Hello,
Though these sightings were not in Texas, I thought some Texas birders
might be interested in seeing this as I bet few on this list have ever
birded in Afghanistan (I don't recommend it... Americans snooping around
with binoculars... Bad idea). I am active duty Air Force and recently
returned from a 6-month tour at Bagram Airfield. While opportunities for
dedicated birding are slim to none in a combat zone, thankfully the birds
often come to you. Kinda nice to have some feathered friends to brighten
your day and add some song and color to the otherwise barren, brown
monotony. My favorite sighting of the entire deployment was seeing a couple
large kettles of Black Kites (approximately 250 total) availing themselves
of thermals while migrating overhead on 22 March. I watched them for a
while. They were moving due west, I presume towards a pass over the Hindu
Kush Mountains before resuming a northward route.
Here's my list:
Norfolk, VA
- Great Egret
- Snowy Egret
- Brown Thrasher
- Carolina Chickadee
- Blue Jay
- N. Mockingbird
- Fish Crow
- Starling
- Belted Kingfisher
- Ring-billed Gull
- Laughing Gull
- Herring Gull
- Brown Pelican
- Royal Tern
- Double-crested Cormorant
- Osprey
- Great-blue Heron
Portsmouth, NH
--
Frankfurt, Germany
--
Kuwait
- 2 lark-like birds in grass on side of runway
Al Udeid, Qatar
- Eurasian Collared Dove
- Laughing Dove
- House Sparrow
- large brown falcon
Bagram Airfield
- Common Myna - MANY, year round
- Eurasian Tree Sparrow - many, year round
- Long-tailed Pipit - single bird, Oct 2016
- Eurasian Magpie - several birds present year round
- Laughing Dove - many, year round
- Black Kite - 4 birds flew overhead on 30 Oct, southbound; then ~250 birds
migrating westward on 22 Mar, several others a week later
- Common Buzzard
- Lagger Falcon - single bird in Oct & Apr
- Eurasian Starling - uncommon
- Common Moorhen
- White-browed Wagtails - 22 Feb
- White Wagtails - many in late March, early April
- Common Raven - two birds in late Feb
- Barn Swallow - numerous after late Feb
- Long-tailed Shrike - common in April
- Pied Bush Chat - single bird, April
- Hoopoe - 2+ birds seen regularly in April (breeders?)
- Common Chiffchaff - many in Oct & late Mar/Apr
- Cetti's Warbler - single bird, Apr
- Moustached Warbler - single bird, Apr
- Wheatear... Variable vs Pied vs Finsch's (?)
- Red-breasted Flycatcher - single bird, Apr
- Tree Pipit - single bird, Apr
- Short-eared Owl (probable, flew overhead at night)
Germany - Ramstein, Geilenkirchen
- Fieldfare
- European Goldfinch
- Common Chaffinch
- Carrion Crow
- Common Wood pigeon
- White Wagtail
- Blue Tit
- Black Redstart
- Common Blackbird
- Common Whitethroat
- Marsh Tit
- Common Buzzard
- Dunnock
- European Robin
- Great Tit
- Great Spotted Woodpecker
- Blackcap Garden Warbler
- Eurasian Wren
- Common Chiffchaff
- Song Thrush
- Hawfinch
- Eurasian Jay
- Eurasian Nuthatch
- European Greenfinch
- Rook
- Linnet
- Black Woodpecker
- Coal Tit
- European Green Woodpecker
- Goldcrest
- European Treecreeper
- European Serin
- Eurasian Kestrel
- Common Pheasant
- Eurasian Magpie
- Eurasian Siskin
- Red Kite
- Eurasian Jackdaw
- Common House Martin
- Northern Lapwing
- Grey Heron
- Eurasian Coot
- Mute Swan, Mallard, Egyptian Goose (in Geilenkirchen city park)
Best regards,
Nate Nye
San Antonio
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