I walked over to the bush and all three birds flew into the taller mangrove. Inside the low bush, there was a Booted Warbler nest, c. 50 cm above the ground, containing two undamaged eggs and a third (very fresh) egg with two holes in the shell. There was also a broken eggshell, wet on the inside, on a branch adjacent to the rim of the nest. It appeared that the Clamorous Reed Warbler had been disturbed in the process of eating the eggs. The following day the nest was empty, with no trace of damage or the eggshells in the bush or its surroundings.

Nest of Booted Warbler Hippolais caligata containing three eggs at Khor Kalba, United Arab Emirates, May 1998. (Peter Castell)

During 11-14 May 1998, I found several other nests of Booted Warbler in the same general area, all in low bushes at the edge of mangrove. This is clearly the start of the laying period. only one nest contained three eggs, all others were recently constructed. and ready for eggs, with singing birds near each one. The nest containing three eggs was discovered on 11 May but was empty on 12 May, with no trace of damage, and had possibly also been predated by Clamorous Reed Warbler.

These are the first Booted Warbler nest observations in Arabia. A complete study of this small, isolated population, throughout the breeding cycle, is clearly required.

Peter Castell, Fairlawn, 679 Chester Road, Great Sutton, South Wirral L66 2LN, U. K.