Change to the Status of Savis Warbler in Bahrain – Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

An early morning ringing trip to Alba Marsh in Bahrain in mid-October produced another Savi’s Warbler. This is the fourth record of the species we have had from this small marsh in Bahrain. Prior to ringing at the marsh there had only been a few records of the species recorded from Bahrain and it was regarded as a vagrant. We have caught birds in the spring and autumn and the true status of the species is probably a scarce passage migrant, which is similar to the status of nearby Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. This is a useful piece of information that has been added during out small scale ringing project and as the species is not easy to see I suppose this has always been the status but birds just have not been seen by the limited number of birders that bird or have birded the country. This bird was in wing moult.

Savi’s Warbler and more - Ringing at Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Nicole and I went ringing last weekend for the first time since last spring. The temperature is now low enough to get back to ringing and as a result we got to the site early. We had to cut a few new net rides and it took a little longer to set the nets than normal as we were out of practice but by 06:30 everything was up and running. We caught ten birds in total including a Common Moorhen, Clamorous Reed Warbler re-trapped at the same site from 2 November 2012, six European Reed Warblers and a Wryneck.

European Reed Warbler

European Reed Warbler

Common Moorhen - juvenile

 The best birds for us were the Wryneck but especially the Savi’s Warbler which is the third we have caught at the same site. It is a good bird for Bahrain where it is currently classed as a vagrant with birds seen in both spring and autumn migration periods. The fact we have caught three different birds in two years at the same site indicate they are a scarce passage migrant rather than a vagrant and this will need to be updated by the relevant authorities over time. The subspecies of Savi’s Warbler that occurs in the region is Locustella luscinoides fusca which is more olive brown with paler under-parts and more obvious white tips to the under-tail coverts than the nominate European form L l luscinodes making it look slightly different. They are certainly dark looking birds compared to the Reed Warblers we were catching.

Savi's Warbler

Savi's Warbler

Savi's Warbler

Savi's Warbler

Savi’s Warbler – Dhahran Hills

A walk around the percolation pond after work provided a few good birds with the best being a singing Savi’s Warbler. This is only the second one I have seen on the ‘patch’ and a good bird. They are scarce in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia but are probably overlooked due to their ‘skulking’ nature. This bird was in full song for at least 25 minutes in the late evening and although occasionally showing itself was impossible to photograph due to the light and views. I have included a photograph of a bird we caught in March last year in Bahrain to show the type of bird it was. The race we get is fuscus and most birds are found by their call or song first. The other bird I saw in Dhahran was also in March in 2011. The Savi's Warbler was still present last night singing, but this time from the other side of the pond. Other birds seen included a small group of 15+ Pallid Swifts, 30+ Red-rumped Swallows, a male Pied Wheatear, one Isabelline Wheatear, three Tawny Pipits, one Red-throated Pipit, a Western Marsh Harrier and a Red-spotted Bluethroat. Several Shrikes were in the spray fields including two Daurian Shrikes, one Woodchat Shrike and one Turkestan Shrike.

Savi's Warbler

Pallid Swift

Pallid Swift

Turkestan Shrike

Tawny Pipit

Savis Warbler - Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Whilst ringing at Alba Marsh on Friday morning Nicole extracted a bird from the net of which she was not 100% certain of the identification. This is normally good news and she is generally very confident of birds she has ringed before. The bird was not a Caspian Reed Warbler and when I looked at the under-tail coverts it was obviously a locustella warbler and Savi’s Warbler looked good. We checked at the details in Svensson’s ringing guide and it turned out to be a Savi’s Warbler, a bird I had ringed at the same site on 9^th March 2012 but one that Nicole had not ringed previously. Savi’s Warbler is a good bird for Bahrain and is currently classed as a vagrant with birds seen in both spring and autumn migration periods. The fact we have caught two different birds in a year at the same site may indicate they are a rare or scarce passage migrant rather than a vagrant? but only time will tell. The subspecies of Savi’s Warbler that occurs in the region is Locustella luscinoides fusca which is more olive brown with paler under-parts and more obvious white tips to the under-tail coverts than the nominate European form L l luscinodes making it look slightly different. L l fusca breeds in Turkey & Jordon eastwards to central Asia including north and south Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, north-east Iran and probably north-west Afghanistan. They winter in north-east Africa principally in Sudan & Ethiopia. Birds have bred in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and have been suspected of breeding in Kuwait.

Savi’s Warbler – Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Whilst ringing at Alba Marsh on 9^th March we caught a strange bird, for us at least. It was obviously not a Caspian Reed warbler as it was too big but was much too small for Clamorous Reed Warbler of Great Reed Warbler. Initial thoughts than turned to Basra Reed Warbler but things did not look right for this species even though I had never seen one and Brendan had only seen a single bird in the hand last year. The bill length did not look long enough for Basra Reed Warbler and the under-parts colour was not white enough either. This combined with the leg colour being reddish rather than grey and the tail shape and wing shape appearing wrong seemed to eliminate the species. It is amazing how different birds look in the hand than they do in the field. We checked details in Svennson’s ringing guide but the wing measurements and details did not fit for any of the Acrocephalus warblers. As a result we started looking at the Locustella warblers as the bird had very long under-tail coverts. From this point onwards it became clear the bird was a Savi’s Warbler which is a good bird and is classed as a vagrant for Bahrain. I had heard a singing Savi’s Warbler at the very same spot where this bird was trapped the week before (see previous weeks ringing post) and mentioned it to Howard King, who was at the site, and Brendan but did not realise its vagrant status. The sub-species of Savi’s Warbler we get in the area is fusca which is more olive brown with paler under-parts and slightly different to the European lusciniodes. Fusca breeds in Turkey & Jordon to central Asia including north & south Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, north-east Iran and probably north-west Afghanistan and winters in north-east Africa principally in Sudan & Ethiopia. The Savi’s Warbler has bred in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and has been suspected to breed in Kuwait (G. Gregory 2005).