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 31 (2) Autumn 2009 Cretzschmar’s Bunting Emberiza caesia . © Mehmet Goren
105 Contents page. 106 Further on the diet of wintering Long-eared Owls Asio otus in northern Israel. Reuven Yosef & Kobi Meyrom 109 Juvenile plumage of the Socotra Bunting Emberiza socotrana . Peter G Ryan, RF Porter, Barrie Rose & Ahmed Saeed Suleiman 112 Western flyway of the Siberian Crane Grus leucogeranus : further releases of captive-reared birds in Iran. Sadegh Sadeghi Zadegan, Crawford Prentice & Elena Ilyashenko 122 The Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina in the North Caucasus, Russian Federation: taxonomic status, genetic diversity, breeding density and nest site characteristics. Ülo Väli, Viktor P Belik & Igor G Babkin 128 Status of Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus in the North Caucasus, Russian Federation GS Dzhamirzoev & SA Bukreev 134 The rediscovery of breeding Shikras Accipiter badius in the Western Palaearctic . Michael Heiss & Kai Gauger 138 First record of Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus (rubescens ) japonicus for Turkey . Ali Atahan & Mehmet Atahan 140 The Ras Baalbek semi-desert: Lebanon’s aridland area and its birds . Richard Prior & Colin Conroy 146 Ornithological surveys in Bamiyan province, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan . Simon Busuttil & Raffael Ayé 160 Aberrant moult in an adult male Isabelline Shrike Lanius isabellinus phoenicuroides . Laurent Demongin & Reuven Yosef 163 On the nomenclature of the so-called Isabelline Shrike . EN Panov 171 Black-headed Penduline Tits Remiz macronyx in Kazakhstan . Sander Bot & René E van Dijk 177 First record of Great Knot Calidris tenuirostris in Qatar . Michael Chalmers 179 Relationship between nesting Isabelline Wheatears Oenanthe isabellina and a burrowing rodent (a jirdMeriones sp) . Simon Aspinall 182 Status, seasonality and distribution of the Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus at Khafrah Marsh, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia . Brian S Meadows 189 Photospot: Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse Pterocles lichtensteinii .193 Reviews. 196 OSME News . Geoff Welch 197 News & Information Dawn Balmer (Compiler) 207 Obituary Steen Christensen 208 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 Vasil Ananian, Simon Aspinall, Paul Goriup, Mike Jennings, Dr Fares Khoury, Dr Stephen Newton, Arend Wassink Photographic Editor Paul Doherty Reviews Editor Guy Kirwan Identification Consultants Arnoud van den Berg, Chris Bradshaw, Steve Madge, Richard Porter
