01 February 2016

Four Pied Kingfishers wintering – Sabkhat Al Fasl

The major influx of Pied Kingfishers into eastern Arabia this winter has resulted in at last four Pied Kingfishers wintering at Sabkhat Al Fasl. These birds have taken up residence in a couple of different locations with birds being seen at the two sites each visit in 2016. The birds are extremely beautiful and are always exciting to see, with some of them giving very good views perched on sunken dead trees and nearby reeds. Although this winter has been exceptional for them in the region, they remain a rare/scarce winter visitor. It will be interesting to see if this status changes after such a large influx, as some of these birds may return next winter to the same site?