08 June 2015

Sallal Al Dahna – Bird records by Khalifah Al Dhaheri

This is a sheltered valley at 1955 metres elevation above sea level, with a small waterfall at one end and a permanent small pool. The valley has large mature trees growing in it and is an excellent place to look for the endemic subspecies of Eurasian Magpie the Asir Magpie. Khalifah visited this area and saw the magie with two adults and a flightless juvenile showing breeding had occurred nearby. Both the adults started alarming near the nest, when Fan-tailed Ravens were above, and the young juvenile then move into the thickest tree. Other birds seen included one Philby's Partridge, three Hamerkop, Shikra, two Gray-headed Kingfishers, four Arabian Woodpeckers, Eurasian Kestrel, two African Paradise-Flycatcher, seven Fan-tailed Ravens, three Pale Crag-Martins, two Red-rumped Swallows, seven White-spectacled Bulbuls, eight Brown Woodland-Warblers, Blackcap, four Abyssinian White-eyes, six Arabian Babblers, four Gambaga Flycatchers, five Little Rock-Thrushes, Arabian Wheatear, four Yemen Thrushes, eight Violet-backed Starlings, four Tristram's Starlings, and two Rueppell's Weavers.
Arabian Magpie
Arabian Magpie
Grey-headed Kingfisher
Grey-headed Kingfisher