Birds of Saudi Arabia: Desert & Isabelline Wheatear – Ringing in Bahrain at the Chicken Farm

Whilst Brendan and I were considering where to put up the nets on Friday at the Chicken Farm, Abdulla arrived and he had a couple of worms for the spring traps. He had mentioned to me some time ago he would catch a Great Grey Shrike (Steppe Grey Shrike or Southern Grey Shrike) and a Desert Wheatear for me to ring and had caught both types of Great Grey Shrike on previous outings so his job today was to try to catch a Desert Wheatear. In the meantime Brendan and I put up the nets. Abdulla is a real expert at catching wheatears in the spring traps and true to his word he quickly returned with a first year male Desert Wheatear for me to ring. After ringing this bird Abdulla and I went off to try to catch another wheatear and found an Isabelline Wheatear that was favouring a pile of rocks as a perch. Abdulla set the trap by the rocks and almost immediately the Isabelline Wheatear saw the worm and was caught. This bird was ringed by one of the Birdqust group who was a ringer and had not ringed Isabelline Wheatear before, whereas I have ringed a few before.