text and photos by Esmat Elfaki Mohammed Elhassan

We are studying Red-wattled Lapwing (Vanellus indicus) in Almarmoom Desert Conservation in Dubai, UAE. The species is widespread and showed high tolerance to the ambient temperature of the desert ecosystem. Working in extreme  summer with 50 degrees is a challenge for the observers but we  were successfully able  to monitor 10 marked pairs including courtship, incubation and brooding. The lock-down due to COVID19 has advantage of minimizing the anthropogenic disturbance on breeding lapwings. The lapwing’s chicks are subjected to array of predators making the brooding monitoring a challenge.

The work would not be achieved in proper way without  the logistic (cameras) and technical support from ÉLVONAL Project.  We modified the cameras to camouflaged with surrounding environment and to cope with the sunny and windy  conditions in the Arabian desert.