Sandgrouse is published by OSME and contains papers and short notes on the ornithology of the OSME region, provides bird and conservation news from the region and a comprehensive round up of bird sightings in the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Sandgrouse volume 39 (1) Spring 2017 Cover photo: Singing Bush Lark Mirafra cantillans , Salalah, Oman, 2 May 2013. © Hanne & Jens Eriksen
2 Understanding hunters’ habits and motivations for shooting raptors in the Batumi raptor-migration bottleneck, southwest Georgia . Anna Sandor, Johannes Jansen & Wouter M Vansteelant 16 First record of nominate Common Buzzard Buteo b. buteo for Jordan . Fares Khoury & Roberto Massis 18 Another inland Red-necked Stint Calidris ruficollis record for western Iran . Jafar Gholami, Ali Turk Qashqaei, Elham Sharifi & Saeid Gholami 20 The first Asian Dowitcher Limnodromus semipalmatus for Oman . Jens Eriksen, Hanne Eriksen, Manal Al-Kindy & Jeff Hayes 23 Recent records of Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus further north in Iran and an apparent breeding colony in Tehran province. Mohammad Tohidifar & Abolghasem Khaleghiza 26 Evidence of Eurasian Stone Curlew Burhinus oedicnemus breeding in Lebanon . Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi, Fouad Itani & Assad Serhal 30 Movements of Lesser Crested Thalasseus bengalensis and Bridled Terns Onychoprion anaethetus bred in the Arabian gulf, based on ringing recoveries . Brendan Kavanagh, Jem Babbington & Nicole Proven 39 High day count of migrating Steppe Eagles Aquila nipalensis in Suez, Egypt, March 1985 . K Steiof, A Bräunlich, C Handke, O Jahn & W Schreck 42 Recent records and indications of breeding of Black-shouldered Kites Elanus caeruleus in Jordan . Fares Khoury, Roberto Massis & Gerd Wichmann 45 A breeding record of Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus at a Caspian coastal area, Iran . Abbas Ashoori & Hitoshi Watanabe 48 Further breeding records of Black Stork Ciconia nigra in Iran . Ali Turk Qashqaei & 15 others 53 On the diet of Little Owl Athene noctua from Al Reem biosphere reserve in Qatar, with the first record of Pygmy Gerbil Gerbillus henleyi for Qatar . Mohammad A Abu Baker & Nobuyuki Yamaguchi 61 Spring migration of soaring birds over the highlands of southwest Jordan: flight patterns and possible implications for wind farm developments . Fares Khoury 68 Breeding range extension of Desert Lark Ammomanes deserti in Uzbekistan . David A Showler 69 First Scrub Warbler Scotocerca inquieta record and first breeding observations of Desert Finch Rhodospiza obsoleta , for Iraq . Korsh Ararat & Mariwan Rahim 72 Review of the status of Spectacled Warbler Sylvia conspicillata in Cyprus, and evidence of its dispersal and migration . Colin Richardson 77 Photospot: Singing Bush Lark Mirafra cantillans . Hanne & Jens Erikse 81 From the Rarities Committees . Ian Harrison (compiler) 88 Corrigendum . 89 Letter to the Editor . 90 Obituary: Luc Hoffmann . 91 Letter from the Chairman: OSME in 2016 . 93 Around the Region . Ian Harrison (compiler)
Editor: Dr Peter Cowan OSME Editor , Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman Editorial Advisors Vasil Ananian, Paul Goriup, Mike Jennings, Dr Fares Khoury, Guy Kirwan, Dr Mike McGrady, Dr Stephen Newton, Yoav Perlman, Dr Manuel Schweizer, Arend Wassink Photographic Editor Paul Doherty Identification Consultants Dr Raffael Ayé, Arnoud van den Berg, Chris Bradshaw, Andrew Lassey, Richard Porter
