Birds of Saudi Arabia: Little Tern

Showing posts with label Little Tern. Show all posts

05 August 2024

Breeding Little Tern – Khafra Marsh

Whilst birding Khafra Marsh over the summer months there were large numbers of Little Tern around suggesting they are breeding. Little Tern is not so easy to photograph due to the strong sunlight and their plumage making it difficult to get ‘catchlight’ in their eyes, with the photographs below my best efforts this summer. Little Tern is a common breeding species in the Eastern Province where they use wetland areas and flooded sabkha to breed.

26 July 2023

Breeding Little Terns – Jubail

Whilst birding at Jubail last weekend there were a few Little Terns present. Little Tern bred again in Jubail this year with the first juveniles seen in very early June and now the birds can fly well and chase their parents around. Little Tern is not so easy to photograph well as they always seem to be out on the sabkha where you can’t walk as it is too soft. This is the fourth year in succession birds have bred at this location, which is very good news.

Adult

Juvenile

12 July 2023

Various Terns – Jubail area

Whilst birding the Jubail area in late-June I came across a few different terns flying around. Most birds were White-cheeked Terns which breed on the nearby offshore islands, but there were at least five Caspian Terns. This is another local breeder, but they breed earlier than White-cheeked Tern. Numbers of Caspian Terns build up in the summer and up to 300 have been seen together in previous years. A flock of about twenty Gull-billed Terns flew over at one point and a few Little Terns were feeding along the edge of the Sabkha. I spent quite a lot of time trying to get reasonable shots of the flying birds, but it is not easy to get them in focus and try to get catchlight in their eyes to make them look alive. Below are a few of my best efforts.

Caspian Tern

Gull-billed Tern

Little Tern

White-cheeked Tern

28 June 2023

Summer Breeders & Visitors – Jubail

Whilst in the Jubail area recently I photographed a number of the common breeding species as well as a few summer visitors. I managed to find a good place to stop and try to photograph Clamorous Reed Warbler as I heard a number of birds calling loudly. They find a nice reed and slowly move up the reed stem to get in a good position for calling their distinctive very loud call. This sometimes gives a good opportunity to photograph the birds. In the reeds there were plenty of Grey-headed Swamphen, a bird that I love seeing. They are far from elegant when they fly and try to land in the reeds but are great birds to see and watch. They have been expanding their range markedly in the Eastern Province over the last few years and can now be seen in many places. Little Terns breed in the area now and I managed to find a pair in a good position for photographs. Black-winged Stilts also breed commonly in the area with this one below against a nice sandy background. Non-breeding species seen include Caspian Tern, which is common bird year-round and the much scarcer Lesser Crested Tern. Greater Flamingo has bred at this location in previous years but only fifteen birds are currently present so looks unlikely this year.

Little Tern

Greater Flamingo

Grey-headed Swamphen

Lesser Crested Tern

Black-winged Stilt

Clamorous Reed Warbler

05 July 2022

Breeding Little Terns – Jubail

Whilst birding at Jubail last weekend there were very few birds about with about the only things of interest being the Little Terns. Little Tern bred again in Jubail this year with the numbers of successful breeding pairs been much higher than previously as disturbance has been less in 2022. Young birds that were unable to fly were seen in very early June and now the birds can fly well and chase their parents around. Little Tern is not so easy to photograph well as they always seem to be out on the sabkha where you can’t walk as it is too soft. Occasionally you can find young birds sitting around in better places for photography waiting for their parents to come back with food, but this is not so common.

30 June 2022

Little Tern young – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area I came across the breeding Little Terns now with a number of fairly well grown young. Some were resting on the muddy edge of some sabkha and two were large enough to fly although a bot unsteadily. In the Eastern Province the Little Tern is a common passage migrant and summer breeding visitor that is scarce in the winter. It has bred in freshwater and brackish areas of eastern Saudi Arabia and possibly the Red Sea also. Birds are scarce inland but have been recorded in all areas including Riyadh. As the two young could not fly well I was able to move the car quite close and obtain the below photos.

23 May 2021

Breeding Birds – Jubail

While birding the Jubail area in early May we came across obvious signs of breeding of a few species. Little Terns were sitting on eggs in one area of partially dried up sabkha and Black-winged Stilts were nesting in good numbers in similar habitat. One nest seen without an adult on had one egg and another had four eggs. Little Ringed Plovers were seen in many areas with well-grown young also seen and Kentish Plovers were seen performing their distraction display to move us away from a very young chick only a few days old. Signs of Black-crowned Night Heron breeding with adults and juveniles seen for the third week running and the Spur-winged Lapwing is in the same area where I think it may have a mate sitting on eggs. Some of these birds are unusual breeders such as Black-crowned Night Heron and Spur-winged Plover and others common. This is the first time we have seen Little Tern sitting on eggs but they are seen every year with young juveniles in the same area.