Sandgrouse 38 1

Sandgrouse is published by OSME and contains papers and short notes on the ornithology of the OSME region, provides bird and conservation news from the region and a comprehensive round up of bird sightings in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

Sandgrouse volume 38 (1) Spring 2016

Sandgrouse Cover 38 (1)

Cover photo: Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus, Al-Ain city, United Arab Emirates, February 2015. © Ashraf Kotb

2Genetic analysis of a Western Reef Egret Egretta gularis from Israel
 J Martin Collinson, Euan Ferguson, Tim Jones & Chen Rozen
5A Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach in Khorasan-e Razavi province, northeastern Iran
 A Khani, M Rezayi & MJ Ali Poor
7The oasis effect: bedouin gardens benefit resident and migratory birds in southern Sinai, Egypt.
 Andrew Power, Olivia Norfolk & Francis Gilbert
12Recent status and occurrence of Crested Honey Buzzards Pernis ptilorhynchus in the Arabian peninsula, with emphasis on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
 Jem Babbington & Oscar Campbell
23First confirmed evidence of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica breeding on the Arabian peninsula
 Bernard Bracken
27Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis, Persian Shearwater Puffinus persicus, Jouanin’s Petrel Bulweria fallax and Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus, Muscat to Djibouti and into the Red sea, March/April 2015.
 Robert L Flood
36Observations of the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius during autumn migration in Azerbaijan.
 Pedro Romero Vidal & Robert Sheldon
71First breeding record of Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in Iraq
 RF Porter
73First confirmed breeding of the European Serin Serinus serinus in Lebanon. A potential threat to Lebanese breeding Syrian Serins Serinus syriacus?
 Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi, Assad Serhal & Mona Ramadan-Jaradi
77First record of Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus for Tajikistan.
 Raffael Ayé
79Diet of Barn Owl Tyto alba and Tawny Owl Strix aluco in central Anatolia, Turkey.
 Nedko Nedyalkov & Zlatozar Boev
82A globally important migration staging site for Sociable Lapwings Vanellus gregarius in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
 Paul F Donald et al
96Egyptian record of Wahlberg’s Eagle Hieraaetus wahlbergi is the first in the Western Palearctic and Middle East.
 Ahmed Waheed
99Counts of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus and other avian scavengers at Muscat’s municipal landfill, Oman, November 2013–March 2015.
 WA Al Fazari & MJ McGrady
106First record of Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina, first breeding record of Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus and first records of Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler Phylloscopus orientalis, Olive Tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum and Goldcrest Regulus regulus, for Iraq
 Korsh Ararat
110Rare and localised Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii declining in Cyprus; results from systematic monitoring 2007–2015 and data for Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis and Mediterranean Shags Gulosus aristotelis desmarestii.
 Martin Hellicar
118A survey of Little Tern Sternula albifrons colonies at Port Said, Egypt, in 2015 with notes on behaviour.
 Mohamed I Habib
124From the Rarities Committees.
 Ian Harrison (compiler)
212Around the Region.
 Ian Harrison & Chris Lamsdell (compilers)
Editor:Dr Peter Cowan OSME Editor, Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman
Editorial AdvisorsVasil Ananian, Paul Goriup, Mike Jennings, Dr Fares Khoury, Guy Kirwan, Dr Mike McGrady, Dr Stephen Newton, Yoav Perlman, Dr Manuel Schweizer, Arend Wassink
Photographic EditorPaul Doherty
Identification ConsultantsDr Raffael Ayé, Arnoud van den Berg, Chris Bradshaw, Andrew Lassey, Richard Porter