17 August 2023

Record count Egyptian Nightjar - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area 11 August I came across a record number of Egyptian Nightjar for the site, and probably anywhere in the Kingdom. I recorded 23 different birds including adults and six juveniles. This is an increase in numbers from the 16 I found on 7 July 2023. The birds spend their time, mainly sitting on tracks under small bushes and allow extremely close approach in a car. On foot they fly much sooner so if possible, I try to move the car into good positions for photography. As mentioned in earlier posts these birds breed in the local area and this is a great place to see them. They arrive in May and depart the Jubail area in early to mid-September although the latest sighting was 23 September 2015. Birds were scattered across the entire site, but the main concentration was still in the area they have previously used. The top five photos are of juvenile birds with the remaining photos adults.