Golden Grass Mabuya – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

I saw a Golden Grass Mabuya Heremites septemtaeniatus in Dhahran recently that ran across a track but stopped under the nearby vegetation allowing me to take a few photographs. I have seen this lizard a few times here over the years but only running fast across tracks and never allowing photographs until this sighting. This species is known from Eritrea, Oman, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iraq, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. I have also seen this species in Dhahran where I live but although common, they are rarely seen.

Grey-headed Swamphen – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

An early morning trip to Dhahran Waste Water Lake recently produced two Grey-headed Swamphens. This is the first time I have seen the species here in over two years so was a very pleasant surprise. The favoured location for this species is in Jubail and our last visit showed the water levels very low and reed clearance occurring so maybe the birds are moving around trying to find more suitable habitat. It will be interesting to see if the stay or are joined by other birds over the next couple of weeks. There were very few other birds seen with a few Grey Herons and Great Cormorants about the best.

Grey-headed Swamphen

Grey-headed Swamphen

Grey Heron

Great Cormorant

Great Cormorant

Yellow Wagtails – Dhahran Football Fields

Whilst birding the Dhahran Hills Cricket and football Fields in mid-September I found several hundred Yellow Wagtails allowing close views and photos to be taken. They varied in plumage considerably and there was more than one sub-species present but the most common appeared to be flava. The Yellow Wagtail is a common passage migrant with various subspecies occurring, but they are much commoner in the spring than the autumn. Autumn numbers are still relatively high with tens of birds generally seen during the migration period from late August until late October. This is the first time I have seen this high a number of birds together hopefully indicating a good autumn to come. 

Ferruginous Ducks – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst birding the Waste Water Lake in the very early morning I saw seven Ferruginous Ducks on the water and another three birds flying over before landing with the others. Luckily, they birds in flight flew around a couple of times allowing for a few photos to be taken. Hopefully they will stay for a while as this is a safe place for them as no hunting is allowed. The Ferruginous Duck is an uncommon passage migrant, winter visitor and a rare breeder with most birds occurring from September to April. The species is currently listed as Near Threatened and prefers shallower and more vegetated areas than other Aythya species and seldom sits out on open water. Sightings have been increasing in recent years, with breeding occurring in Jubail, but they remain uncommon. 

Late September at Dhahran Cricket Field

Whilst birding the Dhahran Hills Cricket field at the end of September I saw a few interesting birds. Western Cattle Egrets are back in good numbers and Eurasian Hoopoe numbers have increased significantly with migrant birds joining the local breeding birds. Another species that has been seen in higher-than-normal numbers is Black-winged Stilt with tens of birds on almost all grassy areas in the compound. Resident species seen included Common Myna, Eurasian Collared Dove and Crested Lark. Migrants noted have included Woodchat Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher and Northern Wheatear.

Black-winged Stilt 

Black-winged Stilt 

Black-winged Stilt 

Common Myna

Crested Lark

Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Hoopoe

Eurasian Hoopoe

Spotted Flycatcher

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret

Woodchat Shrike

Pallid Swift – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

An early morning trip to Dhahran Waste Water Lake in late September produced a reasonable number of Pallid Swift, dropping down occasionally to drink from the lake. These birds are returning ones for the winter and have arrived earlier than normal. The species is a common passage migrant and breeder with a peculiar pattern of occurrence. They are common from late January to May, uncommon after this and only recorded again in good numbers from November. Breeding takes place in the winter months from November to April. As the light was good I managed to take a few decent photos some of which are shown below.

Ruff – Dhahran Football Fields

I visited the fields in Aramco Dhahran compound in late September and located at least three Ruff Philomachus pugnax feeding on the grass. These birds were very confiding as I could get the car close to the edge on the fields. The Ruff is a common migrant and uncommon winter visitor with high counts for the Eastern Province being several hundred. In the Eastern Province they are often common on pools inland and recorded in all months but mostly in September to March. The grassy fields available in Aramco are very valuable habitats for this species with birds seen every year in the spring and autumn.