Life list now 200 species
>>More on Salt Pans
After this successful introduction to the Salt Pans, I tried to fit in one visit per week and my next five visits were on the following dates: Sun 22 Mar, Sun 31 Mar, Sun 7 Apr, Sat 13 Apr and Thurs 18 Apr 1946. Many of the same birds were present each time so, to avoid repetition, I am including here only new observations. >>>
On 22 March these consisted of behaviour details of one species and occurrence of two new wader species. The behaviour description: “I saw four single _____________________. Each of these gave me good views. The best was one I flushed from the bank and it perched on a low post about 12" above water level) some 5 yds from the bank and 30 yds from me. Several times it uttered what I find to be its characteristic alarm note, an explosive ‘sneeze’ - ‘ptzuuk’ or, on occasion, a more metallic ‘tzink’. All the while it jerked its short tail at a frequency of approx twice per sec. Its pose was rather peculiar - almost horizontal, or about as sketched, and became quite horizontal preparatory to taking wing.”
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (22 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
Two additions to my species list for Aden, one a lifer: “At another point I was attracted by the sight of a white head, black crowned, just visible above the bank. It turned out to belong to one of six Avocets* Recurvirostra avosetta. These flew up when I was 50-70 yds away showing their upturned bills and characteristic wing pattern very clearly. They landed in the centre of the pool, swimming quite freely and lightly on the water. Then, nearby, were three Black-winged Stilts Himantopus himantopus. They showed all their characteristic features [as observed by me on Nottingham sewage farm the previous year] but did not call. There was some black on the head, little on crown, mostly through the eye (?)”
The visit on 31 March turned up three more wader species for the Salt Pans, two of them lifers.
“With c 12 Little Stints on the bank was one _____________________*. I took down the following description on the spot: Bill longish, up-curved, black or very dark with slight yellowish at base. Dark line thro’ eye. Legs short and yellowish. Back and wings ashy-brown, almost uniform. Shoulders, upper neck and crown lighter and more streaked. Face, forehead, throat and upper breast white with greyish or grey-brown speckles. Rest of underparts, white. Little white in tail but secondaries and, probably primaries, white tipped giving a white trailing edge to the wing. Call ‘twit-a-wit-wit-wit’.
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (31 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
On the mud of another pool were 10 Flamingos, 2 Greenshanks, several Little Stints and 9 _____________________________*. Following description taken at the time: Size, just greater than that of Little Stint (one with them). General colour of upperparts grey-brown, but rather varied among individuals, some browner than others. Head, streaked much as with a snipe but greyer and lighter. Bill, fairly long and heavy, down curved but not as much as in Curlew Sandpiper - almost black in colour. Whitish eye-stripe noticeable. Underparts chiefly white, some colour on breast. Note, a very short titter.
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (31 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
In this pool, among the Little Stints, I heard the call of the Dunlin Erolia alpina but did not see it, though I saw one Dunlin (only a spot or two of black on the belly) on another part of the salt pans the same day."
7 April 1946 was notable for the addition of four more species of wader to my Aden list, though none of them were lifers. They were Lesser Sandplover Charadrius mongolus (as seen in Egypt), Grey Plover Squatarola squatarola, Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus and Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica.
On 13 April, I discovered my first breeding evidence on the salt pans, from “2+ pairs of Kentish Plovers. I suspect from their curious behaviour that they were breeding. They seemed anxious to lead me from a particular area. One representative of each pair (♀?) was the most perturbed. The method of each bird was to land about 20 yds from me and run away from me, adopting a crouching posture with wings slightly open, fluttering and pressed downwards. The tail was considerably depressed and spread, showing the white sides of tail and rump very prominently.”
The following week, 18 April, in the same area, more breeding evidence was obtained. I saw “five Kentish Plovers, one of which was a juvenile. It was the same size as the others but upper parts were much less uniform, being spotted and streaked with white (?). Black on head and neck missing. The forehead was nearly white but not sharply divided by a black line from the dark crown.”
Two of the waders named above were further additions to the Aden avifauna, bringing the number of species I had added so far to four. The new species for Aden were Avocet and Broad-billed Sandpiper, which do not figure in the lists preceding my visit. However, other observers after me reported them (e.g. Page 1960).
Aden Salt Pans 17 March 1946
Life list now 197 species
>>Discovery of my best birding spot, the Salt Pans
It was on one mail delivery trip that I discovered the Salt Pans, which became my favourite bird watching area during my stay in Aden. They lie between Khormaksar and Sheikh Othman. The main road ran through the middle and, on Friday 15 March 1946 I noticed from the mail gharry what appeared to be flamingos. It was amazing to glimpse those prehistoric shapes in the water. There was a bus service between Steamer Point and Sheikh Othman so I was able to visit during my free time, i.e. Sundays and each afternoon (working hours were 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The first chance was on Sunday 17 March.
Before giving the results of this trip, I want to describe the Salt Pans. They covered an area of about seven square km on flat terrain along the coast just north and west of Khormaksar airfield. They were divided into roughly one hundred individual pools, separated one from the other by straight banks. The size of the pools varied a lot, from about 100 ha furthest from the coast to less than 1 ha near the coast. Depth was usually from zero up to about 30 cm but some of the larger pools were twice as deep. The bottom of the larger pools was mud and only one of these pools had any extensive underwater vegetation.
Sea water was pumped by windmills continuously into the pools furthest from the coast and there it evaporated in the sun. This increased salinity. The water overflowed weirs into smaller pools nearer the coast where salinity increased further and this process continued until the solution became saturated in the pools nearest the coast. Here were located the salt works in which sea salt was extracted from the brine and shipped off for sale.
The shallow water and muddy bottom created ideal conditions for many wading birds. These occurred mostly in the larger pools as the salinity was too high in the smallest pools near the coast. The sea was very shallow off the coast forming large mud flats at low tide on which fed many other wading birds. At high tide these birds were driven close to the land and many then flew into the salt pans to feed with those already there.
This area had the highest density of birds in any part of Aden and this is one reason I visited it so often. Another reason was my previous bird watching experience. I had become something of a wader (shore bird) specialist. I was born and brought up in the Norfolk Broads near Breydon Water, a part of England famous for water birds, especially waders. The previous year I had had some very good times on Nottingham Sewage Farm, with Black-winged Stilts but many other types of wader, so it seemed natural to me to study closely the birds of the salt pans.
My judgement in 1946 that this was a wonderful place for birds has been upheld in recent years by the declaration by Birdlife International that the coastal wetlands around Aden harbour, including the mud flats at Khormaksar and the Salt Pans, constitute an Important Bird Area (YE033). This has been justified by the large numbers of birds found there and, for several species, my 64 year old records are still the highest counts!
On this trip I walked from the main road along the banks between the larger pans (pools) furthest from the coast, then to the coast (of a bay), where the tide was low, and back again by the same route (no record of the time of arrival and departure).>>>
“Near the road were 40 Flamingos* Phoenicopterus ruber in three pools, while there were 105 -108 in other pools, and also 8 Spoonbills* Platalea leucorodia and c. 70 others elsewhere on the salt pans. The heron family was well represented, there being present 5 Common (Grey) Herons Ardea cinerea, one Red-Sea Green-backed Heron* Butorides striatus brevipes (a peculiar bird in flight, Lapwing size, long neck stretched out but legs and tail short, slightly resembling a grebe in shape. Wing beat fairly rapid but distinct pause after each stroke, giving a woodpecker-like appearance to me); several both dark blue and white (nos. approx the same) Red Sea Reef Herons* Egretta schistacea. The cry of this species is ‘aaarrk’, quite distinct from that of the Common Heron. One, probably a juvenile of the blue phase, was a good deal lighter and greyer or browner with a white patch on the top centre of each wing."
The only passerine was described as follows: “The first species, still (7 May) unidentified, seemed to be a large pipit or long-tailed lark. General colour sandy brown above, white beneath except for light brown on breast and some spots there too. Legs and tail very long, bill long and slightly down-curved. In flight white wing bars or patch very noticeable. Size of body approx. as Skylark. Three seen altogether, all in sandy or salty areas.” This was the ____________________________*.
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (17 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
"Over the bay there was one Osprey* Pandion haliaetus."
Ten species of wader were seen, all of which except one I had seen before. These waders were Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula (“party of c.12 on the salt pans, apparently the same race as seen in Egypt, having a thinner eye-stripe than the typical race as well as other small distinctions”), Kentish Plover (“On the sandy area bordering the bay were 2-3 pairs. By their brighter and sandy upperparts and medium green-brown, not black legs, I expect they were of the Eastern race Charadrius alexandinus seebohmi. The call note was ‘wit-wit-wit’, short not ‘questioning’.”), Little Stint Calidris minuta (“about 72 scattered on the large pools, in greyish winter plumage, note repeated ‘chit-chit-chit’”), Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea (“party of 9"), Greenshank Tringa nebularia (“were fairly common and I counted 12 in one party, probably 40-50 altogether”), Redshank Tringa totanus (“numbered a dozen or so”), Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (“a few, c.5, were disturbed”), Curlew Numenius arquata (“20-30 altogether, several single ones on the salt pans, the rest feeding in the bay”), Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (“Feeding in water of salt pans c. 6 inches deep. About 6 had some chestnut, two being in complete breeding plumage. They were not shy and allowed me within c. 50 yards.”). Indeed, I found all waders comparatively tame, Redshanks particularly so considering their wildness and unapproachability in UK. Curlew were about the shyest.”. The last species was _________________________ * (“Two seen with Greenshanks and Redshanks on the salt pans. Note a repeated ‘chift’, reminiscent of nothing more than that of the Black-winged Stilt often heard in Notts. last summer. The plumage resembled Greenshank rather, but slightly more contrast between upper and under parts giving a more black and white appearance. Bill, pretty long, very slender and apparently straight, black also. Legs very long, yellow-green in colour, appearing almost yellow in bright sunlight as those of Greenshank are liable to do. Though body only about two-thirds the size of a Redshanks, legs give it nearly the same height.”)
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (17 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
“The only gull was a Yellow-legged Gull. Two kinds of tern were seen. The first had a black cap, very red, thick, blunt and large bill, black or dark legs, very light grey upper wings and mantle, a little black beneath primaries, size large. Undoubtedly the Caspian Tern* Sterna caspia (probably only 2 or 3 altogether). The other had black bill (and legs?), heavy and gull-like flight and not very sharp wings. Little black on head, merely a black mark over each eye; quite definitely the Gull-billed Tern* Sterna nilotica in winter plumage."
>>Unlike in Egypt, I had no book to refer to about the birds of Aden, and as far as I know, none exists to this day. However, thanks to the Internet I have recently been able to read much of what had been written about the birds of Aden prior to my going there. This has been through online access to The Ibis, the journal of the British Ornithologists’ Union. I have been a member of the BOU for many years and received The Ibis every quarter. In 2009 I changed my subscription from the paper version to the online version and now am able to read online any issue back to the first (1858).
Because Aden was part of British overseas territories all that time, The Ibis was the natural medium for publishing bird observations from there. There were papers on the birds of Aden in 1886 (Major Yerbury), 1893 (Lieutenant Barnes), 1896 (Major Yerbury) and 1924 (Colonel Meinerzhagen). It is noticeable that these authors were all in the Army, not surprising in view of the strategic importance of Aden and the preponderance of military men among the British there. It is also remarkable that all were officers. There must have been many more “other ranks” than officers in Aden throughout its occupation by the British, but apparently they did not then contribute to the ornithological literature. None of the papers makes more than a passing reference to the Salt Pans though Lieutenant Barnes mentions that they were established in 1875 by an Italian company.>>>
Two of the species I saw there on 17 March 1946, Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper, do not figure in the papers cited above so were additions to the Aden avifauna, though I did not know so at the time. Both species were reported by other visitors to Aden in subsequent years (1960 Page and 1967 Clarke).
>>Discovery of my best birding spot, the Salt Pans
It was on one mail delivery trip that I discovered the Salt Pans, which became my favourite bird watching area during my stay in Aden. They lie between Khormaksar and Sheikh Othman. The main road ran through the middle and, on Friday 15 March 1946 I noticed from the mail gharry what appeared to be flamingos. It was amazing to glimpse those prehistoric shapes in the water. There was a bus service between Steamer Point and Sheikh Othman so I was able to visit during my free time, i.e. Sundays and each afternoon (working hours were 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.). The first chance was on Sunday 17 March.
Aden bird watching locations (1940s map)
Altitudes in metres
Grid square 1 km each side
Grid square 1 km each side
Before giving the results of this trip, I want to describe the Salt Pans. They covered an area of about seven square km on flat terrain along the coast just north and west of Khormaksar airfield. They were divided into roughly one hundred individual pools, separated one from the other by straight banks. The size of the pools varied a lot, from about 100 ha furthest from the coast to less than 1 ha near the coast. Depth was usually from zero up to about 30 cm but some of the larger pools were twice as deep. The bottom of the larger pools was mud and only one of these pools had any extensive underwater vegetation.
Sea water was pumped by windmills continuously into the pools furthest from the coast and there it evaporated in the sun. This increased salinity. The water overflowed weirs into smaller pools nearer the coast where salinity increased further and this process continued until the solution became saturated in the pools nearest the coast. Here were located the salt works in which sea salt was extracted from the brine and shipped off for sale.
The shallow water and muddy bottom created ideal conditions for many wading birds. These occurred mostly in the larger pools as the salinity was too high in the smallest pools near the coast. The sea was very shallow off the coast forming large mud flats at low tide on which fed many other wading birds. At high tide these birds were driven close to the land and many then flew into the salt pans to feed with those already there.
This area had the highest density of birds in any part of Aden and this is one reason I visited it so often. Another reason was my previous bird watching experience. I had become something of a wader (shore bird) specialist. I was born and brought up in the Norfolk Broads near Breydon Water, a part of England famous for water birds, especially waders. The previous year I had had some very good times on Nottingham Sewage Farm, with Black-winged Stilts but many other types of wader, so it seemed natural to me to study closely the birds of the salt pans.
My judgement in 1946 that this was a wonderful place for birds has been upheld in recent years by the declaration by Birdlife International that the coastal wetlands around Aden harbour, including the mud flats at Khormaksar and the Salt Pans, constitute an Important Bird Area (YE033). This has been justified by the large numbers of birds found there and, for several species, my 64 year old records are still the highest counts!
On this trip I walked from the main road along the banks between the larger pans (pools) furthest from the coast, then to the coast (of a bay), where the tide was low, and back again by the same route (no record of the time of arrival and departure).>>>
“Near the road were 40 Flamingos* Phoenicopterus ruber in three pools, while there were 105 -108 in other pools, and also 8 Spoonbills* Platalea leucorodia and c. 70 others elsewhere on the salt pans. The heron family was well represented, there being present 5 Common (Grey) Herons Ardea cinerea, one Red-Sea Green-backed Heron* Butorides striatus brevipes (a peculiar bird in flight, Lapwing size, long neck stretched out but legs and tail short, slightly resembling a grebe in shape. Wing beat fairly rapid but distinct pause after each stroke, giving a woodpecker-like appearance to me); several both dark blue and white (nos. approx the same) Red Sea Reef Herons* Egretta schistacea. The cry of this species is ‘aaarrk’, quite distinct from that of the Common Heron. One, probably a juvenile of the blue phase, was a good deal lighter and greyer or browner with a white patch on the top centre of each wing."
The only passerine was described as follows: “The first species, still (7 May) unidentified, seemed to be a large pipit or long-tailed lark. General colour sandy brown above, white beneath except for light brown on breast and some spots there too. Legs and tail very long, bill long and slightly down-curved. In flight white wing bars or patch very noticeable. Size of body approx. as Skylark. Three seen altogether, all in sandy or salty areas.” This was the ____________________________*.
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (17 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
"Over the bay there was one Osprey* Pandion haliaetus."
Ten species of wader were seen, all of which except one I had seen before. These waders were Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula (“party of c.12 on the salt pans, apparently the same race as seen in Egypt, having a thinner eye-stripe than the typical race as well as other small distinctions”), Kentish Plover (“On the sandy area bordering the bay were 2-3 pairs. By their brighter and sandy upperparts and medium green-brown, not black legs, I expect they were of the Eastern race Charadrius alexandinus seebohmi. The call note was ‘wit-wit-wit’, short not ‘questioning’.”), Little Stint Calidris minuta (“about 72 scattered on the large pools, in greyish winter plumage, note repeated ‘chit-chit-chit’”), Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea (“party of 9"), Greenshank Tringa nebularia (“were fairly common and I counted 12 in one party, probably 40-50 altogether”), Redshank Tringa totanus (“numbered a dozen or so”), Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos (“a few, c.5, were disturbed”), Curlew Numenius arquata (“20-30 altogether, several single ones on the salt pans, the rest feeding in the bay”), Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa (“Feeding in water of salt pans c. 6 inches deep. About 6 had some chestnut, two being in complete breeding plumage. They were not shy and allowed me within c. 50 yards.”). Indeed, I found all waders comparatively tame, Redshanks particularly so considering their wildness and unapproachability in UK. Curlew were about the shyest.”. The last species was _________________________ * (“Two seen with Greenshanks and Redshanks on the salt pans. Note a repeated ‘chift’, reminiscent of nothing more than that of the Black-winged Stilt often heard in Notts. last summer. The plumage resembled Greenshank rather, but slightly more contrast between upper and under parts giving a more black and white appearance. Bill, pretty long, very slender and apparently straight, black also. Legs very long, yellow-green in colour, appearing almost yellow in bright sunlight as those of Greenshank are liable to do. Though body only about two-thirds the size of a Redshanks, legs give it nearly the same height.”)
QUIZ: If you think you know what species this bird was, please put its name, your name, how you identified it and the date (17 March 1946) in the comment box at the end of this post.
“The only gull was a Yellow-legged Gull. Two kinds of tern were seen. The first had a black cap, very red, thick, blunt and large bill, black or dark legs, very light grey upper wings and mantle, a little black beneath primaries, size large. Undoubtedly the Caspian Tern* Sterna caspia (probably only 2 or 3 altogether). The other had black bill (and legs?), heavy and gull-like flight and not very sharp wings. Little black on head, merely a black mark over each eye; quite definitely the Gull-billed Tern* Sterna nilotica in winter plumage."
>>Unlike in Egypt, I had no book to refer to about the birds of Aden, and as far as I know, none exists to this day. However, thanks to the Internet I have recently been able to read much of what had been written about the birds of Aden prior to my going there. This has been through online access to The Ibis, the journal of the British Ornithologists’ Union. I have been a member of the BOU for many years and received The Ibis every quarter. In 2009 I changed my subscription from the paper version to the online version and now am able to read online any issue back to the first (1858).
Because Aden was part of British overseas territories all that time, The Ibis was the natural medium for publishing bird observations from there. There were papers on the birds of Aden in 1886 (Major Yerbury), 1893 (Lieutenant Barnes), 1896 (Major Yerbury) and 1924 (Colonel Meinerzhagen). It is noticeable that these authors were all in the Army, not surprising in view of the strategic importance of Aden and the preponderance of military men among the British there. It is also remarkable that all were officers. There must have been many more “other ranks” than officers in Aden throughout its occupation by the British, but apparently they did not then contribute to the ornithological literature. None of the papers makes more than a passing reference to the Salt Pans though Lieutenant Barnes mentions that they were established in 1875 by an Italian company.>>>
Two of the species I saw there on 17 March 1946, Black-tailed Godwit and Marsh Sandpiper, do not figure in the papers cited above so were additions to the Aden avifauna, though I did not know so at the time. Both species were reported by other visitors to Aden in subsequent years (1960 Page and 1967 Clarke).
Aden: 9-16 Mar 1946
Life list now 188 species
>>Aden district
10-16 Mar 1946
"I did no organized birdwatching but noted several fresh species. The House Sparrow (subsp?) is very common in any area of human habitation. Where there is any cover [vegetation] at all, Yellow-vented Bulbuls* (Pycnonotus xanthopygos) may be seen. Another frequent species is the Black-tailed Rock Chat [Blackstart]* (Cercomela melanura).
Near Sheikh ‘Othman I saw two Crested Larks (subsp?) and a raven not much larger than a crow (probably Corvus [corax] rufficolis). In Steamer Point vicinity I have identified one Common Sandpiper (on the rocks at Tarshyne) and a Red-Sea [Western] Reef Heron* (dark blue phase) in Telegraph Bay."
>>Aden harbour
9 Mar 1946.
Nowadays, Aden is a port in Yemen. It is the site of the al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. destroyer USS Cole on 12 October 2000. In 1946 it was a British colony. As in Egypt, I was not conscious of guilt at being there. It seemed perfectly normal that the British should rule this part of the world, if only to maintain a fueling station for ships plying between England and India. My notes do not contain any material except about birds, but my memory is of an untroubled feeling of entitlement to the life I was living then. "We arrived and disembarked during the morning." This is a view of the "barren rocks of Aden" from the harbour.
>>>
In the harbour were many Sooty Gulls in various stages of plumage, the hood differing most. One or two birds, having the same bill, seemed semi-albino for most of the plumage was white, only the mantle, upper wings and head having black streaks or spots, with possibly a few elsewhere. There were also plenty of Yellow-legged Herring Gulls, some British (?), Scandinavian (?) or Siberian (?) Lesser Black-backed Gulls and at least one Black-headed Gull. I noticed the abundance of Arabian Black Kites (Milvis migrans arabicus) and of Egyptian Vultures* (Neophron p. percnopterus)."
>>Aden district
10-16 Mar 1946
The section of Aden near the harbour was known as Steamer Point. After disembarkation, we were taken to a billet on Chapel Hill. This was to be my home for many months. I shared the long dormitory, ablutions and mess hall with 20 other airmen. The location was picturesque, on a barren rocky spur with a view over the Arabian Sea in front and over a wide valley to Barrack Hill at the back. There was very little vegetation in sight.
The weather was always hot (around 30°C with high humidity) but there was no air conditioning in the offices or living quarters, just ceiling fans. The buildings had been sited on high ground so as to take advantage of breezes and trade winds. A tangible effect of the Aden climate is visible today in my yellowing 64-year old notebooks. The paper at the bottom of each page became soaked with sweat from my hand and wrist as I was writing, causing the ink from my fountain-pen to run as can be seen in this description of a sunbird of 15 April 1946.
The weather was always hot (around 30°C with high humidity) but there was no air conditioning in the offices or living quarters, just ceiling fans. The buildings had been sited on high ground so as to take advantage of breezes and trade winds. A tangible effect of the Aden climate is visible today in my yellowing 64-year old notebooks. The paper at the bottom of each page became soaked with sweat from my hand and wrist as I was writing, causing the ink from my fountain-pen to run as can be seen in this description of a sunbird of 15 April 1946.
This hot humid climate and lack of air conditioning resulted in a circumstance very favourable to my bird-watching hobby: year-round there was no work in the afternoons! This gave me the opportunity to make a lot more observations than would otherwise have been possible. Of course, it also gave rise to another confirmation of the adage: only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the noon-day sun!!
Barrack Hill was where I worked, in Headquarters British Forces, Aden Command (H.Q.B.F.). Despite this grand-sounding title, my part was small, as a Clerk in the Mail Room! However, this job had advantages because we had to deliver mail by gharry (truck) to other military units, which gave me a chance to see parts of the Colony. The reason that Indian words like gharry and tiffin were in common use was that Aden had been administered from India for about a century prior to 1937, after which it became a Crown Colony. >>>
Barrack Hill was where I worked, in Headquarters British Forces, Aden Command (H.Q.B.F.). Despite this grand-sounding title, my part was small, as a Clerk in the Mail Room! However, this job had advantages because we had to deliver mail by gharry (truck) to other military units, which gave me a chance to see parts of the Colony. The reason that Indian words like gharry and tiffin were in common use was that Aden had been administered from India for about a century prior to 1937, after which it became a Crown Colony. >>>"I did no organized birdwatching but noted several fresh species. The House Sparrow (subsp?) is very common in any area of human habitation. Where there is any cover [vegetation] at all, Yellow-vented Bulbuls* (Pycnonotus xanthopygos) may be seen. Another frequent species is the Black-tailed Rock Chat [Blackstart]* (Cercomela melanura).
Near Sheikh ‘Othman I saw two Crested Larks (subsp?) and a raven not much larger than a crow (probably Corvus [corax] rufficolis). In Steamer Point vicinity I have identified one Common Sandpiper (on the rocks at Tarshyne) and a Red-Sea [Western] Reef Heron* (dark blue phase) in Telegraph Bay."
>>Aden harbour
9 Mar 1946.
Nowadays, Aden is a port in Yemen. It is the site of the al-Qaeda attack on the U.S. destroyer USS Cole on 12 October 2000. In 1946 it was a British colony. As in Egypt, I was not conscious of guilt at being there. It seemed perfectly normal that the British should rule this part of the world, if only to maintain a fueling station for ships plying between England and India. My notes do not contain any material except about birds, but my memory is of an untroubled feeling of entitlement to the life I was living then. "We arrived and disembarked during the morning." This is a view of the "barren rocks of Aden" from the harbour.
>>>
In the harbour were many Sooty Gulls in various stages of plumage, the hood differing most. One or two birds, having the same bill, seemed semi-albino for most of the plumage was white, only the mantle, upper wings and head having black streaks or spots, with possibly a few elsewhere. There were also plenty of Yellow-legged Herring Gulls, some British (?), Scandinavian (?) or Siberian (?) Lesser Black-backed Gulls and at least one Black-headed Gull. I noticed the abundance of Arabian Black Kites (Milvis migrans arabicus) and of Egyptian Vultures* (Neophron p. percnopterus)."
1940s map of Steamer Point
Altitudes in metres
Grid square 1 km each side
Altitudes in metres
Grid square 1 km each side
Gulf of Suez and Red Sea
Life list now 184 species
>>South through the Red Sea, 6-8 Mar 1946
These three days was magical for me as we were entering tropical waters. At night, I was fascinated by the glowing, fluorescent wake. We saw flying fish. The air was warm and the sun was bright. And the birds were mostly new and sometimes exotic looking, quite different from those in the Mediterranean.
I also learned a bit about life from the song repeated frequently in an American accent on the ship’s public address system: One Meatball. Perhaps the record was a left over from the ship’s former glory days as a liner in the pre-war Great Depression. I don’t remember all the words, but these became engraved in my mind:
The little man felt ill at ease,
Said “Some bread. son, if you please”
The waiter’s voice rang through the hall
“There ain’t no bread with ONE meatball!”
Said “Some bread. son, if you please”
The waiter’s voice rang through the hall
“There ain’t no bread with ONE meatball!”
I could not imagine this song being written in England. It seemed to typify the cold-hearted side of American capitalism, contrasting with the welfare state I had known in Britain. This had indeed treated me well, providing free schooling up to university and now a cruise!
>>>
“Among the gulls following the boat [from Suez on 6 March] was one bird I was unable to identify but which I now know was the Brown Booby* (Sula l. lecogaster). On 8 March, nearing the southern end of the Red Sea, two more of these appeared in the morning and, from 1700 to 1800, there were many as we passed within about three miles of the “Seven Sisters” islands. They were flying towards the islands (presumably for roosting) in parties of up to 11. With them were smaller numbers (about 10%) of Masked Boobies* (Sula cyanops [dactylatra]).
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A ‘stranger’ appeared at 1645 on 6 March. The range (c 300 yds) was too great for much detail but I saw it was apparently completely white, rather resembling an albino kestrel. The tail was very long, the wings somewhat like those of a gull. It flew very low over the water, sometimes hidden by a wave. This was later identified as a Red-billed Tropicbird* (Phaethon aethereus).
A little later on 6 March, two more unknown species turned up briefly and at a distance. The first seems to have been the Sooty Gull* (Larus hempruchii), so common at Aden. The other resembled a small (half sized) edition of it and remains unidentified. On 8 March there were several Sooty Gulls as well as Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Yellow-legged Gulls.
A Caspian Tern* (Sterna caspia) overtook the ship about 0830 on 8 March. At a about the same time, a Squacco Heron* (Ardeola ralloides) came up from the stern and, after circling for a time, made off towards the east. In flight the following details were noted: size about as Buff-backed Heron, white (or white tinged slightly with buff) wings, tail and flanks; brown back, belly, abdomen, breast, neck and head; apparently greenish-yellow legs (trailing at c 30° to horl.), similarly coloured bill, noticeably striated on breast and head (and flanks?).
A couple of large unidentified hawks flew with long glides and infrequent flaps in a northerly direction at 1130. A bit later a possible Pallid Harrier (Circus macrourus) flew very low with typical harrier flight. It seemed all white with dark wing tips.
At about 1030 on the first day a White Wagtail came up from the stern and landed on board. I noticed it with another about 1330 and saw them occasionally during the next two days. The only other land bird seen was a Hoopoe that joined the ship on 8 March. It was first seen at 0915 and several times later when it would fly from one precarious perch on an external porthole to another.”
Egypt, Kasfareit, Great Bitter Lake, Suez: 1-6 Mar 1946
5-6 March 1946
Kasfareit to Port Said to Suez
Life list now 178 species
>>Destination known at last!
On 4 March I learned that my Middle East posting was to Aden and that I and others going there would leave by ship from Port Said the following day. "During the morning of 5 March, I went by train from Kasfareit to Port Said, embarked on the "Capetown Castle" and sailed for Aden in the evening. >>>
From the train I saw many Buff-backed Herons [Cattle Egrets], Black Kites, one Common Snipe, c.10 Pied Kingfishers (one of which flew parallel with and kept up with the train at c. 20 mph for 50-100 yds. Their note: a chattering shrill scream), several Sand Martins [Bank Swallow](Riparia riparia shelleyi?), 5 [Northern] Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) (with two Spur-winged Plovers and another Lapwing later, one Kestrel and some Hoopoes. In the harbour at Port Said, I saw no different birds from those on 22 February.
The night of 5-6 March was spent passing through the Suez Canal and we arrived at Suez at 0700h. On the mud at the end of the Canal and on the east side were 5 [Eurasian] Oystercatchers (presumably Haematopus o. ostralegus) and 2 either Whimbrel or Curlew (bill seemed shortish). In Suez harbour were Black-headed Gulls, Yellow-legged Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I noted the relative numbers of these four forms of gull at 100:5:13:2. We left Suez at c. 0900h and entered the Red Sea in the evening. Outside the harbour I found the approximate proportion of British to Scandinavian Lesser Black-backed Gulls to be 50:50."
>>1-3 March 1946
Great Bitter Lake and vicinity
Each day I walked from the camp to and along the western side of the Great Bitter Lake. Much of the area was cultivated (irrigated), also with occasional villages. Kasfareit was near the modern village of Fanara (find by viewing larger map).>>>
View Larger Map
“There were House Sparrows in all habited areas. On 1 March, just outside the camp I saw a ♂ Stonechat (Saxicola torquata rubicola) of the darker European form and 2 or 3 more (1 ♂ and/or 1 ad. ♂ and 1 imm. ♂) near a small settlement at the south end of the lake. On 2 March one Stonechat was seen to have a very dark, apparently black back. On 1 March I saw my first Bluethroat* (Luscinia svecica) with a red spot in a garden near the camp.
The only Hoopoes* (Upupa epops) seen were on 2 March. Presumably they were of the Egyptian form, major. They were in a garden and at a fair distance so I could see little detail. On this day too, I observed an unknown warbler that was probably the Graceful Warbler [Prinia] (Prinia gracilis]. It had a monotonous song: “slenk-slenk-slenk-..." There was also a different effort from the same bird "chik-o chik-o chik-o... " with the second note lower and shorter than the first. I saw this bird once or twice - it was generally grey-brown with a long tail.
In the fields were several Spur-winged Plovers* (Vanellus spinosus), which greatly puzzled me till I was able to identify them from Greave’s “Sixty Common Birds of the Nile Delta”. [This book was originally published in 1936 in Cairo but the copy I was able to borrow had been published in 1944 by the British Government (Stationery Office) as a Service Edition, intended for use by M.E.F. (Middle East Forces), presumably to provide some diversion for British troops stationed in Egypt. It was available in the Camp Library. I located the one illustrated below via the Internet and bought it in 2010.]
During the whole of my walk, Crested Larks and White Wagtails were visible. The chief note of the former was a whistling “pweep” or “peep-eep”. Several times they broke into full song, not unlike that of a Skylark but much less varied. I think there were also a few smaller larks more resembling a Woodlark in appearance.
In a flooded field, feeding among rice(?), were c. 40 [Cattle Egrets]. These birds proclaimed their identity by the very light buff markings on the head. Back and mantle noticeably very light grey instead of white. There were one or two beside the lake and many in another field as well as odd ones in flight. A few Pied Kingfishers were seen.
At various points, I disturbed waders along the shore. There were at least two Greenshanks (Tringa nebularia) and 4+Redshanks (probably T. totanus totanus). The only difference I could see between these and the British form was that the breast, flanks and back had more noticeable black spots.
I came across a mixed party of plovers on 1 March. There were c. 6 Kentish Plovers* (Charadrius a. alexandrinus) (pretty little chaps these - the distribution of black as well as dark legs and noticeably sandy crown combined with small size make them easy to distinguish), c. 12 Ringed Plovers (C. hiaticula), differing from the British variety in that back and crown seemed darker, white over eye in form of a narrow stripe, note apparently identical - probably the Siberian race tundrae) and about a dozen of an unidentified species. They were a little larger than the Ringed and had a similar white eye-stripe. Legs darkish, general colour olive, very much as a typical Ringed Plover, uniform over whole upperparts; below white except for brownish flush on sides of breast. Bill as normal plover. Their note was a kind of very mellow whistling twitter. Later I was able to identify them as Lesser Sand Plovers* (C. mongolus).
The only other wader near the lake shore was a Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos). From sedgy pools near the lake, I flushed two Jack Snipes (Lymnocryptes minimus) and two Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago). The last wader was a Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) from a roadside ditch (identified only by black underwing - no particular shyness or towering behaviour noticed and no note heard.) On 2 March much the same waders and plovers were observed.
Gulls on the lake were Black-headed (species?), some in complete plumage; also about three Yellow-legged Gulls and one Scandinavian Lesser Black-backed Gull.
On 1 March, towards the other shore, were four large white birds (storks?), some pied looking ducks and several probable Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus). On 3 March, one White Stork* (Ciconia ciconia) landed on the lake. The red of the bill and legs and the black primaries contrasting with the white plumage was noticeable thro’ my binocs. However, in flight, just before alighting, it seemed to have neck drawn in as does a heron.
One wheatear (probably typical [i.e. Northern]) flew from one bush to another in the fields beside the road. There was a flock of about 100 Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).
Subspecies of [♂][Yellow] Wagtail (Motacilla flava) were plentiful by the road, both on the lake shore and along the ditch. On 1 March, two, seen clearly, had white chins and a white stripe thro’, or partly thro’ and partly over the eye, obviously the typical European Blue-headed race flava. Another had white chin, no white eye-stripe and black behind bill, apparently Ashy-headed (cinereocapilla). Yet another one or two had this appearance only with less intense dark colour behind the bill, probably Grey-headed (thunbergi). Alternatively, these two forms may have both been of the Egyptian [breeding] race pygmaea. However, from the illustration in “Sixty Common Birds of the Nile Delta”, there is no black on the ear coverts of this subspecies. It was not very prominent on those seen. The most probable example of the Egyptian race was one with no white stripe and no black. The blue-gray forehead was flecked with white. On 2 March, several of these possible Egyptian wagtails were singing, with a rather Corn Bunting-like jingle of high-pitched chirps.
Pipits were observed on 1 and 3 March and, on the letter day, identified as Tawny Pipits* (Anthus campestris) by largish size, light sandy or buff-brown back, greyish tinge on head with light eye-stripe, almost completely unspotted and unstreaked underparts, very light sandy-buff, vaguely veined with faint blue-grey. Note: rather like that of a Meadow Pipit only rather “pweest”. With them on 3 March were two Red-throated Pipits* (Anthus rufugulariscervinus]). They greatly resembled Meadow Pipits with heavily spotted underparts but one had a chestnut-red throat extending down sides of breast. The other had apparently no red (winter plumage?)”
Kasfareit to Port Said to Suez
Life list now 178 species
>>Destination known at last!
On 4 March I learned that my Middle East posting was to Aden and that I and others going there would leave by ship from Port Said the following day. "During the morning of 5 March, I went by train from Kasfareit to Port Said, embarked on the "Capetown Castle" and sailed for Aden in the evening. >>>
From the train I saw many Buff-backed Herons [Cattle Egrets], Black Kites, one Common Snipe, c.10 Pied Kingfishers (one of which flew parallel with and kept up with the train at c. 20 mph for 50-100 yds. Their note: a chattering shrill scream), several Sand Martins [Bank Swallow](Riparia riparia shelleyi?), 5 [Northern] Lapwings (Vanellus vanellus) (with two Spur-winged Plovers and another Lapwing later, one Kestrel and some Hoopoes. In the harbour at Port Said, I saw no different birds from those on 22 February.
The night of 5-6 March was spent passing through the Suez Canal and we arrived at Suez at 0700h. On the mud at the end of the Canal and on the east side were 5 [Eurasian] Oystercatchers (presumably Haematopus o. ostralegus) and 2 either Whimbrel or Curlew (bill seemed shortish). In Suez harbour were Black-headed Gulls, Yellow-legged Gulls and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I noted the relative numbers of these four forms of gull at 100:5:13:2. We left Suez at c. 0900h and entered the Red Sea in the evening. Outside the harbour I found the approximate proportion of British to Scandinavian Lesser Black-backed Gulls to be 50:50."
>>1-3 March 1946
Great Bitter Lake and vicinity
Each day I walked from the camp to and along the western side of the Great Bitter Lake. Much of the area was cultivated (irrigated), also with occasional villages. Kasfareit was near the modern village of Fanara (find by viewing larger map).>>>
View Larger Map
“There were House Sparrows in all habited areas. On 1 March, just outside the camp I saw a ♂ Stonechat (Saxicola torquata rubicola) of the darker European form and 2 or 3 more (1 ♂ and/or 1 ad. ♂ and 1 imm. ♂) near a small settlement at the south end of the lake. On 2 March one Stonechat was seen to have a very dark, apparently black back. On 1 March I saw my first Bluethroat* (Luscinia svecica) with a red spot in a garden near the camp.
The only Hoopoes* (Upupa epops) seen were on 2 March. Presumably they were of the Egyptian form, major. They were in a garden and at a fair distance so I could see little detail. On this day too, I observed an unknown warbler that was probably the Graceful Warbler [Prinia] (Prinia gracilis]. It had a monotonous song: “slenk-slenk-slenk-..." There was also a different effort from the same bird "chik-o chik-o chik-o... " with the second note lower and shorter than the first. I saw this bird once or twice - it was generally grey-brown with a long tail.
In the fields were several Spur-winged Plovers* (Vanellus spinosus), which greatly puzzled me till I was able to identify them from Greave’s “Sixty Common Birds of the Nile Delta”. [This book was originally published in 1936 in Cairo but the copy I was able to borrow had been published in 1944 by the British Government (Stationery Office) as a Service Edition, intended for use by M.E.F. (Middle East Forces), presumably to provide some diversion for British troops stationed in Egypt. It was available in the Camp Library. I located the one illustrated below via the Internet and bought it in 2010.]
During the whole of my walk, Crested Larks and White Wagtails were visible. The chief note of the former was a whistling “pweep” or “peep-eep”. Several times they broke into full song, not unlike that of a Skylark but much less varied. I think there were also a few smaller larks more resembling a Woodlark in appearance.
In a flooded field, feeding among rice(?), were c. 40 [Cattle Egrets]. These birds proclaimed their identity by the very light buff markings on the head. Back and mantle noticeably very light grey instead of white. There were one or two beside the lake and many in another field as well as odd ones in flight. A few Pied Kingfishers were seen.
At various points, I disturbed waders along the shore. There were at least two Greenshanks (Tringa nebularia) and 4+Redshanks (probably T. totanus totanus). The only difference I could see between these and the British form was that the breast, flanks and back had more noticeable black spots.
I came across a mixed party of plovers on 1 March. There were c. 6 Kentish Plovers* (Charadrius a. alexandrinus) (pretty little chaps these - the distribution of black as well as dark legs and noticeably sandy crown combined with small size make them easy to distinguish), c. 12 Ringed Plovers (C. hiaticula), differing from the British variety in that back and crown seemed darker, white over eye in form of a narrow stripe, note apparently identical - probably the Siberian race tundrae) and about a dozen of an unidentified species. They were a little larger than the Ringed and had a similar white eye-stripe. Legs darkish, general colour olive, very much as a typical Ringed Plover, uniform over whole upperparts; below white except for brownish flush on sides of breast. Bill as normal plover. Their note was a kind of very mellow whistling twitter. Later I was able to identify them as Lesser Sand Plovers* (C. mongolus).
The only other wader near the lake shore was a Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos). From sedgy pools near the lake, I flushed two Jack Snipes (Lymnocryptes minimus) and two Common Snipes (Gallinago gallinago). The last wader was a Green Sandpiper (Tringa ochropus) from a roadside ditch (identified only by black underwing - no particular shyness or towering behaviour noticed and no note heard.) On 2 March much the same waders and plovers were observed.
Gulls on the lake were Black-headed (species?), some in complete plumage; also about three Yellow-legged Gulls and one Scandinavian Lesser Black-backed Gull.
On 1 March, towards the other shore, were four large white birds (storks?), some pied looking ducks and several probable Great Crested Grebes (Podiceps cristatus). On 3 March, one White Stork* (Ciconia ciconia) landed on the lake. The red of the bill and legs and the black primaries contrasting with the white plumage was noticeable thro’ my binocs. However, in flight, just before alighting, it seemed to have neck drawn in as does a heron.
One wheatear (probably typical [i.e. Northern]) flew from one bush to another in the fields beside the road. There was a flock of about 100 Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris).
Subspecies of [♂][Yellow] Wagtail (Motacilla flava) were plentiful by the road, both on the lake shore and along the ditch. On 1 March, two, seen clearly, had white chins and a white stripe thro’, or partly thro’ and partly over the eye, obviously the typical European Blue-headed race flava. Another had white chin, no white eye-stripe and black behind bill, apparently Ashy-headed (cinereocapilla). Yet another one or two had this appearance only with less intense dark colour behind the bill, probably Grey-headed (thunbergi). Alternatively, these two forms may have both been of the Egyptian [breeding] race pygmaea. However, from the illustration in “Sixty Common Birds of the Nile Delta”, there is no black on the ear coverts of this subspecies. It was not very prominent on those seen. The most probable example of the Egyptian race was one with no white stripe and no black. The blue-gray forehead was flecked with white. On 2 March, several of these possible Egyptian wagtails were singing, with a rather Corn Bunting-like jingle of high-pitched chirps.
Pipits were observed on 1 and 3 March and, on the letter day, identified as Tawny Pipits* (Anthus campestris) by largish size, light sandy or buff-brown back, greyish tinge on head with light eye-stripe, almost completely unspotted and unstreaked underparts, very light sandy-buff, vaguely veined with faint blue-grey. Note: rather like that of a Meadow Pipit only rather “pweest”. With them on 3 March were two Red-throated Pipits* (Anthus rufugulariscervinus]). They greatly resembled Meadow Pipits with heavily spotted underparts but one had a chestnut-red throat extending down sides of breast. The other had apparently no red (winter plumage?)”
Egypt, Kasfareit 107 MU & area: 22-26 Feb 1946
>>Kasfareit was a large RAF camp in the Canal Zone of Egypt for transient personnel awaiting posting to various parts of the Middle East. We slept about 30 men to a billet (hut). As at Heaton Park there was little organized activity, though the NAAFI and cinema gave opportunities to socialize. Click here to visit a website with other views on life at Kasfareit.
I had to visit the medical unit as my glasses were stolen on the train coming from Port Said. I was standing near a door when the train pulled into a station. A local man entered and stood beside me. As the train was moving out of the station, he snatched the glasses from my face and jumped down through the doorway! I had no opportunity to chase him as the train was gathering speed, besides which I could not see very well. The glasses had tortoiseshell frames and were civilian ones that I had purchased in Nottingham before joining up. At Kasfareit camp, the medical unit examined my eyes and immediately provided military glasses with metal frames. The glasses obviously worked well as I was able to resume birdwatching right away.
However, the contrast of the ambassador’s interpretation of this event and mine highlights the difference in attitudes between the occupied and the occupiers. In 1946, as a Brit, I could not conceive that I did not have a perfect right to be on the train in Egypt, wearing His Majesty’s uniform. We had just won the war and defeated the German army in North Africa, we were entitled to occupy parts of Egypt in order to control the Suez Canal and I was a tiny cog in the machine set up to achieve this end. The thief may have been quite unaware of ill feeling towards me because of this and saw me just as an easy mark. But the ambassador had been through the 1956 Suez Crisis, had witnessed the humiliation of Britain and the glorification of Egypt, and felt that, earlier, everyone in Egypt must have viewed the British as oppressors.
Another memorable incident occurred on the parade ground, where we all assembled each day for a short while to have our presence checked and to hear any announcements. I brought my binoculars with me and rather rashly put them to use observing the Black Kites ("shite-hawks" as they were called) wheeling overhead. The sergeant in charge of the parade shouted at me "WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS? A HOLIDAY CAMP!" Actually, I was amazed at his forbearance as he took no further action - he could have put me on a charge. >>>
“I found that White Wagtails (Motacilla alba alba) and House Sparrows the commonest birds in the camp [presumably after the Black Kites]. In addition there were three Palm [Laughing] Doves* (Streptopelia senegalensis aegyptiaca), a new species to me [and one that would become familiar in many parts of Africa]. I located two nesting sites of this bird on ledges in huts. Neither had eggs though a bird sat tight on one. I also noted a Black Redstart* (Phoenicurus ochurus gibraltariensis) on several occasions in the same part of the camp. It was rather retiring and did not give me much chance to observe it, always vanishing behind a wall or a building.
After tiffin [lunch] on 23 February I took a walk for a few miles in the desert to the SW. Here I saw 6-10 Brown-necked Ravens and several Crested Larks* (Galerida cristata nigricans). There was also a wheatear of indeterminate species, resembling the Northern Wheatear in winter plumage but with a good deal more black on the tail.”
I had to visit the medical unit as my glasses were stolen on the train coming from Port Said. I was standing near a door when the train pulled into a station. A local man entered and stood beside me. As the train was moving out of the station, he snatched the glasses from my face and jumped down through the doorway! I had no opportunity to chase him as the train was gathering speed, besides which I could not see very well. The glasses had tortoiseshell frames and were civilian ones that I had purchased in Nottingham before joining up. At Kasfareit camp, the medical unit examined my eyes and immediately provided military glasses with metal frames. The glasses obviously worked well as I was able to resume birdwatching right away.
When my wife recounted this tale to an Egyptian ambassador many years later he asked if I was in RAF uniform. "Yes" she replied. "Well" said the ambassador "what do you expect?" It's true that the British armed forces were an "Army of Occupation" in Egypt as in many other parts of the world in 1946. But I do not think that stealing glasses off the face of a member of those armed forces constituted a gesture carried out to help free Egypt from the occupiers. It was simply an act of opportunistic petty thievery. It taught me to be careful wherever I was in the world, and never happened to me again!
However, the contrast of the ambassador’s interpretation of this event and mine highlights the difference in attitudes between the occupied and the occupiers. In 1946, as a Brit, I could not conceive that I did not have a perfect right to be on the train in Egypt, wearing His Majesty’s uniform. We had just won the war and defeated the German army in North Africa, we were entitled to occupy parts of Egypt in order to control the Suez Canal and I was a tiny cog in the machine set up to achieve this end. The thief may have been quite unaware of ill feeling towards me because of this and saw me just as an easy mark. But the ambassador had been through the 1956 Suez Crisis, had witnessed the humiliation of Britain and the glorification of Egypt, and felt that, earlier, everyone in Egypt must have viewed the British as oppressors.
Another memorable incident occurred on the parade ground, where we all assembled each day for a short while to have our presence checked and to hear any announcements. I brought my binoculars with me and rather rashly put them to use observing the Black Kites ("shite-hawks" as they were called) wheeling overhead. The sergeant in charge of the parade shouted at me "WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS IS? A HOLIDAY CAMP!" Actually, I was amazed at his forbearance as he took no further action - he could have put me on a charge. >>>
“I found that White Wagtails (Motacilla alba alba) and House Sparrows the commonest birds in the camp [presumably after the Black Kites]. In addition there were three Palm [Laughing] Doves* (Streptopelia senegalensis aegyptiaca), a new species to me [and one that would become familiar in many parts of Africa]. I located two nesting sites of this bird on ledges in huts. Neither had eggs though a bird sat tight on one. I also noted a Black Redstart* (Phoenicurus ochurus gibraltariensis) on several occasions in the same part of the camp. It was rather retiring and did not give me much chance to observe it, always vanishing behind a wall or a building.
After tiffin [lunch] on 23 February I took a walk for a few miles in the desert to the SW. Here I saw 6-10 Brown-necked Ravens and several Crested Larks* (Galerida cristata nigricans). There was also a wheatear of indeterminate species, resembling the Northern Wheatear in winter plumage but with a good deal more black on the tail.”
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