Jizan Sewage works outfall – Jizan

Whilst in Jizan and looking for colour ringed Baltic Gulls we went down the coast towards Yemen. As there is unrest in Yemen and it is not too safe to go too close to the boarder we stopped at Jizan Sewage Works about 12 kilometres south of the city centre. This sewage works is a modern facility so few birds occur where the water is treated but some overflow goes out to a small area of mangroves and into the sea. This area proved to be a good new site with plenty of good birds seen. The mangroves held plenty of Eurasian (Mangrove) Reed Warblers, and many Greater Flamingo were around. Birds of prey seen included a single first calendar year Greater Spotted Eagle, tens of Black Kits and a single Long-legged Buzzard. Waders included Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Grey Plover, Black-winged Stilt, Common Redshank and Pied Avocet. Hundred duck were recorded nearby with three species were there including Pintail, Northern Shoveller and Eurasian Wigeon.

Black Kite

Black Kite

Black Kite

Bar-tailed Godwit

Greater Flamingo

Grey Plover

Northern Pintail

Northern Pintail

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler

Eurasian Wigeon

House Crow

Mangrove Reed Warbler

Ducks – Dhahran Hills

There were plenty of ducks on the percolation pond yesterday with the eight Gadwall still around. These birds have been on the pond for most of the winter and comprise three males and five females. Eurasian Wigeon have also been present for a few weeks but numbers vary widely from single birds to a group of almost 30, with nine present this time. Northern Shoveler are often very common but numbers have been less this winter even though it has been a very good winter for duck. Five birds were present with the other duck. I thought this was a good count, but just as I was leaving eight Eurasian Teal flew and joined the gathering. Eurasian Coot numbers appear to be increasing but common Moorhen numbers remain low.

Gadwall

Eurasian Wigeons

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler

Northern Shoveler

Increase in Duck Numbers – Dhahran Hills

A couple of very early morning tips to the percolation pond have produced a growing number of duck in recent days. I am assuming this is the start of return migration for these birds? All duck in Saudi Arabia are very flighty and it is extremely difficult to get anywhere near them as they are shot at constantly when away from safe areas such as Dhahran Hills. Unfortunately for me the duck do not realize they are in a safe area on the pond and fly as soon as they see anyone or anything. As a result trying to get photographs of them is extremely difficult and this one is the best I have managed recently! Eurasian Wigeon numbers are now 15, but Eurasian Teal numbers have increased to +/-60. They are difficult to count accurately as many hide in the reeds. Other duck have included a pair of Mallard, seven Garganey including two really smart males, eight Gadwall that have been around for most of the winter, a flock of 13 Northern Shovellers, 11 Tufted Ducks, one Common Pochard and one Northern Pintail male. Six species of duck on the pond at the same time is very good but they do not stay very long as many of them fly off at the first disturbance. When you add to this the Ferruginous Ducks I saw earlier in the winter, to those mentioned above, then there have been ten species of duck on the pond this winter which is a larger number than I have seen in previous winters.

Tufted Ducks & Common Pochard

Tufted Duck & Eurasian Wigeon

Eurasian Wigeon (left) & Northern Pintail (right) - males

Eurasian Wigeon

Corn Buntings - Dhahran Hills

Birding yesterday on the 'patch' had a bit more excitement than normal as the weather had finally settled back to calm and cold from the very windy weather we have been having for the last few days. The change in weather meant that I had a chance of finding something that may have been displaced by the winds and this coupled with the fact Bahrain, only 50 kilometres away, had a first country record in the shape of Black-winged Kite, that Abdulla and Brendan found and a six country record in the form of Red-wattled Lapwing that Howard King found mean I had to have a chance of seeing something. I went to the spray fields to see what I could find and with the sprinklers off for the first time in a week I was able to walk around the fields. I saw many Water Pipits numbering at least 50 birds and four Eurasian Skylarks but best of all were six Corn Buntings feeding in a small flock on the seed heads. This is only the second time I have seen the species in Dhahran Camp and the first time was in early March 2011 when I saw two birds. They are not scarce but it is still a good record for the camp.

 Corn Bunting

Corn Buntings

Other birds seen in the spray fields were nine Black-winged Stilts in a group on a wet area and a single Daurian Shrike sitting on the normal bush that shrikes like. One Tawny Pipit was showing well in the flattened grass under one of the sprinkler heads but not too much else was in evidence.

Black-winged Stilts

I then went to the percolation pond and it had a few duck that had not been present the day before. There were six Eurasian Wigeon comprising three males and three females as well as a single drake Northern Shoveller and 22 Eurasian Teal. The two Great Crested Grebes had returned after being missing for a few days and six Little Grebes were keeping them company. Large numbers of over five hundred Common Black-headed Gulls were present along with 58 Steppe Gulls, seven Caspian Gulls and one Heuglin's Gull. The only other birds of note were six Cattle Egrets and three Grey Herons.

Eurasian Wigeon (male)