14 March 2015

Some good birds at Udhailiyah – Bird records by Nishan Xavier

A male Eastern Black Redstart was found at Udhailiyah on 7 March. This is a good bird and one not seen so easily in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. It is also a bird that is not so easy to photograph so Nishan has done well to get a couple of nice photographs of the bird showing its features. Eastern Black Redstart is a winter visitor to the Kingdom. Another bird Nishan found was a female Blue Rock Thrush. This is again a bird that is not common in the region but is an early migrant occurring from February until late March or early April. Birds are normally seen hopping around on rocks or rough ground but can also be seen in trees occasionally as the one Nishan photographed was. These two species of bird would liven up any mornings birding in the Eastern Province and are good finds in Udhailiyah. Finally Nishan sent me a photograph of a House Sparrow a common resident in the area and found anywhere where human activity takes place including the desert near Bedouin camps.
Eastern Black Redstart
Eastern Black Redstart
Eastern Black Redstart
Eastern Black Redstart
Blue Rock Thrush - female
Blue Rock Thrush - female
Blue Rock Thrush - female
Blue Rock Thrush - female
Blue Rock Thrush - female
Blue Rock Thrush - female
House Sparrow - female
House Sparrow - female