Wildlife Camera Trap Update - 17th April 2016

The Hedgehog lives in the garden and the camera recorded his first visit to his dish at 9 pm, but I didn't put the Peanuts our until 10 pm.

Coltsfoot at the end of Zinc Works Road

After completing my WeBS count, I noticed several clumps of Coltsfoot in the grass.

10th April WeBS Count for Seaton Sands - start 16:30 to 17:15

8 Great Black-backed Gull
4 Herring Gull
1 Eider
1 Cormorant

10th April WeBS Count for North Gare Sands - start 17:00 to 18:20

172 Oystercatcher
1 Redshank
1 Eider
50 Knot
1 Curlew
2 Ringed Plover
2 Dunlin
2 Brent Goose
2 Shelduck

Garden Moth Update

We have just last Friday completed Week 8 of the Garden Moth Scheme for 2016. The maximum count so far in 2016 is 3 moths which is probably due to the cool overnight temperatures.

28th March
2 Hebrew Character
1 Light Brown Apple Moth

1st April
No moths

8th April  - overnight temperature 7.6C
2 Early Grey
1 Clouded Drab

16th April - overnight temperature 0.4C
No moths

23rd April - overnight temperature 2.5C
1 Hebrew Character
 

Clouded Drab

Early Grey

2 Early Grey & 1 Clouded Drab

Dubai - Ras La Khor - 26th March 2016

Last visit to Ras La Khor with each visit something different was spotted. No new birds from the reserve, but wonderful views of birds none the less.

Common Kingfisher
Striated Heron
Marsh Sandpiper
Common Redshank
Greater Flamingo
Western Reef Heron
Little Egret
Great White Egret
Common Snipe
Avocet
Black-winged Stilt
Little Stint
Kentish Plover
Greenshank
Great Spotted Eagle
Osprey
Purple Heron
Cormorant
Collared Dove
White-cheeked Bulbul
Chiffchaff
Grey Francolin

View from hide

Red-wattled Plover

Great Spotted Eagle

Common Kingfisher

Striated Heron

What a great holiday.

Lifers
Shikra over garden on 21st March
Evan's Bluetail Damselfly
Slender Skimmer Dragonfly
Purple Blushed Darter
Small Salmon Butterfly
Dark Grass Blue Butterfly
Blue-spotted Arab Butterfly
Hawaiian Beet Webworm
Essex Y Moth
plus 1 unidentified moth

Dubai - Mushrif National Park - 24th March 2016

We had a good afternoon visit to Mushrif National Park.

Grey Francolin
Great Spotted Eagle
Red-wattled Plover
Collared Dove
Laughing Dove
Hoopoe
Rose-ringed Parakeet
Southern Grey Shrike
Indian House Crow
White-cheeked Bulbul
Chiffchaff
Lesser Whitethroat
Arabian Babbler 4
Eastern Black Redstart (pair)
Common Myna
Purple Subird
House Sparrow.

We were parked in a sheltered spot when four Arabian Babblers came out of nowhere bouncing across the road towards our car. They flew up into the trees and I managed the photos below.

Dubai - Garden Wildlife

All spotted from the garden during our 2 weeks away.

23 species of Bird
1 species of Dragonfly
1 species of Damselfly
4 species of Moth

Green Bee-eater

Red-vented Bulbul

Common Myna

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Laughing Dove

Purple Sunbird (female)

House Sparrow

Hoopoe

Dubai - Ras La Khor - 23rd March 2016

I spent 90 minutes birdwatching from the hide at Ras La Khor. It was a perfect time to go because I was the only visitor to the hide.

13 Ringed Plover
1 White Wagtail
18 Little Stint
6 Grey Heron
113 Greater Flamingo
7 Great White Egret
7 Western Reef Heron
1 Common Redshank
3 Capsian Tern
1 Chiffchaff
5 Red-wattled Plover
1 Purple Heron
2 Common Snipe
1 Greenshank
5 Black-winged Stilt
4 Purple Sunbird
3 Gull-billed Tern
4 Great Spotted Eagle
1 Osprey
5 Avocet
2 Slender-billed Gull
3 Teal
6 White cheeked Bulbul
Indian House Crow
House Sparrow
Collared Dove
4 Little Egret
1 Great Cormorant
2 Marsh Sandpiper
2 Temminck's Stint
1 Citrine Wagtail
2 Common Sandpipe
1 Daurian Shrike
1 Spoonbil

View from the hide

Purple Heron

 

Great Spotted Eagle

Greater Flamingo

Common Sandpiper

Dubai - Saih al Salam--Expo Lake on 21st March 2016

eBird information (24.8480x55.3548)

10 Egyptian Goose
4 Mallard
2 Ferruginous Duck
1 Great Cormorant
1 Grey Heron
1 Little Egret
2 Macqueen's Bustard (Houbara Bustard)
4 Black-winged Stilt
4 Red-wattled Plover
4 Kentish Plover
2 Common Sandpiper
1 Temminck's Stint
6 Little Stint
60 Collared Dove
15 Laughing Dove
6 Crested Lark
40 House Sparrow

Macqueen's Bustard (Houbara Bustard)

Dubai - Arabian Ranches Lake & Area - Birds

During a walk to the shops on the 18th March, I spotted a Tree Pipit in the scrub area alongside the path.

Tree Pipit

White-cheeked Bulbul

The same walk the next day, added Crested Lark to the list.


Arabian Ranches Lake
ebird information (25.0586x55.2916) - birds spotted on 19th March 2016

10 Little Grebe
9 Western Reef Heron
2 Green Sandpiper
1 Red-wattled Plover
2 Great Cormorant
1 Purple Sunbird
50+ House Sparrow
1 Hoopoe
8 Collared Dove
7 Laughing Dove
2 Indian House Crow
15 White-cheeked Bulbul
2 Graceful Prinia
5 Common Myna

On the 21st March, a Shikra was circling over the house - what an unbelievable sight.

Dubai - Arabian Ranches Lake & Area (Damselflies & Dragonflies, plus other insects)

Damselflies / Dragonflies
Evan's Bluetail (found in garden) - see post for 14th March
Slender Skimmer (Arabian lake)
Purple Blushed Darter (Arabian lake)

Slender Skimmer

Purple Blushed Darter

Other Insects
Scoliid Wasp, Camsomeriella thoracica (found in the garden)
Unidentified Wasp (found in garden)
Unidentified Fly (found in the garden)
Unidentified Insect (found in the garden)

Scoliid Wasp

Unidentified Wasp

Unidentified Fly

Unidentified Insect