As birding is very slow at the moment I decided to try my luck again with the Fat Sand Rats to see if I could improve on my photos from last weekend. I again set off at 03:00 hrs and drove to the location near Khursaniyah. This time I knew where the Sand Rats location was and which burrows, they had been using. I got there just as it was becoming light and before any animal activity and positioned the car in a place where I could hopefully get good photos but because of the soft sand not too close. As it started to become light, I saw a couple of Fat Sand Rats bit they were at the back of the area and too far away for photos. The borrow I was quite close too had foot marks outside but the one I saw them at the week before did not look like it had any recent activity. I then saw one quite close in a hole I had not seen but unfortunately it was partly hidden behind a post and photos of it were not possible. I located at least ten animals during the morning from 04:30 – 07:00 when activity stopped. The closest one appeared behind me and none showed in the close burrows I was near. I managed to move the car closer to the one below as a stray dog walked across the location and all the Sand Rats disappeared. This allowed me to move the car and then after the dog departed the Sand Rats emerged again. This one was either digging a new burrow or cleaning out its old one and allowed me to get slightly better photos than I have before. The bottom photo shows the habitat the Fat Sand Rats live in with the area having soft sand and shrubs for the animals to eat. I still have not got close to any so will try again sometime.
