Birds of Saudi Arabia: Read ringed Baltic Gulls

28 December 2023

Read ringed Baltic Gulls – Jizan Corniche

Whilst birding the Jizan Corniche in December 2023 we came across three read ringed gulls, all of which were ringed in Finland. Another gull was present with a metal ring but its read ring had presumably fallen off and its ring could not be read. There were probably 40 Baltic Gulls present, so if four were ringed in Finland this makes up 10% of the birds present. Previous ringing recoveries have also mainly come from Finland (14 birds – 82%) as well as Sweden (two birds – 12%) and Russia (one bird - 6%). The Baltic Gull in Saudi Arabia is an uncommon passage migrant and uncommon wintering species, scarce in summer, along the entire Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia with higher numbers in the southern Red Sea part of the Kingdom. Many hundreds of birds winter in the Saudi Arabian sector of the Red Sea. In northern Yemen a maximum count of 200 birds in January indicates that significant numbers winter there also. As a result, maps of the wintering range of Baltic Gull should include the Red Sea coastline from the KAUST area of the central Red Sea south to northern Yemen. Probably over 100 also summer in Saudi Arabia, most being immature birds. Records from central Saudi Arabia are very rare, with only two records, as they are from the Saudi Arabian Gulf coast, where there have been only three confirmed records.

Lesser Black-backed (Baltic) Gull

Ring Number: HT245167

Darvic Ring: White with black lettering CAWW

Ringing date: 3-Jul-2003

Ringing Place: Punkaharja, Savonlinna, Finland

Age: Nestling

Ringer: Risto Juvaste

Finding date: 26-Nov-2023

Finding Place: Jizan Corniche, Jizan region, Saudi Arabia (Co-ords: 16.93N, 42.55E)

Finding Condition: Bird found alive

Duration: 7451 days

Distance: 5087 km