At Sabkhat Al Fasl (Jubail) yesterday we saw three Lesser Short-toed Lark which is only the second time I have seen the species at this site. They were feeding in some short growth by the edge of one of the main reed beds. This is not a common bird in the areas of the Eastern Province that I bird although is a resident breeder and winters in certain areas in large numbers (>5000 birds). Luckily today we were able to get a number of good photographs of the birds and I have included a photograph of a Greater Short-toed Lark taken at Dhahran Hills in March 2011 so you can see how different the two species look.
Lesser Short-toed Lark
Lesser Short-toed Lark
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_C43t8GFvyEzFGKsLtx83rneFUGjB8FZIGRId2TQ7MAWBpWpLqUVccmvVg156j_e4yGezq-1sFuDlze8y6xFItRrp2iIIYvioaGH2I4fhinTX8DUjGQ3UZq_t-3Jp09GIV77IwV_XtA/s1600/Lesser+Short-toed+Lark2.jpg)
Lesser Short-toed Lark
Greater Short-toed Lark