12 May 2012

Spotted Flycatchers – Dhahran Hills


The migration season is slowing down a bit now but there are still a few migrants about. The most common were Willow Warblers with most of the 26 birds seen in the rough grass area of the spray fields. This area also held a single Caspian Reed Warbler, but there was no sign of the previous days Great Reed Warblers. Other migrants seen at the spray fields included a single Tawny Pipit, three Pallid Swifts, 11 Sand Martins and 75+ Barn Swallows. Many of the Barn Swallows and Sand Martins were sitting on the ground having a rest in a damp area of sand.
Spotted Flycatcher

A walk around the percolation pond produced very little with the exception of three Spotted Flycatchers and a Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. Clamorous Reed Warblers were calling from the Phragmites reed beds in four different locations and two Black-winged Stilts were present on the muddy edge of the pond itself. Three European Bee-eaters were using the tamarisk trees as lookout points to catch insects from but apart from that there was little of interest.