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 a
t 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.
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.
