A Spotted Sandgrouse Pterocles senegallus nest with five eggs found in Wadi Araba, Jordan on 21 July constituted a new breeding record for the country. Two Hume's Tawny Owls Strix butleri were heard calling in Wadi Shuwaymiyah on 16 January, the fifth record in Oman, whilst a Long-eared Owl Asio otus at Thumrait, Oman on 1-2 April was the fourth record. At least 180 Stock Doves Columba oenas between Safawi and Ruwayshid, Jordan on 31 December was a sig nificant count. In southern Egypt further sightings of African Collared Dove Streptopelia roseogrisea involved four near Abu Simbel temple in late September, whilst further north the second Rufous Turtle Dove S. orientalis in Egypt was three miles north of Naama Bay, Sinai on 18 November. The first was at Abu Simbel in October 1990 (Madge 1992). The record of one at Eilat, Israel in April 1995 (see Orn. Soc. Middle East Bull. 35: 69) has recently been questioned (see Birding World 9 (1): 27). A male Namaqua Dove Oena capensis found on Das Island, on 15 November was the 11th UAE record. A Little Swift Apus affinis at Sharm-el Sheikh on 21 October was about the eighth record for Egypt, whilst singles at Sun Farms, Sohar on 8 November 1994 and Khawr Sawli on 14 November 1994 have now been accepted as the ninth and tenth records in Oman. In addition to the report recently listed (Orn. Soc. Middle Ea st Bull. 35: 67) three further sightings of Little Swift on Cyprus during the period 9-22 April brought the total number of accepted records for the island to five. Two Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus at Malaki Dam on 22 September were a rarity in Saudi Arabia, as was one at Khawr Razat, Oman on 24 August. At Salalah, Oman there was a Koel Eudynamys scolopacea on 17 March. The Jahra Gardens, Kuwait hosted an Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis on 1 Dece mber. Egypt's fourth Abyssinian Roller C. abyssinica was at Abu Simbel on 29 September (Pfützke & Halley 1995). In addition at least ten were at Malaki Dam between 21-23 September, where there were also over 20 Grey-headed Kingfisher Halcyon leucocephala during the same period. The first White-breasted Kingfisher H. smyrnensis in the Riyadh area, Saudi Arabia was present between 24 August-28 September at least. In south-west Saudi a single African Grey Hornbi ll Tockus nasutus below Al Hada, near Taif on 6 October was unusually far north.
Return to previous Around the Region contents page
© OSME. All Rights Reserved