Most governmental or national conservation agencies in the region have 
already agreed to participate in or support the project, but new participants 
are always welcome. The financial, technical and administrative support 
for the project by The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds is greatly 
appreciated by BirdLife International and OSME, 
Mike Evans, IBAME coordinator, BirdLife International, Wellbrook Court, 
Girton Road, Cambridge CB3 ON A, UK 
News and Information 
Compiled by Simon Albrecht and Tom Nightingale 
The aim of this section is to inform readers about events in the OSME region. It 
is not intended as a definitive report or write up of the projects concerned. Many 
of the projects are sponsored; such support is appreciated but is not generally 
given acknowledgement here. 
Bahrain 
New Bird Recorder 
Erik Hirschfeld, who has done much to 
put Bahrain on the birdwatching map, 
has returned to his native Sweden after 
three years on the island. Howard King 
is the new Bird Recorder for Bahrain: 
c/o Bahrain Natural History Society, 
PO Box 20336, Manama, Bahrain, 
Arabian Gulf. 
Wader study 
Following the success of the first 
Bahrain Autumn Wader Study in 1991, 
ringers from Poland, Finland and 
France joined local ornithologists in 
Bahrain during autumn 1992 to repeat 
and expand the exercise. Between 
August and October 1,431 birds of 17 
species were ringed, including Dunlins 
Calidrisdlpina (41 5), Little Stints Calidris 
31 
minuta (328), Kentish Plovers Charadrius 
alexandrinus (267) and Curlew 
Sandpipers Calidris ferruginea (214). 
Biometric and moult data were 
gathered; blood samples were taken 
from Dunlins for DNA analysis and 
efforts were made to determine a 
pattern in different migration timings 
of male and female, juvenile and adult 
birds of particular species appearing in 
Bahrain. 
Winter attraction 
Eight groups of birdwatchers visited 
Bahrain during autumn and winter 
1992 to watch Grey Hypocolius 
Hypocolius ampelinus. For Martin 
Edwards of Canada, this scarce Middle 
Eastern speciality was his 5,305th tick. 
Bahrain looks set to welcome more 
