Dr. Wajdan Al-Aqab, President of the Kuwaiti Society for Environmental Protection, considered that “the programmatic work plan between the Society and the General Directorate of Coast Guard, which was agreed upon during its meeting with the Director General of the Directorate, Sheikh Mubarak Ali Al-Bah, enriches the field activities that promote environmental work in the country.” She praised the directive of the Director General of Coast Guard, Brigadier General Sheikh Mubarak Ali Al-Sabah, to provide all forms of logistical support to the Society, and commended his prompt response in having members of the Coast Guard accompany the Society’s bird monitoring and protection team during their scientific field visit to Kubbar Island to document wildlife and monitor migratory birds.
In this context, the head of the bird monitoring and protection team at the association, Mohammed Shah, said that the scientific trip organized by the team to Kubbar Island included a field tour and a quick workshop to count and monitor the nesting birds this season, announcing that the team members participating in the trip from the observers documented with their lenses sea birds of different types nesting on the island at this time every year.
Shah explained that “the trip included a practical count of migratory birds, in addition to a tour around the island to document its natural components and elements of its wildlife as factors that help birds to nest,” noting that “the monitoring operations resulted in documenting more than about 11,000 birds, including 3,000 bridled terns, 4,000 white-cheeked terns, 4,000 lesser crested terns, 100 greater crested terns, 10 house sparrows, and two willow barbs,” stressing that “these species are currently nesting on Kubbar Island and have an annual date every summer for breeding, as they arrive in May to begin mating and laying eggs before leaving with their chicks in August, migrating south towards the Indian Ocean.”.
The head of the bird monitoring and protection team at the Environment Society noted that “the visit will be followed by another visit in June to monitor the nests, most of which are incubating eggs and have not yet hatched chicks.” He mentioned that “the tour, during which they were accompanied by members of the Coast Guard, included a group of team members, namely Mohammed Shah, Ahmed Al-Shawaf, Samira Al-Khalifa, and Adhari Bu Hamad.” He praised “the national personnel from the General Directorate of the Coast Guard who accompanied the members of the bird monitoring and protection team participating in the trip,” commending their sincere cooperation, their overcoming of all difficulties, and their provision of all facilities that provided a major factor in the success of the monitoring and tracking operations for birds on the island. He pointed out that “these personnel possess an environmental sense and accumulated experience regarding the natural components of the island, which was reflected in their database of information about the island’s bird habitats and numbers.”.
