26 July 2016

Birding along the roadside - Bani Saad

Recently I was in Bani Saad and stopped along the roadside at a nice looking area of market garden fields with crops. This area had once held Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak where birds were seen sitting on a roof in Bani Saad but unfortunately I have never seen them in the built up areas. I did see a few good birds including a couple of Long-billed Pipits on one roadside bluff and nearby a few Cinnamon-breasted Buntings. The best bird seen, however, was a dark phase Long-legged Buzzard seen flying over. This phase is much commoner in the west of the Kingdom than in the east and are always good to see. Other species seen included Eurasian Hoopoe, Palestine Sunbird and Tristram’s Starlings.
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Cinnamon-breasted Bunting
Long-billed Pipit
Long-billed Pipit
Long-billed Pipit
Long-billed Pipit
Long-legged Buzzard - dark phase
Long-legged Buzzard - dark phase
Long-legged Buzzard - dark phase
Long-legged Buzzard - dark phase