Last weekends birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl
produced a good number of winter visitors including the largest number of
wintering Greater Spotted Eagles recorded at the site when 17 were seen in one
morning. Birds normally arrive in September and stay until April or early May.
Western Marsh Harrier is another wintering raptor seen regularly at the site
with a minimum of twenty but probably many more seen each winter. They also
occur and depart around the same time as Greater Spotted Eagles but tend to
turn up a week or two earlier. The eagles were seen almost everywhere including
five together sitting on the edge of the main flooded sabkha area. This area is
also is now holding large numbers of wintering Greater Flamingos with well over
a thousand birds present. Wintering passerines included large numbers of White
Wagtail, smaller numbers of Water Pipits, twenty Eurasian Skylarks and three
Daurian Shrikes.
 |
| Greater Spotted Eagle |
 |
| Greater Spotted Eagle |
 |
| Greater Spotted Eagle |
 |
| Western Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Western Marsh Harrier |
 |
| Greater Flamingos |
 |
| Water Pipit |
 |
| Eurasian Skylark |
 |
| Daurian Shrike |
