Some good birds ringing at Alba Marsh – Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

An early morning ringing trip to Alba Marsh in Bahrain produced a few good birds for us. We caught slowly but steadily and ended up with 15 species of bird which is quite good for us. I know this is a laughably small amount for most ringers but we have limited places with permission to ring so beggers cannot be choosers as they say. We do catch good number of species, however, and out of the 15 birds we caught ten different species. Birds included Common Kingfisher, which was a new ringing species for Bahrain last autumn but which we have caught ten birds now. We re-caught a Clamorous Reed Warbler from two years ago (25/11/2011), ringed at the same site, and the Eurasian Wryneck ringed on 28 September. The Wryneck was caught in exactly the same net and had increased in weight from 36.2 grams to 45.1 grams an encouraging sign for the bird.

Common Kingfisher

Eurasian Wryneck

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Other birds caught included several more Clamorous Reed Warblers, Eurasian Reed Warbler, two Bluethroats including one Red-spotted male and a first year female, Great Reed Warbler, Sedge Warbler, Savi’s Warbler and two Turkestan Shrikes the first shrikes we have caught this autumn. The shrikes were side by side in the same net so I suspect they had been chasing each other and both ended up in the net at the same time.

European Reed Warbler

Red-spotted Bluethroat

Sedge Warbler

Possible breeding of Great Reed Warbler a first for Bahrain – Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

On Saturday 12 October 2013 Nicole and I caught a very young Great Reed Warbler at Alba Marsh in Bahrain. The bird had a patch on the belly indicating it was just out of the nest as well as a fairly obvious yellow gape (see photographs below). Due to these reasons we initially thought the bird was a Clamorous Reed Warbler as they breed in Bahrain at Alba Marsh but after taking wing measurements it became apparent the bird was a Great Reed Warbler. We also caught three other Great Reed Warblers on the same day including adult birds. The fact the bird was so young suggests it may have bred at the site, which, as far as I know, would be a first occurrence for Bahrain. Bill measurements as well as all other ringing data also confirmed the bird was a Great Reed Warbler rather than a Clamorous Reed Warbler. Great Reed Warbler has bred in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia as well as in Kuwait but most records refer to birds breeding in the summer months. They breed from April to August in northern Europe, but during the winter in parts of Africa so it is possible they could breed much later than August in Bahrain. The late date of this bird could indicate it was a passage migrant, and I am unaware of how young birds can be before migrating? I am trying to find out more information on the breeding of Great Reed Warbler and will report further if more interesting information becomes available.

Great Reed Warbler & Clamorous Reed Warbler - Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Whilst ringing at Alba Marsh (Bahrain) in the early morning of last weekend we caught four Great Reed Warblers Acrocephalus arundinaceus and a single Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus. We caught a Clamorous Reed Warbler and a Great Reed Warbler in the same net on the same net round allowing me to take a few photographs of both species in the hand together, something that has probably not happened too often. The Clamorous Reed Warbler is mainly sedentary, although some perform short distance migrations, and the Great Reed Warbler is a long-distance migrant throughout its range. The Clamorous Reed Warbler is largely a breeding resident in Arabia with the only positively identified race occurring in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia as Bahrain is A. s. brunnescens which has a longer primary projection and shorter thicker bill than A. s. stentoreus making it look more like a Great Reed Warbler than many people think. We do trap birds on passage in autumn with much narrower and longer bills with shorter wings, such as the one shown below. These birds may be from the northern form A. s. stentoreus? Although currently this subspecies is only recorded as occurring in Egypt, including Sinai and Levant. They are darker/warmer and more buff coloured over most of the under-parts with a very restricted whitish area on the mid-belly, throat and chin, which is sometimes absent. Breeding birds in the region prefer phragmites reed beds rather than mangroves which is their preferred habitat in the United Arab Emirates.

Great Reed Warbler (left) & Clamorous Reed Warbler (right)

Clamorous Reed Warbler (left) & Great Reed Warbler (right)

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler

Above are a few photographs of both Great Reed Warbler and Clamorous Reed Warbler with side by side birds in a couple. All photographs were taken in Bahrain in October 2013. A good way to identify the two species are the wing shape and primary length with Clamorous Reed Warbler A. s. brunnescens having a short primary projection about two thirds the tertial length (half the tertial length on A. s. stentoreus) and Great Reed Warbler A. a. arundinaceus having a longer primary projection as long as the exposed tertail length. The longest primary is normally p3 for Great Reed Warbler and P3/4 for Clamorous Reed Warbler.

Great & Clamorous Reed Warblers - Ringing at Alba Marshes (Bahrain)

The ringing situation has changed slightly over the summer with Brendan moving back to Ireland from Bahrain. He remains our trainer and is keeping a close watch on what we are doing but, unfortunately for us, he will not physically be present. Luckily Nicole became a qualified C ringer over the summer and now and I can go ringing with her as well as Abdullah who is also a C ringer, although will soon be an A ringer. Brendan kindly left us some of his rings and equipment to use whilst Nicole is getting all her ringing equipment sorted out. It seems like a long time ago I last went ringing as I have not been able to go to Bahrain over the last few weeks as the families passports and Iqamas (residents permit) were away being renewed. I only got them back on 19^th September and as a result arranged at very short notice with Nicole to go ringing at Alba Marshes. We started out very early at 04:30 hrs from Dhahran so we could have most of the nets up early to try to catch the first moving birds. We set four mist nets up which proved to be quite successful although only two of the four nets caught birds. As this was Nicole and my first ringing trip without Brendan it turned out to be quite successful with no issues noted although we certainly missed knowledge and skill. We were obviously a bit slower than when Brendan was about and more searching in Svensson was required for a couple of tricky birds, more of which will be posted later, but it was very enjoyable and worthwhile.


Great Reed Warbler

Great Reed Warbler - head

Great Reed Warbler - wing

Clamorous Reed Warbler - head

Clamorous Reed Warbler - wing

Clamorous Reed Warbler - fault bars on tail

We both needed to be back in Saudi Arabia for the afternoon so closed the nets up by 10:00 hrs, when it was getting too hot anyway, and had a total catch of ten birds including five species of which two were ringing ticks for me and one was a ringing tick for Nicole.

Great Reed Warbler & Clamorous Reed Warbler Identification – Alba Marsh & Al Ali Farm (Bahrain)

The Clamorous Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus) and the Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) are closely related warblers that are similar in morphology and behaviour, and have partly overlapping breeding ranges in the Middle East and southern Central Asia. The Clamorous Reed Warbler is mainly sedentary although some perform a short distance migrations and the Great Reed Warbler is a long-distance migrant throughout its range. The trouble we have in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia as well as Bahrain is the fact we have Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens as the race that occurs and most field guides show pictures and details of Acrocephalus stentoreus stentoreus. A. s. brunnescens has a longer primary projection and shorter thicker bill than A. s. stentoreus making it look more like a Great Reed Warbler than many people think. Singing males are easily distinguished, with Great Reed Warblers having a variable and high-pitched song, whereas the Clamorous Reed Warbler has a monotone low frequency song. Below are a number of photographs of both Great Reed Warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus and Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens. The Clamorous Reed Warbler photographs show the bill shape and size of an adult and a fresh juvenile not long out of the nest. All photographs were taken in Bahrain in April 2012.

Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus



Clamorous Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens



Clamorous Reed Warbler (juvenile) - Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens



Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus



Clamorous Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens



Clamorous Reed Warbler (juvenile) - Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens


Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus is a wide-ranging species, extending from the Red Sea region to China and New Guinea with ten subspecies recognised. The only birds identified at subspecies level in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain have been A. s. brunnescens, which is known from specimens collected in the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. The species is largely a breeding resident in Arabia, but some northern A. s. stentoreus may occur in Arabia as a winter visitor. Some small scale movements occur between breeding sites and presumably close by wintering areas. It is common in suitable habitat with many breeding birds in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia & Bahrain preferring phragmites reed beds to mangroves which is their preferred habitat in the United Arab Emirates.

Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens occurs from north-east Sudan, north-west Somalia, Arabian Peninsula and from south central Kazakhstan south to southern Iraq and Iran and east to northern Indian sub-continent. Non breeding birds seen in peninsula India.
Acrocephalus stentoreus stentoreus occurs in Egypt including Sinai and Levant.

A. s. brunnescens has a longer and more pointed wing, longer tail and shorter bill than nominate. They are less rufous above and are uniformly olive-brown or greyish olive instead of the light to deep warm brownish-olive colouration with rufous mainly on the rump in A. s. stentoreus. They are paler and whiter below with a paler and smaller area of greyish-olive buff on body sides and under-tail coverts whereas A. s. stentoreus has darker/warmer and more buff colouration over most of the under-parts with a very restricted whitish area on the mid-belly, throat and chin, which is sometimes absent.

Clamorous Reed Warbler  - Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens

 

Clamorous Reed Warbler  - Acrocephalus stentoreus brunnescens


The Great Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) is a wide ranging species extending from Europe to north-west China. It is mainly a passage migrant where it is uncommon from mid-March to mid-May, and again from mid-August to November with the majority of birds occurring in the spring. A few birds breed in Saudi Arabia but it has not been proved to breed in Bahrain. Many migrants are found in scrubby areas with bushes or trees rather than in phagmites reed-beds, although birds do occur in this habitat as well. Both sub-species occur in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with the majority being Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus.

Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus breeds in Europe, except the north-west & north, north-west Africa and Turkey east to the Volga Basin, Caucusus and Caspian Sea. Noon breeding sub-Saharan Africa
Acrocephalus arundinaceus zarudnyi breeds northern Iraq and northern Iran and from River Volga and Caspian Sea eastwards to north-west Mongolia and south to Tajikistan and north-west China. Non breeding sub-Saharan Africa.

Sub-specific diffrences are slight and clinal, but typical individuals can be distinguished. Acrocephalus arundinaceus zarudnyi is paler and less rufous with olive-green upper-parts and browner rump and upper-tail coverts. They also have much whiter pale parts including a more distinct supercillium, throat, upper chest, belly, flanks and under-tail coverts. Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus is warmer rufous-brown, particularly on the rump and has warmer buff flanks and under-tail coverts.



The best way to identify the two species are the wing shape and primary length with Clamorous Reed Warbler A. s. brunnescens having a short primary projection about two thirds the tertial length (half the tertial length on A. s. stentoreus) and Great Reed Warbler A. a. arundinaceus having a longer primary projection as long as the exposed tertail length. The supercillium of A. a. arundinaceus is more obvious being broad and pale and continuing behind the eye, whereas A. s. brunnescens has a distinct but narrow supercillium stopping at the rear of the eye. The lores and eye-stripe of A. a. arundinaceus are dark and more prominent than on A. s. brunnescens. Bill size and shape is also a good point for identification with A. s. brunnescens having a long and narrow bill and A. a. arundinaceus having a shorter and thicker ‘thrush like’ bill. Care should be exercised with young A. s. brunnescens just out of the nest as these have shorter and thicker bills but they seldom if ever reach the ‘thrush like’ nature of A. a. arundinaceus. Tail shape can be help if the birds are not moulting their tail feathers with A. s. brunnescens having a longer more rounded tail and A. a. arundinaceus having a shorter and only moderately rounded tail. If very good views are obtained then leg colour can also be a guide with A. a. arundinaceus having a pinkish brown to greyish brown leg colour and A. s. brunnescens being greyish. Care has to be taken that the legs are not dirty to accurately judge the colour.

Great Reed Warbler - Acrocephalus arundinaceus arundinaceus