Breeding Greater Painted Snipe – Sabya

I found a breeding pair of Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis near Sabya in July 2017. Initially I found an adult female at close range at a small wetland and took some photos of the bird. The next day at the same location I saw a male with a small chick indicating they had breed there, only the second confirmed breeding record of the species in the Kingdom. Interestingly the female is the brighter plumaged bird and the male the duller unlike most bird species where it is the other way around. The species was only recorded in Saudi Arabia for the first time on 8 July 2010 when three were seen east of Sabya with at least eight their (including 2-3 together) on 11 July 2010. There have not been many records since although they have been seen in most years in the southwest of Saudi Arabia. Two were flushed at Malaki Dam and two others seen well near Sabya with a group of four at the same site 16 May 2013, which was the first confirmed breeding of this species in Saudi Arabia. Birds were then seen in similar areas in 2015 and 2017.

Rare and unusual birds seen in Saudi Arabia in second half of 2015

Two new species for Saudi Arabia Fulvous Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor & Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica were found together on Malaki Dam Lake 3 September. Eight Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei were in a large field near Jizan 30 June including at least two males, a species that has not been recorded in Saudi Arabia for many years. Two Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus were well inland at a wetland near Tabuk 25 September and an immature Black Stork Ciconia nigra was present at the same place 16 October. 26 Abdim’s Storks Ciconia abdimii were at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 29-30 June. Three Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 21 August and a Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala was at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 3 September a species now becoming a regular at the location. A flock of a minimum of 250 Western Great Egrets Ardea alba were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 27 November, the highest ever count of this species in the Kingdom. 

Abdim's Stork

A juvenile Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus was at KAUST 25-27 November. A flock of at 46 Sociable Lapwing Vanellus gregarious were near Tabuk 20 - 27 November the largest flock recorded in the Kingdom in recent years, with another two satellite tagged birds wintering near the Jordon boarder. A moulting adult Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis fulva at Sabkhat Al Fasl 21 August and two juvenile Caspian Plovers Charadrius asiaticus were there 28 August. A male Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis was at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 30 June one of only two know sites for the species in the Kingdom.

Caspian Plover

Greater Painted Snipe

Three Grey-headed Swamphen Porphyrio poliocephalus were at Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili, near Jubail 4 September, proving the species still occurs at this new site with others at Dammam second industrial city in Oct indicating the species is extending its range from its core area of Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail. A Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus caeruleus was present at Malaki Dam Lake 3 September the first confirmed record of this African subspecies for the Kingdom, although all previous SW records were assumed to have been this race. Another, of the Asian subspecies Elanus caeruleus vociferous was present at Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili, near Jubail 4 September only the third record for the Eastern Province all of which have been this subspecies. The first records for the Riyadh region were at Al Hayer early Oct until 18 October at least. A Cinereous Vulture Aegypius manatees was at Rabigh Dam 11 December. At least 17 Greater Spotted Eagles Clanga clanga were at Sabkhat Al Fasl 20 November the highest single day count for the site. A fresh juvenile Bonelli’s Eagle Aquila fasciata was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 10 December a vagrant to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. A male Diederik Cuckoo Chrysococcyx caprius was at Al Atta, near Bani Saad 3 July and was 450 kilometres north of its previous most northerly Saudi Arabian location, extending its breeding range considerably. The highest single count of Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius recorded in Saudi Arabia was 15 at Sabkhat Al Fasl 14 - 28 August in the same place where 13 were seen in August – September 2014. A pair of Plain Nightjar Caprimulgus inornatus were near Taif in the evening of 4 July a rarely recorded summer breeding species, although records have also occurred this summer from Najran northwards to Taif, so appears to be much commoner than previously realised. A White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 14 August to 27 November at least, an unusual date but possibly one of the birds that wintered into 2015 remaining through the summer and another was at Rabigh Dam 11 Dec. Nine Collared Kingfisher Todirhamphus chloris were trapped and ringed in a small area of Al Qahma Mangroves 29 Jun showing the species is locally common within its restricted range and habitat choice. A female Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 23 October with numbers increasing to twelve by 5 December, the largest gathering of the species ever recorded in the Kingdom with at least four staying until the year end and with another female near Dhahran 12 December.

Collared Kingfisher

Pied Kingfisher

Four Blanford’s Short-toed Lark Calandrella blanfordi were at Sallal Al Dahna near Tanoumah 1 September. Two ‘mangrove’ white-eye sp Zosterops (abyssinicus?) sp, an as yet unidentified White-eye, were at Either Mangroves, Jizan Province 26 June, one of which was trapped and ringed with two further birds at Al Qahma Mangroves 28 June. A European Robin Erithacus rubecula was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 1-31 December at least with a second bird there 9 December. A Thrush Nightingale Luscinia luscinia was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 2 October with up to five White-throated Robin Irania gutturalis at KAUST in late August an unusual record from this locality. A Collared Flycatcher Ficedula albicollis was at Al Mefah Park, Tanoumah 1 September a species still regarded as a vagrant to the Kingdom. A number of sightings of the Arabian endemic subspecies of African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus eximius in the Al Mefah Park, Tanoumah area during June to September are the first Saudi Arabian confirmed records since 1990 of this little known subspecies. Three Arabian Golden-winged Grosbeak Rhynchostruthus percivali, two adults and a juvenile, were seen near Bani Saad 3 July until late July with five birds seen at another location close by in late July. A Little Bunting Emberiza pusilla
was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 19 December only the second record for the country.

Greater Painted Snipe - Sabya Waste Water Lagoons

The Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis only occurs in the far southwest of the Kingdom. It was discovered as a new species for the country by mike Jennings on 8 July 2010 when three were seen at a sewage lagoon east of Sabya with at least 8 there, including 2-3 together, 11 July 2010. Subsequently other birds have been seen including two flushed at Malaki Dam Lake near Jizan and two others seen well at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons near Jizan 31 March 2013 with a family group of four at Sabya Waste Water Lagoons 16 May 2013, which was the first confirmed breeding of this species in Saudi Arabia and Phil and I saw two at the same site 2 July 2013. As far as I am aware no further sightings have occurred of the species even though a few birders have looked at the main location for the species over the last two years. I, however, found a male bird sitting on the edge of one of the wastewater lagoons at the back of the Sabya site on 30 June 2015. This is a different location to that where they were seen previously although in the same main site. Despite a long time studying and watching the bird I did not see any other birds or signs of young, so breeding could not be proved by me this year. Male birds are the dull plumaged individuals in this species rather than male birds in most other bird species. It is excellent news that birds are still using this site.

Sabya Waste Water Lagoons

In the morning of 2 July we went to the Sabya Waste Water Lagoons east of Sabya (17 10.513N, 42 48.129E). This wastewater facility has seven or eight pools that are all easily worked and the birds are relatively confident as the road is used by trucks to dump the waste water, so the birds are used to traffic. Mike Jennings found a number of Greater Painted Snipe here in July 2010, a new species for Saudi Arabia, and speculated these birds may be breeding here. The birds were seen again in March 2013 by Lou Regenmorter and again in May 2013 by Lou, Rob Tovey and Mansur Al Fahad this time with young, proving breeding for the first time in Arabia. We went to the site to look for the birds but found it relatively difficult as the temperature and humidity were high making it less than pleasant to be outside birding. We failed to find the Greater Painted Snipe on the lagoon where Lou and Rob had seen them but located a pair on a nearby lagoon after a few hours of searching.

Greater Painted Snipe

We also located a few other good birds at this site including 20+ Squacco Herons, one Grey Heron, 20+ Spur-winged Lapwings, 10+ breeding Black-winged Stilts two Green Sandpipers and four Common Sandpipers. Other water birds included 10+ Glossy Ibis and 50+ Western Cattle Egrets that appeared to be breeding in the flooded trees on the site. Five Whiskered Terns were hawking insects over the lagoons that had plenty of Common Moorhen on them and five Green Bee-eaters were perched in the bushes by the side of the lake with 50+ Ruppell’s Weavers. Three African Palm Swifts and three Barn Swallows were seen in the air over the site and other birds seen included five Crested Larks, five White-spectacled Bulbuls, three African Collared Doves, ten Laughing Doves and five Namaqua Doves.

African Palm Swift

Glossy Ibis & Western Cattle Egret

Glossy Ibis

Green Bee-eater

Spur-winged Plover

Western Cattle Egret