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 38 (1) Spring 2016 Cover photo: Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus , Al-Ain city, United Arab Emirates, February 2015. © Ashraf Kotb
2 Genetic analysis of a Western Reef Egret Egretta gularis from Israel . J Martin Collinson, Euan Ferguson, Tim Jones & Chen Rozen 5 A Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach in Khorasan-e Razavi province, northeastern Iran . A Khani, M Rezayi & MJ Ali Poor 7 The oasis effect: bedouin gardens benefit resident and migratory birds in southern Sinai, Egypt . Andrew Power, Olivia Norfolk & Francis Gilbert 12 Recent status and occurrence of Crested Honey Buzzards Pernis ptilorhynchus in the Arabian peninsula, with emphasis on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates . Jem Babbington & Oscar Campbell 23 First confirmed evidence of Barn Swallows Hirundo rustica breeding on the Arabian peninsula . Bernard Bracken 27 Cory’s Shearwater Calonectris borealis , Persian Shearwater Puffinus persicus , Jouanin’s Petrel Bulweria fallax and Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus , Muscat to Djibouti and into the Red sea, March/April 2015 . Robert L Flood 36 Observations of the Critically Endangered Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarius during autumn migration in Azerbaijan . Pedro Romero Vidal & Robert Sheldon 71 First breeding record of Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor in Iraq . RF Porter 73 First confirmed breeding of the European Serin Serinus serinus in Lebanon. A potential threat to Lebanese breeding Syrian Serins Serinus syriacus ? Ghassan Ramadan-Jaradi, Assad Serhal & Mona Ramadan-Jaradi 77 First record of Eastern Buzzard Buteo japonicus for Tajikistan . Raffael Ayé 79 Diet of Barn Owl Tyto alba and Tawny Owl Strix aluco in central Anatolia, Turkey . Nedko Nedyalkov & Zlatozar Boev 82 A globally important migration staging site for Sociable Lapwings Vanellus gregarius in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan . Paul F Donald et al 96 Egyptian record of Wahlberg’s Eagle Hieraaetus wahlbergi is the first in the Western Palearctic and Middle East . Ahmed Waheed 99 Counts of Egyptian Vultures Neophron percnopterus and other avian scavengers at Muscat’s municipal landfill, Oman, November 2013–March 2015 . WA Al Fazari & MJ McGrady 106 First record of Lesser Spotted Eagle Clanga pomarina , first breeding record of Eurasian Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus and first records of Eastern Bonelli’s Warbler Phylloscopus orientalis , Olive Tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum and Goldcrest Regulus regulus , for Iraq . Korsh Ararat 110 Rare and localised Audouin’s Gull Larus audouinii declining in Cyprus; results from systematic monitoring 2007–2015 and data for Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis and Mediterranean Shags Gulosus aristotelis desmarestii . Martin Hellicar 118 A survey of Little Tern Sternula albifrons colonies at Port Said, Egypt, in 2015 with notes on behaviour . Mohamed I Habib 124 From the Rarities Committees . Ian Harrison (compiler) 212 Around the Region . Ian Harrison & Chris Lamsdell (compilers)
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
