30 March 2015

Some more interesting birds from Dhahran – bird records by Mats Ris

There has been hundreds of European Bee-eaters passing over Dhahran the last few days with many of them trying to find places to roost in the trees in the early evening. They have been widespread in the area from KFUPM campus all through Dhahran camp. Mats Ris has noticed them too with his first on Wednesday 25 March. Mats also mentioned he had seen a Common Kestrel a species he does not see too often as well as three Barn Swallow, five, Pallid Swift and a few herons on the golf course pond including the long staying Western Great Egret, a Squacco Heron for its third weekend, two Indian Reef Heron, Grey Heron, Common Kingfisher and a juvenile Black-Crowned Night Heron. Mats also mentioned it was his first weekend without seeing any Western Cattle Egrets which have presumably returned bak to their breeding areas. Mats kindly sent me a few of his photos of the birds he has been seeing which are shown below.
Black-crowned Night Heron - juvenile
Black-crowned Night Heron - juvenile
Squacco Heron
Squacco Heron
Western Great Egret
Western Great Egret