12 September 2015

Cream Coloured Coursers – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili)

Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm with Phil we speculated early on that it would be a good place and time of year for finding Cream-coloured Courser Cursorius cursor a locally common breeding resident of all scrub desert areas, but a species not often seen due to its habitat preferences. Later on we came across a small flock of two adults and three juveniles along the edge of a pivot irrigation field although they always kept to the sandy edges not the fields themselves. They were quite flighty and did not allow close approach and as it was getting towards midday the sunlight was very strong and heat haze intense so photography was difficult. They occur throughout Saudi Arabia and in the Eastern Province where I live they breed in the northern plains and on the Dibdibah north of 27 degrees N, preferring lightly vegetated gravel and stony desert. During January and February a northerly movement takes place across a broad front and in July to early September post breeding dispersal occurs with juveniles accompanying adults in small flocks. Nine were seen together at the edge of Dammam Airport Pools on 8th July 2011.
Cream-coloured Courser

Cream-coloured Courser

Cream-coloured Courser

Cream-coloured Courser