20 September 2011

Temminck's Stint & Pin-tailed Snipe - Dhahran Hills

I found two new local 'patch' species for myself at the percolation pond last night in the shape of a Temminck's Stint and two Pin-tailed Snipe. They were feeding around the muddy edges of the pond with about 35 Little Stint, one Marsh Sandpiper, two Common Redshank, two Black-tailed Godwit, one Little Ringed Plover, 27 Kentish Plover, one Ruff and six Common Ringed Plover. It looks like Pintail Snipe may be fairly regular in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia at the right time of year and it is fairly common in Bahrain which is only about 40 kilometres away. The spray fields held one Woodchat Shrike, two Steppe Grey Shrike and two Isabelline Wheatear. A flock of 33 European Bee-eater were catching insects over the back of the pond and 60+ Sand Martin and two Barn Swallow were over the pond and at least 60 Yellow Wagtail were feeding on the insects at the edge of the pond. A single 1st year Citrine Wagtail was also feeding about the edge of the pond but was not associating with the Yellow Wagtails. The largest number of Grey Heron see together by me were on the pond with 13 birds alonside two Western Cattle Egret.
Woodchat Shrike