23 April, but no year was given (nnaybe 1940-45)(in Hardy 1946). 
There were no further records until 17 April 1984, when Blue Tits were 
discovered at Dibbin Forest, southwest of Jerash in northern Jordan (G 
Bennett, Ornitholidays, in litt). Dibbin is an 8 km^ remnant of mature 
Aleppo Pine Pinus halepensis forest with Arbutus andrachme undergrowth 
and evergreen Holly Oak Quercus caUiprinus, which lies at 550-1,000 m 
altitude on the slopes of the highest hill range in north Jordan. 
Since 1984, Blue Tits have been recorded every April at Dibbin Forest 
(Ornitholidays and Cygnus Wildlife, in litt). In 1989-91, 1 recorded Blue 
Tits in all seasons, establishing their resident status, and the presence of 
some fledged young in June 1990 confirmed that, as suspected, they 
breed in Dibbin. The number of Blue Tits at Dibbin is not small, with 
roaming flocks in winter. I do not know what race is involved, but it 
appears to be similar to that of European birds. The Blue Tits are found 
alongside a partly European fauna of Great Tits Parus major, Blackbirds 
Turdus merula,V^rei\sTroglodytes troglodytes and] ay sGarrulusglandarius. 
Farther north of this site, two Blue Tits were also seen at Ajlun castle on 
8 April 1990 (J Wittenberg, in litt), with one in well- vegetated Wadi el 
Yabis (northwest of Ajlun) and three in open Holly Oak woods near Ibbin 
(northeast of Ajlun) on 2 November 1990 (pers obs). 
Hollom et al (1988) map the nearest breeding birds in the Taurus 
mountains, Turkey, at least 500 km from the Dibbin forest. Elsewhere in 
the Middle East, Hue and Etchecopar (1970) recorded Blue Tits at the end 
of April in northwest Syria and also in the cedars of Becharre, Lebanon, 
where they suspected they bred. These are presumably the records 
quoted by Hollom et al (1988). 
Does anyone have other records of Blue Tits in the Middle East outside 
of Turkey? 
I should like to thank J Wittenberg for telling me about the 1940s' 
sightings. 
References 
Hardy, E 1946. A Handlist of the Birds of Palestine. Published by Education Officer 
in Chief, GHQ, Middle East Forces. 
Hollom, PAD, Porter, RF, Christensen, S and Willis, 1 1988. Birds of the Middle 
East and North Africa. T and AD Poyscr, Calton. 
Hue, F and Etchecopar, RD 1970. Les Oiseaux du Proche et du Moyen Orient. 
Boubee, Paris. 
Ian ] Andrews, c/o British Embassy, PO Box 87, Amman, Jordan 
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