Birding the Farasan Islands

Birdwatching on the Farasan Islands was excellent with very close views of birds possible due their lack of fear of humans. Great views of the common Greater Hoopoe Lark and Black-crowned Sparrow Lark were obtained with the views of the Sparrow-Lark probably better than anywhere else in the Kingdom I have seen them. The shoreline had numerous wader species in very good numbers with Crab Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Greater Sand Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Whimbrel and Kentish Plover seen. Other species seen included Sooty Gull, Pink-backed Pelican, Western Reef Heron and Western Osprey. Inland and in the mangroves were Purple Heron, Barn Swallow, Egyptian Vulture, Common Cuckoo, Graceful Prinia and Black Scrub Robin.

Bar-tailed Godwits

Black-crowned Sparrow Lark

Black Scrub Robin

Common Sandpiper

Crab Plover 

Graceful Prinia

Greater Hoope-lark

Pink-backed Pelican

Pink-backed Pelican

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Purple Heron

Western Osprey

Eurasian Oystercatcher – Jubail

Whilst birding in Jubail I saw a Eurasian Oystercatcher on a large wetland area, where they are rare. The Eurasian Oystercatcher is an uncommon, although occasionally is a locally common passage migrant & winter visitor to the coast of Saudi Arabia that is rare in summer. The species has been seen in every month of the year with returning autumn migrants occurring from mid-July and numbers commonest from September to November with the largest count recorded being 214 at Anuk on 16 November 1991. Smaller numbers are regularly seen along the coast from September until April with a few, mainly immature birds, seen together from May to August. The sub-species that occurs is Haematopus ostralegus longipes which breeds from the eastern Mediterranean (Adriatic coastline) to west & north central Russia (mouth of R Ob') south to Black, Caspian and Aral Seas and Lake Balkhash, and east to west Siberia; winters on coast from east Africa through Arabia to India. Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia it is present on all coasts mostly as a winter visitor. Generally uncommon but common on the southern Red Sea coast. Some present all year. Not inland.

Eurasian Oystercatcher & Little Grebe - Saihat

Early morning of 12th August we went to Saihat to see we could photograph the terns that had been present at the same site two weeks ago. Unfortunately when we arrived there were lots of people about even though it was before 06:00 hrs. This is because it is Ramadan at the moment and people stay out all night during this period. There were very few birds about with the best bird seen being two Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin. We also got good views of Eurasian Oystercatcher and Little Grebe, two species which are not easy to get close to in Saudi Arabia.

 Eurasian Oystercatcher

Little Grebe