259 : Upcher's Warbler

Upcher's Warbler - Hippolais Languida

I have to concentrate when birding to make sure I am not dismissing ticks through absolute ignorance. In this case ignorance of a Middle Eastern endemic that isn't a bird I readily used to see when I was birding in the Uk. It's probably quite common in Tamarisk trees across the region - but I wasn't looking for them. I have seen a number of birds that I have dismissed at Willow Warblers or Chiff Chaffs . So birding is about knowing what you see, but also knowing what you might see or ought to see. Your own library of experience is limiting as well expanding. There is an art in knowing your own birds intimately so that small differences when a hundred miles off your patch will resonate - and without a digital camera resonate quite quickly.

Looking back at this picture I realised it just wasn't a Chiff Chaff or a Willow Warbler. The bill was all wrong. On further bookwork I realised that there was a warbler I wasn't even switched onto that was common on passage and over wintering through the region - sitting in the same family as Booted, Icterine, Olivaceous, Olive-treeWarblers.The Southern European specialists. This offshoot of that family is an Eastern species - nesting in the Levant, Southern Turkey and right across Iran to Pakistan. We catch it on passage in the Spring on its way North.

Upchers Warbler, Hippolais Languida
April 2013
Safa Park, Dubai

258 : Black-crowned Finch Lark

Black-crowned Finch Lark - Eremopterix nigriceps

Out at the desert conservation area in Dubai, despite the fact that the heat is now topping 40 degress these smart little larks a pairing up and holding territories. Its a about 30 minute drive, an hour's round trip so its advisable to make sure you have a camera card with you. Last week I spent the time between 8 am and 10 am really just driving about burning petrol due my poor organisation.



There were perhaps 30 or 40 males in the area I went to holding territories. A good piece of shade for the lunchtime excess is a must.

The females are certainly not as handsome as the males with their black and white head pattern.

These are birds of the flat semi-desert and sandy savanna, they enjoy some low scub under which to nest.

I have noticed that these are almost exclusively arab birds from the list of countries they inhabit. A real "MENA'' specialist ("Middle East and North Africa). This female has an Eastern air of mystery about her looks don't you think ? A fine mop of feathers on her head as well.

It was these birds that took me out to the desert in the first place. As it happened I caught up with Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Cream-coloured Courser, Sand Gazelles and more (see last couple of posts and new page).  A productive trip. More like this required ! I should be out now taking photos rather than writing up last week's trip !

Black-crowned Finch Lark, Eremopterix nigriceps

Dubai Desert Conservation Area

13 April 2013

257 : Cream-coloured Courser

Cream-coloured Courser - Cursorius curser

Another bird from last weekend's Dubai desert conservation trip. These are birds of the semi-desert that hunt insects by running along the ground. The only other species of Courser I have seen or indeed photographed so far on my birding odyssey is the Two-banded I saw last July in Tanzania.

I found these birds quite tricky to photograph - when they run across the ground it really is with a short sharp little sprint. By the time you are all set up, deep breathed, all level to take a photgraph off they go again on a little sprint.

All of the bird's approaching midday were hunkering down in the shade as the thermometer in the car crept up towards 40 degrees. I cannot believe that it has taken me almost 5 years to connect with this bird. I should know that to see a variety of birds you should go to a variety of places. My holy grail at the moment is a Hoopoe Lark - I saw one a long time ago on a family outing for a lunchtime pizza at Bab Al Shams desert resort. An almost Jackdaw sized bird with a long curlew-like decurved bill. You get these little bug birds in your head and its like scratching an itch - it keeps you pressing foward. I do need to reinvigorate my local birding because I am betting that I have only seen somewhere between 1-200 birds in the UAE and let alone photographed them all when I know there are chaps here approaching 500 species. Its all about time and effort and a smattering of luck. 300 by the end of April is the target. That will take some throught and a couple of days in a hide. We are approaching the two-year anniversary of the Daily Bird. Technically then we should be up at 730 birds - so you can see the dreadful pace I have kept ! 

 There is little point in thinking like that otherwise you would give up. It has to just be about the bird and the moment - this weekend I saw some beautiful Sand Gazelles that I would not otherwise have seen had I not ventured out for birds. I may pop up a temporary page for those because they were one of my best UAE wildlife moments. I doubt I would have been to India for a weekend or perhaps even been on Safari - birds have led me to other things, and above all places. Just get out there !

Cream-coloured Courser, Cursorius curser

Dubai Desert Resort, "the new lake"'

13 April 2013

256 : Pin-tailed Sandgrouse

 

 

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse - Pterocles alchata

 

I picked up the location of a new "reserve" area from the UAE birding forum so following the directions I made my way out there on Saturday morning. A man made lake in the desert surounded by a large planting of new Ghaf trees. A lot of work has gone into the area and its paid dividends.

 

The first incident (on having spotted some Sand Gazelle) was discovering that I had forgotten a camera data card. An hour's round trip as I really wanted the picture of the gazelles. They were still there and I spent a good two hours with them. The birding had been quite lacklustre until that point and then I managed to see a pair of these gorgeous Sandgrouse.



 

 

There is  a slight debate as to whether these are tickable in Dubai as there have been release programmes etc. to get the numbers back up. I am just having them ! I have seen flocks flying in the distance but never got close. The top two pictures and below are I think the female. I *love* the fluffy feet. 

 

 

Below is the handsome male. The golden spots in the plumage on the wing feathers are equally stunning. 



 

 

I think I have already descibed the life and times of Sandgrouse generally in my post from Tanzania on the Yellow-throated Sandgrouse. I won't repeat myself but just let the birds do the talking. It was hard to drag myself away. 

 

 

Thankfully short of any disturbance from me they were hunkering down for the hottest part of the day so I ws able to use the car as a hide and move around them for the best shots. It was still really hard to get a "catch" in the eye as the sun was virtually directly overhead. 

I did manage to get a wink though from the male.

 

Pin-tailed Sandgrouse, Pterocles alchata



Dubai Desert Conservation Area
13 April 2013

255 : Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit - Anthus Trivialis

On the way back to my car from my close encounter with a clan of Bee Eaters  I got involved with an altogther more subtle migrant encounter. Welcome to the world of Pipits - the archetypal "LBJ" - Little Brown jobs. Add Larks and Sparrows and quite a few of the warblers (although LBJ does them all a disservice) and you have a big headache.

Step one for me is always the bill and the overall shape. Longer and thinner like this - with a longer and sleeker body and we are into Pipit territory. Just pray they aren't flying.

My options in this part of the world with a broadly brown Pipit are Tawny, Long-Billed, Blyth's, Richard's, Olive-backed, Tree, Meadow and Red-Throated - I guess Water as well.

So bit by bit you can start to narrow it down. Click on the link to Richard's Pipit above and you will see an altogether more upright bird. This bird is far more horizontal in its aspect.

Now if you have a look at both Richard's and Tawny (link above) you will note a real lack of the spotting on the breast and flank as with this bird.

Once we have a not so upright spotted on the front and sides Pipit I think I am narrowed down to Meadow, Tree, Red-throated and Olive Backed. Olive-Backed I need a very distinct cream supercilium mostly to the rear of the eye with a clear dark border. Not happening here ! Red-Throated and Meadow have far more bolder dots in an unbroken line on the flanks. Red-throated starts to show a much redder head and throat even in the Summer. That kind of leaves me with Tree Pipit with the broken up lines on the flanks and lack of a reddening throat.

Its not an exact but I am fairly confident that this is a Tree Pipit. I can always post to the UAE bird forum for one of the guys with more experience to confirm it for me. One day they will all line up for me in something like a police photo line. Bit by bit I am piecing together the story on my site.

LBJ though is a disservice - as I have said before you need a bit of misty buff in your life as a birder. I don't spend enough time in the field to be confident enough - But I am getting there and thank god for digital cameras.

Whats'going to be about tomorrow ?

Tree Pipit, Anthus trivialius
Safa Park, Dubai
10 April 2013

254 : European Bee Eater

European Bee Eater - Merops apiaster

Wednesday (April 10 2013) found me bunking off from work at lunchtime for a quick spin round to Safa Park. A large open and wooded area in the middle of Dubai. Dubai's equivalent of Central or Hyde Park. I spent (what I thought at the time) a fairly fruitless half and hour or so toiling round the little wood in the middle - a small copse of Cyprus and Tamarisk trees with an open under storey of leaf and pine litter.

Then a clear chirrup and at tree height a fairly large and delta-winged Bee Eater hoved into view. Excitement took over and I shambled out into the lunchtime sunshine straining to catch a glimpse of a migrant I knew was on passage but had not figured on connecting with. They were everywhere.

Perhaps 20 or so birds in a big loose flock stack up at different levels in the sky from the treetops to a couple of thousand feet.

I did my best with what are fast moving and skirling birds - I think I do need to go back to square one and learn a bit more about cameras. So if you saw a man in a suit looking at the sky with an oversized camera turning circles and cursing this week - that was me - or one of me. I was as happy as Larry though.

These Bee Eaters travel in family clans back to breeding sites where they excavate new breeding holes in the sides of quarries, river banks, bluffs and the like. They will have picked up and swapped new females from a completely different area to keep the gene pool fresh down in Africa. So Spanish ladies will get led North by Kazakh men and vice versa. You wonder whether they can understand each other for the first few weeks. Its not all plain sailing. Its a risky strategy this long rang migration. The journies are timed to arrive in Europe when the Bee population is waking from its slumber. In some places they are shot and culled by commercial bee keepers. I have read that 30% of each wandering clan will not make it back North.

As if to illustrate the point A Shikra (an Eastern type of Sparrowhawk) made a dash down into the flock which dispersed in short order. I noticed that the sparrowhawk came out of the sun, like a Messerschmidt pilot in Battle of Britain.

And off they were chased.

Shikra again eyeing up a target.

So the world's skies are one giant Serengetti at the moment with Peregrines, Hobbies, Hawks and Harriers picking off the smaller birds like so many game on the grass plains. Its not a moral tale - it just is what it is. There is a lot of beauty in there along the way.

European Bee Eater, Merops Apiaster 
Safa Park, Dubai
April 10 2013