'karelini' type Turkestan Shrike - Dhahran Hills

Whilst birding the spray fields on 15th April I saw an unusual Turkestan Shrike that had a typical Turkestan Shrike look but had a ‘grey’ mantle and crown colour, rather than the browner colour of classic Turkestan Shrikes. This bird fitted well with what I expected for a 'karelini' type bird but lacked the white at the base of the primaries I was expecting and had a darker tail that I thought was atypical. I was also concerned by the rufous wash to the flanks and although it appeared to be clean white below was not entirely so. This prompted me to look into 'karelini' in more detail and I found out the following that I though was worth sharing, most of which has come from Brian Small and particularly Alan Dean on Surfbirds - this is an excellent forum for gaining an insight from more knowledgeable and experienced birders on difficult subjects such as this and I am very thankful to them, and others, for taking the time to share their undoubted knowledge. The opinion on this bird is that it is a hybrid type Turkestan Shrike and Red-backed Shrike (or other species), as it does not fit a classic 'karelini' as its tail is to dark, the crown & mantle colour are not pale grey enough (it should be like a 'grey shrike' in colour) and the underparts are not clean white enough. This was the feeling I had when I saw the bird but it is great to have it clarified by others.

Turkestan Shrike (adult male) karelini type

Brian Small mentioned he thought this bird was a hybrid rather than a classic ‘karelini’ due to the black central rectrix and tips to outers… Alan Dean mentioned that my bird has some features suggesting introgression, especially the extent and depth of ‘black’ in the tail (though he noted that undoubted phoenicuroides quite often has some darkening of the tips of the tail feathers). It is probably not a true classic ‘karelini’ alhough the bird Panov states to be identical with the type specimen of 'karelini' … has decidedly grey mantle and crown but there is some rufous/russet sullying in the scapulars, as with my bird. Alan suggests my bird “would certainly fit into Panov’s series of 'karelini' types ….. No doubt some birds ascribed to 'karelini' are of hybrid origin - but perhaps phoenicuroides x collurio is not always the parentage. Whether all 'karelini' types (especially those with rather uniformly pale grey upperparts – as in Bogdanov’s illustration) are of hybrid origin remains unresolved in my opinion.”

Turkestan Shrike (adult male) karelini type

The karelini type shrikes are a type that is only well understood by a few expert birders and the situation is not clear to the majority of us. There are some thoughts that karelini may be a colour morph of Turkestan Shrike whilst others think it is a hybrid of Turkestan Shrike phoenicuroides and Red-backed Shrike collurio (Panov, Sandgrouse 31, 2009). Birds labelled karelini go back to an illustration in Bogdanov 1881, and were thought to be a hybrid by him, so dark portions in the outer-tail would not be unusual in 'karelini'. The range of karelini plumages that Panov has identified from skins are generally grey(er) birds, but also they include some more phoenicuroides like birds (at the pale end), but with darker areas in the tail. Classic karelini birds normally have a quite uniformly pale grey crown and pure grey upper-parts resembelling a ‘grey shrike’ with the mantle of such individuals being like neither Red-backed Shrike nor typical Turkestan Shrike, nor is it intermediate between them. Karelini is a shrike with a ‘grey shrike’ hue (in quite fresh plumage) which in combination with clean white under-parts, with perhaps a pink/peach suffusion confined to upper and rear flanks, results is an appearance which is very distinctive, as much so as in any of the other forms. These classic type karelini add credence to the possibility they are colour morphs of Turkestan Shrike and not hybrids. Wear and bleaching of typical Daurian Shrikes also needs to be taken into account if faced with a grey looking karelini type shrike. The problem with this type is that many people appear to assign to karelini any Turkestan Shrike type which lacks a contrastingly rufous crown. Yet many of these individuals are in almost all other respects quite ‘typical’ phoenicuroides, with an evident brown component in the mantle colour any of which may be hybrids such as those identified by Panov? Evegeniy Panov regards karelini as a relatively stable hybrid form (The True Shrikes of the World, published by Pensoft) and includes two series of specimens to back up his argument. The first series has the first bird as a classic male Red-backed Shrike and the last a classic male Turkestan Shrike with the other eight various hybrid forms including karelini, showing karelini fits into this series of hybrid forms in his opinion. The second series contains 20 specimens which he claims illustrate a gradual transition between specimen 1, a classic male Turkestan Shrike and specimen 20, which he claims is ‘indistinguishable from the type specimen of karelini’. Although there is an increasing greyness to the upper-parts, the key feature appears to be a ‘decreasing rufous tinge to the head’. He also mentions that karelini occurs most frequently (though by no means exclusively) where the ranges of Turkestan Shrike and Red-backed Shrike approach or overlap. Whether karelini is a morph of Turkestan Shrike or a relatively stable hybrid form is certainly a controversial question currently.

Turkestan Shrike (adult male) - typical example

Foreign ringed Clamorous Reed Warbler – Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Whilst ringing at Alba Marsh on Friday 13th April we caught a ringed Clamorous Reed Warbler. This was not too unusual as we had re-trapped quite a few birds at this site previously, all of which had been ringed at the same site as they were recaptured at. The ring was a BTO ring but the number was not the same as those we had been ringing with since I have been visiting Alba Marsh. As I took the bird out of the bag I knew the number looked different and mentioned the fact to Brendan. He looked through his ringing book and could not find details of the ring. The ring itself also did not look like the rings we were using although it had been on a bird leg for some time so may have changed? At lunchtime we went back to Brendan’s house and looked on his ringing database and again drew a black. This meant the bird had been ringed somewhere else and was not from Bahrain. This was surprising as although the species breeds locally from Egypt eastwards through Pakistan, Afghanistan and northernmost India to south China, south-east Asia and south to Australia with one endemic race in Sri Lanka, most populations are sedentary. Breeding birds occurring in Pakistan, Afghanistan and northern India are migratory, performing short distance migrations within the Indian sub-continent. Another equally as interesting point to note is the bird was a female with a brood patch indicating it is local race bird.

Clamorous Reed-Warbler (female)

Clamorous Reed-Warbler (female)

Clamorous Reed-Warbler ring number

Ring Number: VR88323

Ringing date: 22-November-2008
Ringing Place: Al Khor, Qatar, Bahrain & Qatar (Co-ords: 25deg 38min N 51deg 30min E)
Ringer: K. Thornton & W. Jones
Finding date: 13-April-2012
Finding Place: Alba Marsh, Bahrain, Bahrain & Qatar
Finding Condition: Alive (breeding female)
Duration: 1239 days
Finder: Dr Brendan Kavanagh

The bird had moved approximately 80 kilometres in a WNW direction in 1239 days. We are awaiting details of the age of the bird when ringed and some other details but this record constitutes the first record of a foreign ringed bird recovered whilst ringing in Bahrain for Brendan.

Things are quiet - Dhahran Hills

The weather continues to be poor in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with a lot of sand and dust in the air and reduced visibility. These are normally good conditions for grounding migrants but this year the weather has been poor for so long that the migrants do not appear to be on the move in such numbers as usual. Numbers, therefore, seen whilst birding the ‘patch’ this week have remained fairly low. Wheatears have all but disappeared with just one female Black-eared Wheatear seen and Swift, Swallow and Martin numbers also being considerably lower with less than 20 of each with the exception of Barn Swallow where numbers were up to 30 birds. Bee-eater numbers also remained low with only two small groups of five birds each seen.

European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Shrikes are the only birds that are still present in reasonable numbers with all being Turkestan Shrike and Durian Shrikes with up to ten Turkestan Shrikes being seen daily. One very grey hybrid ‘karelini’ type shrike (Turkestan x red-backed) was seen on two days and a detailed account of this bird will be posted later. Turkestan Shrikes still outnumber Daurian Shrikes by about two to one. The Black-winged Kite is still present hunting mainly over the pray fields and perching in its favourite trees next to the pond. This bird has now been present for three weeks at the same site. Raptor numbers have been very poor this year compared to last year with the only one seen this week, excluding the Black-winged Kite, being a female Common Kestrel.

Turkestan Shrike x Red-backed Shrike hybrid 'karelini' (male)

Other birds seen in reasonable numbers are Red-throated Pipit where up to 30 birds are regularly seen in the spray fields and Ortolan Bunting where a couple of different small groups of up to eight birds each are present near the spray fields and in the scrubby desert area. A few Eastern Olivaceous Warblers and three European Turtle Doves have also arrived for the breeding season but again these are in low numbers compared to last year. A single white phase Indian Reef Heron was the only good bird seen on the Percolation pond and two Common Greenshank were seen flying over the same area on one day.

Ortolan Bunting

European Turtle Dove

First Spring Whinchats - Dhahran Hills

I went birding to the ‘patch’ with a special guest. Abdulla, part of the ringing team in Bahrain, was over in Saudi Arabia and came to see what my local area was like for birding. I picked him up and we went to see what was about. Whilst driving through the scrubby desert area we found two female Eastern Black-eared Wheatears and saw a few European Bee-eaters flying around. We went to the percolation pond but things were very quiet there with the only real good bird being an adult male Little Bittern sitting in the open, but frustratingly always behind reeds from where we were. Seven Great Cormorants were still present which is getting late for them and they will all depart in the next week or so. The acacia trees along one side of the pond held three Eastern Olivaceous Warblers and a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. Two male Common Redstarts were darting between the acacia trees and the wire fence surrounding the pond. Small numbers of Common Swift were still on the move through the camp. The Black-winged Kite was still present sitting on its favourite trees next to the pond, so now Abdulla is the only person in the world to have seen Black-winged Kite in Bahrain (where he and Brendan found the first for the country earlier in the year) and in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, where this bird was a first record also.

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear (female)

Common Redstart (male)

Next we went to the spray fields were a few Red-throated Pipits were flying around calling with their distinct calls. Five Turkestan Shrikes and six Daurian Shrikes were present including one very interesting looking Turkestan Shrike, which I will post details off later. Two Barred Warblers were in the trees around the edge of the spray fields and a group of six Ortolan Buntings were feeding on the grass seed heads allowing good views. A striking male and less striking female Whinchat were seen perched on the tall grass in the spray fields with these being the first returning migrants of this species I have seen on the camp this year. 

Daurian Shrike (female)

Ortolan Bunting

Whinchat (male)

Lastly we looked around the trees and wet areas on the outside of the pond fence and saw a couple more male Common Redstarts, two Daurian Shrikes and the same male Masked Shrike as I had seen the day before. Here again we saw two more Barred Warblers and another Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin.

Masked Shrike

Ringing at Jasaer – Bahrain

I stayed in Bahrain for the full day so went ringing with Brendan and Nicole again in the afternoon to a new site for me at Jasaer, Here we met up with Abdulla so had the entire Bahrain ringing group together in a single site. Abdulla had up a single net and had just caught a Barred Warbler which he let me ring as this was a new ringing species for me. Nicole ringed the one we caught at Alba Marsh as she had not ringed one either. Jasaer is an area of tallish trees and scrub with nice rides to set the nets up in. Whilst I was ringing the Barred Warbler Brendan and Nicole set up three more nets to see what we could catch.

Barred Warbler

Barred Warbler

Just after we arrived the weather changed and the wind got up and it looked like it might start raining. After an hour it was obvious it would start raining so Abdulla and Nicole started taking down the nets and I carried on ringing under the supervision of Brendan or Abdulla. We caught 12 birds, two Barred Wablers, one Eurasian Blackcap, five Willow Warblers, two Common Chiffchaffs, one Willow Warbler and a Common Redstart. The Common Redstart was a re-trap and had been ringed by Brendan at the same site four days previously. I just managed to ring the last bird before the weather turned to rain and as can be seen from some of the photos it was almost dark and I had to use a flash to take photographs. This was at 17:00 hrs in the afternoon a time when it should have been full daylight and sunny but due to the storm this was not the case.

Common Redstart (male)

Common Redstart (male)

Common Redstart (male)

Eurasian Blackcap (male)

Eurasian Blackcap (male)

Lesser Whitethroat

Lesser Whitethroat

All in all a very enjoyable days ringing with 51 birds caught of which I ringed 33 birds and two new ringing species – Red-throated Pipit and Barred Warbler.

Ringing at Alba Marsh – Bahrain

A very early start to take advantage of the morning activity period was done on Friday morning and we arrived at Alba Marsh just after first light. We set up three 18 metre four panel nets and a 12 metre four panel net. Bird activity looked reasonable as we set up the nets and a large movement of Swifts, Swallows and Martins was progressing. The first bird caught was a new ringing species for me in the form of a Red-throated Pipit in summer plumage.

Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit


We had quite a successful morning for us and caught 39 birds including five Red-throated Pipits, 11 Willow Warblers, 12 House Sparrows, six Clamorous Reed Warblers, one Graceful Prinia, one Yellow Wagtail, one Daurian Shrike, one Turkestan Shrike and one Barred Warbler. There were two re-traps, both of which were Clamorous Reed Warblers one of which was ringed at the same site and the other, with a BTO ring, from elsewhere which I will report on when we find out the data.


Barred Warbler (young male)



Barred Warbler (young male)

Clamorous Reed Warblers (two males)

Clamorous Reed Warbler (male)

Yellow Wagtail (female flave type)

 

Yellow Wagtail (female flave type)

Willow Warbler



Since the last visit to Alba Marsh three weeks ago the Bluethroats and Water Pipits have moved out but large numbers of Red-throated Pipits have moved in. Willow Warblers have now replaced Common Chiffchaffs which is normal for this time of year with Willow Warbler being a later migrant through the region. An adult male Little Bittern was flushed on three occasions from the wet areas but did not go into the net and a number of breeding Black-winged Stilts were present making a lot of noise protecting their nest and young.

Grounded Migrants - Dhahran Hills

The last couple of days on the ‘patch’ there have been plenty of grounded migrants after the weekend’s bad weather. On Friday late afternoon / evening there was torrential rain with thunder & lightening so the signs were good for migrating birds to have been stopped in their tracks. I was not disappointed with large numbers of birds being seen. The first indications of the number of birds were small flocks of European Bee-eaters flying about catching insects. Although there were hundreds of European Bee-eaters in total there were still only a couple of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters present.



European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater



I drove over the scrubby desert area hoping for wheatears and Rock-thrushes but saw only a single male Pied Wheatear. I then carried on to the percolation pond where I saw a group of 13 Common Sandpipers that had been grounded and were all feeding actively together on the best wet edge of the pond. There was very little else on the pond but 50+ Barn Swallows and 25+ Sand Martins were hunting over the pond. There was a large passage of Common Swift with small numbers of birds passing over for the entire time I was at the pond and there must have been 300+ birds in total. The Black-winged Kite was still present perched in the dead trees at the edge of the pond and later seen hunting over the spray fields. A walk around the pond & spray fields produced 15 Barred Warblers, 50+ Willow Warblers, seven Lesser Whitethroats, five Eastern Olivaceous Warblers and a single male Eurasian Blackcap. A single European Turtle Dove was sitting in a small tree next to a nice male Turkestan Shrike. Shrikes were still around in reasonable numbers with seven Turkestan Shrikes, four Daurian Shrikes and the year’s first Masked Shrike (for me) but no Woodchat Shrikes were seen. Four Common Redstarts, three males and a female, were around the edge of the pond and two singing male Clamorous Reed Warblers were in full song in the newly re-growing reed beds. A fine adult male Black-headed Yellow Wagtail (M.f.feldegg) was showing well on the edge of the pond.

European Turtle Dove

Daurian Shrike



The spray fields themselves had good numbers of Red-throated Pipits with up to 50 seen and six Tree Pipits were also located. The year’s first Ortolan Buntings were also seen with at least seven birds seen but possibly many more as the birds were very flighty and I didn’t want to double count any so just counted the most I could see together at any one time. The last bird of the day was a Eurasian Wryneck seen in the same place as I saw my first bird on the camp a couple of weeks ago. This one was a little bit more confiding and I got a slightly better, although not brilliant, photograph of it.

Eurasian Wryneck



Daurian & Turkestan Shrikes - Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Whilst ringing at Alba Marsh last weekend we caught two shrikes in the mist nets. Luckily for me I was not around to extract them and my fingures were saved. I was, however, able to ring both birds and Turkestan Shrike was a new ringing species for me. The Daurian shrike was a female type and the Turkestan Shrike a first year male. There are plenty of shrikes around at present in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain so it was not too surprising we caught a couple. The Isabelline Shrike (Lanius isabellinus) was previously treated as conspecific with Red-backed Shrike L collurio (Vaurie, 1959) or with both Red-backed & Brown Shrike L cristatus (Dement’ev & Gladkov, 1954). Until recently, it has generally been treated as a separate species comprising four sub-species: two, phoenicuroides and isabellinus breeding in central Asia and migrating southwest, wintering in Arabia and NE Africa; two other subspecies arenarius & tsaidamensis, breeding in North China and are shorter distance migrants, wintering in Pakistan and NW India west to Iran. Another proposal by Russian authors who have been studying these birds within their breeding ranges for years, is to consider this taxon as two independent species: the Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus and Turkestan Shrike L. phoenicuroides (Korelov 1970, Panov & Kryukov 1973, Kryukov 1995, Panow 1996). This view was adopted in a new checklist of Russian bird species (Koblik et al 2006), which was compiled to improve on previous lists by Stepanyan (1978, 1990). This Russian thinking has recently been adopted by the Dutch committee for systematics (CSNA) who "split" the "isabelline" shrike complex into three species in 1998 (Sangster et al, 1998). This was based on the grounds of "qualitative differences in morphology and analyses of their contact zone" and "vocalizations" (Sangster 1998). They name them as follows: L isabellinus (formerly speculigerus), Daurian Shrike, L phoenicuroides, Turkestan Shrike; L arenarius (formerly isabellinus) and tsaidamensis, Chinese Shrike.

 Turkestan Shrike (2nd CY Male)

 Turkestan Shrike (2nd CY Male)

 Turkestan Shrike (2nd CY Male)

 Daurian Shrike (female)

Daurian Shrike (female)

Siberian Stonechat – Alba Marsh (Bahrain)

Whilst ringing at Alba Marsh a couple of weekends ago (I just found out that I forgot to post these details) Brendan saw a male and female Siberian Stonechat of the sub-species maurus, in the short cut reed area to the side of where we normally set one of our 18 metre four panel nets. The water depth was too deep here to try to entice the birds into the net, but fortunately the female managed to enter the net of her own free will. This was a new ringing species for me and it was interesting to see the bird in the hand at close quarters. The rump appeared warmer in the hand but was completely unstreaked as would be expected. The white wing patch was also well developed on the bird.

Recently Stonechat has been split by many into three separate species, African Stonechat, European Stonechat (with sub-species rubicola & hibernans) & Siberian Stonechat (including maurus, variagatus, armenicus & stejnegeri).