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Persian Shearwaters Puffinus persicus were recorded from August to December with a maximum of 450 off Khor Fakkan on 21 Sep. An adult Masked Booby Sula dactylatm was off Fujairah on four dates from 16 Nov-1 Dec (9th UAE record), plus a Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus was off Ra's Dibba on 23 Nov. The 3rd record of Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia came from the Abu Dhabi Golf and Equestrian Club from 23 Oct-10 Nov. Two early-returning Indian Pond Herons Ardeola grayii were at Khor Kalba on 3 Aug with a maximum of 11 here 22 Oct. A Lesser White-fronted Goose Anser erythropus at Zakher Pools from 25 Nov-7 Dec was the 3rd record, arriving during a marked influx of Greater White-fronted Geese An. albifrons (though there were only two records of Greylag Goose An. anser), records coming from nine sites in Nov/early Dec and involving about 30 birds. Up to 13 Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea were in Al Ain from 31 Oct-25 Dec with another seven at Al Wathba Lake from 24 Nov-15 Dec. A Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus at Hatta Dam on 13 Jul was the first record for that month, with up to three at Abu Dhabi city from 20 Sep onwards. Other raptors included a Lappet-faced Vulture Aegypius trachielotos over Jebel Hafeet on 5 Oct, Eastern Imperial Eagles Aquila heliaca at Dubai Pivots on 30 Nov, Al Ain from 2-20 Dec and Al Ain on 25 Dec and Lesser Spotted Eagles Aq. pomarina at Hamraniyah Fields on 19 Dec and Ra's al-Khor on 26 Dec. An Arabian Partridge Alectoris melanocephala at Green Mubazzarah from 23 Sep-30 Nov was an escape. Three Long-tailed Skuas Stercorarius longicaudus were noted off Fujairah during hurricane Gonlu on 6 Jun (8th record and the largest group seen). A Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla was at Fujairah National Dairy Farm (Fujairah NDF) from 8-14 Sep, and again on 13 Oct, with another at Green Mubazzarah on 15 Sep. A Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis at Fujairah NDF from 4-16 Nov was new species for the UAE. Black-winged Pratincoles Glareola nordmanni were at Dubai Pivot Fields on 17 Aug and Fujairah NDF on 21 Sep. A Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius was at Fujairah NDF from 14 Nov onwards, with two at Ghantoot Polo Club on 13 Dec and a single at Hamraniyah on 26 Dec. Eurasian Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria were seen at Mafraq on 3 Oct, Abu Dhabi on 28 Nov, Dubai Pivots from 30 Nov-8 Dec and two were at Hamraniyah on 26 Dec. Another new wader for the UAE was a Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes at Neima Pools from 28 Nov-25 Dec (see Plate 5 below). Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris were at Khor al-Beidah from 15 Sep, with a maximum of 50 on 3 Nov. A Long-toed Stint C. subminuta was at Al Wathba Lake on 1 Sep with another at Neima Pools on 29 Sep. A Black Tern Chlidonias niger was off Ra's Dibba on 11 Nov with up to 2 Brown Noddies Anous stolidus off Ra's Dibba from 4-16 Nov.

An unseasonable Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis was again on the Huwaylat Road on 13 Jul (also here 13 Jul 2006!), with another at Fujairah NDF on 6 Oct. Long awaited, a Pied Cuckoo Oxylophus jacobinus (formerly Jacobin Cuckoo) was at Fujairah NDF on 7 Sep - yet another new species for the UAE. Only a single Short-eared Owl Asio flammeus was seen, at Khor Kalba on 25 Oct. A Sykes's Nightjar Caprimulgus mahrattensis, the 4th record, was at Fujairah NDF from 20-21 Dec. Up to 12 Egyptian Nightjars Ca. aegyptius were also there on the same dates. Up to eight Oriental Skylarks Alauda gulgula were at Dubai Pivot Fields from 5 Oct-30 Nov, while a maximum of 26 Bimaculated Larks Melanocorypha bimaculata were at Al Wathba Camel Racetrack from 9 Nov-6 Dec. Single Brown-throated Martins Riparia paludicola were at Fujairah NDF on 7 Sep and Dubai Pivot Fields from 18-25 Oct. Two Pale Martins Ri. diluta were at Zakher Pools on 2 Nov and another was at Al Ain Compost Plant on 7 Dec. Up to six Olive-backed Pipits Anthus hodgsoni were in Safa Park from 27 Oct-23 Dec and up to three Buff-bellied Pipits Ant. rubescens were at Dubai Pivot Fields from 3 Nov-23 Dec. Two Forest Wagtails Dendronanthus indicus were also in Safa Park from 26 Oct-24 Nov (only the 2nd record away from Abu Dhabi island). Black-throated Thrushes Turdus atrogularis (formerly Dark-throated) were at Jebel Hafeet on 21 Dec and Dubai Pivots on 22 Dec, and a Pied Stonechat Saxicola caprata was at Fujairah NDF on 12 Sep (15th UAE record) but an influx of Eurasian Stonechats S. torquatus included birds at Hamraniyah Fields on 22 Oct (7th UAE record), followed by two at the Dubai Pivot Fields, three at Fujairah NDF, a single at Abu Dhabi Equestrian Club and two Al Wathba Camel Racetrack. This species appears now to be a regular winter visitor in small numbers. The long-staying male European Robin Erithacus rubecula at Mushrif Palace Gardens remained to 8 Jun, with a new bird seen here on 23 Oct, and yet another at Dubai Creekside Park on 12 Dec. A Savi's Warbler Locustella luscinioides was at Green Mubazzarah from 21 Sep-9 Oct. Paddyfield Warblers Acrocephalus agricola at Fujairah NDF on 28 Sep and Abu Dhabi city on 11 Oct (2nd & 3rd records). A Blyth's Reed Warbler Ac. dumetorum was at Khalidiyah on 9 Oct and another bird was nearby on 22 Oct. A Dusky Warbler Phylloscopus fuscatus was at Khalidiyah from 17-20 Nov and a different bird was there from 15-17 Dec (4th and 5th records). A Hume's Warbler P. humei was at Khalidiyah on 17 Nov and the Fujairah Hilton on 2 Dec. Green Warblers P. trochiloides nitidus were on Jebel Hafeet on 18 Oct and Khalidiyah on 6 Nov (11th and 12th records). A Eurasian Pied Flycatcher Ficedula hypoleuca was a good find at Khalidiyah from 22-23 Sep (3rd record) and six Red-breasted Flycatchers F. parva there on 6 Nov is a new UAE maximum count. There was only one report of Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus, a single at Ghantoot from 15-22 Nov. Up to six feral Baya Weavers Ploceus philippinus were nest-building at Dubai Pivot Fields from 10 Jul-8 Aug - a new breeding species for the UAE.

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