part in this census, which will attempt 
a population estimate as well as 
collecting more information on 
breeding biology and carrying out 
chick ringing. 
The Phoenix 
We have recently received a copy of 
The Phoenix Number 8 produced for 
contributors to the Atlas of the Breeding 
Birds of Arabia (ABBA) which OSME 
has helped to support for a number of 
years. It is available from Michael 
Jennings, ABBA, 1 Warners Farm, 
Warners Drove, Somersham, 
Cambridgeshire PEl 7 3HW, UK. (Price 
£2.00) 
New breeding birds for Arabia 
The Phoenix reports a number of new 
breeding birds for Arabia. In June 1990, 
Short-toed Larks Calandrella 
brachydactyla were found breeding 
north of Riyadh. In June 1991, at 
Hamraniyah in UAE, adult and 
juvenile Starlings Sturnus vulgaris were 
seen. Pied Mynah Sturnus contra has 
been reported breeding in a number of 
places in the UAE. 
Spanish Sparrows Passer hispaniolensis 
have previously bred in Kuwait, but in 
1991 they were reported breeding at 
three sites in Saudi Arabia. The 
Avadavat Amandavaamandavahasbeen 
known from the Riyadh area for 15 
years, but in 1990 and 1991 was found 
nesting in a reed bed near al Hair south 
of Riyadh. 
The first colony of Sandwich Terns 
Sterna sandvicensis were found on a 
small island in Tanageeb Bay during a 
survey of birds killed by oil in July 
1991. Both Squacco Heron Ardeola 
ralloides and Night Heron Nycticorax 
nycticorax bred in 1991 near the al Hair 
dam. These arc the first breeding 
records for thesetwo species in Arabia. 
In addition Purple Heron Ardea 
purpureaandFerru^inousDuckAythya 
nyroca successfully nested, and Cattle 
Egrets Bubulcus ibis attempted to nest 
in the same area. These are the first 
breeding records for these species in 
Central Arabia. 
Ambient temperatures in the area were 
at least 5-7°C below average as a result 
of the oil fires in Kuwait. These lower 
temperatures may have encouraged 
some of the migrants to stay and breed . 
It remains to be seen what happens in 
1992 and subsequently. 
Syria 
Syria is ornithologically one of the least 
known countries of the Middle East. 
Apparently, barely a handful of 
birdwatchers have visited the country 
in the last decade. In summer 1991, 
Max Kasparek and Wolfgang 
Baumgart undertook a sea turtle survey 
of the Syrian Med iterranean coa st from 
the Turkish to the Lebanese border. 
This project was carried out on behalf 
of MEDASSET, the Mediterranean 
Association to Save the Sea Turtles. 
Although birds were not the main 
interest, a lot of interesting bird records 
were made. Many of them improve 
our knowledge of the distribution area 
of some species. Breedingrecordsand/ 
or breeding season records include 
Honey Buzzard Pernis apivorus, 
Goshawk Accipiter gentilis, Little Swift 
Apus affinis, Pied Wheatear Oenanthe 
pleschanka and Syrian Serin serinus 
syriacus. Some evidence was found 
that the Lapped-faced Vulture Torgus 
tracheliotus occurs in Syria. 
A report on the ornithological results 
of the project is being published in 
Zoology in the Middle East. Anyone 
who has visited, or who intends to 
visit Syria, is invited to contact Max 
Kasparek, Bleichstr. 1, 6900 
Heidelberg, (Germany. [Contributed by 
Max Kasparek} 
36 
