06 December 2022

Plenty of Water Pipits – Dhahran Hills

Birding the football and cricket fields in Dhahran Hills recently produced more than twenty Water Pipits. This species is a common winter visitor occurring from October until April, but they are mainly seen next to large water bodies. I recently saw some on grass fields in Deffi Park and these were happily feeding on the short grass of the football fields. As I could drive the car close to the pitch, I was able to get close to one bird as it moved from the centre of the field to the field edge. The light was a bit harsh, but I managed one good photo. Also feeding on the field were several Western Cattle Egret, which are also a common winter visitor like the Water Pipit and a single Eurasian Curlew a much less common visitor to the camp although common on the coast. The Curlew was busy pulling large black grubs from the soft ground but remained at quite a distance. 

Water Pipit


Water Pipit
Eurasian Curlew

Eurasian Curlew

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret