Two new species for Saudi Arabia Fulvous
Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor & Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna
javanica were found together on Malaki Dam Lake 3 September. Eight Harlequin Quail Coturnix
delegorguei were in a large field near Jizan 30 June including at least two
males, a species that has not been recorded in Saudi Arabia for many years. Two
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus were well inland at a
wetland near Tabuk 25 September and an immature Black Stork Ciconia nigra was present at the same place 16 October. 26 Abdim’s Storks Ciconia abdimii
were at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 29-30 June. Three Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea
leucorodia were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 21 August and a Black-headed Heron Ardea
melanocephala was at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 3 September a
species now becoming a regular at the location. A flock of a minimum of 250 Western Great Egrets
Ardea alba were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 27 November, the highest ever count of this
species in the Kingdom.
Abdim's Stork |
A juvenile Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus was at KAUST 25-27
November. A flock of at 46 Sociable Lapwing Vanellus
gregarious were near Tabuk 20 - 27 November the largest flock recorded in
the Kingdom in recent years, with another two satellite tagged birds wintering
near the Jordon boarder. A
moulting adult Pacific Golden Plover
Pluvialis fulva at Sabkhat Al Fasl 21
August and two juvenile Caspian Plovers
Charadrius
asiaticus were there 28 August. A male Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis was at
Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 30 June one of only two know sites for the species in the Kingdom.
Greater Painted Snipe |
Three Grey-headed
Swamphen Porphyrio poliocephalus were at Ash Shargiyah Development
Company Farm, Fadhili, near Jubail 4 September, proving the species still
occurs at this new site with others at Dammam second industrial city in Oct
indicating the species is extending its range from its core area of Sabkhat Al
Fasl, Jubail. A Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus caeruleus
was present at Malaki Dam Lake 3 September the first confirmed record of this
African subspecies for the Kingdom, although all previous SW records were
assumed to have been this race. Another, of the Asian subspecies Elanus
caeruleus vociferous was present at Ash Shargiyah Development
Company Farm, Fadhili, near Jubail 4 September only the third record for the
Eastern Province all of which have been this subspecies. The first records for
the Riyadh region were at Al Hayer early Oct until 18 October at least. A Cinereous Vulture Aegypius manatees was at Rabigh Dam 11 December. At least 17 Greater Spotted Eagles Clanga clanga were at Sabkhat Al
Fasl 20 November the highest single day count for the site. A fresh juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 10 December a vagrant to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A male Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx
caprius was at Al Atta, near Bani Saad 3 July and was 450 kilometres north
of its previous most northerly Saudi Arabian location, extending its breeding
range considerably. The highest single count of Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius recorded in Saudi
Arabia was 15 at Sabkhat Al Fasl 14 - 28 August in the same place where 13 were
seen in August – September 2014. A pair of Plain Nightjar Caprimulgus inornatus were near Taif in
the evening of 4 July a rarely recorded summer breeding species, although
records have also occurred this summer from Najran northwards to Taif, so
appears to be much commoner than previously realised. A White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon
smyrnensis was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 14 August to 27 November at least, an
unusual date but possibly one of the birds that wintered into 2015 remaining
through the summer and another was at Rabigh Dam 11 Dec. Nine Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris were
trapped and ringed in a small area of Al Qahma Mangroves 29 Jun showing the
species is locally common within its restricted range and habitat choice. A
female Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 23
October with numbers increasing to twelve by 5 December, the largest gathering
of the species ever recorded in the Kingdom with at least four staying until
the year end and with another female near Dhahran 12 December.
Collared Kingfisher |
Pied Kingfisher |
Four Blanford’s Short-toed Lark Calandrella
blanfordi were at Sallal Al Dahna near Tanoumah 1 September. Two ‘mangrove’ white-eye sp Zosterops
(abyssinicus?) sp, an as yet unidentified White-eye, were at Either
Mangroves, Jizan Province 26 June, one of which was trapped and ringed with two further birds at Al Qahma Mangroves 28 June. A European Robin Erithacus rubecula was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 1-31 December at least with a second bird there 9 December. A Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 2 October with up to five White-throated
Robin Irania gutturalis at KAUST in late August an unusual record
from this locality. A Collared Flycatcher Ficedula
albicollis was at Al Mefah Park, Tanoumah 1 September a species still
regarded as a vagrant to the Kingdom. A number of sightings of the Arabian
endemic subspecies of African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus eximius in the Al Mefah Park, Tanoumah area during June to September are the
first Saudi Arabian confirmed records since 1990 of this little known
subspecies. Three Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus percivali, two adults and a juvenile, were
seen near Bani Saad 3 July until late July with five birds seen at another
location close by in late July. A Little
Bunting Emberiza pusilla
was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 19 December
only the second record for the country.