Tribulus Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group Volume 25 - 2017 Editorial ......................................................................................................................................................... 3 Goats: a threat to biodiversity in the United Arab Emirates ...................................................................... 4 - 12 by Dr. Mohammad Shahid Naturally-occurring birds at Dubai Safari, a rehabilitated waste dump ................................................... 13 - 24 by Mohammad Ali Reza Khan The UAE in World War Two: A forgotten fatal air crash in Sharjah ......................................................... 25 - 32 by Ali Iqbal, Peter Hellyer and Laurence Garey The UAE in World War Two: The War at Sea .............................................................................................. 33 - 39 by Ali Iqbal and Peter Hellyer The UAE in World War Two: Crash of an American Flying Fortress at Shuweihat, 1944 ........................ 40 - 42 by Laurence Garey ‘Touring of the tougher variety‘ – a 1941 voyage from Dubai to Bahrain and back ............................... 43 - 46 by Peter Hellyer The first report of the burials at Umm an-Nar............................................................................................ 47 - 48 by Peter Hellyer An introduction to the birds and other aspects of the natural history of Balghelam Island, Abu Dhabi ................................................................................................................... 49 - 61 by Simon Aspinall, Oscar Campbell and Peter Hellyer Successful captive rearing of an Egyptian vulture at Kalba Bird of Prey Centre, UAE .......................... 62 - 66 by Gerard Whitehouse-Tedd and Katherine Whitehouse-Tedd New record of the Egyptian Tomb Bat Taphozous perforatus (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) from Dhofar, Oman ....................................................................................................................................... 67 - 68 by Saeed Al-Shanfari, Hanne Eriksen, Jens Eriksen and Andrew S. Gardner Saving the UAE’s Halfa Grass ...................................................................................................................... 69 - 70 by Mohammad Shahid and N.K. Rao Two populations of Salicornia europaea in the United Arab Emirates ..................................................... 71 - 75 by Mohammad Shahid Observations of rays and guitarfish (Batoidea) in shallow waters around Siniya Island, Umm al-Qaiwain, United Arab Emirates .............................................................................. 76 - 80 by Roxanne Whelan, Rima W. Jabado, Chris Clarke & Sabir Bin Muzaffar A record of the Bladetail Lindenia tetraphylla (Vander Linden, 1825) (Odonata: Anisoptera: Gomphidae) from Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates ......................................... 81 - 82 by Oscar Campbell Short Note: 40 years of the Emirates Natural History Group - An Appreciation by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan...................................................................................................... 83 Book Reviews ............................................................................................................................................... 83 - 87 Index to Volumes 16-25, 2006-2017 ............................................................................................................. 88 - 96 TRIBULUS Corporate Members of the ENHG: Production of Tribulus, and many other activities of the Emirates Natural History Group, including the grant programme of the Group’s Conservation Fund, would not be possible without the generous support of the Group’s Corporate Members, many of whom have provided consistent assistance over many years. The Editorial Board and the Group Committee acknowledge, with thanks, the invaluable support of the following companies and bodies, currently Corporate members of the Group, and all past Corporate sponsors without whom publication would be impossible. Corporate Sponsors We would also like to acknowledge the support and encouragement of our Patron, H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance. Tribulus is published for members of the four Natural History Groups in the United Arab Emirates, in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Al Ain and Fujairah, and is also available on subscription inside and outside the UAE. Subscription in the UAE & the Arabian Gulf states is Dh50 per year, including postage. Overseas details on request. Cover Illustrations: Published by the Emirates Natural History Group Front: A domestic goat, Capra aegagrus, in the UAE - an P.O. Box 25077, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates under-estimated threat to local biodiversity. Website: www.enhg/AbuDhabi - Picture by Michele Ziolkowski Email address: [email protected] Facebook page: www.facebook.com/ENHGAD Back: A Moustached Warbler, Acrocephalus melanopogon, at Al Qudra, Dubai, December 2017. International Standard Serial Number Picture by Mohammed Ali Reza Khan (ISSN): 1019 - 69 19 Printed by: Future Printing Press, L.L.C. P.O. Box 32458, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Designed by: Ginny dela Fuente Tel: +971-2-4483266 Editorial This latest issue of Tribulus marks the completion of a UAE’s birds, and much else, continues to be of lasting quarter of a century of publication, during which time, we value. Reza Khan reports on the way in which bird species would claim, it has established a growing reputation as a have moved into the site of the new Dubai Safari, following source of information on a wide variety of topics related the rehabilitation of the large waste dump that formerly to the history, natural history, archaeology, geology and occupied the site. Gerard and Katherine Whitehouse- other aspects of the United Arab Emirates. It coincides, Tedd report on the successful breeding and raising of an too, with the celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Egyptian vulture at the Kalba Birds of Prey Centre, for the foundation of its publisher, the Abu Dhabi-based Emirates first time in Arabia, an important step towards conservation Natural History Group, the UAE’s oldest non-governmental of this regionally threatened species. organisation of its type. Regular contributor Mohammed Shahid reports on a A comment on the ENHG from the UAE’s Minister of study of flora in Ra’s al-Khaimah’s Wadi Ghalilah, providing Tolerance, Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, who convincing evidence of the severe threat posed by goats to has been our much-valued Patron for over 30 years, is local floral biodiversity. The impact of urban development, included. road construction and quarrying of the UAE’s mountains For this volume, Tribulus moves away from the on the country’s native fauna and flora is well-known, but tradition of recent issues, of having one major, and often perhaps it’s time that the impact of over-grazing by herds of very lengthy, contribution from the prolific Gary Feulner, goats, camels and other animals received more attention. to return to our more usual practice of a series of shorter Shahid also examines the differences between two papers covering a wide variety of topics. distinct populations of Salicornia europaea (samphire) A particular focus, with three separate papers, is on the in Ra’s al-Khaimah and Umm al-Qaiwain, and, with N.K. under-studied topic of the impact of the Second World War Rao, reports on the apparent disappearance of Halfa grass on the Emirates. While there was no conflict here on land, in the wild – and its preservation in controlled conditions, there was, as new contributor Ali Iqbal and Peter Hellyer which may allow for future re-introduction. report, conflict at sea related to submarine warfare, in Other papers cover a record of an uncommon species which Sharjah-based British planes played an active role. of Odonata in Abu Dhabi, by Campbell, a study of rays Another paper, from Iqbal, Hellyer and Laurence Garey, and guitarfish off Umm al-Qaiwain, by Roxanne Whelan, unveils the story of the casualties from a previously- Rima Jabado, Chris Clarke and Sabir bin Muzaffar, and a overlooked fatal aircrash in Sharjah while Garey reports new record of the Egyptian Tomb Bat in Dhofar, by Saeed on further investigation of an American bomber crash Al-Shanfari, Hanne and Jens Eriksen and Andrew (Drew) west of Abu Dhabi. While there is an increasing amount Gardner. of publication on the UAE’s history in the post-War period Finally, Hellyer draws attention to what may be the and, for that matter, on earlier history, there is much from earliest report, in the mid-1930s, of the Bronze Age tombs the period from 1939-1945 which would benefit from at Umm al-Nar island, where the UAE’s archaeology first further study. began in the late 1950s. Also from the period of the War, another paper We are delighted to welcome some new names to our reproduces a report on an adventurous voyage by a expanding list of contributors and would encourage others young British Political Officer by dhow from Sharjah toto offer us the results of their research, whether as lengthy Bahrain, providing an interesting insight into the hazards papers or as short notes. The nine page Index of Volumes of traditional maritime transport in the Gulf. How times 16-25 contained at the end not only gives an indication have changed! of the wide range of topics covered by Tribulus over the In the sphere of natural history, Oscar Campbell and last decade but also provides a full list of authors. To them Hellyer provide an introduction to