A highly respected twitcher from Germany chose Bahrain to be the location of a personal milestone, having recorded his 8,000th bird.
Norbert Hopf, a 66-year-old microbiologist from Munich and an avid bird watcher, came to Bahrain to spot the grey hypocolius, a slender and long tailed bird that migrates to the kingdom during the winter.
Mr Hopf and his wife Dorothee timed their trip to Bahrain to perfection, which allowed them to spot their feathered friend in Al Jasra, before it flies back to Pakistan in about two weeks’ time.
“We were very lucky to find it,” said Mr Hopf. “This is a winter bird that only stays in Bahrain for a few months.
“We tried to spot the bird in Oman, but it was too difficult. However, we knew it would be in Bahrain at this time, and we were very happy to be able to find it.
“My wife and I have been bird watching together for about 40 years, if she was not with me, I don’t think I would have ever reached 8,000!”
The house sparrow, the bird that started it all
The grey hypocolius is a small bird species with white-tipped black primary wing feathers and a black terminal band on the tail. Adults are about 19 to 21cm in length.
It breeds in the area throughout Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Turkmenistan, and spends winter in the Arabian Peninsula, especially in Bahrain.
Its main diet consists of fruits and berries but have been known to eat some insects and bread.
Mr Hopf’s journey began all the way in 1974 with his first record, the house sparrow, a species that co-incidentally, is also found in Bahrain.
The sound of the sparrow’s chirp brings him a feeling of nostalgia as he remembers the days spent in his grandfather’s garden listening.
His grandfather encouraged him to write short stories of the birds, a practice he maintained at the beginning of his birding adventures.
Since then, he has travelled around the world alongside his wife, meticulously keeping records and photographs for almost 50 years, until he recently reached the incredible milestone of 8,000 birds with the glorious grey hypocolius.
Grey hypocolius, the 8000th bird
“The grey hypocolius is a very unique bird,” said Mr Hopf. “It is the only species in its family. It is the sole member of the genus Hypocolius and it is placed in a family of its own, the Hypocoliidae.
“When we came to Bahrain, we interacted with experts and called upon a photographer – Prejul Prakash, and he helped us take photographs of the bird.”
Mr Hopf praised the kingdom and stated that it had the potential to be a destination for twitchers, highlighting some of the other species he has encountered on his journey.
Mr Hopf
“Bahrain is a very interesting country,” he said. “It is very clean and developed, and my wife and I also enjoyed the view of the sea.
“There are plenty of green areas with birds that I really enjoyed, especially watching sparrows, doves and gulls. It is a very interesting country for bird watching, especially during the winter migration period.”
nader@gdnmedia.bh
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