I Arabian Wildlife

BAHRAIN Bahrain has long been an important maritime trad e cen tre linking Europe and the Middle East with the Indian subcon­tin ent. r ea rlin g has come and gone, oil rese rves are dwindling. As a result Bahrain has had to diversify and is now a banking and industrial centre. More recently it has allocated increasing resources to develop its tourist industry and considerable efforts are being made to attract visitors from aro und the world. Greate r awareness of the many opportunities dvailable for tourists to experience Bahrain's natural heritage can on ly lend weight to this effort.

Bahra in is an archipelago situated in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Salwa in the northern Arabian Gu lf. Named Dilmun in earlie r tim es, it is often {lssociated with the legend of the Garden of Eden and sometimes referred to as 'The Pea rl of th e Gulf'. Its northern and western shores appea r oa sis-like in thi s desolate and ar id region, the ir fertility relying upon subterranea n aquifers which draw freshwater from the huge underground aquifers of Saudi Arabia. Whil st the lush northern region harbours a wealth of w ildlife, interest lies main ly in Bahrai n's muddy eastern shores, host to thousands of migrating shorebirds, its scrub desert areas which support a number of specially adapted species of plant and animal, its offshore islands which are home to a number of rare and endangered species, and its shallow saline coastal w ate rs w hi ch s upport a ri ch marin('life induding dugong, green turtle and sea snakes.

COASTAL AREAS The east coas t has extensive but diminish ing m udflats whic h were recently di scovered to be of international importance as a w intering g round for wading bird s. The autumn migra tion, which begins in late July and continues through to ea rl y October, produces large numbers and a wide variety of waders, with over 40 species recorded. Of particular ornitho logica l interes t a re Broa d -b ill ed Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Littl e and Temnicks Stints, Grea ter and Lesser Si1nd plover and Bar-tailed Godwit. Most of the productive mudflats are ei1sily i1ccessible and can be surveyed from a ca r. A fou r-wheel-drive vehide is rarely necesssary in these areas. Good views of a wide variety of shorebirds may be had at va rious pmts of Tubli Bay and the coast alongside ·the causeway which joins Muharraq island with the ASRY drydock. The shallows betwee n the BAPCO refinery and The Ba hrain Yacht Club Me often productive.

Further south along the east coast the numbers of waders decrei1se but a regular flock of up to 60 Greater Flarningos may be seen i1l! year between the Yacht Club and Jau village to the south . During the summer months, White-cheeked Terns numbering 2-3000 breeding pairs nest in i1 colony on the south-west coast, well inside the res tricted area . Lesser numbers a lso nest on some of the offsh ore islets. A small number of Sa unders Little Terns breed on an east coast islet. This spec ies is threa tened by habitat d es tructi on and its numbers are decreasing.

PLANTATION AND CULTIVATED AREAS The northern cultivated arei1 S a re very produ ctiv e for migrating passerines . Gard ens and plantations a re eas ily reached by exp loring the myriad small road s and tracks w hich cri ss-cross these areas. Most of the gardens and planta tions are on private land but a p olite enquiry will

Volume 2, Number 2

nea rl y alw ays result in permiss ion fro m th e hos pi ta ble Bahraini people to look around On the road from Awali to Zell i1 q there me mesquite plantations near the racecourse at Sa khir. During the sp ring these ca n ho ld hund reds of mig rating passerines which can be eaSily viewed from the car. The racecourse itself has a lake to which d uc k are often attracted since it is one of the few rema ining fres hwater areas on the isli1nd . Some species of Marsh Tern may i1 1so be see n dancin g ov er the s u rface of the water. Rufous Bushchat, White-cheeked Bulbu l, Graceful Wmbler, Ring­necked Parakeet, and Olivaceous Warbler breed in the green areas . Migra nt p asse rines of interes t in clud e variou s whea tears, White-throa ted Robin, Reds tart, Red -backed, Isabelline, Lesse r Gra y, Woodcha t i1nd, less co mmon ly, Masked Shrike. A Bahra in specia lity in w inter is the regular roos t of up to 500 Grey Hypoco liu s which fre que nt the pi1lms and mesqu ites in the Maqabi1 h area. These bird s a rrive in mid -Octobe r and leave in mid-FebruMY.

REEDBEDS AND DITCHES Unfortunately, very few of these produ ctive habita ts s till ex ist. Many of the freshwater ditches have now been filled in and built upon so that the co lourful sight of a wintering kingfisher is not as common as it once was . Those remaining are i1 hi1ven for severa l species of drago nflies i1 nd mars h frog s and ofte n provid e g ood vi e w s o f Indi a n gre y mongoose. Terri1pins have become increas ingly rare. The reed beds i1 t Janibi ya provid e views of vMious crakes, water ra ils, waders, Common, Jack and occas ionally Pi1inted Snipe Great Reed Warblers and Penduline Tits are regular but uncommon. Littl e Bittern an d Squacco H eron are frequently seen and the former breed at other reedbeds on the island su ch as UB F strea m. Jan ib iya reed beds hi1ve recently been walled off but a re s till i1ccessible to the keen wa tcher by a rather more tortuous route. Hopefully this will provide more protec tion to th is produ ctive area, unl ess there are plans to develop it.

35

Lesser Kcst rei

Bahrain Arabian Wildli fe

MANGROVES The stands of dwarf mangrove at Sa nad at the southern end of Tubli Bay are now protected but are still subject to illegal rubbish dumping and landfill. This rich tidal habitat, a nursery ground for many species of fi sh and crustaceans, was the first record ed breeding site for the Black-winged Stilt in Bahrain and numbers seem to be increasing. Good numbers of herons roost here during the winter months and species include Grey Heron, Little Egret and Black-crowned Night Heron. At high tid e duri ng passage times this is a loca tion to observe waders incl uding Greater and Lesser Sa ndplover, Curlew Sandpiper and Kentish Plover in large n umbe rs, as well as many othe r sp ecies as singlE's. At appropriate times of year Sa under's Little Terns and various Marsh Terns patrol the tidal channels. Despite its protected status this rich area is cu rrently under threat of des truction .

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OFFSHORE ISLANDS The offshore islands, easily accessible by power boat, offer little in the way of terres trial wildlife. Often small, they becom e crowded with pl easu re boate rs at weekends, red ucing their attractiveness as wildlife s ites. H owever, be tween the mainland and such s mall is le ts there are regular schools of humpbacked , common and bottlenose dolphins. Humpbacked dolphins are reliably seen adjacent to the deep-water channel running out from the Ba hrain Yacht Club to the BAPCO wharf just beyond the Al Da r Islands. Whilst not as tame as some other dolphins, wi th care and patience, they can be approached very closely. Further south in the area between the small island of Um Jalid and the Hawar Islands there are ex tensi ve sea grass beds which provid e feeding grounds for large groups of dugong. This population has been little s tudi ed and its movements are not well known. Informa tion is coming to light wh ich sugges ts that they may be found in the a rea Sootl} Fa lcon. b e tween the m o nth s o f O ctober an d May. Any other information on thi s population is eagerly so ught by the authors. Sea snakes of various species are common in the waters off Bahrain and are often seen in large numbers.

The Hawar Islands, 20 kms to the south-east of mainland Bahrain, form a rich and interesting area, topographically quite unlike that of the parent island . Made up of a group of 16 islands, some flat and some with low but s teep cliffs falling to the sea, Hawar is home to some locally ra re avian species . Eight to ten pairs of the beautiful Sooty Falcon nest on the cliff ledges between August and October each year. The fla t island of Sowad al Janibiyah is the breeding ground of up to 200,000 Socotra Cormorants, between October and

THE DESERT Bahrain 's scrub desert hosts a relatively impoverished flora and fauna. The most common plant here is the bean caper (Zygophl11um qatarense) , a low succulent bush which shows a num ber of desert adap tati ons. In January the beautiful parasitic desert hyaci nth begins to force its way through the ground. If there has been a reasonable amount of rainfall during the winter the spring months bring a welcome flora l display in parts of the desert. Colourful additions are red lantern, asphodel and red thumb.

Res ident birds of these arid parts are rather dull and include Dese rt Lar k, Crested Lark and H oopoe Lark . A welcome splash of av ian colour is added by migrating birds such as Bee-eater, Hoopoe, and Roller. Good numbers of the vulnerable Lesser Kestrel join kes trels passing through the desert and onwards if they manage to avoid being trapped and sold in the markets. Reptil es are most evid en t in the shape of the spiny- tailed liza rd which is to be found in large numbers during the hotter parts of the year sitting atop a mound close to their burrows. Careful searching may loca te the colourful Jayakar's agama perched on top of one of the small desert bushes. Mammals are not well represented. Cape ha re and long-ea red desert hed gehog may be found after a careful search. Lesser three- toed jerboas are common but usually only seen occassionally and fleetingly in the ca r headlights unless specifically looked-for. The Arabian sand gazelle is mainly restricted to the southern desert and the population exceeds 100 ind ividuals. A group of about 30 can sometimes be seen west of the Tree of Life, and some have recently been venturing as far north as the area wes t and north of the Jebel ad Dukhan, where they are fed nea r a small goat farm . Their pale coloration allows them to blend into the background and they may only be noticed when they move.

Arabian Oryl.

Volume 2, Number 2 36

,

Bah rain

Arabiall Sand Gazelle.

Cape Ho re .

HUI/lpback Dolphil/s .

February These islands also support about a hundred pairs of Wes tern Reef H erons and Breedin g Cas pia n , Bridled , White-cheeked and Sa unders Littl e Te rns. Add to this a winterin g populatio n of 800 - 1000 Greater Flamingos, up to 25 pairs of ground-nesting Os preys, and a s ta rk physical bea u ty seen nowhere else in Bahra in , and these is lands are w ell w orth vis iting (s pecia l permission required ).

Rece ntly, arrange ments have been made for visitors to visit th e largest of the Hawar islands w here th ey are able to rent fully ­equipped chalets tro m the Municipality at v er y r e as onabl e prices. Ad v anced reserva tions are ad vised by phoning Tel no. 784433. Trilvel to th e is lands is b y dhow from th e Bilhrain ma inlilnd, depa rting from

Dur village a t 8.00 a.m . and 11.00 a. m. o n Thursda ys and returning o n Fridays a t 1.00 p .m . and 4.00 p.m . This trip cos ts aro und BD3 and ca n be boo ked by calling Tel no. 213804.

Visitors a re restricted to the main is la nd and any visit to the outer is li'll1ds would require specia l pe rmission. Hawar Island trips are s uspend ed durin g the mo nths of December, January and February due to inclement weather co nd itions .

CONSERVED AREAS Re lative ly few area s co nse rved for their natura l hi s tory interest Me op e n to vi s ito rs, but with a g row ing en viro n­mental awa re ness in Ba hrain this w ill change in the future.

Arabian Wildlife

The whole of central and southern Bahrain is a restricted region which has the effect of protecting the wildlife of th is pa rt of the co u ntry. Signs are easily vi s ibl e on all of the roads south once the restricted areas is reached. Permission is occas ionally g ive n to vi s it for the purpose of natural hi s tory study.

AL AREEN WILDLIFE PARK Thi s w ildlife pa rk wa s the brainchild o f His Hig hness Sha ikh Hamad bin Isa bin Sulman Al-Kha lifa, The Crown Prince of Bahrain. It is divided into two parts, one of which is open to the public. The reserve area is off-limits without s pecial permission . Access to the park is by bus from the m ai n entrance. This takes parti es a round a ta rmac road from w hi ch y ou are a bl e to obtain good v iews o f a variey of Arabian mammals, some roamin g free and others in pens. There are also some African anima ls which rem ain from the initi a l establi shme nt of th e p a rk. Mamm(llian species include scimita r-ho rned oryx, ad d ax, Ar(l b ia n oryx, dama ga zelle, Nubian ibex, wild goat, barbary s heep a nd Asiatic onager Wild bird species are (ll so i1ttracted to th e park. Near to the adminis tra ti ve building is a w alkway which gives close views of vario us species of bird and animal. There are cafete ria facilities here. T he p a rk is opened d a ily from 8 ­11.00 a.m. and 1-4.30 p .m . M o re inform a tion ma y be obtained from the park office: Tel 631826.

Kathy and Mike Hill

USEFUL ADDRESSES for Bahrain

Nat iona l Com m ittee for the Protection of Wildlife, PO Box 28690, Bahrain. Tel 0973- 631826; fax: 0973- 631173 Bahra in Natural History Society, I' 0 Box 20336, Bahrain. The BNHS is an active group with a meeting on the first Tuesday of the month. Howard King, the bird recorder, is very helpful and is always up to date w ith recent bird sightings . Bah rain Cent re for Research and Studi es, POBox 496, Manama, Bahrain. The Tourism Projects Company has been taken over by a new private company: Gul f TOUTS. The lelephone number for Gulf Tours is 294446. The company is operating a dynamic tourism service incorporating ne\·" boats for marine tours, air-conditioned buses and limousines. This company is likely to playa leading role in the development of Bahrain as a qua lity destination for discerning visitors, especially those interested in the region's natural attractions.

Volume 2, Number 2

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