Wednesday, June 23, 2004

I got out for four hours on Saturday from 1730-2130.
I started near the north pond where a couple black-winged stilts came flying out of the reeds. There were a few dead sea sparrows flying around in the small tamarisk trees near the edge of the reeds. The temperature was over 110 when I started out. As I was watching some wood pigeons a pair of F-16's came tearing down the runway with their afterburners going. The noise was incredible as they quickly disappeared into the sky. The birds were unfazed.

Along the perimeter I saw an unusual number of crested larks and a few red-wattled plovers in a recently flooded field.

Eventually I made it down to my main birding spot, the laundry pond. I spent the next hour or so watching the activity there. As sunset approached the birds got more active. Half a dozen black-winged stilts chased eachother all over the pond calling like terns the whole time.

I walked up to a part of the fence that comes close to the water. Two fuzzy black moorhen chicks ran into the reeds when they saw me. A little grebe with its dark chestnut head poked around in the pond weeds.

Up on the shore a pair of magpies walked slowly around catching insects. I thought the magpies had all migrated out of the area since I hadn't seen them since early May.

Out in the pond I had fantastic views of a whiskered tern wheeling around and picking food of some sort out of the water.

I finally picked out a pair of red-rumped swallows after scrutinizing hundreds of barn swallows since this spring.

During the time I was there cattle egrets started coming in to roost in the reeds in groups of 2 or three.

Near sunset I went back to the north part of base. I saw a pair of marbled teal fly in just as it was getting dark.

After dark I drove the perimeter road and saw more jackals and foxes. I also saw a sandy colored cat with long legs and a short tail that I think was a jungle cat.

Birdlist
----------------------
Little Grebe - 3
Cattle Egret - 30
Marbled Teal - 2
Moorhen - 4
Black-winged Stilt - 15
Spur-winged Plover - 2
Red-wattled Plover - 8
Whiskered Tern - 2
Rock Dove - 40
Wood Pigeon - 25
Collared Dove - 15
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater - 1
Crested Lark - 15
Red-rumped Swallow - 2
Barn Swallow - 30
Magpie - 2
Hooded Crow - 2
House Sparrow - 25
Dead Sea Sparrow - 5

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