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K U W A I T
Kuwait
Birding in the Gulf
Tuesday 01 April – Tuesday 08 April 2014
Leaders: Nigel Jones and Dobromir Domuschiev
2014 Cost £2,799 single room supplement £380
KUWAIT
Kuwait
City
he small state of Kuwait, situated on the north-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, lies at the
Tvery south-eastern edge of the Western Palearctic but also on two major migration routes – Eurasia
to Africa and Turkey to India. Due to these flyways, and despite its landscape being mainly a sandy desert, Kuwait is a great place to go birding. For certain
species Kuwait is often the only place within the western Palearctic where you may find the following – Grey Hypocolius, Lesser Sand Plover, Red-vented
and White-eared Bulbuls, Bank Myna, and Afghan Babbler. Beside these, many other highlights are here: Crab Plover, Greater Sand Plover, Socotra
Cormorant, Red-wattled Lapwing, Greater Crested, Bridled and White-cheeked Terns, Egyptian Nightjar, Grey-headed Swamphen, Dunn’s Lark, Blackcrowned
Sparrow-lark, Common Babbler, Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Menetries’s and Upcher’s Warblers, Daurian, Turkestan and Steppe Grey Shrikes,
Semi-collared Flycatcher, Pale Rock Sparrow, Cinereous Bunting, Persian Wheatear and many more.
The coastline holds a considerable number of waders with Terek, Marsh and Broad-billed Sandpipers and Red-necked Phalarope all possible in addition
to those already mentioned. We can also find many species of gulls including Great Black-headed, Armenian, Slender-billed and various races of the Lesser
Black-backed as well as Bridled, White-cheeked, Lesser and Greater Crested Terns. Even small reedbeds can reveal virtually anything alongside views of
Great, Clamorous and Basra Reed Warblers. On our recent recce trip we found over 15 crakes of three species (plus Water Rail) within 50 sq. metres. The
oases and small farms scattered throughout the adjacent deserts also hold exciting species such as White-throated Robin, Persian, Desert and Pied
Wheatears and numerous other passerines. Raptors may include Levant Sparrowhawk and Shikra, Pallid Harrier and Great Spotted Eagle. Plus there is
always a chance for the Pallid Scops Owl.
There is always the possibility of something really unusual to turn up, both for Kuwait and the Western Palearctic, and we can expect over 150 species in
just a week. The beginning of April is the time when the migration is in full force, while we may still catch up with some of the wintering birds which are still
in the area. It will already be warm, but not too hot, around 30 Celsius or so. This will require early starts, but we can return to the hotel for a siesta on some
of the days. The hotel we have chosen is located at the edge of the city and to reach most the sites we will have very little driving through the traffic. We
will spend the entire holiday in one hotel only, and it is not only perfectly situated near one of the major wetlands, but also has a swimming pool – a valuable
asset in the middle of the day and in between excellent morning and afternoon birding sessions.
ITINERARY
Days 1 to 7
We take a flight to Kuwait City where we arrive in
the evening and transfer to our hotel where we
stay for seven nights. We will have six full days to
explore Kuwait and each day we will go to
different areas, but some of the sites along the
coast and wetlands near the hotel we will visit
more than once and it also depends on the tides
times. The furthest site requires no more than a
90 minute drive to be reached.
The city itself is a place where we will look for the
Grey Hypocolius, Red-vented Bulbul and the
Bank Myna, plus there will be many other
migrating birds – Pied Wheatear, various
subspecies of Yellow Wagtails, Red-throated
Pipits and Ortolan Bunting which can be seen
feeding on every tiny patch of green grass. All
these can be found at the Green Island, Jahra
City Park and Jahra Fields.
The coast will produce most of the birds we will
see during the holiday – Sulaibikhat Bay, Jahra
pools, Jahra east outfalls, Doha spit and Doha
south are all excellent spots for birding,
especially during migration. Gulls, waders –
Terek, Marsh and Curlew Sandpipers, also Rednecked
Phalaropes, Gull-billed Terns, even
raptors migrating through such as Greater
Spotted Eagle, Lesser Kestrel and Levant
Sparrowhawk. The few fresh water wetlands and
the outfalls will add even more species –
warblers, crakes and more waders. The
adjacent fields should reveal Upcher’s Warbler,
Steppe Grey and Daurian Shrikes, Eastern
Grey Hypocolius
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For a previous tour report or further information please call: 01794 519445