Desert Ducks

There are some new man-made lakes that have recently been created to the South East of Dubai. They are still a way from becoming established sites and for some reason the authorities have introduced feral species from around the world leading to strange sights of birds that would normally never co-exist !   It has already become a popular place for Walkers, Picknickers, Quad Bikers etc.... but nevertheless still provides good photo opportunities.  In this blog are pictures of wintering Northern Pintail and Eurasian Wigeon at sunset,  they are regularly flushed by passing 4x4s and so do provide nice images in the fading light of them arriving back at the lake.  I will be visiting on a regular basis over the coming weeks look forward (hopefully) to more opportunities to capture more species as the year goes on.

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)

Eurasian Wigeon (Mareca penelope)

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)

Forest Wagtail - UAE Record No 10

This Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus) is a recent vistor to Abu Dhabi,  I believe, according to the Emirates Bird Recorder, it is the 10th Record for the UAE, the first being Nov 1989 and the last Dec 2012.   It is only my second sighting,  the last being in 2009, so I enjoyed my hour or two yesterday in the Ghaf woods with this little bird.

It is extremely shy and does not tolerate human company much at all,  so best strategy was to pitch up nearby and wait !   Patience after all is a virtue and often rewarded.   Date Taken 16.01.15

Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)

Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)

Forest Wagtail (Dendronanthus indicus)