The Cold Day

Today is very cold and we started early in the morning (5:30) to Al Ain.  I was accompanied by Sunny and his two friends. Mainly visited Green Mubazarah, Jebel Hafeet, Ain Al Faidah, Zaker Pools & Al Jimmi Oaisis. Nothing much apart from the two Pallid Scops Owl.



Sightings:

Green Mubazarah

Desert Wheatear

Black Redstart

Red-tailed Wheatear

Menetries Warbler

Grey Heron

Blue Rock Thrush

Sand Patridge

Jebel Hafeet (Mercure Hotel)

Egyptian Vulture

Eversmann's Redstart

White-spectacled Bulbul

Black Restart

Black Ouzel

Blue Rock Thrush

Sand Patridge

Ain Al Faidah

White-fronted Goose

Masked Shrike

Desert Wheatear

Zaker Pools

Squacco Heron

Little Grebe

Little Egrets

Black-winged Stilt

Al Jimmi Oasis

Pallid Scops Owl x 2

Al Watbah Camel Racetrack 

Western Marsh Harrier

Common Kestrel

Desert Wheatear

Egyptian Nightjar

Barn Owl

All photos in this blog is copyrighted to Shah Jahan. Please do not use it without written permission. For more information please contact sjahanmi@gmail.com.

Another day to remember

Day Out: 9th Nov, 2010

Ring Ouzels at Mercure Hotel grounds!!! Six of them!

Mercure Hotel is located at the top of Jebel Hafeet Mountains in Al Ain. Its around 150 kms from home. Left office and then straight to Al Ain. Just got time to reach there and photograph the birds. When I reached there I found Khalifa roaming around with a happy smile. Spent a good hour to photograph them. There were also one Black-throated Thrush, 2 Blue Rock Thrushs, 5 Egyptian Vultures and a Sand Patridge.

Got decent photographs of the Ouzel and returned to Al Watbah Camel Racetrack where Simon Aspinall, Stephen James (Steve) and Dave Clark was birding. The Egyptian Vulture was found on the way back from Jebel Hafeet. You see them on most of your trips to Jebel Hafeet. One see them flying high in the air. I have seen them very few times sitting on the ground. The one I saw today was sitting near the fence. The light was too bad for a decent photograph. Still managed to get an average photo of the bird.

One the way back just stopped for a few minutes at the Ain Al Faida Park (outside) to photograph the White-fronted Goose.

Reached Al Watbah around 7:15. They were looking at the Egyptian Nightjar. Its on the same place, near the bilboard hunting insects.

They could not locate the Barn Owl or the Short-eared Owl.

It was then we found the Pharaoh Eagle-Owl just landing in front of us on the backside of the bilboard. There were a number of feral Pegions resting on the back of the bilboard and it was to hunt one of them. Steve, Dave and Myself ran for the camera and tried to get some photos of it. The bird stayed there for almost 10 min or more just jumping from one bilboard to another. Great views we got. Dave got some decent photographs. I am not at all satisfied with my shots. But end of the day I felt very happy.

Soon Steve found a Eurasian Nightjar in the same location hunting for insects. That was much better. What can we ask for more?

Three Owls and two nightjars in three days. And all this in an area of 100m by 100m square!
Dec 5th (Trip with Brent Larson)

• Egyptian Nightjar
• Short-eared Owl
• Barn Owl

Dec 7th (with Simon Aspinall, Stephen James & Dave Clark)

• Egyptian Nightjar
• Eurasian Nightjar
• Desert Eagle Owl (Pharoah Eagle-owl)

Al Watbah a great place to bird especially in the night.

All photos in this blog is copyrighted to Shah Jahan. Please do not use it without written permission. For more information please contact sjahanmi@gmail.com.

A day to remember

Day out: 7th Dec, 2010

Brent Larsson from Sweden, a visiting birder wants to see Egyptian Nightjar. I met him while I was at Sila twiching for the Taiga Flycatcher and recommended him Al Watbah Camel Racetrack.

Brent Called me this morning to see if I am free in the evening. We agreed to meet outside Al Watbah Camel Racetrack around 5:00PM. We started twitching for the Egyptian Nightjar around 5:10. The sun was still up and we drove for sometime inside the racetrack. The findings are as follows:

Birds

• Issabelline Wheatear
• Desert Wheatear
• Desert Warbler
• Crested Lark

Mammals

1. Red-tailed Fox - 4
2. Cape Hare - 2

Once the sun is set, we went near to the Bilboard where the Egyptian Nightjar hunts for the insects. I was dead right. When we reached there the bird was hunting for Insects. Brent was happy to see it and took almost 25 minutes watching the bird hunting.

Brent wanted to see the bird sitting. We tried to find one but we were not successful. We drove for it inside the racetrack for more than 1 hour. But the luck was not in our favor.

Then everything changed in just two minutes. There was this Short-eared Owl who showed only for a couple of seconds. It then flew. We got a good look at the bird. I always loved seeing Owls. They are the most liked bird as far as I am concerned. I am obsessed with Owls. I don't know why. I have not see to many Owls. So far only 9 species.

In India:

• Brown-fish Owl
• Jungle Owlet
• Spotted Owlet

In Kenya:

• African Scops-owl
• Giant Eagle-owl
• Spotted Eagle-owl

In UAE:

• Little Owl
• Pallid Scops-owl
• Pharaoh Eagle-owl
• Short-eared Owl
• Barn Owl

And I have seen Short-eared Owl only thrice. One in Madina Zayed and two in Al Watbah Camel Racetrack. So this is my forth Short-eared Owl. Things are turning good for us today.

In 5 minutes after seeing the Short-eared Owl, there was another Owl very close to the first location. This time it was a Barn Owl. It showed very well. It stayed in the same place for more than 2 minutes. I tried getting a shot. But I was not succesful. By the time I got hold of my tripod, it flew away.
Left Brent around 8:30. I guess he is happy too.
The sighting for the night is :

• 1 Egyptian Nightjar
• 1 Short-eared Owl
• 1 Barn Owl.

Defenitely today is a great day to remember.

All photos in this blog is copyrighted to Shah Jahan. Please do not use it without written permission. For more information please contact sjahanmi@gmail.com.

Eversmann's Redstart and Five Eurasian Nightjars

Day: 26th Nov, 2010

Was busy making my pond at home when Khalifa ringed to say that they found a Evermann's Redstart at Emirates Palace Hotel. UAE has very limitednumber of sightings of Evermann's Redstart. They are considered as rare in UAE. Khalifa also said Oscar is speaking to the Emirates Palace Hotel manager to arrange a birders walk inside the Emirates Palace Hotel. He then confirmed that the walk starts at 3:30PM. Oscar Campell, Mark S, Huw Roberts and Steve James is going to be there.

Met Oscar, Mark and Huw at the gate we parked the car and started walking around the Emirates Palace Hotel grounds to locate the Evermann's

Redstart. Steve joined us later. There was also a report about spotting a Hume's Warbler at the same place. Spend almost three hours looking for the birds. We could not find both. All the effort was going on vain when Mark found 5 Eurasian Nightjars. Two of them roosting on the same tree! It was a feast for the camera. Both Huw and me were trying to get the best shot out of it.

The main attraction of the trip for me was not the European Nightjar but a Tree Pipit which is a common species in UAE. I have seen a lot of Tree Pipits, but never photographed any. So it was my turn to tick Tree Pipit as photographed. Now it is 235 species photographed in UAE. Not bad... Isn't it?

Apart from the common birds, there was one Chiffchaff and a juvenile Rose-coloured Starling.

I would like to thank Andy and Clare at the beach club, Khalifa, my friend and brother for letting me know about the bird and Oscar. And during the walk I have gained some important knowledge about the Swifts from Mark. Thank you Mark.

All photos in this blog is copyrighted to Shah Jahan. Please do not use it without written permission. For more information please contact sjahanmi@gmail.com.