Army Birding

All,

Currently based in Musa Qaleh, North Helmand. Being part of the FST working with the infantry, the only birding that I can do is whilst on patrol, identifying birds using the SUSAT of my minimi. However crude this form of extreme birding is, I have managed to identify:

Blue-Cheeked Bee-Eater
Crested Lark
Tree Sparrow
House Sparrow
Kestrel
Magpie
Saker Falcon
Common Scoter - heading south
Raven - heading north
Pied Mynah -
Common Mynah
Swallow - heading south
Hoopoe - whilst in a 10hr fire fight
Laughing Dove
Goliath Heron

I am on patrol again soon, so I'll hopefully add to the growing list?!

29 Cdo Extreme Birding.

Chris,

some great birds. I had Laggar Falcon in bastion so it is worth looking for them. Glad you finally got your Bee-Eaters! Keep your head down.

Rich

Interested to hear that the Queen's SUSAT is being used for extreme birding instead of slotting Terry T.

Richard - Spoke to Chris about the Common Scoter but he can't find another explanation other than migration from the large Russian lakes down to the coast? Thoughts?

Roger

Chris,

Good effort!! Keep ticking, keep your head down and keep safe!

All very best,

Tim

keinton birder wrote:Interested to hear that the Queen's SUSAT is being used for extreme birding instead of slotting Terry T.

Richard - Spoke to Chris about the Common Scoter but he can't find another explanation other than migration from the large Russian lakes down to the coast? Thoughts?

Roger

Roger/Chris,

also checked all available books on my shelf and cannot find any reference to Common Scoter in Afghanistan. A couple have been seen in the Red Sea and Eatern Med but these birds probably flew along the coast. Cannot think of any other bird that could be mistaken for a Common Scoter in Central Asia and only Velvet Scoter has appeared in the Indian Sub-continent in Pakistan. Crossing Central Asia when you are a sea duck is rather foolhardy I would have thought.

Richard

Thanks Rich,

Unfortunately Chris nicked my ME Bird Guide so I am short of reference material. Chance he may see them on the way back in March!

Roger

Hello,

I have the internet again! Thank you all for your comments. Further to my last, I have spotted:

Great White Egret
Long Legged Buzzard
Collard Dove
Gull - specie unknown but very large.
White Wagtail

Another unknown is a type of dove? It has a black body with white wings and tail, splaid out like a fan. It flies straight up and then looks like it's been shot as it drops ungracefully from the sky. It repeats this constantly and is found in 3/4's around compunds.

I am still unsure about the Scoter Duck but it was in a flock of ten heading south and looked like nothing else other than the Scoter Duck in the book. I'm sure there is an explaination for this and the lone gull migrating south. The gull had yellow legs and was a little larger than a herring gull. Could it have been an egret of some kind?

Speak to all soon,

29Cdo Extreme birding.

Chris,

the Dove is a Palm Dove, occasionally called Mourning Dove in some books and the Gull sounds like Baltic Gull, the nominate race of Lesser Black Backed Gull. It is a large bird - was the Dark Grey back obvious? Next time you see White Wagtail take a good look at it - they are obviously different in Afghanistan and are called Masked Wagtails. Currently they are still a sub species of White Wagtail but may be split. One for the Arm chair listers!

Hope all is well.

Richard

Chris

The wagtail mentioned above is indeed a sub-species of White Wag, it can be easily identified with a grey back and a clear demarcation, crossing the eye between the white upper head and the black face, neck and chest. A non breeder will show a white throat.

Found this on the net, maybe some help
http://fwie.fw.vt.edu/afghanistan/BirdChecklist.html
Unfortunately it doesn't list scoter, although many other ducks are present.
Hope this helps

Mark C