Whilst birding in Bahrain on 13 May 2022 Jehad Alammadi was able to photograph a Striated Heron nesting on a boat with a nest containing four eggs. Surprisingly the bird had laid its eggs on a parked boat in a water channel. Jehad had also found a nest in 2017, approximately 350 metres south of the current nest site. Whilst birding the Jubail area I saw the Striated Heron again. In 2020 we had the first evidence of breeding in the Eastern Province where the species is a rare but increasing species. The increase in records in recent years shows that birds are spreading northwards and look likely to become a regular feature of the Bahrain and Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia avifauna, if not already. Jehad kindly gave me permission to use his photos and information on my website.
