Whilst birding the seafront next to the Dhahran Expro
Wader Roost I found a Socotra
Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis sitting
in a small tree next to the water edge at very close range but unfortunately it
flew after I had only taken a single photo. This is probably the best place in
Dhahran to see the species but they are normally quite distant. They breed on
islands in the Arabian Gulf where they are common. Small numbers can be seen
close to the mainland coast especially from April to August but from October to
March it is generally outnumbered by great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo. Huge gatherings sometimes occur from December
to May with more than 25,000 birds on the sea or flying in formation. There are
no inland records of this species in the Kingdom.
