Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus
Picture above added to post 31 March 2012 courtesy of camera upgrade.
I am going to call this place the Warsan pits. It is a development project gone awry in Dubai. The pits will deterioate over time which is a shame as salty water will leach into what has been created with fresh water. The developer Nakhheel was going to build a number of luxury villas but shelved it - helpfully they built the accompanying nature reserve designed to attract your investment. It will however slowly take back to desert as it is now left to fend for itself. I may be wrong but I cannot see any incentive for them to spend good money to keep up this little honey pot for birds. A good thing I guess - nature did not intend a green oasis for this particular spot. But then again what is Barn Elms in London - its controlled by electronic slooze gates - clearings are felled for birds in the Breckons - we cultivate for wildlife all over the world. So why not here - give something back as we have taken enough away.
Up to 30 or 40 Marsh Harriers will roost in this reed bed according to a contact I made recently - today I watched 3 quartering the site and playing on the wind. I also saw Little Ringed Plover, Purple Heron, Great White Egret, dozens of Great Comorants, Black Necked Grebe - in the desert - go figure. I leave you with my (blurred and snapped) shots of the Dubai Marsh Harriers of Warsan Pits.
Marsh Harrier - Circus aeruginosus
Warsan Pits, Dubai, UAE
March 4 2012
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