I visited Bahri Sewage Pools again today with Marwa. We originally planned to do some mist-netting, but in the end we spent our time checking the many large pools and thick surrounding reedbeds. Last time at this site we had seen some coots at a distance, and assumed they were Eurasian Coots. On subsequent visits to Khartoum Sewage Pools (about 20 km to the south) we had discovered lots of Red-knobbed Coots, which were the first records for the country and which turned out to be breeders. We had then naturally assumed that the ones in Bahri were also this species. It was therefore a surprise today to find that there were six Eurasian Coots present. Clearly both are present in the region and we will need to monitor them regularly to find out if the two populations are residents and/or visitors.
We had a number of other interesting species, including many not commonly seen in the Khartoum area. Two White-tailed Lapwings were our first sightings in Sudan, while a Greater Flamingo was only my second around Khartoum, and a fly-over Black Stork was my third.
Eurasian Coot, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
We had a number of other interesting species, including many not commonly seen in the Khartoum area. Two White-tailed Lapwings were our first sightings in Sudan, while a Greater Flamingo was only my second around Khartoum, and a fly-over Black Stork was my third.
White-tailed Lapwing, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Black Stork, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Greater Flamingo, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
There were good numbers of ducks around, with several hundred each of Northern Shoveler, Gargany, and White-faced Whistling Duck. However, it was a little surprising that there were no other species in amongst them. There were also a number of waders at the muddy edges to the main pools and lots of marsh terns. We also saw a couple of African Purple Swamphens and some Glossy Ibises.
Gargany, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Little Stint, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Marsh Sandpiper, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Wood Sandpiper, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Spur-winged Lapwing, Bahri Sewage Pools 31st January 2014
Hi Tom,
ReplyDeleteIt's exciting to find you here and thank you very much for this great effort. I just returned to the US from Sudan and was doing a Google search to see who else is interested in Sudan birds, and that's when I ran into your blog. I have a Facebook group here:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/252515597512/.
Let's keep in touch.