Around the Region continued

Summary for 1995

Seven Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris were at Wadi Juba, Saudi Arabia on 22 September. In Turkey a total of 37 Spotted Crakes Porzana porzana was noted at six localities between 15-27 September, including 20 together with a Baillon's Crake P. pusilla at Balikdami on 18 September. The third Purple Gallinule Porphyrio porphyrio in UAE at Ruwais on 2 September (where next day the tenth Little Crake P. parva in the Emirates was found - w ith another there on 25 October), was closely followed by others at Zabeel ponds on 23 October-16 December and Ramtha tip from 10 November-27 December. A Purple Gallinule, of the race madagascarensis, was found dead at Zaranik on 23 September: the first record for northern Sinai. Two at Qurm Park, Oman from 29 October-1 November were the fourth country record. Finally, three or four Purple Gallinules were apparently shot in Kizilirmak Delta in September 1994. Although it has not been po ssible to confirm the identification by reference to the specimens, the hunters have provided a good description of the birds. This would be the most northerly record ever in Turkey, although there is a late nineteenth century record from the environs of Istanbul (Kumerloeve 1961). A White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus at Jebel Ali, UAE on 8 December was the fourth record, the most recent was in January 1995 (Orn. Soc. Middle East Bull. 34: 41). On Cyprus a roost totalling 345 Demoiselle Cranes Anthropoides virgo was at Akrotiri on 5 September, whilst 550 passed over Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in an hour on 22 March, but both totals were eclipsed by 1000 which passed through Lake Ghilli, Armenia between 2-9 September. There were 17 Little Bustards Tetrax tetrax in the Bet Shean valley northern Israel in December. In neighbouring Jordan Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata tracks wer e regularly found in Wadi Araba during July and August.

An adult female Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis at Al Ansab lagoons on 24 August-2 September was the fifth record in Oman, whilst the first breeding record in Israel involved a pair with four young photographed near Hadera on 25 October (see Dutch Birding 17 (6): 259-263). On Cyprus Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus bred for the first time in several years, with three pairs ar Zakaki Marsh. Four Black-winged Pratincoles Glareola nordmanni and a Dotterel Charadrius morinellus were at the Kizilirmak Delta, Turkey on 25 September: both were the first autumn records from this comparatively well watched locality (see Dijksen & Kasparek 1985). In Saudi Arabia two Dotterel 85 km south-east of Rafhah between 2-4 March were the first record from the Northern Frontier Province. The 17-18th records in UAE occurred in November 1995. A first winter Black-winged Pratincole at Duaka, Oman on 16 November 1994 ha s been accepted as the seventh country record. Two Little Pratincoles G. lactea strayed to eastern Arabia last autumn: singles at Fahud, Oman on 30 October and Khor Kalba, UAE on 2 December (seventh record). The second Kittlitz's Plover C. pecuarius for UAE was at Abu Dhabi racecourse on 23-25 September, closely following the first in September 1994 (Orn. Soc. Middle East Bull. 34: 41), whilst there were five Caspian Plovers C. asiaticus at various localities between 1-13 September, three at Al Habab on 29 September and one at Al Wathba in early November. The third Kittlitz's Plover on Cyprus was at Kouklia Reservoir on 10-12 March (COS (1957) Feb. 1996 Newsletter Supplement); previous records were in 1991 and 1993. An adult summer Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva at Zakaki Marsh in mid-August would be the first for Cyprus, if accepted (thus far details have not been submitted to the COS (1957) Records Committee, Peter Stewart pers. comm.). There is only one record from Turkey, in August 1988 (Kirwan & Martins 1994). The first Spur-winged Plover Hoplopterus spinosus in Armenia was at Massis fishponds on 8 November. A summer plumaged Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis at Khor Dubai on 1-2 July was the second record for the Emirates; the first was in 1994 (Orn . Soc. Middle East Bull. 34: 41). Several Broad-billed Sandpipers Limicola falcinellus were in Turkey, including two at Karamik Marshes on 16 September, one at Çavuscu Gölü next day, and five in Kizilirmak Delta on 26 September, but were overshadowed by 419 at Khor Dubai on 8 August. A Great Snipe Gallinago media was at Dhayah mangroves, UAE on 10 November. A Grey Phalarope Phalaropus fulicaria at Zaranik, northern Sinai on 20 September, was about the seventh re cord for Egypt, where there were also up to 25 Red-necked Phalarope P. lobatus at the same time (the highest ever numbers in Egypt). In Turkey there was one of the latter at Ulubat Gölü on 15 September with five in Kizilirmak Delta on 26 September.

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