Trip Report | Kuwait April 2009
Our tour to Kuwait had a real international feel to it with participants from the Netherlands and Canada as well as the UK.
Kuwait can be a difficult country to bird, not because of the habitat or the elusive nature of the birds but due to restricted access to many of the keys sites. With local guides and contacts however we were able to overcome these potential problems and had what can only be described as a memorable tour. Even a badly timed puncture and some questioning of our activities at the main port in Kuwait City could not detract from some outstanding birding.
Several visits to Jahra Farms proved to be very productive. A long-staying Indian Roller took a couple of visits to connect with but what a bird it was when we did! Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, White-breasted Kingfisher, Wryneck, White-throated Robin, Rufous Bush Robin, Semi-collared Flycatcher, Daurian Shrike, Great Reed Warbler, Menetries’s Warbler, Bank Myna, Common Myna, Spotted Crake and Montagu’s Harrier were other notable finds at what became a favourite site. Many of these species were present in small mumbers on all of our visits helping to illustrate what a good migrant spot this is. Birding here to the sound of the call to Friday prayers is so atmospheric!
The small coastal nature reserve of Sulaibikhat came up trumps for us with some excellent views of an educational and surprisingly distinctive Hume’s Lesser Whitethroat. A species which is annual in small numbers in Kuwait. One of our most wanted birds – Basra Reed Warbler was very scarce during the time of our visit but we were treated to to a great performing individual here on our first afternoon. They were to start moving through the country in good numbers as soon as we got home! Clamorous Reed Warbler, Menetries’s Warbler, White-throated Robin, Rufous Bush Robin, Siberian Stonechat, Pied Wheatears (including one individual of the rare white throated ‘vittata’ form), Turkestan Shrike, Wrynecks, Redstarts and Whinchats were eclipsed by a great find of a Cinereous Bunting and Common Babbler which is becoming regular here.
A busy day with our local guide the following day took in the restricted sites of Pivot Fields and SAANR after an early morning wander around Green Island. Red-vented Bulbuls were easily located whilst a Spotted Crake in a flower bed (!), 2 Semi-collared Flycatchers, Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, Eastern Orphean Warbler, Nightingale, Isabelline Wheatear and 2 Desert Wheatears were the pick of the bunch in a productive hour. Despite being relatively quiet by its usual standards Pivot Fields still managed to give us Black-eared Kite, Steppe Buzzards, Long-legged Buzzards, Pallid and Montagu’s Harriers, 2 Little Bitterns, Night Heron, 5 Little Crakes, 3 Collared Pratincoles and Marsh Sandpiper so we certainly weren’t complaining! The Tulha Oasis inside SAANR also proved that even on a slow migration day it is still well worth a visit. 3 Caspian Plovers (2 of which were spanking males) along the entrance track preceeded a variety of regular migrants at the oasis including Wryneck, Woodchat, Daurian Shrike, European Bee-eaters, Cuckoo, Great Reed Warbler, Ortolan, Spanish Sparrows and the ubiquitous Chiffchaffs, Willow Warblers and Lesser Whitethroats.
A number of visits to the wader mecca of Doha Spit paid dividends with numerous Lesser Sandplovers hiding smaller numbers of Greater Sandplovers, Kentish Plovers, many Terek Sandpipers, c25 Red-necked Phalaropes, Broad-billed Sandpipers, Curlew Sandpipers and the much-wanted Crab Plovers at one of their very few WP sites. More common waders were present in big numbers together with Whiskered, Gull-billed, Caspian, Sandwich and Lesser Crested Terns.
A breakfast stop on the way north to Abdali Farms the following day hinted at things to come with 2 Marsh Warblers, Menetries’s Warbler, Bluethroat, Redstart, White-throated Robin, Grey Wagtail and Daurian Shrike all around a tiny area of reeds behind the café! Abdali Farms then really came up trumps with a total of 7 Red-wattled Lapwings, Rufous Bush Robin, Rock Thrush, Black-eared Wheatear, Namaqua Dove, Whinchat and Black Redstart before a shout from nearby revealed the discovery of a sitting Egyptian Nightjar. This splendid bird posed for photographs under a stunted palm to the delight of everyone. A detour on the return journey to a channel overlooking the famous Bubiyan Island was a credit to the knowledge of our local guide because we were quickly ticking off the scarce Swift Tern with 8 of these distinctive birds on a sandbar. 80+ Crab Plovers, Spoonbill, Terek Sandpiper, Lesser Crested and Gull-billed Terns plus a Siberian Stonechat were also present.
The following day was a very long one but what a day it proved to be! Our first port of call was the isolated ‘oasis’ of Al Abraq out in the western desert. Despite its sad reputation for shooting it also has a rather happier reputation for turning up an amazing variety of migrants. It didn’t disappoint. Upcher’s, Eastern Olivaceous, Menetries’s and Marsh Warblers were amongst numerous Blackcaps, Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs, Lesser Whitethroats and another Hume’s Lesser Whitethroat. Semi-collared Flycatcher, Siberian Stonechat, Redstarts, Black Redstart, Hoopoe, Wryneck, Rufous Bush Robin, Masked Shrike, Daurian Shrike, Tree and Red-throated Pipits, Steppe Buzzard, Black-eared Kite, Night Heron and Horned Viper were also seen. All were eclipsed by a marvellous Shikra which was flushed and seen twice enabling positive id despite there being a couple of Sparrowhawks in the vicinity. A drive out into the desert to the Iraq border was productive too with Southern Grey Shrike, Isabelline Wheatear, 2 Pale Rock Sparrows, 2 Ortolans and a photogenic False Cobra.
After a long drive back to Kuwait City and then south we neared our other main site of the day – the very security conscious Zour Port. Quick visits to Sewer Plant Reeds and Power Plant Reeds gave us very little other than Little Bittern, Spotted Crake and Sedge Warbler before we met our local contact at the Zour Port gates. When the entrance formalities were complete we made our way to the sea and were quickly watching c80 Bridled Terns and a scattering of Lesser Crested Terns. 2 distant cormorants on an offshore rig were positively id’d as adult and juvenile Socotra Cormorants but the views weren’t what we’d hoped for. We were in for a surprise though as we walked a few hundred meters alongside the shore and discovered an adult Socotra Cormorant sat on the beach and showing down to 4 meters! 14 Crag Martins roosting on a nearby building were an outstanding local record too.
All in all it had been an exceptional tour with a virtual clean up of all the available specialities. The State of Kuwait continues to be a must visit destinatioin for the serious Western Palearctic birder.
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