus vulgaris Two adults
with three juveniles, in field at
Hamraniyah, Ras al Khaimah, 28June.
First evidence of breeding in Arabia. C
Richardson

Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis
Flocks of upto 10 at Hamraniyah fields,
5 Apriland 28June;two juveniles there
with House Sparrow P domesticus
flocks, 16 August. First breeding
evidence for UAE. C Richardson, J]
Bannon

Pale Rock Sparrow Petronia
brachydactyla Heaithy passage, 10
March to mid-April; 60 in one flock in
foothills near Ras al Khaimah, 5 April.
C Richardson, J] Bannon, L Reaney
Common Rosefinch Carpodacus
erythrinus Asab, in Western desert, 8
April. Only spring record. L Reaney

Correction

Bull 26: 50 para 3: for 'taxidermists'
read ‘taxonomists.’

cite
3°
Ze

7 Bs lly
a.

DUTCH
BIRDING

Quarterly journal
forevery keen

O) Latest news on rare birds in the
Netherlands and

QO InEnglish or with English summaries.
Well produced with numerous high
quality photographs.

For information write to:
Dutch Birding, Postbus 5611,
1007 AP Amsterdam,
Netherlands.

Advertisement
British Ornithologists' Union

Check-list No. 6 (Second Edition)

THE BIRDS OF CYPRUS

by
Peter R. Flint & Peter F. Stewart

224 pages, hardback. 4 Figures, 16 colour and 24 black
and white plates, 11 maps

This is the second of the successful check-lists published by the British Omithologists' Union that has been
completely revised. Introductory chapters cover the History of Cyprus Omithology, its Geography,
Geology, Climate, and Vegetation; others deal with Migration, Breeding, Bird Killing and Conservation. In
addition there are 6 appendices covering the omitted species, ringing recoveries, biometric data of ringed
birds, a detailed guide (with maps) of where to watch birds, the protection laws and protected species, and a
migration table. There is a comprehensive Reference List and detailed English and Scientific Indices.

The Systematic List covers every species reliably recorded in Cyprus; all records of rare migrants are
critically examined and quoted in detail. Data on migratory species cover wintering dates, movements,
maximum numbers and their habitats. For breeding species considerable details are given on their status,
distribution, habitats and breeding; data on the endemic species are particularly detailed.

To be published end of 1991

Pre-publication price £15.00 ( £17.00 overseas) until end of 1991 (end of January 1992 for
overseas applications) - thereafter £18.00 (£20.00 overseas) incl. postage. Payment may be
made by credit card (Access, Master Card or Visa) or by Eurocheque (with supporting
Eurocard No. on reverse). If payment is not in sterling please add the equivalent of £4.00 to
cover bank charges. Overseas despatch will be by sea mail unless air mail is requested and
paid for in advance (min. £3.00).

ORDER FORM
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Herts, HP23 6AP. ji

ISSN 0959-6739

Ornithological Society of the Middle East
c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, UK

The Ornithological Society of the Middle East was formed in April 1978
as a successor to the Ornithological Society of
Turkey. Its aims are as follows:

To collect, collate and publish ornithological data on the birds of
the Middle East.

Toencourage an interest in and conservation of birds of the Middle
Fast.

To develop a mutually beneficial working relationship with all
environmental and conservation bodiesand natural history societies
in and concerned with the Middle East.

Membership is open to all and spans over 40 countries. Current
membership subscription is £7 individual, £10 family; airmail £10
individual, £13 family. Life membership £150.

Publications Sandgrouse is the Society's journal and contains scientific
papers on all aspects of the ornithology of the Middle East. The OSME
Bulletin, issued twice yearly to all members, covers all aspects of
birdwatching and conservation within the Middle East.

For further details, please write to:
The Secretary, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL,
UK.

Charitable regisration number 282938.

Advertising rates: Full page £60; half page £40; quarter pases £25. Inserts
from £75.

Contents

1 Impact of the Gulf War on birds MI Evans, CWT Pilcher and P Symens
6 Blue Tits in Jordan Jan J] Andrews
8 Birds and conservation in Egypt, past, present and
future Mindy Baha El Din
11. Important Bird Areas in the Middle East: the new OSME/ICBP project
MRW Rands and MI Evans
13. = Is Azragq still an oasis? Ian J Andrews
19 Turkey Bird Report: a request for records and notes for contributors
Rod Martins and Richard Webb
24 Karapinar Ovasi, a little-known Turkish IBA Guy Kirwan
27 Turkish IBAs: an appeal for information .
29 More selected bird observations from Turkey, spring and summer 1990
Jonathan Eames
31 Newsand information Compiled by Simon Albrecht
33 OSME news
Thirteenth Annual General Meeting
Retiring Council members
Fourteenth Annual General Meeting
Special Gulf meeting, 14 November 1991
OSME tour to Egypt
Cover auction
38 Requests for information
40 Announcements
40 Reviews
43 Around the Region Compiled by Guy Kirwan

OSME C/O THE LODGE, SANDY, BEDFORDSHIRE SG19 2DL, UK

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