Whilst birding the date palms along the coast at Al Uqair in mid-November I saw a small flycatcher perched in one of the date palms. It looked superficially like a Red-breasted Flycatcher but on closer approach turned into a Spotted Flycatcher. This is easily the most common flycatcher in Saudi Arabia but is a passage migrant with birds not generally seen after late October. Apart from this bird there was relatively little around with a few White-eared Bulbuls and House Sparrows some resembling hufuae subspecies. Graceful Prinia was heard singing in a few locations and otherwise there was very little. On the ocast we saw a few waders with one Greater Sand Plover, two Dunlin and several Kentish Plover. Five large white-headed gulls were seen all of which appeared to be Steppe Gulls but they did not allow close approach and flew almost immediately we tried getting closer.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdFgxpeqIKVDiYwf9XaDHmOw25W9vhLZgu4ljuutOE4kLdi3bFR92CtKiCYtCTAAtKMfnAqIJd2RF3SS9-3PGLnb3qv4xhC8kAt0K5HC9vutgoDbaeUGE8OO2LbapkMjjDq9DoMBfPnrI9geIXuIXTSz8c7EQEjPIx_rnQEPbTQYUGgv1jXiE9TtBOOi4/s16000/Spotted_Flycatcher1.jpg) |
Spotted Flycatcher |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYr84t6QsYovV2tjt6yJfzqnQ6gp0VprYmAPWFQjAyLvmUcbMNb-S7XeZJ4xlOGDAozwkz7OyEusLtAlqAUO04u0B7WYLDWwI3zV3ud2fcQLAg4Aw3MQYCPa60TCesk5KBls6w6ZNWo7ljqggrxDHuM1Ybc5rcE1G_Dz4VQ2ERG_ZGSitfZMH_4wSC4RZo/s16000/Spotted_Flycatcher2.jpg) |
Spotted Flycatcher |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB4KCJE4opudvLnQhZKeDuJaTxDEJqw7ItsJ2mFtI65reIe8RX__1c6ymO50blqtPMCv-UL2iHB_qk3K_o3CFphUkXEw4gjWcfdoMukObqX8E54s0Q6wlnZkRlfNZM32MDA9uA2py4KYcPAxYXfcOAjgjCU_OPhSSbFaOhQ7W8Q7YEASY9o3evwqJ69HWl/s16000/Kentish_Plover1.jpg) |
Kentish Plover |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq6PnloBCopVaXoE3lmmo4aedZ_fdVWE2OH_VSJIPRE0d5P_Ot9ct1y_4B12ABXeIAuCxUYV8K08riUlqwCCXea6fTBGeugXYuLuZUvKYuZh-N18rDJoqWeXK9haMRNV1YtJ6EbfjeRXlLNxSuHU5DOLUyU7NOJJI6G7G9WkRKNWXcAkt3tFQlwPtbCUAY/s16000/Kentish_Plover2.jpg) |
Kentish Plover |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPh8Sj4npaiG8oFELPT_m0fgrwaV2BuCsTDyVoBNU3XucF3thpmPwGn8ygXIIO6f4SLcMTHXEQ2cmR0vVhxhr-mNO76QZlAtTf0ijl85dU-K7G88tM6IGsZV8paQ-A2Jpl9vhQZSgWBH2Teg3UgHfCCm8LUkxbcuAoytoxb5IqSQsZve085J2wjfZUNeK/s16000/Kentish_Plover3.jpg) |
Kentish Plover |