Army Birding

26 Aug 07 Welcome to Birdline Camp Bastion, Sunday evening update. Another excellent week which featured numerous Warblers and an influx of Shrikes . Tree Sparrows and Crested Larks are numerous with the latter forming flocks of up to thirteen around the bottling plant. Isabelline Shrikes arrived i...

19 Aug 07 The last week has proved the most productive for some time. Two new species were seen and as I type there are a number of species throughout the camp. Blyth's Reed Warblers started off the week with several around and these were quickly replaced by the odd Booted Warbler and three stunnin...

12 Aug 07 Migration, albeit slow, has started. There are now plenty of Warblers around the camp in the mornings with a few in the late afternoon. Last night I found a lifer with a stunning Rufous Bush Robin around standing water near the bottling plant. This was joined by a couple of Blyth's Reed W...

Tim,

try the Steve Brookes book on Dragonflies and the Lewington book on Butterflies. Both are published by British Wildlife Publishing I think and are excellent additions to your library. I can recommend books on Moths and Orchids if you wish.

Take care.

Rich

6th August 2007 Not only is it my 13th wedding anniversary but I also woke up this morning to find a fall of Warblers. Birds included Blyth's Reed, Clamorous Reed, Booted and Plain Leaf Warblers. In addition, to finish the morning off in a flourish, a small flock of 7 Rose-coloured Starlings, which...

I have spoken to David - he is aware of the site and the intention is to go to Kandahar next week for a day out of the desert. Hopefully I will meet up with him and encourage a continued record of sightings from Afganistan. He is in a cracking area which is worth continued monitoring.

Rich

It was great to meet some of you during my R&R especially as we were on the Plain and within earshot of Quail. R&R passed quickly as always. The trip out via Kandahar produced several European Bee-Eaters, four Clamorous Reed Warblers, three Citrine Wagtails, two Pied Bushchat and three Red-Wattled P...

As at 10 Jul there have been no new sightings bar the one Little Owl found at the main gate. This bird has taken to living in a sangar and seems in pristine condition. Barn Swallows continue to move SE most days. At this rate there cannot be many left in Central Asia. See some of you at the Quails. ...

Nothing to report of great interest apart from the daily fly past of hundreds of Barn Swallows flying in the usual South Easterly direction. Common Myna have re-appeared as has Collared Dove and the Crested Lark are still prolific around camp. I look foward to more productive birding in the coming w...

The past 2 (very hot) weeks have been disappointing species wise but there has been a massive influx of Barn Swallow flying South East. Sunday 24 June saw some 300+ over in less than half a minute during the lunch break and there was a steady flow through all day. Crested Lark families are very much...

Week 9 has proved again quiet. Plenty of Barn Swallows flying SE most mornings and definative proof that both Crested Lark and Tree Sparrow are breeding. Other species have included Palm Dove, Common Myna and Oriental Skylark. A visit to Kabul for three days provided the opportunity to see two new s...

In what appeared to be a spell of early reverse migration there has been a steady flow of Barn Swallows throughout today (4 Jun 07) flying South East. Perhaps these birds have already bred and are now moving to more productive areas on the Indian Sub-continent.

Migration through and over Bastion is now over. Birds are now limited and restricted to breeding species. Tree Sparrows are doing especially well with young in evidence. Family groups of Crested Lark are seen daily and the only other species seen was one Oriental (Small) Skylark which flew over the ...

The avifauna in week seven has decreased dramitically. Hot days, high winds and sandstorms have kept birding to a minimum. Migrants have all but disapeared with the last confirmed being a late Spotted Flycatcher. An extremely distant Hoopoe Lark was the highlight of the week with unidentified distan...

Stong winds, sand storms, dust devils and an increased PT committment (I am trying to tan and tone before R&R) have dictated what has been seen this week. Bird numbers have dwindled throughout the period as the migration grinds to a halt. Lifers this week have been Oriental (Small)Skylark, Syke's Ni...