Birds

1. Gray francolin (Ortygornis pondicerianus)

Introduced. Two groups of about a dozen birds each in the shrubs around Abu Sidrah.

2. Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)

A bird flying over the sea around Purple Island.

3. Little grebe (Tachybaptus ruficollis)

At least eight individuals in Irakhiya Farm.

4. Feral pigeon (Columba livia domestica)

Several individuals seen in Irakhiya Farm and Abu Sidrah. Quite abundant in Doha, with flocks seen in Al Bidda Park and Dhow Harbor.

5. Eurasian collared-dove (Streptopelia decaocto)

Very abundant in all places visited, both in and out of Doha.

6. Laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis)

Very abundant in all places visited, outside and perhaps especially inside Doha.

7. Namaqua dove (Oena capensis)

A pair and a lone male sitting in wires of the fields of Irakhiya Farm.

8. Pallid swift (Apus pallidus)

Seven birds flying over a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

9. Eurasian moorhen (Gallinula chloropus)

One bird swims across a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

10. Black-winged stilt (Himantopus himantopus)

Three birds sitting in the shore of a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

11. Black-bellied plover (Pluvialis squatarola)

11 birds foraging in the tidal mudflats around Purple Island.

12. Common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula)

Four birds foraging among stints in the shore of a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

13. Northern lapwing (Vanellus vanellus)

Four birds foraging in the shore of a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm for some minutes, then flying away.

14. Red-wattled lapwing (Vanellus indicus)

Two birds sitting in the shore of a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm for short time, flying away after.

15. Greater sand-plover (Anarhynchus leschenaultii)

A bird resting in the mangrove pools by the boardwalk to Purple Island. Two distant plovers in the tidal mudflats later in the day remain unidentified.

16. Whimbrel (Numenius phaeopus)

One bird probing for food in the tidal mudflats of Purple Island.

17. Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata)

One bird resting in the tidal mudflats of Purple Island.

18. Bar-tailed godwit (Limosa lapponica)

At least two birds foraging in a flock of about a hundred godwits in the tidal mudflats of Purple Island.

19. Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa)

The main species of a flock of about a hundred godwits mixed with bar-tailed godwits and other waders in the tidal mudflats of Purple Island.

20. Common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

One bird seen at Irakhiya Farm. An unexpected bird probes for worms in the edge of a lawn in Al Bidda Park in Doha.

21. Green sandpiper (Tringa ochropus)

One bird spotted with a wood sandpiper as the only waders of a small lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

22. Marsh sandpiper (Tringa stagnatilis)

Two birds in a waders mixed flock in a lagoon of Irakhiya Farm.

23. Wood sandpiper (Tringa glareola)

Two birds in a big mixed flock of waders and one bird in a small lagoon with a green sandpiper, all in Irakhiya Farm.

24. Ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Two birds seen in the shore of Purple Island.

25. Ruff (Calidris pugnax)

Two female-like birds seen in a numerous mixed flock of waders in Irakhiya Farm.

26. Temminck’s stint (Calidris temminckii)

At least four birds scoped out of a big flock of waders in Irakhiya Farm.

27. Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

At least four birds scoped out of a big flock of waders in Irakhiya Farm.

28. Little stint (Calidris minuta)

The most abundant species in a large mixed flock of waders in a lagoon of Irakhiya Farm, with around 40 individuals. 43 birds in a flock at the tidal mudflats of Purple Island at sunset.

29. Slender-billed gull (Chroicocephalus genei)

One bird flying over Purple Island. Five birds in Dhow Harbor in Doha.

30. Black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus)

Eight birds in Dhow Harbor in Doha.

31. Pallas’s gull (Ichthyaetus ichthyaetus)

A distant bird in winter plumage flying over Purple Island.

32. Lesser black-backed gull (Larus fuscus heuglini/barabensis)

Up to a dozen birds in different small flocks flying over Purple Island. One distant bird in Dhow Harbor in Doha.

33. Gull-billed tern (Gelochelidon nilotica)

Two birds in Irakhiya Farm. Two birds in Purple Island tidal mudflats.

34. Caspian tern (Hydroprogne caspia)

One bird resting in Purple Island in a small flock of terns.

35. Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida)

One bird resting in the shore of a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

36. Common tern (Sterna hirundo)

Four birds in a flock with other terns, including six smaller terns (genus Sternula) which remain unidentified due to poor light conditions and distance, in Purple Island tidal mudflats.

37. Great cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo)

Big flocks of several hundreds individuals flying over Purple Island area at dusk.

38. Little egret (Egretta garzetta)

A birds foraging and three roosting in the mangroves around Purple Island.

39. Western reef-heron (Egretta gularis)

A bird walking along the poles at Dhow Harbor in Doha.

40. Western cattle egret (Bubulcus ibis)

A flock of 21 birds roost in a lagoon in Irakhiya Farm.

41. Gray heron (Ardea cinerea)

Three birds foraging in the tidal mudflats and one bird resting in the mangroves of Purple Island.

42. Greater spotted eagle (Clanga clanga)

One bird flying over Irakhiya Farm area.

43. Western marsh harrier (Circus aeruginosus)

Four different birds patrolling the lagoons of Irakhiya Farm.

44. Pallid harrier (Circus macrourus)

A juvenile bird flying over the reeds at Irakhiya Farm.

45. Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus)

A male in Al Bidda Park in Doha. A distant kestrel sitting in a pole in Irakhiya Farm.

46. Rose-ringed parakeet (Psittacula krameri)

A bird calling and flying over in Al Bidda Park in Doha.

47. Isabelline shrike (Lanius isabellinus)

Two confiding birds in Irakhiya Farm. One bird seen in the parking area of Purple Island.

48. Arabian great shrike (Lanius excubitor aucheri)

A smart bird in the shrubs surrounding the woods of Abu Sidrah.

49. Masked shrike (Lanius nubicus)

Four birds seen at different points of Al Bidda Park in Doha.

50. Black-crowned sparrow-lawk (Eremopterix nigriceps)

A relatively abundant bird in the desert. Several birds performing flight songs along the road to Abu Sidrah.

51. Crested lark (Galerida cristata)

Different birds seen in the desert on the way to Abu Sidrah shrublands. One bird foraging in the gardens of Al Bidda Park in Doha.

52. Delicate prinia (Prinia lepida)

Widespread across the country, usually heard from shrubs in different places. Great looks of one individual perched on an exposed twig in the Lusail boulevard near Doha.

53. Clamorous reed warbler (Acrocephalus stentoreus)

One bird calling in Irakhiya Farm.

54. Red-vented bulbul (Pycnonotus cafer)

Introduced, small numbers seen in Lusail boulevard and Al Bidda Park in Doha.

55. White-eared bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis)

Introduced and widespread across the country, seen in a variety of places. Perhaps most abundant in Doha green areas.

56. Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla)

A female skulking in the hedges of Lusail Boulevard.

57. Asian desert warbler (Curruca nana)

One bird walks on the ground in an open xeric shrubland area in Abu Sidrah close to some wheatears.

58. Common myna (Acridotheres tristis)

Introduced and widespread in urban areas, where it is abundant.

59. Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica)

A wintering bird seen in Irakhiya Farm.

60. Isabelline wheatear (Oenanthe isabellina)

One bird in the xeric shrublands of Abu Sidrah.

61. Desert warbler (Oenanthe deserti)

Two birds around Abu Sidrah in open land.

62. Hypocolius (Hypocolius ampelinus)

A flock of this mega bird stayed over winter in a shrubland area next to Abu Sidrah (25.713938, 51.087352). We managed to spot 15 individuals.

63. Indian silverbill (Euodice malabarica)

A flock of six birds in the reeds of Irakhiya Farm. Relatively abundant in Doha, where small flocks are spotted in Lusail Boulevard,

64. House sparrow (Passer domesticus)

Very abundant in Doha. A flock of 15 birds in Irakhiya Farm.

65. White wagtail (Motacilla alba)

Four birds in the shore of different lagoons in Irakhiya Farm. One bird in Al Bidda Park in Doha.