The number of Western Cattle Egrets around the camp seems to dropping
from a high point of over 100 birds with many of the birds coming into full breeding plumages. Good views can still be had of the birds
as they feed along the roadside grass verges finding insects in the soft ground
after the grass has been watered. It was previously a scarce species in the
Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia but since the 2000’s good numbers of birds
were seen that have increased to toady’s numbers slowly over the last ten
years. In the evening birds move to trees to spend the night in relative safety
and then move back to the grass verges at first light to continue feeding.