Cinereous Bunting Emberiza cineracea 
female, 10 km east of El Arish, 30 
March. 
Syrian Serin Serinus syrkcus 
Pair, Orabi Farm, 25 km east of Cairo, 
17-19 October 1994. Rare winter visi- 
tor. A Riad. 
Siskin Carduelis spinus 
Montazeh Gardens, Alexandria, 25 
December. Scarce winter visitor. A 
Riad. 
ISRAEL 
Great Shearwater Pujfmus gravis 
Tel Aviv port, January. Third record. 
per H Shirihai. 
Mascarene Shearwater Puffinus atrodorsalis 
Record previously attributed to Little 
Shearwater P. assimilis at Eilat on 18 
and 21 June 1992 (cf.Bull. 29:39 and 
Shirihai & Sinclair 1994) now consid- 
ered referrable to this newly 
described taxon (Shirihai, Sinclair & 
Colston 1995) which is apparently 
locally abundant in the western 
Indian Ocean. 
Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita 
3, flying north over Arava Valley, 8 
April. Formerly very scarce passage 
migrant. First recent record since 
demise of Birecik, Turkey population 
in 1989. per H Shirihai. 
Black-headed Plover Hoplopterus tectus 
Eilat, 1 1 April. One previous record 
from Jordan is the only other record 
for the Middle East. H V Bellerhy, K O 
Pierce. 
Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichythaetus 
at least 2000, Bet She'an valley, last 
week of December 1994. 
Exceptionally high numbers, per H 
Shirihai. 
Rufous Turtle Dove StreptopeJia orientalis 
Eilat, 27 April. Second record, only 
previous occurrence was one trapped 
at Eilat in September 1984. F Jiguet 
(see photograph in Birding World 
8(7):252). 
Small Skylark Alauda gulgula 
5 overwintered Eilat. per H Shirihai. 
Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni 
two overwintered Eilat. per H Shirihai. 
Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus japponicus 
one wintered Bet She'an valley in 
January-February. One reported, 
Shizafon, 60km north of Eilat, March. 
Up to 10 now regularly winter at 
Eilat. per H Shirihai. 
Black Bush Robin Cercothricas podobe 
Eilat: 23-26 March at least; 24-25 
April. E Dansette, K 
Mullamey/Sunhirder, H Shirihai. 
Red-tailed Wheatear Oemnthe xanthoprymna 
at least two overwintered at Eilat; 
also, male, Wadi Schlomo, Eilat, 10-13 
March; second-year male, Eilat, 17-21 
March at least. K Mullamey/Sunhirder, 
per H Shirihai. 
Mourning Wheatear Oenanthe lugens 
two of dark morph, km 76 Arava 
Valley, 23 December 1994. First 
record of the so-called 'Basalt 
Wheatear' from Israel, per H Shirihai. 
Menetries Warbler Sylvia mystacea 
male, between Eilat and Ovda, 3 
April. Very scarce passage migrant. V 
Bellerby, K O Pierce. 
Snow Bunting Plectrophenax nivalis 
female, Newe Yam ponds, south of 
Haifa, 6 December 1994. First record 
for Israel. H Hovel. 
JORDAN 
Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus 
Aqaba, 19 April. Fourth record. / / 
And rews/Natu retrek. 
Tropicbird sp. Phaethon sfh 
2, Aqaba, 14 April. No previous 
records of tropicbirds from Jordan. A 
Schuster. 
Brown Booby Sula leucogaster 
Aqaba, 26 January. / Tafforeau. 
Bittern Botaurus steUaris 
10 flew west, Aqaba, 4 April. A 
Schuster. 
Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis 
69 
