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

Some residents and migrants – Talea Valley

I visited the Talea Valley eerier this year and found a few good birds including several good resident species and a few migrants. The migrants were mainly Ortolan Buntings and Northern Wheatears but some good residents were seen including Blanford’s Lark both in flight and on the ground. Other residents included endemic species such as Yemen Serin and Yemen Linnet as well as the localised African Stonechat and Chestnut-breasted Bunting. This valley in the southwest on the country near to Abha is an excellent site but involves some time and effort to see the good birds.

Blanford's Lark

Blanford's Lark

Ortolan Bunting 

Ortolan Bunting

Ortolan Bunting 

African Stonechat

African Stonechat

Arabian Serin

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Yemen Linnet

Yemen Linnet

Blandford's Lark in the Talea'a Valley - Abha

The Talea’a Valley near Abha is in the Asir mountains in southwest Saudi Arabia and is a large upland wadi with stony ground and acacia trees growing in the bottom. The valley is hot and dry and any area of water attracts a steady stream of birds in the summer coming down to drink so are worth looking at if found so a small wet area near a dam looked promising especially as we had seen Blandfords Lark in this area last year. After a little searching we managed to located about twenty birds feeding in the stony areas and song flighting as well. We were there at just after midday so the light was very harsh making photography difficult but I took a few reasonable photos of this difficult to see species.

Rare and unusual birds seen in Saudi Arabia in second half of 2016

A pair of Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus with two recently hatch young, 12 August, were the first record of breeding for the species in the Kingdom. An unprecedented influx of Eurasian Bittern Botaurus stellaris were seen with fifteen 30 kilometers east of Zulfi 8 November, six together 40 kilometers north of Zulfi 11 November and 40 at Sakaka near Al Jouf 6 – 12 November. A Goliath Heron Ardea goliath returned to KAUST 22 October until 5 November at least. A Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus at Sabkhat Al Fasl 7 October. Two winter plumaged Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus at Sabkhat Al Fasl 7 October. A Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops was at KAUST, 1 & 2 October a first record for the site. A Pied Cuckoo Oxylophus jacobinus was at Al Mefah Park, Tanoumah 7 July with another well north of its normal range at Wadi Thee Gazelle 25 June. Two male Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius were still at Al Mehfar Park, Tanoumah 7 & 8 July. Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius were at Sabkhat Al Fasl throughout the summer until 16 September, with a maximum 13 recorded. A minimum of three Montane Nightjar Caprimulgus poliocephalus were at Al Mehfar Park, Tanoumah 7 & 8 July.

Arabian Magpie

A White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 28 October. A Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis were at KAUST 23 September to 3 October only the third documented record from the west coast and four were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 28 October until 11 November at least. Five Arabian Magpie Pica (pica) asirensis, two adults and three juveniles, were at Al Mehfar Park, Tanoumah 8 July with six at nearby Sallal al-Dahna 28 October.

Blanford's Lark

Four Blanford’s Lark Calandrella blanfordi were at Talea’a Valley including adults and juveniles 6 & 9 July. Four Oriental Skylarks Alauda gulgula were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 11 November.  A European Robin Erithacus rubecula was on the west coast at KAUST 11 November with another on the same day on the east coast at Sabkhat Al Fasl. Eight African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus eximius including two adults feeding young were in Al Mefah Park, Tanoumah 7 & 8 July with another in song flight in the Talea’a Valley 9 July.

Birding the Talea’a Valley - Abha

The Talea’a Valley near Abha is in the Asir mountains in southwest Saudi Arabia and is a large upland wadi with stony ground and acacia trees growing in the bottom. It has had some good birds seen in it in recent years including Arabian Magpie, although this species has not been seen there for many years. Recently Blandfords Lark has been seen there and on our last visit we also found the scarce African Pipit. A bird was seen song flighting over a rough area of short grass and stones and is some distance from any other sighting of the species. Other good birds seen in the area included very good numbers of Cinnamon-breasted Buntings. The valley is hot and dry and any area of water attracts a steady stream of birds in the summer coming down to dry so are worth looking at if found. Small numbers of the endemic Arabian Wheatear and Arabian Woodpecker have also been seen regularly in this valley making it an excellent birding site. Ruppell's Weaver is a common resident of this valley and can always been seen in good numbers at any time of year.

African Pipit

African Pipit

African Pipit 

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting

Ruppell's Weaver

Blanford’s Lark in Tale’a Valley - Abha

Blandford’s Lark is a scarce medium-sized lark that occurs in a very limited number if sites in southwest Saudi Arabia. It had not been seen for many years until recently when some birds were found at Azeeza near Abha. Whilst birding the southwest recently Phil Roberts and I found a number of birds, probably more than ten, coming down to drink at a small area of water in a stony wadi, in the Tale’a Valley, a new area some distance from Abha. Whilst walking around this same area a few days later we saw a few birds feeding on the dry and stony landscape including both juveniles and adults.  Birds are obvious when seen as the adults have a rufous crown and sometimes erect their crown feathers to form a prominent short crest. Race eremica found in southwest Saudi Arabia and Yemen has a darker rufous crown with blackish lateral streak anteriorly a b.lackish loral streak and a yellower bill. The other races are found in northern Eritrea and northern Somalia. Birds occur mainly on open grassland and bare ground, including stony areas. Generally found in wadis with occasional bushes and scattered trees in Arabia where it occurs mainly between 1800–2500 metres.

Blanford’s Short-toed Lark - Azezza

A trip to a stony plateaux area of Azezza in the hope of seeing Blanford’s Short-toed Lark, formally Red-capped Lark, provided few birds but did turn up a flock of about 40 larks. They were incredibly flighty and very difficult to photograph and as a result I only ended up with a single photo of one bird. We were at the location in the late morning which was not the best time to bird there as it was very hot and we did not want to disturb the birds too much by chasing them around. As a result I will go back to this area again when in Abha to try to get better photographs at a later date. The subspecies seen was Calandrella blanfordi eremica which is restricted to southwest Saudi Arabia and Yemen with other subspecies occurring in Africa in Eritrea and Somalia. Blanford’s Sort-toed Lark is an uncommon breeding resident at high altitudes in the Hejaz and Asir mountains where its preferred habitat appears to be open stony summits with scattered juniper bushes. I would like to thank Lou Regenmorter for putting me onto this site as he had seen birds here in summer 2013. The directions did not have a way point for the exact site but with Phil Roberts navigation skills we managed to work out how to get there. The only other birds we saw at the site were several Little Swifts, one Alpine Swift, five Common Swift and a Short-toed Snake Eagle.

Blanford's Short-toed Lark