Records and photographs for Around the Region should be sent as soon as possible after the event to Around the Region, OSME, c/o The Lodge, Sandy, Bedfordshire SG19 2DL, U.K or by using the following email address:-

atrATosme.org

You can also send your records using the link below or the form below the link:-

The first Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor for Kuwait was found on 13 Dec at Sulaibikhat Bay. There was an Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris at Jahra East Outfall on 18 Nov and a female Merlin Falco columbarius at Jahra East on 7 Jul, with another at Sulaibiya Farms on 15 Dec. The fourth Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus for Kuwait (but the third for 2007) was at Al-Abraq on 18 Aug. There were many confirmed records of Macqueen's Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii with up to five at a time in the Sabah Al Ahmed Natural Reserve (SAANR) and an estimated total of over 20 birds in November and early December at this one site alone. It was thought to be the best autumn passage for many years with possibly over 200 individuals seen throughout Kuwait. Unfortunately many will have been victims of falconer and hunters. A single Eurasian Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria was at Jahra East Outfall on 22 Nov, and from the photographs is the first confirmed record for Kuwait. This was closely followed by the second record on 8 Dec 2007 at the Sulaibiya Pivot Fields. There was a new record daily count of Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus of 268 at the Sulaibiya Pivot Fields on 14 Dec. This is a new site for birdwatching so this species has probably been wintering here in large numbers previously. A single Spur-winged Lapwing V. spinosus was at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields on 6 Nov and is the sixth record. On 6 Dec, six Red-wattled Lapwing V. indicus were found at Abdally Farms and another was at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields on 8 Dec. The first Little Curlew Numenius minutus for the Middle East (previously only a vagrant in OSME region in N Kazakhstan) was found on 12 Dec at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields and was still present on 15 Dec 2007

Little Curlew Numenius minitus at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields, Kuwait, December 2007 © Mike Pope

An impressive count of 66 Great Black-headed Gulls Larus ichthyaetus was made at Khiran on 8 Dec. A Black Tern Chlidonias niger, the fourth record, was at Sulaibikhat Reserve on 3 Aug. Up to 50 Common Woodpigeon Columba palumbus were wintering in Sulaibiya Pivot Fields; this bird was previously considered to be a scarce visitor. A Pharaoh's Eagle Owl Bubo ascalaphus was seen at Kabd on 4 Oct and was the first record since 2001 and a single Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis was at Sulaibiya Pivot Fields on 3 Nov. A Calandra Lark Melanocorypha calandra was at Jahra East Outfall on 15 Nov and was the second record; the first record was in 1998. The second and third Buff-bellied Pipits Anthus rubescens for Kuwait were at Jahra East Outfall on 21 and 24 Nov respectively. Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus were scarce during the winter with two at Green Island on 8 Dec 2006 and one in a garden in Kuwait City on 8 Dec the only records. Two Red-tailed Wheatear Oenanthe chrysopygia were wintering in the SAANR during Nov-Dec. A record of two Purple Sunbirds Cinnyris asiaticus at Subiya on 5 Jan 2008 will be the first record for Kuwait if accepted. On 29 Nov a Redwing Turdus iliacus was present at Jahra East Outfall. The second Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum for Kuwait was found on 1 Dec at Jahra East Outfall. A total of 11 Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva were seen at three sites during the autumn; Tulha in the SAANR, Qaisat and Al Abraq Al-Khabari. Three Common Babbler Turdoides caudata were seen at a new site at East Doha on 25 Oct whilst the resident breeding birds at Abdally farms were observed on 6 Dec. What is assumed to be last year's wintering Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach returned to Sulaibikhat reserve on 12 Nov and was still present on 15 Dec. A male Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs was at Jahra East Outfall on 13 Nov and two Reed Bunting Emberiza schoeniclus were at the same site on 10 Dec. A flock of up to 22 Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus was a new daily record; the birds were feeding on the seeds of elephant grass at Al Abraq throughout October and there was a maximum of 18 juvenile Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala at the same site during Aug.

The following assisted in the compilation of this review: Abdulrahman al-Sirhan, Khaled al-Ghanem, Rashed al Hajji, Mishal al-Jeriwi, Khaled al-Nasrallah, Hussain al-Qallaf, Abdulmohsen al-Surayae, Simon Aspinall, Ahmad Barati, Richard Bonser, Gary Brown, Jamie Buchan, Hugh Buck, Colin Conroy, Kris de Rouck, Helen Demopoulos, Philippe Dubois, Johan Elmberg, Lee Evans, Pekka Fagel, Brian Foster, Barak Granit, Ian Harrison, Kenny Hessel, Erik Hirschfeld, Jon Hornbuckle, Shady Indary, Moldovan Istvan, Sharif Jbour, Faisal Jelabi, Nabil Khairallah, Howard King, Anssi Kullberg, Graham R Lobley, Edith Loosli, Ramat Magshimim, Mary Megalli, Nick Moran, David Murdoch, Chris Naylor, Mike Orr, Ortac Onmus, Tommy Pederson, Yoav Perlman, Cliff Peterson, Mike Pope, Richard Porter, Richard Prior, Colin Richardson, Phil Roberts, Gordon Saunders, Mahmoud Shihab, Mudhafar Salim, David Stanton, J-M Thiollay, Simon Tull, Karen Wade, Geoff Welch, Nizamettin Yavuz, Emin Yogurtcuöglu