Urban birding in USA

Just ending a two week visit to the USA. Here's some photos of some urban birds I managed to click while here :

First set is from New York City -

Mostly clicked at the Central Park in Manhattan.

Here's a beautiful Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Here's another Common Grackle

An European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris)

A view of the famous Guggenheim museum from the park with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis reservoir in front of it. Here's a few photos from the reservoir -

This one was a lifer - Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)

A diving Bufflehead

Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)

Another diving Bufflehead

Some more Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola)

A female Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) about to land

Some more Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola)

Another lifer - the cute Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)

A bathing Common Grackle

Some more Grackle snaps:

And another lifer - White-throated Sparrow (Zonotrichia albicollis) - you can clearly see the yellow between the eye and the bill!!!

And the most numerous resident of Central Park - Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

The next few snaps are from Boston

Some Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) at MIT

And some Brant Goose (Branta bernicla) near the Bay area

And a fleeting glimpse of a pair of Common Mergansers (Mergus merganser)

And the rest of the photos are from Washington DC

Here's a Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

An American Robin (Turdus migratorius)

the Northern Mockingbird (Mimus polyglottos)

Another Lifer - Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)

Purple Finch (Carpodacus purpureus)

Common Grackle (Quiscalus quiscula)

Another lifer - Dark-eyed Junco (Junco hyemalis)

another Dark-eyed Junco

And the last lifer for this trip - Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura)

It was also the beginning of the Cherry Blossom season, sadly I leave a few days before the Cherry blossom festival!

And to end a few snaps from the Tidal Basin in front of the Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)

And the last snap from this trip is of a Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus)

Dubai Swifts

While walking in BurDubai earlier today by the Dubai Museum I saw hundreds of swifts above - I think they are Common Swifts (Apus apus) because of it overall colour and roundish whitish throat-patch (as compared to more triangular white throat-patch on the Pallid Swift)

Below is a snap of the birds as the swoop down between the minaret of the grand mosque and the roof of the fort.

And below is a small video clip showing the commotion above busy Bur Dubai caused by these tiny fellows.

Birding in Musandam, Oman

Just back after spending a beautiful day in the Musandam peninsula of Oman with family! While there I was able to sneak in a few bird moments!!

Spend last night and most of today in the main city of the region – Khasab (photo below). The hour long route from Ras Al Khaimah (UAE) offers one of the best sea-side drives in the region.

The region is famous for the amazing Hajjar Mountains, which is in geological terms quiet young and were ancient sea beds that have risen to their current heights due to volcanic activity.

While there we took an idyllic dhow cruise in the Khor Ash Sham – a lagoon like area surrounded by extremely impressive mountains.

And as expected we saw a lot of gulls...

with the most common being the Common Black-headed Gull (Larus ridibundus)

The next two photos are of the either of the 'Caspian Gull' (Larus (cachinnans) cachinnans) or the 'Steppe Gull' (Larus (cachinnans) barabensis) --- The difficulties of separating these two are well known..

The cliffs and small islands along these sheltered waters are suppose to have some good sea-bird nesting sites, however I will have to make another trip with a lot more time at hand to go to one of those!

The next few snaps are of a lifer for me - Slender-billed Gull (Larus geneii)

These are probably the most elegant of all the gulls I have seen.

The next few snaps of the Socotra Cormorant (Phalacrocorax nigricollis)

This small rock outcrop with a lot of gulls and cormorants is as close as I got to a proper sea bird colony !!

I will end this post with a set of photos of this region’s most famed residents - its Dolphins.

In fact we saw lots of them including a school with a few calves.

And most of the photos indicate these to be of the species known as the Indo-pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis).

Here's a few close-up of its famous hump!

Superb bird!!

Went to the American University of Sharjah campus today and saw a Superb bird.... infact a few Superb birds!!

The Superb Starling (Lamprotornis superbus) is a member of the starling family and is commonly be found in East Africa.
Surely one glimpse and you know why its called a Superb Starling..

Some internet research and I was sure that my first thought as I saw them was true - 'What are these guys doing here?'

There seems to be a breeding population of atleast 20 birds that have escaped from somewhere and have established a small colony here in the lawns of this campus in the middle of nowhere.

Macros

Here's some macros I took over the last week in my garden - in Dubai - using a new Nikkor Macro lens - 60 mm - F/2.8.

Above is a dragonfly of the Trithemis family. Most likely a female of Trithemis annulata - Purple-blushed Darter (Violet Dropwing).

Above an insect in the Order Diptera, family Calliphoridae, commonly called bluebottle flies, carrion flies or greenbottle flies.

Above a honey bee - which may be the Asian Dwarf Honey Bee (Apis florea).

Above the Common Lime or the Lemon Butterfly (Papilio demoleus) is which is a common and widespread Swallowtail butterfly here in Dubai, taking off after laying eggs on its larval foodplants - a Cultivated Lime plant

Above an unided wasp

The next two snaps are of the caterpillar of a Hawk-moth. Most likely an Oleander Hawk-moth (Daphnis nerii)

Chiffchaff

Saw this Common Chiffchaff (Phylloscopus collybita) in my garden - in Dubai - on the clothes line a few hours back!

Happy 2009!

May this New Year be full of simple pleasures – like watching a bird glide across a clear blue sky! – Wishing you all a happy 2009!

(Above a gliding Eurasian Collared Dove (Streptopelia decaocto))