01 August 2012

Crab Plovers - Dammam Port Mangroves

I went to Dammam Port Mangroves an hour before high tide but the tide was still too low and no birds had been pushed up to the viewing area. As a result I went back down the causeway to look for any birds there. Here the tide was already well in and very few birds were present except for a group of 25 Greater Flamingos that were finding it difficult to walk on the bottom even with their long legs. The only other birds of note were six Indian Reef Herons. When the tide was full in I went back to the Port Mangroves and although there were few waders there were two adult Crab Plovers present along with a few Little Stint, six Common Redshank and 35 Bar-tailed Godwits. This is the first time I have seen Crab Plover at this site which was a nice surprise. I was hoping for Eurasian Spoonbill as this is the best site for them and I saw five at Sabkhat earlier in the week, but I did not find any there.

Greater Flamingos
Greater Flamingos
Crab Plovers, Bar-tailed Godwits & Common Redshank