Winter birding – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

The Waste Water Lake in Dhahran has now started to get some regular winter species. The land around the lake is well vegetated but has been seriously lacking birds in the last couple of months. Now a few wintering species are turning up with Bluethroat and Daurian Shrike seen on every visit. Indian Silverbill are busy collecting nesting material and Graceful Prinia are singing loudly again after being quiet for a few months. Two Western Marsh Harrier are using the reeds for resting in and a minimum of three Eastern Stonechat are around, all in one small area with the regular Eurasian Sparrowhawk busy trying to catch any of the unwary birds. The lake itself has a few water birds with a juvenile Purple Heron, Western Cattle Egrets and Western Great Egret present. A few Gull-billed Tern are still present and Common Black-headed Gull drop in in very small numbers each day. Eurasian Collared Dove are again common in the area after reducing in number during the summer months.

Daurian Shrike

Eastern Stonechat

Eastern Stonechat

Eastern Stonechat

Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Eurasian Sparrowhawk

Purple Heron

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret

Western Great Egret

Western Great Egret

Western Great Egret

Western Marsh Harrier

Late September at Dhahran Cricket Field

Whilst birding the Dhahran Hills Cricket field at the end of September I saw a few interesting birds. Western Cattle Egrets are back in good numbers and Eurasian Hoopoe numbers have increased significantly with migrant birds joining the local breeding birds. Another species that has been seen in higher-than-normal numbers is Black-winged Stilt with tens of birds on almost all grassy areas in the compound. Resident species seen included Common Myna, Eurasian Collared Dove and Crested Lark. Migrants noted have included Woodchat Shrike, Lesser Grey Shrike, Spotted Flycatcher and Northern Wheatear.

Black-winged Stilt 

Black-winged Stilt 

Black-winged Stilt 

Common Myna

Crested Lark

Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Hoopoe

Eurasian Hoopoe

Spotted Flycatcher

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret

Woodchat Shrike

Not much visible – Khafra Marsh

Whilst birding Khafra Marsh the last couple of weekends I have not really seen very much at all. The temperature is now very high, and birds are few and far between at most sites. I did see a few migrants in the form of Wood Sandpiper at a small pool formed by all the recent rain and a Red-backed Shrike and Common Whitethroat in the scrubby areas. A Blue-cheeked Bee-eater was present on the same place es the breeding birds from last hear so looks like it may well be breeding again. Eurasian Collared Dove and Graceful Prinia are resident breeders that were the only birds seen in good numbers.

Common Whitethroat

Eurasian Collared Dove

Graceful Prinia

Red-backed Shrike

Wood Sandpiper

Ducks & Terns – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

My last visit to Dhahran Waste Water Lake produced a few interesting birds with the Ferruginous Ducks still present after more than a week. A single female Garganey was also located in amongst the hundred or so Little Grebes. Hopefully a few more species of duck will arrive over the next month or so. The trouble with photographing the duck at this site is they are always across the far side and never close. The only close photos I ever manage are if the birds are disturbed by mountain bikers or walkers and fly overhead. It is a good location to try to identify a rare duck, however, as they are never really that distant. Waders are still passing with Whimbrel and Kentish Plover of the Cricket Field and Black-winged Stilt and Common Greenshank on the lake edge. Terns are always a common sight at this location with Gull-billed Tern seen every visit and small numbers of Little Tern seem almost every visit. White-winged and Whiskered Terns also occur but less often than the other terns. This visit I saw a single White-Winged and a Single Whiskered Tern. Birds around the lakeside vegetation seemed to be only Eurasian Collared Dove and White-eared Bulbuls.

Common Greenshank

Eurasian Collared Dove

Ferruginous Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Ferruginous Duck

Garganey - female

Garganey - female

White-winged Tern

September on the Cricket Field – Dhahran Hills

September is a good month to check the cricket fields in the evening as they are watered thoroughly and the soft ground attracts numerous species of birds. A female Common Kestrel was around for most of the month, normally perched on the floodlights but occasionally dropping down to feed on the ground. Much more common species were Eurasian Collared Dove and Crested Lark with tens of birds scattered around the playing area. Waders were made up of Eurasian Whimbrel & Ruff whilst flyovers of note included a few groups of Rose-ringed Parakeet and an Osprey that was only ever seen as the sun was setting.

Common Kestrel

Common Kestrel

Crested Lark

Eurasian Collared Dove

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Ruff

Ruff

Ruff

Ruff

Osprey

Osprey