The Birds of Das Island, UAE 9.11.85 to 2.11.86

by Len Reaney

Das Island is a small, rocky salt plug of some two square miles situated 165 kms north west of Abu Dhabi town and 135 kms east of Doha, in the Arabian Gulf. Das is heavily industrialised and very little of the original landscape or ground cover remains. However, amenity trees and small gardens are scattered around the island, particularly in the vicinity of living quarters and recreation buildings. The island is heavily populated at all times and man's influence is felt continually even in relatively isolated corners. Das is not on a well - defined bird migration route but being a well lit island with gas flares it attracts good numbers of wayward and broad front migrants including, it appears, disoriented vagrants. There is a large winter population of gulls and terns with nearby breeding seabird populations creating interest in summer.

The vast majority of the following records are the author's own over a one year period interrupted by five one - month leave periods, and supplemented by just a few other reliable observations. The status and abundance of individual species are not necessarily proved.

The list is arranged in the same order as that in The Birds of Britain and Europe with North Africa and the Middle East, by Heinzel, Fitter and Parslow, published by Collins. This order was originally devised by A. Wetmore and is also followed in other standard works.

Bird	Observations
Red - billed Tropicbird	Scarce; small flocks max. 6, Jan., Feb. Breeds nearby islands but present breeding status on Zirku unknown.
Cormorant	Scarce winter visitor; 2 birds Dec. - Feb.
Socotra Cormorant	Common. Small flocks throughout winter; Passage of c. 1000 1st. Feb. & c. 15,000 9th. Feb. c. 70 throughout summer, possibly breeding offshore flare platforms.
Grey Heron	Scarce winter visitor; fairly common Aug. - Oct. passage; max. 9 on 8th Sept.
Purple Heron	Scarce migrant Mar. - May, Aug., Sept; flock of 16 on 4th. Sept.
Reef Heron	Scarce winter visitor with some on passage Jun. - Sept. Mainly dark phase.
Night Heron	Scarce migrant; flock of 9 on 18th. Sept.
Greater Flamingo	Rare; 3 juveniles 30th. Oct.
Osprey	Resident; max. 3. Attempted breeding but failed; one theory is sterilisation from prolonged roosting on Telecomms. masts.
Black Kite	Single bird 10th. Jan.
Sparrowhawk	Single female 10th. Sept.
(Goshawk)	(large accipiter 2Sth. Apr. suspected as being female of this species).
Buzzard	Scarce migrant; max. 4 23rd. - 25th. Sept.
Booted Eagle	Single pale phase 4th. Sept.
Spotted Eagle	Rare winter visitor; one record 28th. Oct.
(Steppe Eagle)	(medium - sized eagle early Dec. suspected as being this species on call).
Pallid Harrier	Single female 4th. Sept.
Peregrine	Scarce; single birds 9 - 12th. Nov., 4th. May.
Hobby	Scarce migrant; 3 on 14th. Sept., one on 20th. Sept. Surprisingly not on UAE 1980 list (ENHG).
Lesser Kestrel	Single male 4th. Sept.
Kestrel	Scarce; single birds in Apr., Sept., Nov.
Quail	Scarce migrant; 2 records 12th. Apr., 19th. Sept.
Spotted Crake	Rare migrant; 1 record 20th. Sept.
Moorhen	Rare; dead juvenile on beach 18th. Sept.
Coot	Rare; exhausted juvenile washed up 21st. Nov.
Crab Plover	Rare; 2 juveniles 19th. Sept.
Oystercatcher	Scarce; Aug., Sept. 12 on ~3th. Sept.
Ringed Plover	Scarce winter visitor; scarce migrant Aug. - Oct.
Kentish plover	Common winter visitor; scarce migrant Aug. - Oct.
Greater Sandplover	Fairly common winter visitor; scarce on passage Aug. - Oct.
Lesser Sandplover	Fairly common Aug., Sept. passage, max. 17; scarce winter.
Lesser Golden Plover	Vagrant; single record 28th. Oct.
Grey Plover	Scarce; singles Nov., Dec. & Aug. - Sept. passage.
Turnstone	Scarce winter visitor; common on passage Aug. - Oct.
Curlew Sandpiper	Scarce migrant; 3 records Aug.
Dunlin	One only, 10th. Nov.
Little Stint	Scarce; 6 records Aug., Sept.
Sanderling	Scarce; 5 records Apr., Aug., Oct.
Terek Sandpiper	Scarce; 2 records Aug., Sept.
Redshank	Scarce, Aug., max. 5.
Greenshank	Scarce; 2 records Aug., Sept.
Common Sandpiper	Common winter visitor and migrant esp. Aug.
Green Sandpiper	Scarce; Aug., Sept. Max. 5 on 24th. Aug.
Ruff	Scarce; 2 records Aug., Sept.
Curlew	Scarce; 3 records July & Sept.
Whimbrel	Scarce migrant, Aug., Sept. passage.
Bar - tailed Godwit	Scarce; 5 records Aug., Sept.
Stone Curlew	Scarce migrant; 3 records in Mar., Apr. & Oct. Previously reported wintering in large numbers.
Collared pratincole	Scarce migrant; 3 records Aug., Sept.
Cream - coloured Courser	Rare; single juvenile 6 - 7th. Sept.
Skua sp. (Arctic?)	1 record, 2nd. Nov.
Slender - billed Gull	Scarce; small numbers, max. 3, in Feb., Apr., May, Aug., Sept.
Sooty Gull	Common resident; up to 100 present though fewer Sept. - Nov.
Great Black - headed Gull	Fairly common winter visitor Jan. - Mar. and max. 12 on passage early Mar.
Black - headed Gull	Common winter visitor; numbers increasing Nov. /Dec. to +400 Jan. Gone by end Apr.
Herring Gull	Common winter visitor; returns from mid - Aug., leaves by end Apr. +1000 in Dec., Jan.
Lesser Black - backed Gull	Scarce winter visitor; max. 3. Not to be confused with dark backed Herring Gull heuglini.
Swift Tern	Common resident; c. 150 in winter but fewer in summer, esp. Aug. - Oct.
Lesser Crested Tern	Common, mainly Apr. - Jul. ; small numbers at other times; missing Oct. - Dec.
Sandwich Tern	Common winter visitor; c. 150 late Oct. - Feb. Small numbers on passage Aug., Sept.
Common Tern	Scarce migrant; up to 10 in Aug., Sept.
White - cheeked Tern	Common, breeding summer visitor; numbers building up from May to +500 in Aug. Gone by end Sept. Little Tern sp. - Rare; 1 record 3 - 4th. Sept.
Bridled Tern	Summer visitor; common just offshore but none seen on the island.
Collared Dove	2 records, Apr., Aug.
Turtle Dove	Common migrant Apr., early May, late Aug., Sept. ; max. 30. 2 also 7th. July.
Rufous Turtle Dove	Vagrant; single bird 24th. Oct. First known UAE record.
Palm Dove	Scarce; singles in Oct., Dec.
Cuckoo	Rare migrant; single bird 14 - 15th. Sept.
Short - eared Owl	Rare winter visitor; single, 30th. Oct.
Nightjar	Scarce migrant; 5 records, all females, Apr., Sept., Oct.
Swift	Rare migrant; one on 26th. Apr.
Pallid Swift	Rare; single record 25th. Aug.
Bee-eater	Fairly common migrant Apr., Sept.
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater	Scarce migrant Apr., early May, Oct.
Roller	Scarce migrant; Apr., Aug., Sept.
Ring-necked Parakeet	Individuals or small numbers most of year; flock of 23 on 1Ith. Apr.
Hoopoe	Common migrant; regular Jan. - Apr. and Aug. - Nov.
Wryneck	Scarce migrant, Apr.
Black-crowned Finch-Lark	Two records only, Apr. /May and Sept.
Hoopoe Lark	One only, 8 - 10th. Aug.
Short-toed Lark	Scarce; small numbers on passage Feb. - Apr., Sept. /act.
Lesser Short - toed Lark	Scarce; small numbers of passage birds Nov., Feb., Apr. /May. Flock of 10 in Nov.
Desert Lark	One only, 2nd. May.
Upcher's Warbler	Scarce migrant; Apr., Aug., Sept
Whitethroat	Common migrant; late Apr. /early May, late Aug. - Oct.
Lesser Whitethroat	Common migrant; Apr., Sept., Oct. One bird wintered 24th. Nov. - 14th. Feb. (minula? )
Garden Warbler	Scarce migrant; 6 records Apr., early May.
Barred Warbler	Scarce migrant; Apr., early May, Sept.
Blackcap	Fairly common migrant; mainly Apr;max. 7.
Menetries Warbler	Scarce migrant; Feb. - Apr., Sept.
Desert Warbler	Fairly common winter visitor; smallnumbers passage birds Sept. - Nov.
WiIlow Warbler	Common migrant esp. Apr., early May, Sept., Oct.
Chiffchaff	Common winter visitor; passage birds in Oct., Nov., Feb.
Wood Warbler	Vagrant? One bird 9 - 15th. Sept.; second bird 11 - 14th. Sept. First known UAE record.
Yellow - browed Warbler	Scarce; One wintered 2nd. Dec. - 4th. Mar. Passage birds on 7 - 9th. Feb., 24th. Apr., 8th. Sept., 28 - 29th. Oct. First known UAE records
Spotted Flycatcher	Common migrant; Apr., Sept. Also a late one on 29th. Oct.
Pied Flycatcher	Vagrant; one male 6th. Apr. (not a semi - collared). First known UAE record.
Red-breasted Flycatcher	Scarce migrant; 3 records Oct., Nov.
Stonechat	Fairly common winter visitor; passage birds in Feb.
Whinchat	Scarce migrant; Apr., early May, Aug., Sept.
Blue Rock Thrush	Scarce on passage; Feb., Sept.
Rock Thrush	Scarce migrant; Apr., Sept.
Wheatear	Fairly common migrant Feb. - early May, Sept
Desert Wheatear	Fairly common winter visitor; smallnumbers on passage Aug. - Nov.
Isabelline Wheatear	Common on passage Feb. - Apr., Aug. - Nov.
Red-tailed Wheatear	Scarce; Sept. - Dec. ; max. 5 in Nov.
Pied Wheatear	Common migrant Feb. - Apr., Sept. ~Nov.
Black Redstart	Scarce; one wintered Dec., Jan. ; singlepassage birds in Feb., Apr., Oct., Nov.
Redstart	Common migrant Apr., early May.
Robin	Scarce winter visitor. One wintered; 2 others on Nov. passage.
Bluethroat	Scarce; Oct., Nov. Max. 4 on 26th. Oct.
White - throated Robin	Rare migrant; one on Ist. May.
Rufous Bushchat	Scarce; passage birds in Apr., May, Aug., Sept.
Song Thrush	Scarce winter visitor Nov. - Feb. Max. 4.
Mistle Thrush	Rare winter visitor; single 22 - 24th. Nov.
House Bunting	Single male 26th. Jan. - lst. Feb.
Black - headed Bunting	Fairly common migrant; Apr., Aug, Sept. Mainly Aug. with max. of 7.
Ortolan	Fairly common migrant; Apr., early May, Sept., Oct.
Cinereous Bunting	Rare migrant; single female 8 - 18th. Apr. First known UAE record.
Little Bunting	Vagrant; single male 28th. Oct. First known UAE record.
Rustic Bunting	Vagrant; single winter female 9 - 15th Dec. First known UAE record.
Brambling	Rare winter visitor; 2 birds 22 - 24th. Nov.
Siskin	Rare winter visitor; 2 males 8th. Dec., prob. arrived 6th. Dec.
Common Rosefinch	Scarce migrant; late Aug., Sept. Max. of 5 on 21st. Sept.
Tree Sparrow	Rare; 2 separate(?) birds 8th. & 23rd. Sept. First known UAE record.
House Sparrow	Scarce; small numbers Sept., Nov., Dec.; single in May.
Yellow-throated Sparrow	Apparently fairly common; Apr., Sept. ; max. 12 in Apr. Also recorded Jun., Aug.
Pale Rock Sparrow	Scarce; one in Mar., 2 in Apr.
Starling	Scarce; Nov., Dec. ; max. 7.
Rose-coloured Starling	Fairly common migrant; Apr., July, Aug., Sept. Mainly autumn; max. 12 in Aug.
Golden Oriole	Scarce migrant; early May, Aug., Sept. Max. 4 in Sept.

Other Das Island records of species not seen personally but likely to occur and probably reliably identified by others are as follows:

Bird	Observations
Great White Egret	winter records.
Little Egret	winter records.
Squacco Heron	1973.
Glossy Ibis	Mar. 1977
White Stork	A large flock of several hundred was reported over-flying the island from the north west on 13th. Sept. 1984. The same day several hundred white storks (estimates vary from 700 to 3000) landed at Abu Dhabi new airport, and remained in decreasing numbers until mid-Jan. the following year. (RW)
Teal	singles, Apr. 1975
Houbara Bustard	two in Nov. 1974. one late Jun. 1982. (RW)
Little Ringed Plover	.
Phalarope sp	(Red-necked?)
Wood Sandpiper	Mar. 1978. (IF)
Caspian Tern	Mar. 1978. (IF)
Barn Owl	Sept. 1985. (RW) Nov. 1985.
Scops Owl	Dead, May 1975.
Little Owl	one winter record.
Indian Roller	Jan. 1977.
Kingfisher	several records; sometimes present for a few days in the harbour or around the salt water intakes. (RW)
Bartailed Desert Lark	Mar. 1978; perhaps confused with Desert Lark. (IF)
Bimaculated Lark	Mar. 1978. (IF)
Graceful Warbler	singles in winter
(Semi?) Collared Flycatcher	Feb. 1977, Mar. 1978. (IF)
Black-eared Wheatear	Mar. 1978. (IF)

(IF -Ian Fraser)
(RW -Rob Western)

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