Bye Bye Dubai

Life is leading me on another journey and later this week I shall be leaving Dubai after 11 years for pastures (or sand) new. I'm going to live in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (KSA). When I arrived in Dubai the birding was very different to what it is today. Al-Wathba camel track in Abu Dhabi was still the country's hot-spot and Emirates golf course was still accessible and offered the best birding in Dubai together with a drive along the shore of Ras Al-Khor (unfenced as it was at the time).

Back in 2000 there were only about five birders in the country, all pioneers and hugely knowledgeable. Now there are more than twenty regular birders and a birding community has started to thrive. It's been an absolute joy birding here and without it I could not have survived. 325 Species and countless good friends later it's time to move on for at least the short term. But I'm sure I'll be back.

Sociable plover, Dubai, UAE

Dubai Pivot Fields, UAE

I'm making the best of my last few days off before I leave to live in Saudi Arabia at the end of this week and paid another visit to my local patch this morning. The rubbish pit now hosts three wood sandpiper and a european stonechat. The smaller of the two pivot fields still holds the sociable plover and three pacific golden plover. There were also several Richard's pipit on the short grass and skylarks on the ploughed areas.

White wagtail

Starling

I also flushed a immature marsh harrier with its avian prey (I'm not sure what it is but it looks suspiciously like a lapwing's wing... the bird that has been present for a week or so didn't seem to be around today).

Marsh harrier

Click HERE for site details.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

10 Grey francolin

1 Marsh harrier

3 Wood sandpiper

60 Red-wattled plover

1 Sociable plover

50 White-tailed plover

1 Black-winged stilt

100 Collared dove

50 Laughing dove

1 Little green bee-eater

3 Indian roller

5 Hoopoe

50 Crested lark

8 Skylark

5 Richard's pipit

40 Water pipit

6 Yellow wagtail

50 White wagtail

8 White-cheeked bulbul

2 Isabelline wheatear

1 Graceful prinia

1 Daurian shrike

1 Southern grey shrike

2 Starling

30 Common myna

300 House sparrow

Site details - Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary, UAE

Ras Al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary is a tidal saline lagoon which at 25°18'53.54"N, 55°32'02.47"E is within the urban sprawl of Dubai and bordered by main roads. There are three poorly designed hides although one is permanently closed (they are closed Fridays but all are equipped with Leica scopes and bins. You wouldn't find that in England!).

Ras Al Khor

The reserve is home to over a thousand non-breeding greater flamingo it also hosts large numbers of waders, herons and ducks in the winter with greater spotted eagle and marsh harrier being regular. Less common birds that can be found in winter include eastern imperial eagle and broad-billed sandpiper.

Greater flamingo

Safa Park, UAE

I had a wander around the park at lunch time today hoping for some of the winter visitors to be in place but the woodland only held six chiffchaff and single desert lesser whitethroat, grey wagtail and black redstart. There were a few birds on the rear lakes and because of ongoing tree felling in the area seemed a bit more approachable than usual which was handy for photos.

The lakes held several shoveler, teal and pochard as well as a pair of Egyptian goose and a single grey heron.

Egyptian goose

Female teal

The park has become a bit of a dumping ground for unwanted pets. The lakes hold many turtles and terrapins and today there was a large iguana on the grass. The rose-ringed parakeets were also mobbing a green lizard sp. high in the branches of the date palms.

Iguana sp.

Lizard sp.

There were plenty of slender skimmer hawking around the edge of the boating lake.

Slender skimmer (Orthetrum sabina)

Click HERE for site details.

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4 Little grebe

1 Grey heron

8 Teal

2 Mallard

1 Mallard x Shoveler

8 Shoveler

1 Pochard

2 Whimbrel

6 Common sandpiper

25 Black-headed gull

6 Grey francolin

100 Collared dove

60 Laughing dove

2 Rose-ringed parakeet

4 Indian roller

6 Hoopoe

2 African rock martin

20 White wagtail

1 Grey wagtail

20 White-cheeked bulbul

20 Red-vented bulbul

1 Black redstart

2 Graceful prinia

6 Chiffchaff

1 Desert lesser whitethroat

5 Purple sunbird

50 Indian house crow

30 Common myna

Site Details - Safa Park, UAE

Safa Park is an established 70 ha. green space in Dubai (25°11'20.24"N, 55°14' 29.86"E) with three small lakes set in open grassland with scattered trees. In the centre of the park is a wooded area of particular interest for migrant and wintering passerines.

Safa Park, Dubai

The woodland is home to breeding shikra and is a regular wintering site for olive-backed pipit and forest wagtail. Arabia's first red-flanked bluetail was found here and it is where I found a European robin in 2011. The lakes often have little grebe, geese and ducks.

Pochard

Al-Warsen lakes, UAE

After this afternoons visit to the pivot fields I drove the short distance to Al-Warsen lakes. Duck numbers have now started to build up with over a hundred pochard on the far side together with six ferruginous duck.

A greater spotted eagle flushed from the reeds was noisily mobbed by two purple heron and a marsh harrier. A total of about a dozen female/immature marsh harriers were quartering the reed beds.

Click HERE for site details

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30 Little grebe

150 Cormorant

1 Squacco heron

1 Great white egret

40 Grey heron

3 Purple heron

1 Glossy ibis

2 Gadwall

8 Mallard

2 Shoveler

100 Pochard

6 Ferruginous duck

4 Tufted duck

1 Greater spotted eagle

12 Marsh harrier

6 Grey francolin

10 Moorhen

1 Coot

2 Red-wattled plover

4 Little stint

1 Common snipe

1 Green sandpiper

1 Wood sandpiper

100 Black-headed gull

40 Lesser black-backed gull

1 Whiskered tern

40 Collared dove

20 Laughing dove

1 Little green bee-eater

4 White wagtail

1 Citrine wagtail

10 White-cheeked bulbul

8 Red-vented bulbul

1 Bluethroat

3 Graceful prinia

20 Common myna

Site details - Al-Warsen lakes, UAE

Al-Warsen lakes (formerly known locally as Wimpey Pits) is a complex of lakes covering 25 ha. in the residential development known as International City at 25° 09' 28.87"N, 55° 25' 00.46"E. It is the remnants of a much larger lake system that existed before the housing development was built.

Al-Warsen lakes

It is a prime site for winter ducks and waterbirds and is probably the only site in the UAE to hold purple gallinule. Several raptor species can be found in the winter with marsh harrier the most common. Also there is often a scaly-breasted munia flock in the area.

Recent rarities have included streak-throated swallow and mediterranean gull.

Scaly-breasted munia

Dubai Pivot Fields, UAE

A visit to my local patch again today and there was another variety of waders on the rubbish pit with single greenshank, temminck's stint, common sandpiper, green sandpiper and wood sandpiper present together with a bluethroat (my first of the winter at the fields).

Crested lark

The sociable plover and northern lapwing were still present on the smaller pivot.

Northern lapwing

Click HERE for site details.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

10 Grey francolin

1 Temminck's stint

1 Common sandpiper

1 Green sandpiper

1 Wood sandpiper

1 Greenshank

60 Red-wattled plover

1 Sociable plover

50 White-tailed plover

1 Northern lapwing
1 Black-winged stilt

1 Black-headed gull

100 Collared dove

50 Laughing dove

1 Little green bee-eater
3 Indian roller

5 Hoopoe

50 Crested lark

8 Skylark

5 Richard's pipit

1 Tawny pipit

60 Water pipit

6 Yellow wagtail

40 White wagtail

8 White-cheeked bulbul

1 Bluethroat

3 Isabelline wheatear

1 Graceful prinia

1 Daurian shrike

1 Southern grey shrike

30 Common myna

200 House sparrow

Dubai Pivot Fields, UAE

While 31°c can hardly be considered hot chocolate and mittens weather the winter has begun here in the UAE on what is celebrated as National Day.

A quick walk around the pivot fields late this afternoon was rewarded with a few of the regular wintering birds. A pair of european stonechat have taken up residence by the rubbish tip and a small mixed flock of the less common plovers has now started to form with single sociable plover and northern lapwing together with three pacific golden plover.

Male european stonechat

Tawny pipit

The owners have dug out a large pit in the sand to take rubbish and as the water table is only about 1.5m down it has started to fill up and now hosts a few waders such as several red-wattled plover and white-tailed lapwing, thirteen little ringed plover, three wood sandpiper and a single common sandpiper. A moorhen was picking around the debris too.

Little ringed plover

I also noticed three badly oiled birds (black-headed gull, wood sandpiper and white-tailed plover). Perhaps there has been a recent spillage?

Click HERE for site details

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

10 Grey francolin

1 Moorhen

13 Little ringed plover

3 Pacific golden plover

60 Red-wattled plover

1 Sociable plover

50 White-tailed plover

1 Northern lapwing

1 Black-headed gull

100 Collared dove

50 Laughing dove

3 Little green bee-eater

4 Hoopoe

50 Crested lark

8 Skylark

6 Richard's pipit

2 Tawny pipit

60 Water pipit

8 Yellow wagtail

50 White wagtail

8 White-cheeked bulbul

2 European stonechat

3 Isabelline wheatear

1 Graceful prinia

2 Daurian shrike

1 Southern grey shrike

30 Common myna

2 Starling

200 House sparrow

Site details - Dubai Pivot Fields, UAE

The Dubai pivot fields is 18 kms east of downtown Dubai just off the Hatta Road at 25°09'52.58"N 55°25'51.80"E. It is an irrigated turf and camel fodder field of approximately 90 ha. and for the 12 years I have lived in Dubai it has been my 'local patch'. The current bird list is 232 and my list is 182.

Dubai pivot fields

In the summer it is a good site for blue-cheeked bee-eaters but in the cooler months it really comes into its own with egrets, waders such as white-tailed plover, pintail snipe and sociable plover, purple sunbird, oriental skylark, several species of pipit including buff-bellied and Blyth's, bank myna, shrikes and many more common birds. Raptors include lesser and common kestrel, marsh, pallid and Montagu's harriers. Fly over eagles such as booted, Bonelli's and greater spotted are not uncommon. The fields proximity to Al-Warsen lake also means that geese, ducks, gulls and terns can be attracted to the site during wet periods in the winter.

In recent years I have found black kite, corncrake, bimaculated lark, cream coloured courser, grey hypocolius and black-throated thrush. Other rarities found include moustached warbler, black-winged pratincole, brown shrike and little swift.

Anyone who visits the site should remember to be polite at all occasions and not to drive on the grass (preferably leave your car outside and walk in).

White-tailed plover

Black-throated thrush