Black-throated Thrush – Jubail

Phil Roberts and I went to Deffi Park in late November as the weather had turned cold and there was snow in northern Saudi Arabia. We wanted to see if we could find any displaced birds and we were hoping the cold weather may have moved birds south. Deffi Park is a large urban park in Jubail and holds goods birds most winters. We found four Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis, an adult male and three first year males at this site 20 January 2017, the first record for the Eastern Province since the 1980’s, increasing to 12, two adult males, two adult females and eight first year males 27 January 2017 remaining until 10 February 2017. We looked around the areas under the trees where we had seen the birds previously but saw little sign of anything and no thrushes. We then found a Song Thrush that flew and landed in the top of a tree and when it dropped down to the ground it was joined by and adult male Black-throated Thrush. The bird was disturbed by a worker, so the only photos taken were the poor ones shown below and we went looking to see if we could refind it. Whilst looking a small group of eight birds, four Song Thrush and four Black-throated Thrush flew over with one adult male and three female birds. Bundy mentioned in his book Birds of the Eastern Province "Usually a scarce winter visitor from November to March, but numbers vary from year to year and in some winters it is not recorded at all.  In years when numbers are good, such as 1982-3, birds have been noted at oases and cultivated areas from the coast to Haradh and Hanidh. Single birds in Dhahran in April and May were possibly migrants". It is now a rare winter visitor. 

Rare and unusual birds seen in Saudi Arabia in first half of 2017

An adult and juvenile Bewick’s Swan Cygnus (columbianus) bewickii near Al Jawf 14-15 December 2016 with three more adults in the north of the Kingdom 19 December 2016 being only the third to seventh records of the species for the Kingdom. Four See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis, including a calling male, were at a remote desert site a couple of hours drive from Sakaka in Al Jawf province 23 April, the first records for the Kingdom for many years. A Striated Heron Butorides striata was at Al Khobar Corniche seafront 13 January the fifth record for the Eastern Province with signs the species is spreading north up the Arabian Gulf coast. A Goliath Heron Ardea goliath remained at KAUST until 18 May at least with two present from 6 - 19 April. A Macqueen’s Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii, a species in serious decline in the Eastern Province, was near to Al Hassa 6 January. A juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata was over Dhahran Hills 25 February only the fourth record for the Eastern Province. An overwintering immature male Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus was at Deffi Park 16 December 2016 with up to eight wintering birds in Dhahran until mid-February with a single remaining until 12 April. An adult Verreaux’s Eagle Aquila verreauxii was at the bottom of the Raydah Escarpment 31 March. 350 Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus at Haradh 13 January where the second largest recorded flock for Saudi Arabia. 26 Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus were at Haradh pivot fields 13 January with six at the same site 3 February. Two further birds were at Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail 7 April with one staying until 27 May at least. A single bird at Haradh 21 April appeared to be defending a territory aggressively from other birds suggesting it might be breeding. An amazing 24 Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus were at Shaybah water ponds 14 February, a species previously regarded as a vagrant to the Eastern Province. Seven Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarious were at Haradh 13 January with at least five remaining until 3 February, only the third record for the Eastern Province and proving birds have started wintering at this site since 2016. The bird at KAUST wintered in the area until 23 February at least. A Great Spotted Cuckoo Clamator glandarius was at KAUST 4 February. A Pallid Scops Owl Otus brucei was in a Wadi south of Zulfi 20 December 2016. A White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was at Dhahran 20 January whilst a Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis remained at KAUST until 23 May. A Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus was at the bottom of the Raydah Escarpment 31 March. Two Arabian Magpie Pica (pica) asirensis, were at Sallal al-Dahna, Tanoumah 1-2 April. A large flock for twenty Blanford’s Lark Calandrella blanfordi were at Talea’a Valley, Abha Province 31 March to 2 April. Fifteen Oriental Skylarks Alauda gulgula were at Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail 10 February. A Basra Reed Warbler Acrocephalus griseldis was at Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail 26 May. A Moustached Warbler Acrocephalus melanopogon was at KAUST 19 April a first for the site. The first Thick-billed Warbler Arundinax aedon for Saudi Arabia was at Sarrar 24 February amongst a large ‘fall’ of migrants. An adult male Common Blackbird Tudus merula was at Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail 29 December 2016 until 20 January with a female there 29 January. Four Black-throated Thrush Turdus atrogularis, an adult male and three first year males were at Deffi Park, Jubail 20 January, the first record for the Eastern Province since the 1980’s, increasing to 12, two adult males, two adult females and eight first year males 27 January remaining until 10 February. Two Redwing Turdus iliacus were at Deffi Park, Jubail 27 January a vagrant to Saudi Arabia. A pair of Black Scrub Robin Cercotrichas podobe near Sarrar 24 February with another a short distance away still in Sarrar was the sixth & seventh records of this species for the Eastern Province. Additional records from Al Hassa area show the species is now resident in the region favouring farms. A female Eversmann’s Redstart Phoenicurus erythronotus
was at Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail 29 January the first record since 2000. A Sinai Rosefinch Carpodacus synoicus was well to the south of its normal range at Yanbu Waste Water Treatment dump, 4 February.

Black-throated Thrush

Blanford's Lark

Black Scrub Robin

Eversmann's Redstart - female

Twelve Black-throated Thrushes still present – Deffi Park

After finding four Black-throated Thrushes at Deffi Park, Jubail on 20 January I went back a week later to see if I could get better photos and see if anything else had turned up and found 12 birds in the same place. Other photogrpahers have been to the site in between and seen only three birds but when I went back with Phil on 10 February we saw 12 birds again. This suggests the birds move to somewhere else in Jubail for part of the time and use Deffi park at other times. As these birds are extremely rare visitors to Saudi Arabia this is an amazing sight particularly as there are at least 15 Song Thrushes present as well. Photography is difficult as light is poor in the early morning, they generally stay in the shade but occasionally they would come out into more open areas.

Twelve Black-throated Thrushes in Deffi Park - Jubail

After finding four Black-throated Thrushes at Deffi Park, Jubail on 20 January I went back a week later to see if I could get better photos and see if anything else had turned up. On arrival, at first light, I saw plenty of Song Thrushes feeding around under the trees and in with them a least three Black-throated Thrushes. As I stayed and looked around more I counted more and more birds and finally ended up with twelve. This is an unprecedented number in recent years and made an amazing sight with the twenty or so Song Thrushes and two Redwings also present. Photography is difficult as light is poor in the early morning, they generally stay in the shade and the birds are constantly disturbed by walkers later on in the day, but occasionally they would come out into more open areas. There has been a major influx of this species into Arabia with 20+ birds seen in Qatar in late December where there had only been one previous record and others in the UAE, Bahrain and Oman.

Four Black-throated Thrushes in Deffi Park - Jubail

Phil Roberts and I went to Deffi Park on 20 January to see if we could find any displaced birds. Weather to the north of us has been very severe with lots of snow and we were hoping the cold weather may have moved birds south. Deffi Park is a large urban park in Jubail and holds goods birds most winters. We have never seen a thrush in the park although have discussed finding Black-throated Thrush here on a number of occasions so when we found a large flock of Song Thrushes we were not surprised to find four Black-throated Thrushes amongst them. The birds appeared to be one adult male and three 1^st year males and were not easy to photograph as they kept in the shade of the tall trees and were easily disturbed by walkers and runners. This species was a new bird for Saudi Arabia for both Phil and I so we were very happy with our find made even better by seeing four birds. The Black-throated Thrush has become much scarcer in recent years with no records I know of in the last twenty years in the Eastern Province although this may be due to lack or birders. Prior to this Bundy mentioned in his book Birds of the Eastern Province "Usually a scarce winter visitor from November to March, but numbers vary from year to year and in some winters it is not recorded at all.  In years when numbers are good, such as 1982-3, birds have been noted at oases and cultivated areas from the coast to Haradh and Hanidh. Single birds in Dhahran in April and May were possibly migrants". It is now a rare winter visitor. It appears to have been a good year for the species with birds also being seen in Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar.