OSME in Yemen: news from the field 
Nine years after our initial enquiries into mounting an expedition to 
southern Yemen, it was with some relief that the team for the first half of 
the project arrived in Sana'a on Tuesday 16 March. This 'stop press' 
report is made after the expedition's first week in the field. 
Thanks to the hard work of the expedition's agent in Sana'a, Dr Derek 
Harvey, and our helpful hosts at the American Institute of Yemeni 
Studies, we completed formalities remarkably swiftly. 
We made good use of a 'permissions stop' in Ta'izz to check marshlands 
adjacent to Ta'izz sewage lagoons. Here we found a Spotted Thick-knee 
Burhinus capensis nest with two eggs - the first proved breeding for 
Yemen - a scattering of migrants and a third-winter Armenian Gull Lams 
armenicus, showing that non-breeding birds may occur farther south 
than previously documented (although this has long been suspected). 
The status of the Ta'izz marshlands was, however, disappointing. One of 
the more extensive areas where the Bald Ibis Geronticus eremita flock 
foraged regularly in 1985 has been completely drained for agriculture. 
On a happier note, during survey work for the Atlas of Breeding Birds of 
Arabia elsewhere in the southern uplands around Ta'izz, we discovered 
previously unknown marshlands in excellent condition. 
The team continued southward, anxious to explore Jebel Iraf, on the 
border of the old Yemens. Recently identified by botanists as excellent for 
plants, we were not disappointed with the birds. We were delighted to 
discover a small area of Juniper forest. We spent three days in the area 
and found substantial populations of Golden-winged Grosbeaks 
Rhynchostruthus socotranus and Arabian Woodpeckers Dendrocopos dome. 
Camping enabled us to concentrate on nocturnal species. Both African 
Scops Owl Otus senegalensis and Plain Nightjar Caprimulgus inornatus 
(previously known only from one record in Yemen) were discovered, 
and one of the latter was netted. This was virtually identical to the 
detailed description of the nearby continental populations presented in 
Birds of Africa. Jebel Iraf is clearly a priority for conservation and would 
be a candidate for inclusion in a network of protected areas in Yemen. 
The expedition is now moving to concentrate on its central objective: 
fieldwork in what was South Yemen, together with an exploratory visit 
to Socotra. Transects to assess the bird communities typical of the 
principal plant communities of Yemen continue daily, with over 70 km 
undertaken so far. The future looks bright for more exciting discoveries 
and a successful expedition. 
Rod Martins sssm^ss 
