Sahil's Nature Blog: 2008

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Birding in Al Khor, Qatar

Had a great day of birding with Mr. Thajudeen (who I found thru yahoo e-group Kerala birder and http://www.birdingpal.org/).

He was initially planning to show me some areas around Doha – in fact we started at the Doha sewage treatment plant, a site near Doha but unfortunately when we got there we found that a nice wetland habitat (based on a sewage treatment plant like most others in the region) was altered beyond recognition in a matter of a few days. The rapid development in Qatar and other neighbouring countries has been putting immense pressure on the local wildlife. We saw a few birds here the most significant was the below photographed - Streaked Weaver (Ploceus manyar)

Realising that the habitat wouldn’t yield much Thaju decided that we should go to check some other birding sites near the city of Al Khor Qatar. Al Khor is some 45 minutes North of Doha. Please refer to the following post of google map indicating the location of the two birding sites that we visited today.

The first location was the Al Khor Public Garden:
This is a public park just outside the city. Being a relatively secluded green patch in a desert landscape it attracts quiet a few species of birds. Here are a few snaps that I took in the park followed by a list of all the birds I saw there.

The first couple of snaps are of Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)

And an Isabelline or Rufous-tailed Shrike (Lanius isabellinus isabellinus)

And the Bulbuls - I understand these are White-cheeked Bulbuls (Pycnonotus leucogenys)

The following 4 snaps are of a Long-billed Pipit (Anthus similis)

I am not 100% sure of the Pipit ID, any ID help will be appreciated.

And the last snap from the Garden is of the only butterfly species I was able to photograph and identify - Here's a Blue Pansy (Junonia orithya)

Here's a list of all the birds I saw at the Al Khor Gardens:

Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)

Isabelline or Rufous-tailed Shrike (Lanius isabellinus isabellinus)

Grey Francolin (Francolinus pondicerianus mecranensis)

Ring-necked Parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Common or Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops epops)

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto decaocto)

Laughing or Palm Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis senegalensis)

White-cheeked Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis)

Long-billed Pipit (Anthus similis)

The next location was the Al Khor sewage treatment plant and its surrounding runoff area:

This is another sewage treatment plant based wetland. You need a 4WD vehicle to make the most of this vast wetland area. There were lots of interesting birds especially waders. This area has development into an excellent habitat and supports a large no. of species. Keep your eyes on the larger ponds in the centre of this area for some interesting larger birds. Caution: This site is very close to an existing airport and it is advisable not venture too close to that area and there also seems to be active hunting taking place in this area (We saw some empty cartridges lying around).

The first 3 snaps are from the sewage treatment plant -

The first photo below is a Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

The next snap is a distant snap of a lifer bird - Black-necked or Eared Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis nigricollis)

And the next snap is of the Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides) which is has Old World origins, breeding in southern Europe and the Greater Middle East. It is a migrant, wintering in Africa. It is quiet similar to the Indian Pond Heron but with a whiter-back. Yet another Lifer for me!

The rest of the photos in this post are from the runoff area of the sewage treatment plant. This is a large area that has developed in an excellent wetland habitat over the years. The below snap gives an idea of the edge condition of this habitat where the water meets the surrounding desert.

The next couple of photos are of a one of the huge flocks of Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus) that we saw here.

In the centre of this area there are some larger water bodies that are mostly surrounded by reeds. But every now and then there are gaps in the reeds from where you can see these larger ponds. We saw quiet a few Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus) over this area. Below is a photo of three Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus).

Below a Greater Hoopoe Lark (Alaemon alaudipes) yet another Lifer : ) !!

And the last snap is of wheatear. Most likely an Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

Here is a list from this site :

Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Wood Sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

Kentish Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus alexandrinus)

Little Ringed Plover (Charadrius dubius curonicus)

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides)common redshank

Black-winged Stilts (Himantopus himantopus)

Marsh Harriers (Circus aeruginosus)

Glossy Ibises (Plegadis falcinellus).

Isabelline Wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

Greater Hoopoe Lark (Alaemon alaudipes)

Crested Lark (Galerida cristata brachyura)

Common Moorhen (Gallinula chloropus chloropus)

Black-necked Grebe (Podiceps nigricollis nigricollis)

Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

Great Grey Shrike (Lanius excubitor)

White Wagtail (Motacilla alba alba)

Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto decaocto)

Laughing or Palm Dove (Streptopelia senegalensis senegalensis)

White-cheeked Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucogenys)

Little Grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus alboaxillaris) (?) Seen in flight

Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata) (?) Seen in flight
Unided Tern
Unided Duck (?) Seen in flight

It was getting late in the afternoon and we decided to call it a day but if we had patiently waited and gone thru the waders in more detail for sure we could have racked up a few more species of waders. But all in all a really great day of birding!

Thanks a lot Thaju for a great day!!!

(Check Thaju's amazing photos here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/keralabirder/)

Friday, December 19, 2008

Map showing birding sites in Al Khor, Qatar

View Larger Map
Google map showing two excellent bird watching sites near the city of Al Khor in Doha (as of Dec 2008):
1. Al Khor public garden
Great place to see garden species. If visiting on weekends and holidays it is advisable to reach early in the morning because this garden gets quiet crowded in the day and the birds move away.
2. Al Khor sewage treatment plant and its surrounding runoff area
A drive around the sewage treatment plant and its runoff area in a 4WD will yield lots of interesting birds especially waders. This area has development into an excellent habitat and supports a large no. of species. Keep your eyes on the larger ponds in the centre of this area, it can play hosts to larger bird species like the Glossy Ibis. Like most other sites in Qatar this area is constantly under threat from new developments and this habitat can be significantly altered overnight. Caution: There seems to be active hunting taking place in this area.

Birding @ the Museum of Islamic Art, Doha

Back in Doha again for work - and today decided to see the newly opened Museum of Islamic Art which is on the Corniche. Along with the Museum there is a new park known as the Museum park where I managed to see quiet a few species of birds.

The first two photos are of a Rufous-tailed Shrike (Lanius isabellinus)

The next is a Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

The next two photos are of a pair of White-cheeked Bulbuls (Pycnonotus leucogenys)

The next two photos are of the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba)

The next is a Western Reef Egret (Egretta gularis)

The next bird was my prized catch of the day - Song Thrush (Turdus philomelos), I was not at all expecting this bird here, but it seems its a frequent winter visitor to areas around Doha.

The next couple of photos of Black-headed gulls (Larus ridibundus)

And the last is a snap of the Socotra Cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigrogularis) which is a cormorant that is endemic to the Persian Gulf and the south-east coast of the Arabian Peninsula