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 31 (1) Spring 2009 Short-toed Eagle Circaetus gallicus northern Israel (Hula valley), October. © Lior Kislev
1 Contents page .2 Preliminary comments on skua Stercorarius reports from Armenia . VASIL ANANIAN 6 Observations on the cooling behaviour, and associated habitat, of four desert lark species (Alaudidae) in two areas of Kuwait . GARY BROWN 15 Unexpectedly large number of Sociable Lapwings Vanellus gregarius on autumn migration in Turkey and some remarks on the stopover site . MURAT BIRICIK 18 On the status and distribution of Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia and Common Nightingale L. megarhynchos in Armenia . VASIL ANANIAN 24 First breeding record of Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia in Israel . NOAM WEISS, MIKOLAJ KOSS & REUVEN YOSEF 26 The timing of spring passage of soaring birds at Zait bay, Egypt . GUDRUN HILGERLOH, JAN WEINBECKER & INGO WEISS 36 Use of nest baskets by Long- eared Owls Asio otus in Israel . MOTTI CHARTER, YOSSI LESHEM & SHAY HALEVI 38 The first Collared Kingfisher Todiramphus chloris in Yemen . DAVID B STANTON 40 Food-dunking behaviour by a Eurasian Jay Garrulus glandarius . DONALD C DEARBORN & ANDREA B GAGER 42 First record of Masked Shrike Lanius nubicus in Armenia . MARTIN ADAMIAN & FRANCIS X MOFFATT 44 On the distribution and ecology of the Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni in Armenia . VASIL ANANIAN 55 First confirmed breeding record of Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus for Lebanon, 2006 . GHASSAN RAMADAN- JARADI & THIERRY BARA 57 Weight gains by re-trapped passerine migrants at an artificially vegetated site, Eastern Desert, Egypt . GUDRUN HILGERLOH & BERND RADDATZ 61 Status of selected migrant species in Kuwait: observations and ringing, spring 1997 . NIGEL CLEERE & DAVID J KELLY 65 First breeding of Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus on Socotra, Yemen . AHMED SAEED SULEIMAN 68 Nesting tree utilisation by Brown-necked Ravens Corvus ruficollis in west central Saudi Arabia . PETER CUNNINGHAM 73 Breeding and food habits of a pair of urban Desert Eagle Owls Bubo ascalaphus in Hurghada, Red Sea coast, Egypt . ISTVAN MOLDOVAN & ATTILA D SANDOR 79 Erratum: Schweizer M & M Mitropolskiy. 2008. The occurrence of Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhyncus in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan and its status in Central Asia. Sandgrouse 30: 161–163 .80 Review .81 OSME News . GEOFF WELCH 83 News & Information . DAWN BALMER (COMPILER) 91 Around the Region . DAWN BALMER & DAVID MURDOCH (COMPILERS)
Editor: Dr Peter Cowan OSME Editor , Department of Biological Sciences and Chemistry, University of Nizwa, Sultanate of Oman Editorial Advisors Simon Aspinall, Paul Goriup, Mike Jennings, Dr Stephen Newton Photographic Editor Paul Doherty Reviews Editor Keith Betton Identification Consultants Arnoud van den Berg, Chris Bradshaw, Steve Madge, Richard Porter
