Ortolan Bunting fall migration survey in Kuwait

| September 2014 in Kuwait |

In 2014, during the fall migration of Ortolan Bunting, we went to Kuwait to catch and sample tail feather on ortolan to make genetics and stable isotopic analyses. With these analyses, we search to define which ortolan population migrate during the fall through the Kuwait. During this mission, we caught 78 ortolan buntings.

Ortolan bunting (Emberiza hortulana, Bruant ortolan)

Menetries’s Warbler (Sylvia mystacea, Fauvette de Ménétries )

Barred Warbler (Sylvia nisoria, Fauvette épervière)

Common Redstart samamisicus (Phoenicurus phoenicurus samamisicus, Rougequeue à front blanc)

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler (Iduna pallida, Hypolaïs pâle)

The team from left to right: me, Romain Provost, Aurélien Audevard

Eastern Orphean Warbler (Sylvia crassirostris, Fauvette orphéane)

Steppe Grey Shrike (Lanius pallidirostris, Pie-grièche des steppes)

Cinereous Bunting (Emberiza cineracea, Bruant cendré)

Northern Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe, Traquet motteux)

A thirsty quail, drinking directly from the bottle neck

Common Quail (Coturnix coturnix, Caille des blés)

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin (Cercotrichas galactotes, Agrobate roux)

Eurasian Skylark (Alauda arvensis, Alouette des champs)

Common Cuckoo (Cuculus canorus, Coucou gris)

Eurasian Hoopoe (Upupa epops, Huppe fasciée)

Masked Shrike (Lanius nubicus, Pie-grièche masquée)

Eurasian Scops Owl (Otus scops, Petit-duc scops)

Common Rosefinch (Carpodacus erythrinus, Roselin cramoisi) female

Eurasian Wryneck (Jynx torquilla, Torcol fourmilier)

European Nightjar (Caprimulgus europaeus, Engoulevent d’Europe)

Citrine Wagtail (Motacilla citreola, Bergeronnette citrine)

Corn Crake (Crex crex, Râle des genêts)

Camp in the desert

So cute Desert Hedgehog (Paraechinus aethiopicus, Hérisson du désert)

Cheesman’s Gerbil (Gerbilus cheesmani, Gerbille de Cheesman)

Middle Eastern short-fingered Gecko (Stenodactylus doriae, Gecko nain des sables)

The famous dromedary in the desert

Squacco Heron (Ardeola ralloides, Crabier chevelu)

Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus, Ibis falcinelle)

Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus, Chevalier culblanc)

White-throated Kingfisher (Halcyon smyrnensis, Martin-chasseur de Smyrne)

Lesser Kestrel (Falco naumanni, Faucon crécerellette)

Graceful Prinia (Prinia gracilis, Prinia gracile)

Booted Eagle (Hieraaetus pennatus, Aigle botté)

Periophthalmus sp.

Crab-plover (Dromas ardeola, Drome ardéole)

A dead car in the Kuwaiti desert

Greater Hoopoe-Lark (Alaemon alaudipes, Sirli du désert)

Common Myna (Acridotheres tristis, Martin triste)

White-eared Bulbul (Pycnonotus leucotis, Bulbul à oreillons blancs)