When I was trying to manoeuvre my way through the eastern parts of Nad Al Sheba, to the east of Al Ain road, I was surprised to see two water bodies that were being pumped with Dubai Municipality's sewage-treated water.
Both the areas, around 500 metres apart, were fenced off, with an entrance to each body.
When making a complete round of the first water body, I caught sight of a few clumps of a local shrub called ethel along the banks.
In the whole area, there were a few local waders like the Kentish plover and black-winged stilts. I saw six migratory greenshanks feeding on aquatic animals.
One of the largest shrubs, possibly two metres in height, was sticking up by a metre or so above the water. On closer inspection, I was rather surprised to see a common kingfisher, nervously bobbing its body and jerking its tail, perched on a branch a little above water. I watched it for a few minutes and it did not seem to be making any attempt to catch fish. I guessed there were no fish in the water because it was a man-made lake.
It would possibly eat the aquatic insects and dragonfly larvae.
The common kingfisher is quite a rare migrant to the UAE. It is a gorgeous little denizen of water bodies in many parts of the old world.
