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