An early morning trip to Sabkhat Al Fasl last weekend resulted in a few straggling migrants and four Eurasian Spoonbills. A single adult Eurasian Spoonbill was seen almost immediately on arrival at the first area of water but if flew off and was only seen again briefly in flight once until I was just about to leave when I found four adults together on the flooded sabkha. The flooded sabkha also had quite a few White-cheeked and Little Terns flying around feeding allowing some nice photos to be taken over the very smooth water. This area also held a single Caspian Gull, one Slender-billed Gull and about 1000 Greater Flamingos that have stayed very late this year. There were still quite a few waders at one end of the sabkha including 30+ Terek Sandpipers, five Ruddy Turnstones, 10+ Lesser Sand Plovers, 100+ Dunlin, 100+ Little Stints, 200+ Kentish Plovers, five Common Redshanks, three Marsh Sandpipers, a Eurasian Curlew and 20+ Little Ringed Plovers. Passerines were thin on the ground with a few Red-backed Shrikes, two Whinchats and several Barn Swallows and Sand Martins seen. A House Crow, plenty of Crested Larks and a few Rock Doves or feral pigeons? Were also seen. A new bird for me for the site was an Alexandrine Parakeet that flew over early morning but this is just as likely to be an escaped cage bird as a wild arrival.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl24-n199nYZvljlbNmTkcO9yTokSsDSnQUPdd5TKQpAIHRvOHYMeh7TEpfWqg6sGXV1ZJgUZctd8ZbQgdYCrDxNsm0GA1yCVm2h6-1agzJNxYqHXJRB39-ez9E6KoYcJ7nBZvXJ4J7Jw/s1600/Eurasian_Spoonbill.jpg) |
White-cheeked Tern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6aOKHH47Ic3swoJegxhhUPO-ZRCu1vLJsRKxlxm7g1XBGlmRZ8PzKE9c2BGamAGhl4yCjHNnm1VRJDxO9YI4ImgIBbe3GkXKAxfStpC3N3jr3v2oSrnVJ7HJCiw-zTH2bV1wuUR3EgTc/s1600/White-cheeked_Tern.jpg) |
White-cheeked Tern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcvssWlc_Xh1tpTvvUlFXXpkEOlOjmK-xksvA-RI7rhgcn-IQhdlAadkp0OPNX2v3m4Y12vcjOAw8zHOmyWW8GEw_gi7LLcz3DuNlarz9FsFx7VKdpJP83fRat03d2R5Lvt2IfHhYOXRQ/s1600/White-cheeked_Tern1.jpg) |
White-cheeked Tern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjVzTl6rXSzbWg7F1ESfpzvkYPB8bGpdMa1jtHWrq3krkt3Wr-1XGEEVL3fxOjgWRrbbt3apPStwghIQFoH3SgBALk0tegeNhMcUI636_Hd7xKDggh94Wm7cbokCYxoq51oCBNaExX1oU/s1600/White-cheeked_Tern2.jpg) |
White-cheeked Tern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYrrNj1arCERxcKgLnIKsWmtY7uDnVcYqHcyfm_sAfznZffYnY-luv-LZlOx9J2Rzohv4O10g_QbOmTE3qGbzP6_ueLi7S0GJrIwCDVvpFatL9_5yLv38whqbXVDS_7LEskuerk21Dyk/s1600/White-cheeked_Tern3.jpg) |
White-cheeked Tern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheApmPpPfFp1DNEijmrx3AKCK_IUEw_8zIxXjAnOdk0VGa1CL_nh0_fdIGLQRip_0od_BvMgCi3eHgsbpE6nEU1pi6_5a-DwVbKXMDVcKTJa7H21CHP5Na2otI5ZqSpF4tboDioXLCfag/s1600/Little_Tern.jpg) |
Little Tern |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcqptmz_-PEBJDUQ7a5lONdQ3WhH9zia7dU8ksa0UL6X-riINxdGkxTX8vTWU3lEpMaiEBq8ssCb5WdRYNmgWwGHKiGgsBzWVwvlJoTaoHjWoBYPrleuTI8nqVRm-uLGesvPGh-XL-Huk/s1600/Caspian_Gull_-_2nd_calender_year.jpg) |
Caspian Gull - 2nd Calendar Year |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt8qPnKhZ9lRMNiKNMZJxnm7bRJyPhrjfjeoXe760lBLSgJpjgkKNZwqfW8xMbylS3kR8SWvS0JnPsNcB-atTnxLOpUUoyzgbyn7Tol1k35TJ4fBaA1sap3cXqXtXwRB8YBJdP5hbqXS0/s1600/Slender-billed_Gull.jpg) |
Slender-billed Gull |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8NHTxV02JURyI209e92C7wV70YHTc_qp_a-BDciwrfwQ8mITtnHl5iMRLvcWleqox5YvRpVa3lRAXRCtD76Z1PvILjqRvGRAyiks4GDf_mbpWDaJKscTjhfxX1zgeqsJuVr9AQIBDYgg/s1600/Terek_Sandpiper.jpg) |
Terek Sandpiper |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm-Lud0TF4Mx7rj3pzC33iAdtoKsezb2qRBrWMgcXu0y2V7bIYXVMwilvMQxmibQZr6ZoBlSd-3nWKUAA6WY8ijSZREtW5wG4G5bU4rzjZMYdqAWBjn0hY13MH2ATobztcw9kcOE3whOQ/s1600/Little_Ringed_Plover.jpg) |
Little Ringed Plover |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaaB83zJ-7eCz6w-Sv7ufhOfOTtt6Xa4krvgnQ8N_Wqx5C0WDZp501vhTPTm4Qk7ascLiRY6xT0I5jb1Cm1srxJX6cF-2GTgntBh53GlZM7IeVEGqLvjc8NdWpvNj8gaeCBCin-JEHXHY/s1600/Crested_Lark.jpg) |
Crested Lark |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaDr_K3g5Qlufj__y-5wK4eMc_1-2jYfcCfeoKRoPboC12KJgcds2UBNZ0lsWQhC7zGTBZEvJiqM2IsMOARo74auSgZz2GS4WZ_niADj4H8zSNbTvubTFdmlxGXG5McmCf5W1SS5pO34w/s1600/Red-backed_Shrike_-_male.jpg) |
Red-backed Shrike - male |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgECnOl2nyElzu6dHidXC3WAAyVm5WKl-QnruOo6A84yWKYdNSl7P5vb39mq-hsqX0Fhqeh0hfONDksHrE2aKO4zmMpsetisAUBwFixQeakePMXZDa5bULfNlPKnW0Gkl9LlYBuzgq8bZU/s1600/Rock_Dove.jpg) |
Rock Dove |