Yemen & Socotra 2009: 1 November – Wilson and Lichtenstein

After the breakfast we spent some time in Hadibo and bought ceramic handicraft painted in red colour from the Dragon Blood Tree. Then we did a stop at the Serhin lagoons a few kilometres east of Hadibo. There we saw Pacific Golden Plover and Green Sandpiper, which was new to our Socotra trip list. Otherwise the species and numbers were as yesterday visit.

On our way eastwards to Di Hamri, a protected coral reef area, we recorded Socotra Cisticola, Socotra Sunbird, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Desert and Isabelline Wheatear. We arrived to Di Hamri at 10:00 and it was already very hot. A few headed to a tip for seawatching while others enjoyed snorkelling or just relaxing in the shade. The seawatch were joyful with species such as Flesh-footed (3) and Persian Shearwater (21), Jouanin’s Petrel (20), Masked and Brown Booby, Bridled Tern (1), Brown Noddy (106) and finally two long awaited Wilson’s Storm-petrels. The snorkelling were just wonderful with all those colourful fishes and corals! In additional we saw three schools of Bottlenose dolphins and one of them mixed up with Spinner Dolphins.

In late afternoon we headed to a lagoon close to Hadibo to see Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouses coming in to drink water. We arrived just in time at sunset. We placed our selves close to where we knew the birds to come. The dark fell quickly and the glare of the full moon made the scenario complete. Soon we heard the calls from the arriving sandgrouses. We waited and waited and then we put the strong torch on. Wow, there were about hundred of sandgrouses on the opposite wall to the lagoon. What an end of the day!

We had a last dinner on Socotra as we leave the island tomorrow. Melancholy indeed.