The Hamadryas Baboon Papio hamadryas is common in the Abha /
Tanoumah area of the Asir Mountains with large groups seen all along the
escarpments. It is the northernmost of all the baboons and is distinguished
from other baboons by the male’s long, silver-grey shoulder cape (mane and
mantle), and the pink or red rather than black face and rump. They are large
monkeys with a dog-like face, pronounced brow ridges, relatively long limbs
with short digits, rather coarse fur, and a relatively short tail. The male is
considerably larger than the female, often twice as large, and has a heavy
silvery-grey coat, bushy cheeks, and large canine teeth whilst the juvenile and
females are brown, with dark brown skin on the face and rump. Males may have a
body measurement of up to 80 cm and weigh 20–30 kg; females weigh 10–15 kg and
have a body length of 40–45 cm. The tail adds a further 40–60 cm to the length,
and ends in a small tuft. They occur from north-eastern Africa, mainly in
Ethiopia, but also eastern Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti and northern Somalia as
well as the Arabian Peninsula, in Saudi Arabia and Yemen where it is the only
native non-human primate. In Saudi Arabia they inhabit arid sub-desert, steppe,
hilly areas, escarpments at elevations of up to 3,000 metres requiring cliffs
for sleeping and finding water. They are primarily terrestrial, but will sleep
in trees or on cliffs at night. An opportunistic feeder, it will take a wide
variety of foods, including grass, fruit, roots and tubers, seeds, leaves, buds
and insects. The female usually gives birth to a single young with the new-born
having black fur and pink skin, and is suckled for up to 15 months. Each adult
male controls a small group of females (a harem) and their young, and remains
bonded with the same females over several years, aggressively ‘herding’ any
that wander, and retaining exclusive mating rights over the group. The females
will often compete to groom and stay close to the male, and it is the male who
dictates the group’s movements. The Hamadryas Baboon is listed on Appendix II
of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). Recent
studies have suggested that the population of Hamadryas Baboons in Arabia
colonised the peninsula much longer ago than previously thought, and shows a
considerable amount of genetic variation compared to the African population.
Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia
30 September 2014
29 September 2014
Waders still passing through – Dhahran Hills
Although migrants are still passing through the numbers are
small, that is with the exception of waders. Wader numbers have been very good
this autumn and the last few days have been no exception. All the normal wet
places have had good waders on them and wet ditch has been particularly good.
Here there has been Common Redshank, Temminck’s Stint, plenty of Little Stints,
Marsh Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper. Views and photographic opportunities
are good on the ditch as can be seen from the photos below. The percolation
pond has also had some good wading birds with two Marsh Sandpipers, four Common
Greenshanks and plenty of Little Stints and Wood Sandpipers. The other
favourite place for waders is the settling pond where there have been up to
eight Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, ten Kentish Plovers, two Temminck’s Stints,
two Dunlin, one Curlew Sandpiper and 15 Little Stints. A group of 15
Black-winged Stilts were also seen flying over one night. Other interesting
birds seen in these same areas this week have been a juvenile Little Crake on
the wet ditch, and four White-winged Terns on the percolation pond.
Temminck's Stint |
Little Stint |
Temminck's Stint & Little Stint |
Wood Sandpiper |
28 September 2014
Arabian Toad-headed Agama – Record by Mansur Al-Fahad
Mansur Al Fahad kindly sent me
a photo of an Arabian Toad-headed Agama that he has allowed me to use on my
website. The Arabian toad-headed agama Phrynocephalus arabicus, locally known as Sabahbah is a member of the Agamidae
family, also known as the chisel-teeth lizards due to the compressed, fused
teeth being firmly attached to the upper jaw, unlike most other lizards which
have loosely attached teeth. These lizards are also known as the chameleons of
the Old World due to their striking ability to change their body colour. They
typically have a wide, strong, flattened body, covered in rough skin with
overlapping scales, and a long, flattened tail which is rounded at the base. The
Arabian toad-headed agama is a fairly small lizard that is highly adapted to
life on loose sand. It has no external ear openings and fringes of long scales
around the eyes keep out sand grains. The head is short and broad with a deep
forehead and snub nose. It is highly variable in colour with various patterns
of black, white and reddish markings, and it tends to match the colour of its
background. As such, lizards found on pale coastal sands tend to be paler and
less patterned than those lizards on red, inland sands. All variations,
however, retain a black tip on the underside of the tail which, when raised, is
used in visual signals. Scurrying across the sand, seeking out its insect prey,
the Arabian toad-headed agama is active in all but the hottest hours of the
day. During the hottest periods, it will stand high on extended legs to limit
contact with the sand, balancing on fingertips and heels while using the tail
as a prop. It may remain dormant during cold winter day. The Arabian
toad-headed agama is able to sink rapidly into the sand by vibrating the body
in a process called ‘shimmy burial’, and it uses this behaviour to escape from
predators or create a nocturnal shelter. This
species ranges from southeastern Jordan into the Arabian Peninsula, including
much of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman (except the mountainous
areas) and Iran (known only from the Mesopotamian Plain in the vicinity of
Ahvaz). It is not known from Iraq. It occurs from sea level to around 1,000 m
asl. They live in desert regions and are
found in areas of soft, wind-blown sand but can also occur on harder and drier
substrates with sparse vegetation. It is not found in rural agricultural areas.
Much of the information above is taken from Arkive.org
27 September 2014
Migration now in full swing – Sabkhat Al Fasl
As we had a long holiday
prior to Saudi National Day on 23 September I was able to visit Sabkhat Al Fasl
on Tuesday 22 September. As it was a midweek visit there were no fishermen and
only one hunter that made the visit very pleasant. There were plenty of
migrants around of a good number of species although numbers of most of them
were low. Terns as always at this time of year were plentiful with good numbers
of White-winged Terns, Caspian Terns and Little Terns. Wheatears were also seen
in small numbers with most being Northern Wheatears and Isabelline Wheatears
but I also saw my first returning Pied Wheatear of the autumn that was a nice
first year male. Barn Swallows and Sand Martin numbers were high with more than
100 of each species and plenty of Spotted Flycatchers were also around. A
single Daurian Shrike and several Eurasian Hoopoes were also located along the
edge of the reed beds. Eight Western Marsh Harriers, mostly immatures and
females were seen but there was also an adult male and one Pallid Harrier also
flew over the scrape area. As always there were plenty of Purple Swamphens
around and several Squacco Herons and Grey Herons.
White-winged Tern |
Caspian Terns |
Northern Wheatear |
Pied Wheatear - first year male |
Pied Wheatear - first year male |
Barn Swallow |
Marsh Harrier - male |
Pallid Harrier |
Purple Swamphen |
26 September 2014
Eastern (Sandfish) Skink – Record by Mansur Al-Fahad
The below photo was sent to me by Mansur Al Fahad who has
kindly allowed me to use it on my website. Mansur is an expert in reptiles of
Saudi Arabia and has provided me with much information for my blog on reptiles
and birds for which I thank him greatly. This lizard is an Eastern Skink Scincus
mitranus is a lizard from the skink family that grows to a length of 20 centimetres.
The Arabic and local name for this lizard is Sqnkor. They have an orange-brown or sand-coloured back, and a white underside and on
the side they have a line or spots in a light colour, and the back and legs
have vague dark bands. The snout is shaped like a bill, and the legs and tail
are short. The Eastern Skink can run quickly, or slide over the sand and dig
itself in quickly when it is in danger. Its food consists of several kinds of
arthropods, especially Centipedes and beetles and although the ear openings
are small, these skinks have excellent hearing, which enables them to detect
insect prey moving below the surface. This species is found in the Arabian
Peninsula, including Saudi Arabia and western Iran and they live in dry and warm open areas, particularly in sand deserts. It is widely
distributed in the Arabian Peninsula, east of the Asir Mountains and is found
from sea level up to around 1000 metres above sea level. Its habitat consists of loose sand dune habitats and
hilly landscapes with occasional dense bushes and rocky patches to hide in. Owing to their remarkable
ability to seemingly ‘swim’ through sand, they are often known as sandfish. The
physical adaptations that allow these lizards to move with speed below the sand
surface include a streamlined body, highly polished skin, strongly developed
limbs, a chisel-shaped snout, and reduced ear openings.
25 September 2014
Several species of migrants – Dhahran Hills
Bird numbers remain quite low this autumn but there are now
several different species of migrants about the camp. The percolation pond
still has 23 Ferruginous Ducks, the highest count ever for the ‘patch’ but they
remain distant unless they fly around after being disturbed when they, with
luck, fly overhead as was the case last night. The pond also had good numbers
of waders with four Common Greenshank, 25 Little Stints, one Marsh Sandpiper,
three Wood Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers and a Ruff. The settling pond had a
few different waders with four Common Snipe and several Ruff and Wood
Sandpipers. The Wet ditch also had a few waders with single Temminck’s Stint,
Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper. Other migrants around the
spray fields and scrubby desert included several Ortolan Buntings, 25+ Sand
Martins, seven Barn Swallows, one Isabelline Wheatear and a Southern Grey
Shrike. Just as it was getting dark and I was about to leave, a commotion in the
spray fields caught my attention and a female/immature Pallid Harrier flew
through chasing a few birds on the way., a nice way to end the evenings
birding.
Ferruginous Duck |
Wood Sandpiper |
Little Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Sand Martin |
Arabian Grey Shrike |
24 September 2014
Eurasian Wryneck & Spotted Flycatcher at Udhailiyah – Bird records by Nishan Xavier
Nishan Xavier sent me a coupe of photos he took in September 2014 in
Udhailiyah Heights, Saudi Aramco camp and has kindly allowed me to use them on
my website. The Eurasian Wryneck is not a common species in the Eastern Province and in
Dhahran I have only had a few records with most sightings being in the spray
fields area. Spotted Flycatcher is a common passage migrant with birds seen
daily during the migration season both in spring and autumn.
Eurasian Wryneck |
Spotted Flycatcher |
23 September 2014
Temminck’s Stint on wet ditch – Dhahran Hills
The wet ditch has
been producing a number of good birds over the last few weeks after months of
having nothing on it. On 17 September there was a nice Temminck’s Stint there.
The species is a passage migrant and winter visitor that
is a regular migrant in small numbers almost always away from the coast. It
occurs in April and May and again from September to November. Some birds do winter
in very small numbers at some suitable inland sites such as Sabkhat Al Fasl
near Jubail. They are seen quite regularly on the ‘patch’ but normally are seen
at some distance on the settling pond or percolation pond although I have seen them
before on the wet ditch in previous years. Other birds seen on the ditch at the
same time were Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Little Stint. A group of
European Bee-eaters flew over whilst I was there and a Tawny Pipit was feeding
nearby.
Temminck's Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Wood Sandpiper |
Green Sandpiper |
Little Stint |
22 September 2014
Cretzcshmar’s Bunting and more at Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson
Viv Wilson sent photos form
his weekend birding at Tabuk, which he has kindly allowed me to use on my
website, and it included a surprise with photo of a male Cretzcshmar’s
Bunting. This is a rare bird in most of Saudi Arabia although where Viv lives
in the northwest they are uncommon migrants with some occasionally overwintering. This is a bird I
would truly love to find on my local ‘patch’ but the chances are very small as
there have only been a couple of records from the Eastern Province. I would not
mind seeing it anywhere in Saudi Arabia if the truth was told, as I have never
seen one anywhere. Other birds Viv photographed on his outing included Glossy
Ibis, European Bee-eaters, Spotted Flycathcers, Western Marsh Harriers and
Purple Heron.
Cretzschmar's Bunting - male |
European Bee-eaters |
Glossy Ibis |
Glossy Ibis |
Glossy Ibis |
Glossy Ibis |
Purple Heron |
21 September 2014
Plenty of Terns – Sabkhat Al Fasl
Last weekend there were
plenty of terns still around. Some of these birds are summer breeders, others
passage migrants and others still residents. The most numerous of the terns
were White-cheeked Terns that are summer visitors and breed on the offshore Arabian
Gulf coral islands. Most of the birds that remain are juveniles although a few
adults are also still present. Most of these birds will have departed in the
next couple of weeks to their wintering areas to the southwest of Saudi Arabia.
At least six White-winged Terns were also present including two moulting adults
and four juveniles. Sabkhat Al Fasl is probably the best place in the Eastern
Province for finding this migrant species and occasionally good views can be
obtained. Gull-billed and Caspian Terns are resident and are also still around
in good numbers mainly on the flooded Sabkha area as are plenty of Little Terns.
White-cheeked Tern |
White-cheeked Tern |
White-cheeked Tern |
White-cheeked Tern |
White-cheeked Tern |
White-winged Tern |
White-winged Tern |
Gull-billed Tern |
20 September 2014
A few more visitors – Dhahran Hills
The last few days on the
‘patch’ have produced a few more unusual birds and the trickle of migrants
appears to be increasing slightly. I have seen a few new species for me this
autumn with one being a European Roller. Most other birders in the area have
seen the species already this autumn but so far I had failed but this changed
on the 15th September when I saw one in the trees near the
percolation pond. The pond still had 21 Ferruginous Ducks, seven Garganey and
three northern Shovellers as well as two juvenile White-winged Terns. Two
Purple Herons were also seen in the reeds of the pond along with a Grey Heron
on one evening. Other new migrants included my first Tawny Pipit for the
autumn, several Isabelline Wheatears and Spotted Flycatchers including an
extremely well marked bird. A small influx of Little Ringed Plovers occurred
and other waders included both Common Redshank and Spotted Redshank (see
earlier post), Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Little Stint and Kentish
Plover. Large numbers of Sand Martin are now feeding each evening over the pond
and several small flocks of European Bee-eaters are passing over at regular
intervals. An immature Western Marsh Harrier and female Pallid Harrier passed
over late one evening but otherwise it is still very quiet for birds of prey.
The only shrike seen was a Turkestan Shrike in the spray fields.
European Roller |
Purple Heron |
Isabelline Wheatear |
Wood Sandpiper |
Turkestan Shrike |
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