Michael's Ninth Year

[xelas]

14 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

My birds are probably a bit redundant since Alex has posted them,

 

Absolutely not, Michael. You can always choose a different angle. And you can add an interesting story about each bird photographed and each location visited. Anyway, this year our birds will overlap in a Big Way  throughout the year.

[michael-ibk]

36/O4) Tibetan Sand Plover (Anarhynchus atrifrons or Charadrius mongolus) / Mongolenregenpfeifer)

 

Muscat River Mouth, Oman, 24/2/2024.

 

 

I was very sure we had seen Tibetan (formerly and according to IOC still just Lesser) AND Greater Sandplover but became unsure when going through my photos. And am still unsure.

 

See the interesting discussion on birdforum here:

 

https://www.birdforum.net/threads/sand-plovers-from-oman-02-2024.453783/

 

 

This looks good for Greater IMO but I am far from certain so won't count it.

[michael-ibk]

3 minutes ago, xelas said:

You can always choose a different angle.

 

Of course, all the birds we saw danced around us and posed for us at any angle we wished for, so I have a myriad of very different shots to choose from. 

 

3 minutes ago, xelas said:

year our birds will overlap in a Big Way 

 

I'm sure I can find a hungry Lion or grumpy Puffy that removes the competition in Namibia. 

Edited April 15 by michael-ibk

[xelas]

1 minute ago, michael-ibk said:

I'm sure I can find a hungry Lion or grumpy Puffy that removes the competition in Namibia. 

And Botswana! For Seewinkel you are too late 

[michael-ibk]

37/O5) Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa limosa) / Pfuhlschnepfe

 

Muscat River Mouth, Oman, 24/2/2024. The rarer of the two European Godwits for me to see. Only seen in the North of Oman.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

38/O6) Sanderling (Calidris alba) / Sanderling

 

Muscat River Mouth, 24/2/2024. One of my favourite waders, I just love the way they are playing catch with the waves. Only seen at this location.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

39/O7) Slender-billed Gull (Chroicocephalus genei) / Dünnschnabelmöwe

 

Muscat River Mouth, 24/2/2024. A widespread gull, from Portugal all the way to Kazachstan. One of the nicer-looking Gulls IMO. 

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

40/O8) Pallas's Gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus ) / Fischmöwe

 

Muscat River Mouth, 24/2/2024. A huge, very impressive Gull. Have only seen this one before in Chad of all places, supposedly out of range. 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

41/O9) Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) / Zwergseeschwalbe

 

Muscat River Mouth, Oman, 24/2/2024

 

 

42/O10) Saunder's Tern (Sternula saundersi) / Orientseeschwalbe

 

East Khawr, Oman, 28/2/2024

 

 

Two extremely similar species. The white patch on the forehead is pretty squared off IMO (one of the decisive ID factors), and Saunder's is the more common one of the two in Southern Oman apparently.

[PeterHG]

28 minutes ago, michael-ibk said:

do mock me @PeterHG!

I wouldn’t dare. You even got two two of them!

Amazing flight shots, Michael, I’m glad you are posting your Oman birds, too!

[michael-ibk]

43/O11) Great(er) Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii) / Eilseeschwalbe

 

Muscat River Mouth, Oman, 24/2/2024.

 

 

 

44/O12) Lesser Crested Tern (Thalasseus bengalensis) / Rüppelseeschwalbe

 

Al Mhugsayl, Oman, 3/3/2024. The smaller species with the more orange (than yellow) bill.

 

 

The difference is quite obvious when you see them together in a neat group like this but with single flying birds I found it quite difficult.

Edited April 15 by michael-ibk

[michael-ibk]

7 minutes ago, PeterHG said:

You even got two two of them!

 

And there you go mocking me again! 

[michael-ibk]

45/O13) Western Reef Heron (Egretta gularis) / Küstenreiher

 

Muscat River Mouth, Oman, 24/2/2024. One more white Egret to make Egreting more fun. But fortunately it has a (more common) dark morph as well.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

46/O14) Arabian Green Bee-eater (Merops cyanophrys) / Arabischer Smaragdspint

 

Muscat River Mouth, 24/2/2024. A lifer which would not have been one a few years ago. This used to be Little Green Bee-eater, and I have seen it it India and Chad. Now African, Arabian and Asian Green Bee-eaters are all good species (consensus even between IOC and Clement's).

 

 

[michael-ibk]

47/O15) Purple Sunbird (Cinnyris asiaticus) / Purpurnektarvogel

 

Muscat River Mouth, Oman, 24/2/2024. Very common in Northern Oman, especially in parks and gardens. A lifer. Which surprised me a bit, I guess it must be common in India as well. But apparently I did not notice it here.

 

 

 

[michael-ibk]

48/O16) Sooty Gull (Ichthyaetus hemprichii) Hemprichmöwe

 

Riyam Park, Oman, 24/2/2024. Lifer. A Gull of the Arabian Peninsula, and also found on the opposite sides of the Red Sea and Oman Gulf.

 

 

[Tdgraves]

How come the sun is shiny brighter in your photos compared with Alex’s @xelas @michael-ibk?!?

[michael-ibk]

49/O17) Eurasian Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus) / Regenbrachvogel

 

Al Qurm Park, Oman, 24/2/2024. A few scattered sightings throughout the trip.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

1 minute ago, Tdgraves said:

How come the sun is shiny brighter in your photos compared with Alex’s

 

I live by the motto "Don't let the sun go down on me", wheras Alex is a darkling. 

[michael-ibk]

50/O18) Red-vented Bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer) / Rotsteißbülbül

 

Al Qurm Park, Oman, 24/2/2024. A familiar bird from my India trips. As already noted in Alex's thread, the nice thing about Oman is the mixture of European, Arabian, Indian and African birds. Not a native here, an introduced bird, but long established.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

51/O19) Grey Heron (Ardea cinerea) / Graureiher

 

Al Qurm Park, Oman, 24/2/2024. A very succesful species all over the Old World.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

52/E20) Rosy Starling (Pastor roseus) / Rosenstar

 

Al Qurm Park, Oman, 24/2/2024. Not a common species in Oman. No report of it on ebird after this one. Every once in a while they decide they don't like Asia anymore and "invade" Europe. Our local birders love these invasions. I have seen one in my home area so far.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

53/O21) Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis) / Hirtenmaina

 

Al Qurm Park, 24/2/2024. A true conqueror, popping up everywhere in the world and expanding rapidly. Which nobody is all too happy about.

 

 

[michael-ibk]

54/O22) Indian Silverbill (Euodice malabarica) / Indiensilberschnabel

 

Al Qurm Park, Oman, 24/2/2024. Another lifer. I normally don't do multi-photo entries but this was fun to watch. Should have taken a video really. These two were in mating business (at least I think so), and were constantly pumping their bodies up and down. Like jumping, but without the feet ever leaving the branches.

 

 

 

 

Apparently one did it wrong, the bird on the left seemed to be unhappy about some wrong dancing moves.

 

 

 

And a very close sighting next day:

 

 

[michael-ibk]

55/O23) Rock Martin (Ptyonoprogne fuligula) / Steinschwalbe

 

Al Ghubrah Bowl, 25/2/2024. Not uncommon but never managed a really satisfying shot. Widespread in Africa too, have seen it in South Africa, Kenya, Uganda and Zimbabwe.