birding...

Grey Hypocolius Hypocolius ampelinus ©Mike Pope http://www.hawar-islands.com/blog/14_stub.php?author=12

The State of Kuwait is an independent emirate situated in the northwest corner of the Arabian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Its land area is almost 18,000 square kilometres, and territorial waters cover about 5,500 square kilometres. The largest offshore islands are Bubiyan, Warba and Failaka; there are a few smaller ones.

The land slopes, mostly gradually, from the gulf in the east up to about 300 metres in the western corner. There is one escarpment at Jal Az-Zour and some minor hillocks in the southeast, but most of the land is flat.

There are no natural rivers, but a few wadis, notably Wadi Al-Batin along the northwest border and the Wadi Ar-Rimam systems in the National Park. Most drainage is internal, resulting in a salinated soil. There are two short khors (inlets) in the southeast.

Where grazing is prevented, the climax vegetation is that of steppe or savannah, with perennial salt-bushes and occasional acacia and prosopis trees. Near the shores and in the sabkha areas are halophytic plants. The blooming of ephemeral plants in the spring is dependent on adequate rainfall in the preceding winter.

Prolonged overgrazing has exposed, in many areas, clayey, sandy and gravelly soil with some low outcrops of sandstone and limestone. There are extensive mudflats, especially in Kuwait and Sulaibikhat Bays and around Bubiyan Island.

Natural oases occur at Abdali, Jahra, Wafra, Al-Abraq and other places, where small, tree-sheltered fields are irrigated by wells and tanks and support various traditional crops. Modern greenhouse systems are extensively used in some of these areas. Sewage outflows feed reedbeds, pools and marshy areas at Jahra, Doha and Ras Al-Zour.

There is extensive planting of trees, shrubs and herbs along urban roads and in various regional parks. Many villas, town parks and other areas support a variety of plants, so that many urban areas are quite green.

The human population is concentrated in the cities of Kuwait, Jahra and Ahmadi near the gulf, so that most of the rest of the state is open. However, various oilfields are fenced off, and the Demilitarised Zone and Bubiyan and Warba Islands have restricted access.

Although Kuwait is a small state with no spectacular scenery or habitats, it has a fairly rich avifauna. It is situated at a crossroads of various migration routes, so most species recorded are passing through. Various seabirds nest on offshore islands, and a surprising number of species breed, or are regularly found, in the reedbeds and marshy areas. For details of these, please visit the BMAPS websites.

Visiting birders require sponsorship by a Kuwaiti resident or hotel; consultation with the local Kuwait embassy is recommended. Expatriate residence requires fairly extensive paperwork and other procedures. Once this is done, however, living in Kuwait is relatively easy and trouble-free. Modern facilities are everywhere, but it is a dry country, and local customs should be respected.