Four Eurasian Penduline Tits - Sabkhat Al Fasl

On 5 December 2014 Phil Roberts and I were birding Sabkhat Al Fasl when I saw a single Eurasian Penduline Tit on a reed stem near to the main reed beds. I alerted Phil to the bird, as he was driving, and we stopped the car and got out. Once I put Phil onto the bird it became apparent more were calling and eventually we saw four together, two males an immature and one only seen in flight. The birds were moving continually and quickly and calling all the time and soon moved off leaving us without photos of this good-looking species. Eurasian Penduline Tit is a vagrant in the Eastern Province with the only records I know being two or perhaps three at Dammam marsh 12 December 1981, three Abqaiq lagoons 1 April 1983, three Abqaiq lagoons 28 December to 1 February 1885 three, an adult and two immatures at Abqaiq lagoons 1 February 1985, two at Sabkhat Al Fasl 20 November 1991 with three there the next day and 4 at Sabkhat Al Fasl 19 February 2010. There is also a record from Dhahran but I do not have the dates or numbers involved. They are commoner in the northwest where they are regarded as an uncommon winter visitor to the Tabuk area. As I mentioned I failed to photograph the birds but Phil has kindly sent me photos of one of four birds he saw at Sabkhat Al Fasl 19 February 2010 and has allowed me to use them on my website which are shown below.

Eurasian Penduline Tits near Qbah – Bird records by Mohammad Al Mohatresh

I received details of a group of about eight Eurasian Penduline Tits Remiz pendulinus near Qbah, Hail Province, Saudi Arabia from Mansur Al Fahad. His friend Mohammad Al Mohatresh found the birds in a place called Wadi Al Haski between Qbah and Al Zabirah on 11 January 2014. The site is in the northern central area of Saudi Arabia and here Mohammad took some excellent photographs of both adult and immature birds and has kindly allowed me to use them on my website. The species is an uncommon winter visitor to the Tabuk area and is a vagrant in the Eastern Province with the only records I know being two or perhaps three at Dammam marsh 12 December 1981, three Abqaiq lagoons 1 April 1983, three Abqaiq lagoons 28 December to 1 February 1885 three, an adult and two immatures at Abqaiq lagoons, on 1 February 1985 and two at Sabkhat Al Fasl 20 November 1991 with three there the next day.

I thank Mansur very much for informing me about the birds and arranging permission for me to use the photos and also thank Mohammad for allowing me to use his pictures. It is great that I am now getting news from around the country and not just my records from the Eastern Province as all the data helps build up a picture of what is occurring in the country and when.