Alpine Swifts – Taj Dam

Whilst birding at Taj Dam a large group of Alpine Swift flew in and started feeding in the wadi bottom and near the water that had escaped from the dam causing pools. This is an uncommon breeding migrant & passage migrant, where it occurs widely in small numbers mainly in the west of the Kingdom. Part of the population stays over spring and summer to breed in the southwest highlands in craggy areas and feeds widely over areas where food and water are plentiful. Occasionally large numbers can be seen together such as the flock we saw with over 100 together regularly seen. 

 

Bath White – Talea Velley

Whilst birding the Talea Valley near Abha, I saw a few Bath White Pontia daplidice. This is a small butterfly of the family Pieridae, the yellows and whites, which occurs in the Palearctic region. It is a small white butterfly with a wingspan of 45 to 50 mm. The underside of the hindwing has a pattern of greenish blotches, which is characteristic of the Bath whites and easily identifies it from other pierids. Sexes can be differentiated by markings on the forewing. The male is differentiated from the female by the markings on the upperside of the forewing. The apex of the forewing is black with white spots and lines. There is a black spot at the end of the cell. In the case of the female, there is an additional discal spot in 1b. The female also has an obscure row of terminal and marginal spots on the upper hindwing. They have a wingspan of 52–56 mm and occur commonly in central and southern Europe, Asia Minor, Persia and Afghanistan, migrating northwards in the summer. It is usually found on dry slopes and rough ground with little vegetation.The host plants of the larvae are in the family Brassicaceae and vary according to locality. They include tower mustard (Arabis glabra) and sea rocket (Cakile maritima). The subspecies found in Saudi Arabia is Pontia daplidice aethiops which occurs in the highlands of Ethiopia, south-western Arabia, Near East and Afghanistan.

Pied Cuckoo – Sunbah Farms

Whilst birding the southwest this summer I came across a number of Pied Cuckoos. This species like most Cuckoos lays its eggs in the nest of a host species, babbler or bulbul, which then unknowingly raises the cuckoo chick as if it were one of its own. The species is migratory, breeding in sub-Saharan Africa, southwestern Arabia, southern Iran and from India to Myanmar. Most winter around the African equator or southern India. It has a status in Saudi Arabia as a scarce breeding migrant and is usually found below 1000 m in steep dry valleys with scattered bushes and trees in the lower foothills, or in acacia scrub in the Tihama. It can, however, be seen in the mountains of the Asir as well in very small numbers in the summer.

African Palm Swift – Sunbah Farms

Whilst birding Sunbah Farms just north of Jizan we can across a few African Palm Swift over the pivot fields. This species is an uncommon breeding resident in Saudi Arabia only found in the Tihamah and in wadis in the lower foothillsof the southwest, south from al-Wasqah. The favour Doum Palm which has closely packed drooping fronds, which provide ideal nesting and roosting sites. They can often be found over pivot irrigation fields catching a variety of flying insects, including flies, termites, ants, beetles and bugs where they are regularly seen in small groups of less than ten birds. They are fast flying and difficult to photograph, with the below my best efforts.

Abdim’s Stork – Jizan Heritage Village

Whilst birding Jizan Heritage Village we found five Abdim’s Stork on the grassy park area by the sea. This has become a favoured location to see the species and although the light was not good when we were there we were able to approach quite closely by using the ornamental trees as cover. Abdim’s Stork is an uncommon resident breeding species of southwest Saudi Arabia and occurs from Africa south of Sahara, and southwest Arabia. They breed north of the equator, with most of the population spending the rest of the year in eastern and southern parts of Africa. The male is slightly larger, and they have glossed purple and green upperparts with non-breeding adults having the bare parts duller and immatures browner and duller still. They are normally found in open grassland and in areas of cultivation and often occur near water. They mainly nest in villages as is the case in Saudi Arabia. The small population of the Arabian Peninsula, mainly in Yemen but including southwestern Saudi Arabia, is at least partly resident in that region.

Native Honey Bees – Abha area

Whilst birding a wadi near to a large dam near Abha we came across a wet area with hundreds of Honey Bee coming down to drink. I am not sure what Honey Bee it is but Apis mellifera jemenitica has been used in apiculture throughout the Arabian Peninsula since at least 2000 BC. Existing literature demonstrates that these populations are well adapted for the harsh extremes of the region with populations of A. m. jemenitica native to Saudi Arabia far more heat tolerant than the standard races from Europe. The indigenous race of Saudi Arabia differs from other subspecies in the region in some morphological, biological, and behavioural characteristics. Further taxonomic investigation, as well as molecular studies, is needed in order to confirm whether the Saudi indigenous bee populations represent a race distinct from A. m. jemenitica, or merely an ecotype of this subspecies.

Birding Wadi Jizan Lake – Abu Arish

Whilst in the Jizan area, it is always worth going to Wadi Jizan Lake. This is a large wetland area, although sadly the water levels are dropping considerably, and habitat is becoming poorer for birds. As it is a large wetland, waders can often be seen in good numbers with Black-winged Stilt being common. In summer it is a good place to see Black-tailed Godwit and throughout the year restricted range species such as Red-eyed Dove and Zitting Cisticola can be found. Spur-winged Lapwing is also a regular species at and around the lake. We also found two Intermediate Egret, a species that is becoming a regular occurrence at the location.

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-winged Stilt

Red-eyed Dove

Red-eyed Dove

Spur-winged Lapwing

Spur-winged Lapwing

Spur-winged Lapwing

Zitting Cisticola

African Openbill – Wadi Jizan Lake

Phil Roberts and I found an African Openbill at Wadi Jizan (Malaki Dam) Lake on 16 June 2024. A bird was seen for a couple of months up until March but has not been recorded since so it is difficult to know if this is the same bird that has been hiding from view or a different individual. A pair of this species was found on 3 September 2021 and was a new species for Saudi Arabia. Numbers increased to a maximum of 18 birds in summer 2022 decreasing to six in July 2022. Since then, one or two have been occasionally seen in the same area. It is a widely distributed species occurring in Sub-Saharan Africa and western regions of Madagascar, where it is common to locally abundant, although it has a patchy distribution.

Pale Babul Blue - Tales Valley

Whilst birding the Talea Valley area near Abha I came across a group of blue butterflies on a wet area on the wadi floor. Some of them were Pale Babul Blue Azanus mirza a butterfly of the family Lycaenidae. It is found in the Afrotropical realm, including southwest Saudi Arabia. The wingspan is 20–25 millimetres in males and 21–25 millimetres in females. Its flight period is year-round but mainly between September and March and its host plant where the larvae feed is mainly Acacia. It is the back butterfly n the below photo.

Helmeted Guineafowl – Wadi Jizan Dam Lake

Whilst birding Wadi Jizan Dam Lake very early morning 16 June Phil Roberts and I came across a group of up to eight Helmeted Guineafowl Numida Meleagris feeding on a grassy area near the lake shore. The birds were later heard calling in a nearby area of thick scrub and trees. The species is a widespread breeding bird in sub-Saharan Africa (formerly also in northern Africa). Outside Africa, it is a rare breeding resident in the Asir Tihama in south-western Saudi Arabia and (possibly) in Yemen. The birds in Saudi Arabia appear to be small and dark blackish coloured and have a thick reddish bill with pale tip, small helmet, medium sized cere bristles, limited blue skin and completely blue roundish wattles. The helmet appears smaller than on any other subspecies. Despite the morphological differences noted above compared with African populations, the Arabian population has not formally been named as a subspecies, but it is possible/probable the Arabian birds belong to a different, as yet undescribed subspecies.