The Birding Year 2012 (Part 1) – Eastern Saudi Arabia

357 Common Shelduck Tadorna tadorna, the largest flock for some years at the site, were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 6th January along with 19 Western Marsh Harriers Circus aeruginosus which was a high count. Six adult and two first year Eurasian Spoonbills Platalea leucorodia were at Dammam Port Mangroves 13th January with six adults still present 10th February. Thirteen Greater Spotted Eagles Aquila clanga at Sabkhat Al Fasl 2nd February was the highest count of the winter and were accompanied by two second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagles Aquilla heliacal. Six Corn Buntings Emberiza calandra were at Dhahran 9th February with four still present the next day. Two adult Armenian Gulls Larus armenicus were at the Dammam–Al Khobar wader roost (south) 10th February, the status of this species in the Eastern Province is uncertain but it appears to be scarce or rare. A second calendar year Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus was over Dhahran 11th February. A single second calendar year Greater White-fronted Goose Anser albifrons was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 17th & 18th February which is a vagrant to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Greater White-fronted Goose

A juvenile Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus was at Dhahran 29th March while an adult Black-winged Kite Elanus (caeruleus) vociferus was there from 29th March until 17th April. This bird appeared to be of the eastern sub-species Elanus (caeruleus) vociferus as it had very dark under-wing markings on the secondaries unlike the more western race Elanus (caeruleus) caeruleus and was the first record for the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Black-winged Kite

Two adult male Little Crakes Porzana parva were at Dhahran 29th February with four (three males and a female) 4th & 5th March with singles seen until 20th March. An Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius was seen in the evening of 4th March at Dhahran with an adult male Finsch’s Wheatear Oenanthe finschii at the same site in the evening of 7th March. An adult White-spectacled Bulbul Pycnonotus xanthopygos was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 30th March which appears to be only the second record for the Eastern Province. A Common Grasshopper Warbler Locustella naevia was at Dhahran 1st April. An adult Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 4 May. A female Black-headed Bunting Emberiza melanocephala was at Dhahran 8th & 9th May and an immature Black Stork Ciconia nigra at the same site 23rd May.

Black-headed Bunting

Black-headed Bunting & Indian Silverbill - Dhahran Hills

I went straight back to the patch of grass where the Black-headed Bunting was present yesterday at the edge of the spray fields to see if I could see the bunting again. When I got to the spot these was a small flock of 18 Indian Silverbills which is the largest group I have seen in Dhahran. Keeping them company was the female Black-headed Bunting and today although I only got a couple of photos they were better than yesterday’s efforts. The bird remained very flighty and nervous and did not allow close approach and remained silent during the time I was present. I did not want to disturb the bird unduly so left it in place, hopefully to give better views tomorrow.


Indian Silverbills



Indian Silverbills



Black-headed Bunting



Black-headed Bunting

Other birds seen around the spray fields were three Namaqua Doves including two males and two Rufous-tailed Scrub Robins. A small number of Willow Warblers and one Spotted Flycatcher were also present on the scrubby bushes with two Daurian Shrikes. The percolation pond remains very quite with just one Little Ringed Plover and three Black-winged Stilts. At one stage all the Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot and Little Grebes took fright and on looking up a nice adult Western Osprey was flying over and landed in the trees on the far side of the pond. Whilst walking around the pond I flushed a European Nightjar from under some trees and had good flight views but was unable to relocate the bird. The only birds of note seen were two European Bee-eaters.

Black-headed Bunting - Dhahran Hills

I found an interesting Bunting whilst birding the 'patch' on 8th May and managed to take a few rather poor photos of the bird. It was an adult female and after extensive searching gave some reasonable views allowing identification as a Black-headed Bunting. I do not have access to some of the identification papers on separating female Black-headed and Red-headed Buntings but from what I can remember it appears to be a Black-headed Bunting. If anyone has a different idea please let me know. The bird spent most of the time hidden in tall grass and was very flighty but fortunately kept returning to the same place among the long grasses. It gave a short 'chup' call on one occasion but the calls as far as I can remember are not a good way of identifying this very similar pair of species. Black-headed Bunting is a new bird for Saudi Arabia for me but more importantly it is a new 'patch' bird taking my total to 178 species. I am hoping one day to get over 200 species but as with many things it gets more difficult with time.

The species is mentioned as probably regular only in autumn when there is a wide scattering of mainly immature birds from mid-August to mid-September. It is most frequently seen in the northern half of the Province during this period. It is scarce in the coastal zone and there have only been two spring records, an adult male at Haradh on 18th April 1980 and a female at Dhahran on 22ndApril 1984.(Birds of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia - Bundy et al 1989). Red-headed Bunting has not been recorded in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.