Tuti Island - By Chris Wood

Walked the complete circumference on Tuti Island starting at 0730 and finishing at 1230. Weather fine and cool by Khartoum standards with no significant wind.

Birding quite good with small numbers of waders and some interesting other birds. It was good to find 5 Senegal Thick-knees about 2/3 of the way up on the north western side. The only waders in any number were approximately 50 Black-winged Stilt standing in shallow water on a sandbank in the middle of the river. Also saw my first, for Tuti Island, Blackcap.

Pushing my way through a dense grove of lime trees, almost on my hands and knees, I disturbed 3 Long-tailed Nightjars, a new bird for me. I did manage one photo in deep shadow under the trees. I have extensively “photoshopped”  it to try and bring out the bird.

It  was good to see an Egyptian Plover again on the island. Looking back at my records from last year I recorded 12 on 17^th October 2010 and 6 on the 2^nd November. This year I have only seen 1 in September and now 1 in November. They do move with changing sandbar exposure but it does seem a bit strange that they have not been here in any number this season.

I also saw one Yellow-billed Egret. Khartoum seems to be just about the northern limit of its range according to Nikolaus. There is a heronry in the trees outside the Corinthian hotel (ex Burj al-Fateh) and I have occasionally seen one or two coming in there in the evening.

Brown-throated Martins seem to have begun excavating nesting holes in the sand cliffs since I was last on the island. In some place they appear quite far advanced. The Stonechat seen was probably a Siberian stonechat, but not completely certain on that.

Grey Heron Black-headed Heron Yellow-billed Egret Little Egret Cattle Egret Sacred Ibis Black Kite Senegal Thick-knee Egyptian Plover Common Ringed Plover Little Ringed Plover Spur-winged Lapwing Black-winged Stilt Common Sandpiper Little Stint Temminck’s Stint Gull-billed Tern Caspian Tern White-winged Tern African Mourning Dove

Laughing Dove Black-billed Wood Dove Namaqua Dove White-browed Coucal Long-tailed Nightjar African Palm Swift Blue-naped Mousebird Eurasian Hoopoe Pied Kingfisher Little Bee-eater N. Red-billed Hornbill Crested Lark Brown-throated Martin White Wagtail Grey Wagtail Yellow Wagtail White-headed Babbler Common Bulbul N. Wheatear Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

Black Scrub Robin Common Stonechat Olivaceous Warbler Willow warbler Chiffchaff Blackcap Lesser Whitethroat Tawny-flanked Prinia Red-backed Shrike Greater Blue-eared Starling Beautiful Sunbird Cut-throat Finch N. Masked weaver N. Red Bishop Red-billed Firefinch African Silverbill Village Indigobird Pin-tailed Whydah

Long-tailed Nightjar. Tuti Island 13/11/2011. Chris wood

Red Sea - by Chris Wood

Over Eid I went  diving in the Red Sea. During the trip the wind was blowing strongly from the north all the time we were at sea,  varying over an estimated 30 – 50 km/h range. This made birding difficult and the use of telescope was impossible, even binoculars were problematic.

However, we did visit Sanganeb lighthouse (19^o 43.35N 37^o 26.6E) for an hour from approximately 11 am to midday. The lighthouse is approximately 19 km from the nearest coast. The base of the lighthouse is quite small, the open area (excluding the lighthouse tower) being about 20 x 15 metres with a long wooden jetty stretching out to deeper water.

There were a number of migrating birds on the island as well as on Osprey feeding on a fish at the end of the jetty, and a Green-backed heron feeding on the exposed reef. Around the base of the lighthouse I found 1 dead European Bee-eater, and living, 1 Red-backed Shrike, 1 Southern Grey Shrike, 2 White Wagtails, 1 Willow Warbler, 1 European Turtle Dove, 1 Namaqua Dove and  2 House Sparrows which probably live there. In addition a Chiff-chaff flew into the bridge of the boat we were on where I caught it for id before releasing it. The Willow Warbler, 2 doves and the Chiff-chaff all looked very stressed and probably would not have survived. There is no standing water and very little food on the lighthouse property and as migrating birds need water immediately on making landfall their chances of survival were small. The wagtails and shrikes may have been able to garner enough food in the form of flies and small insects.

At sea the wind and the accompanying 2 metre swell made birding difficult, but birds seen were both Sooty and White-eyed Gulls which took a while to distinguish from each other, Gull-billed Terns, Sandwich Terns, and what were probably Saunder’s Terns. The crew of the boat reported that pelicans commonly occur in Port Sudan harbour and had been the day before we arrived, but they were not there when we were. Probably Great White but no positive id.

Of interest on the drive from Khartoum to Port Sudan was the number of Egyptian Vultures in the vicinity of Haiya. I counted 16 in the few kilometres before and after the town.

White-eyed Gull, Red Sea November 2011

Sooty Gull, Red Sea November 2011

Few birds at Meroe

On Tuesday and Wednesday I was camping at the Meroe pyramids with my family and some friends. There was little time for birding, but I had a couple of short walks to look for birds. I spent a bit more time around the jebels, as I had not birded them properly before. As always, it was very quiet in the area and the only birds seen were Desert Wheatear, Nile Valley Sunbird (that seemed to be displaying), Brown-necked Raven, Desert Lark, and Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark.

Male Nile Valley Sunbird, Meroe 9th November 2011

Female Nile Valley Sunbird, Meroe 9th November 2011

Desert Wheatear, Meroe 9th November 2011

On the drive up there was a Steppe Eagle not far north of Khartoum, and on the drive back there were a couple of Egyptian Vultures just north of the turn off to Sabaloka.

A brief family visit to Tuti

I made a brief visit to Tuti yesterday with my family and some friends. There was little opportunity for serious birding, but I was still able to see a few things. There were a few wheatears about, though the only one seen well enough to identify was this Desert Wheatear which is the first I have seen on the island.

Desert Wheatear, Tuti Island 5th November 2011

A few other migrants were around, including a Eurasian Hoopoe, a Common Redstart, a Tree Pipit, some Yellow Wagtails, a Lesser whitethroat plus a few other unidentified warblers. An Osprey was my first sighting on the island, with the bird heading north down the river suggesting it is wintering here rather than on passage.

The Sunt Forest

I visited the Sunt forest again yesterday with Terry Barry and Stephen Blight. The water levels still restricted our movements a bit, but we could tell that it will soon be easy to walk around the forest edge without getting muddy. The main pool near the road also had quite a few ducks, with Northern Shoveler, Gargany, Eurasian Teal and Northern Pintail. All kept their distance, however, making them impossible to photograph. The mudflats are also starting to extend further, offering plenty to attract waders. There were a similar spread to last week, including: Spur-winged Lapwing, Black-tailed Godwit, Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Temminck's Stint, Curlew Sandpiper, Marsh Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, and Common Sandpiper. There were a selection of herons around, plus a Eurasian Spoonbill, a Yellow-billed Stork and a couple of Pelicans that were probably Pink-backed. Unfortunately, we didn't have a telescope with us, which is probably quite important at this site.

Black-tailed Godwits, Little Stints, a Curlew Sandpiper and a 

Spur-winged Lapwing, Sunt Forest 28th October 2011

Little Stints, Sunt Forest 28th October 2011

Great Egret, Sunt Forest 28th October 2011

Pied Kingfisher, Sunt Forest 28th October 2011

We only spent a short while in the forest; there were birds calling from all around us, but it was hard to get decent views. Most common were Lesser Whitethroats and Eastern Olivaceous Warblers, though there was also a Common Redstart, a Spotted Flycatcher, plus a Pied Wheatear and a couple of Hoopoes at the forest edge. In the more open areas there were probably about 40 Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters hawking for insects. A Lanner Falcon also passed through a couple of times and made one unsuccessful dive at a bird.

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, Sunt Forest 28th October 2011

Lanner Falcon, Sunt Forest 28th October 2011

An unexpected Australian visitor to Tuti and a brief visit to the Sunt

I visited Tuti Island this morning with Chris Wood. Without doubt the biggest surprise of the day was the dove shown below. It was clearly very different to anything we had seen before, but was most like a Namaqua Dove. It had a similar size and shape and flew in a similar manner. Also in flight it showed rufous patches in the wing, though in all other respects the colouration was completely different. The large amount of white in the tail made it look like a leucistic individual, though the rest of the plumage didn't quite give the same impression. On returning home and checking photos I realised that the bold Red orbital was not found on Namaqua Dove, suggesting it was either some domesticated version or another species entirely. I also considered the possibility of it being a Namaqua Dove hybrid with some other species. I checked through some field guides but didn't spot it, so put the photos on Birdforum to get some help. The responses soon made it clear that it was a Diamond Dove, which is an Australian species. In the wild they have browner backs, but they are a common cage bird and a quick check through the internet revealed many domestic individuals like the one below. Clearly it had escaped from somewhere in the city.

Escaped Diamond Dove, Tuti 21st October 2011

More expected was this Black-billed Wood-Dove. They are reasonably common on Tuti, but tend to be quite flighty and tend to be found in more wooded areas, so I have not had a chance to photograph one before. This one was feeding out in an open field, so it was easier to take a distant shot, though it flew as I tried to get closer. I wonder how often they are seen in Canberra.

Black-billed Wood-Dove, Tuti 21st October 2011

There were a few new migrants in today, with my first Blackcap of the Autumn and a few other warblers around. There was a good selection of Wheatears, with Northern, Black-eared, Isabelline, and Pied, the latter being my first sighting on Tuti.  Another first for me on Tuti was the Lesser Kestrel shown below. A single juvenile Red-rumped Swallow allowed us to approach quite close and take some photos.

Lesser Kestrel, Tuti 21st October 2011

Red-rumped Swallow, Tuti 21st October 2011

After Tuti we headed down to the Sunt Forest. This is a well-known area of Acacia that is protected as a national forest. For much of the year it is flooded, which probably explains how it has survived so long so close to the city centre. This was my first visit to the area, though Chris has been many times mainly to look for shorebirds on the mudflats. Chris tells me that the water levels have been falling rapidly, but that there is still a long way to go. We only made a short visit to check out the status of the exposed mud. There were good numbers of Black-tailed Godwits, lots of Eurasian Spoonbills, some Yellow-billed Storks, some Pink-backed Pelicans, some Gull-billed Terns, and a variety of herons. There were lots of Spur-winged Plovers and a few other waders such as Greenshank, Marsh Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, and Black-winged Stilt. Chris tells me the numbers go up rapidly once more mud is exposed and we look forward to some more visits.

Red-necked Falcon at Tuti today

I was at Tuti again this morning and there were some good birds around, even though there were few migrants. The best sighting was definitely a Red-necked Falcon; last year one had flown right past me in almost exactly the same place, but had been too quick for me to raise my binoculars and identify it with certainty. Today's bird also flew past and quickly out of view, but I went straight after it and tracked it down to where it was sitting in an open tree beside the White Nile. Luckily it let me get quite close for some photos.

Red-necked Falcon, Tuti Island 14th October 2011

Another species that I have not seen previously in Sudan is the Barred Warbler. Today I saw my first, skulking, as they often do, in the low bushes beside the White Nile. Eventually it came out and showed well enough to get some photos. Other migrants were scarce, with a similar selection to previous visits, but in much lower numbers.

Barred Warbler, Tuti Island 14th October 2011

Since arriving in Sudan I have been struggling to identify the migrant Black Kites from amongst the many migrating Yellow-billed Kites that move down the Nile from Egypt. An adult Yellow-billed Kite is easy, because of its all yellow bill, but juveniles have dark bills like Black Kites. Today I had the chance to photograph two birds in quick succession that seem to show the features to separate them apart. The first bird is what I believe to be a Juvenile Black Kite and the second is an adult Yellow-billed Kite. The Black Kite has slightly broader wings, a much shallower tail fork (though the tail is admittedly very worn), it has 6 distinct primaries (while the Yellow-billed has 5, plus a blunter 6th primary), plus the overall colouration of the Black Kite is duller than the Yellow-billed. I would welcome comments, as I am still not confident that my eye is properly tuned in to separating the two.

Black Kite, Tuti Island 14th October 2011

Yellow-billed Kite, Tuti Island 14th October 2011

Here are a few other shots from today's trip. White-headed Babblers are everywhere on Tuti, yet they are an almost completely unknown species and there are very few photos available on the internet. This male  Village Weaver was moulting out of its breeding plumage, but was still an attractive bird and very vocal. There were quite a few Red-billed Hornbills feeding in the fields today.

White-headed Babbler, Tuti Island 14th October 2011

Village Weaver, Tuti Island 14th October 2011

Red-billed Hornbill, Tuti Island 14th October 2011