28th January 2023
Not a gull this time but a tern and there were some 30 Great Crested Tern at West Khawr Beach with 1000s of gulls!
What a contrast today with intense hot sun from the dull, cool, light rain of yesterday. With a mix up with hiring the car, I didn’t get out on the road until mid-afternoon and I made the short drive to West Khawr. I made many visits the last time I was here and drove around the flooded land just north of the beach. Then there were birds all over the shop, mainly egrets, herons, terns and waders. Today there was not a dicky bird in sight!! The floods had dried up! Disappointed I drove to the beach where I followed the coastal track for a few miles west. Then I saw the gulls! 100os of them stretched out miles west and also in large flocks following fishing boats close inshore. I couldn’t resist and joined them as I walked along the tideline. Unfortunately, it was the same species of gulls as yesterday, although I only covered 10% of them. On the deck were also some 30 Great Crested Tern with others flying and the light was spot on for photography.
Great Crested Tern
Also a small flock of Bar-tailed Godwit feeding on the beach
Oh yeah, there were the odd one or two gull as well
That was on the east side of me. This was the west side and they had taken over the beach for as far as I could see along the beach
100s also out at sea with the fishing boats
Sooty Gull
Heuglin’s Gull
Steppe Gull
Just across from the beach is West Khawr Pool and flloded area. To my surprise there were up to 10 Shoveler with 5 Cotton Pygmy Goose. Also present were a single Wood Sandpiper, Ringed Plover, and Little Grebe, 4 Black-tailed Godwit, 14 Glossy Ibis, 5 Squacco Heron, 3 Western Reef Heron, 2 Citrine Wagtail, 2 Caspian Tern, 4 Greater Flamingo’s and 3 Temmink’s Stint and an Oman tick, a single Snipe fly through. An Isabeline Shrike was nearby. It was now getting on for 18.00 and my belly was rumbling. 5 minutes later I was back at digs and around the corner I got stuck into a Turkish dish.
Duno if 10 shoveler is a high count for this area and it was another Oman tick for me
One of the 3 Temmink’s Stint
Greater Flamingo
Crested Lark
Blue Pansy was ba
SCILLYSPIDER 2 