Birds of Saudi Arabia: Some scarce and unusual birds

15 May 2016

Some scarce and unusual birds - Abqaiq Wetlands

Whilst birding Abqaiq Wetlands on 1 May with Phil Roberts we came a cross a number of good birds with the best probably being a Eurasian Crag Martin. This species is a scarce passage migrant in the Eastern Province mainly in the spring and I have only seen one before in the Eastern Province over the percolation pond in Dhahran. A flyover adult Eurasian Spoonbill was also a surprise as were five Marsh Warblers. Marsh Warbler is supposedly a common passage migrant in May throughout Saudi Arabia, but I had only seen one previously do the birds seen at the wetland were very unexpected. The other good bird seen was one Eastern Nightingale as they are far less common than Thrush Nightingale and although all the above birds were not photographed in any acceptable manner they were all good birds to see, showing the importance of this new wetland area. Other birds seen included one Grey Heron, two Little Egrets, one Common Whitethroat, two Eastern Olivaceous Warblers, six Kentish Plovers, ten Little Grebes including an adults with juveniles, one Sedge Warbler, two Little Bitterns, ten Barred Warblers, five Willow Warblers, two Chiffchaffs, two Blackcaps, ten Graceful Prinias, 50 House Sparrows, four Common Moorhens, one Spotted Crake, eight Little Terns, one Great Cormorant, one Little Ringed Plover, ten Black-winged Stilts, ten Pallid Swifts, five Barn Swallows, one Sand Martin, one European Bee-eater, two Rufous Scrub Robins, ten White-eared Bulbuls, six Crested Larks, one Lesser Kestrel flying over, five Laughing Doves, five Namaqua Doves, ten Collared Doves, two Tree Pipits, five Red-backed Shrikes, eight Turkestan Shrikes, one Whinchat, ten Spotted Flycatchers, one Reed Warbler, 15 Indian (Clamorous) Reed Warbler, two European Rollers, one White-throated Robin and one Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush.