A few winter birds arriving in Bahrain

Whilst out birding in Bahrain last week I took a couple of photographs of a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater at Jasra and a Northern Lapwing at the Chicken Farm. Blue-cheeked bee-eater where still around in quite good numbers but Northern Lapwing are only just arriving with this bird being the only one seen. Other good birds seen included a flock of 20+ Eurasian Skylark, 30+ Water Pipit, one Pied Wheatear, one Desert Wheatear, one Bluethroat, two Barn Swallow, three Ruddy Turnstone, four Cattle Egrets and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk that had just caught and killed a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, which it was having difficulty flying with so landed nearby to eat its kill.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Northern Lapwing

Bahrain - Northern Lapwing at Refinery Pond

Whilst birding with Brendan in Bahrain yesterday we found a juvenile Northern Lapwing at the Refinery Pond. This is a very unusual record as this is a winter visiting species in small numbers and has never been recorded in the summer with all previous records being between November and February. The fact this was juvenile made the record even more interesting as the nearest breeding range for Northern Lapwing to Bahrain is Turkey. I can find no other records from the Middle East of earlier record than this one with the earliest returning wintering birds being in September with the majority returning in November.