Greater Flamingos Al Khobar corniche – Bird records by Hatem Achouri

I received an e-mail the other day from Hatem Achouri with two very good photos of Greater Flamingo’s attached. Hatem mentioned he had seen the birds along the Al Khobar Corniche where I have also seen them in the past. Flamingo numbers are not very high in Dammam / Al Khobar when compared to Jubail but still several hundred birds use the Gulf close to the urban areas and are always a pleasure to see. The fact the birds are so large and colourful and close to areas where people live they are favourites among the general public and I get asked many questions about this species from people with a general interest in nature. If you live in the Dammam / Al Khoabr area keep an eye out for the birds as you drive or walk along the cornice, in the winter months as they should stay for another month of two. A bird with a large white plastic ring, originally ringed in Turkey also spent last winter in the Al Khobar area so also look for birds with plastic rings and try to read the numbers and letters if possible. I thank Hatem very much for allowing me to use his photographs on my website and for sharing his sightings with me.