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 |