Gebel Asfar was hard work, having deteriorated (in bird habitat terms at least) 
since 1990, with fewer good wet bits, but we did well for Senegal Thick-knees 
Burhinus senegalensis here (having somehow missed them elsewhere). We could 
hardly miss Egypt's only White-breasted Kingfishers Halcyon smymensis here, 
and at one point were almost surrounded by Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters Merops 
superciliostis. Sadly, only a few of our group glimpsed our one and only Painted 
Snipe Rostratula benghalensis. 
Assorted small events and chance encounters go to make up a good trip: one of 
our Americans found a Wryneck Jynx torquilla sitting in the desert; we bump>ed 
into RSPB warden and fellow OSME member Andrew Grieve at Suez; and we 
spent the day of the UK general election in a small boat in the Red Sea. The one 
I remember most was the expression on Sherif's face when we saw an Osprey 
over Gebel Asfar - it was a new species for that locality. 
Reviews 
Bahrain Wader Study 1991 By Erik Hirschfeld, Saeed 
Mohamed and Tadeusz Stawarczyk. WIWO report 42. 30pp. 
Available from WIWO, do Dutch Society for the Protection of 
Birds, Driebergseweg 16C, 3708 JB Zeist, the Netherlands. 
DFLIO, including postage. Add DFL 15 if paying in a foreign 
currency. 
The Bahrain Wader Study 1991 aimed to collect data to help define the region of 
origin of waders passing through Bahrain, investigate their feeding efficiency, 
the turnover of migrants, local movements and oil pollution. This study took 
place over the period 12 September to 8 October 1991 and involved the trapping 
of birds for ringing and marking, as well as high-tide counts. The trapping 
activities produced claimed first records for Bahrain of Black-winged Pratincole 
Glareola pratincola and Pintail Snipe Gallmago steniira. 
Altogether, 456 waders of nine species were ringed. These were mostly Curlew 
Sandpipers Calidris ferruginea. Dunlins Calidris alpiiia and Little Stints Calidris 
minuta. There were 22 retraps and 177 resigh tings at other parts of the island. 
High-tide counts were made at five sites with a maximum count of 6,590 waders 
at a single site on 23 September. The lowest site count was 428 on 7 October. 
This report is complete with numerous tables and figures providing information 
on the birds trapped. There is also a checklist of all the birds observed during the 
study. 
MC jennings 
33 
