Khafra Marsh is an excellent place to see Namaqua Dove, which has the be the best-looking Dove in Arabia. They have a range throughout Sub-Saharan Africa across Arabia to Lebanon, Iraq and Iran. In Saudi Arabia it is a common breeding resident that has spread rapidly since the mid 1970’s to occupy almost the entire Kingdom. It favours farmland with nearby desert and can be seen in good numbers in some areas such as Haradh. The bird below is a juvenile.
I visited Khafrah Marsh in early September to see what migrants had dropped in. This is a large wetland area near Jubail and on the water itself where 17 Grey-headed Swamphens. This is the largest number I have seen at this location where they were first seen only a few years ago. A black-tailed Godwit was on the water’s edge with a few Kentish Plover. On a small pool were a single Little Ringed Plover, a Kentish Plover and two Namaqua Doves and a Yellow Wagtail also dropped in whilst we were there for a short while. I quick walk through a rough grassy area with small tamarisk shrubs produced three Egyptian Nightjars, and a Great Grey Shrike but very little else.
 |
| Egyptian Nightjar |
 |
| Egyptian Nightjar |
 |
| Great Grey Shrike |
 |
| Kentish Plover |
 |
| Kentish Plover |
 |
| Little Ringed Plover |
 |
| Little Ringed Plover |
 |
| Namaqua Doves |
 |
| Yellow Wagtail |
 |
| Yellow Wagtail |
 |
| Yellow Wagtail |
I visit Khafra Marsh recently and saw a few waders on a small pool. They were a Black-winged Stilt, Kentish Plover and Little Stint. Nearby the breeding Red-wattled Plovers were still around as were the breeding Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, both rare breeders in Saudi Arabia. Activity was very slow as I arrived at 08:30 and the light was already not good for photography. A few Nanaqua Dove were seen in various places and Graceful Prinia were about but very little else.
 |
| Black-winged Stilt |
 |
| Kentish Plover |
 |
| Kentish Plover |
 |
| Little Stint |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
Late April produced a small number of migrants with two Common Nightingale probably the best birds. We saw a few shrikes that were mainly male Red-backed Shrikes although a few females were also present. A single Woodchat Shrike and three Daurian Shrikes were also recorded. There were a lot of Willow Warblers but no Common Chiffchaffs and plenty of both Common Reed Warbler and Clamorous Reed Warbler that are abundant breeders in the reed beds. A single Great Reed Warbler was also located. One Spotted Flycatcher was seen perched on a fence on the way out of the location. Namaqua Doves were present as is normal these days, another species that has increased in numbers significantly over the last few years at this location. Herons were mainly Grey Heron, with a few Little Egrets and several Black-crowned Night Herons. This last species appears to now be a breeding resident as juveniles and adults are seen throughout the years with birds seen on almost every visit.
 |
| Black-crowned Night Heron - adult |
 |
| Namaqua Dove - male |
 |
| Red-backed Shrike - male |
 |
| Red-backed Shrike - male |
I arrived at first light at Al Uqayr in early March and as the sun was not up decided to drive along a fenced off area with a small area of trees enclosed. As I was driving, I came across a Great Grey Shrike sitting on the fence and this was closely followed by four Eurasian Hoopoe and a male Namaqua Dove. The light was not good as otherwise I may have got some good photos of these species. A few small warblers were also seen flitting about, but I could not get close to make any positive identifications. As it appeared migrants were about, I went to a nearby small farm for a few hours and returned to the fence at about 10:00 hrs. The light was better but not ideal and more birds were seen lined up along the fence. Two Asian Desert Warbler were noted and further down the fence a Daurian Shrike was perched. It took flight before I could get close but luckily flew straight towards me and perched almost directly beside the car. As I watched this bird another Shrike joined it which was a nice Turkestan Shrike also very close to the car. The amazing fence then had a male Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush on it that allowed me to get very close. This bird was even doing some sub-song that I recorded on my I-phone. Lastly three Pied Wheatears were also on the wires of the fence making an amazing hour or so of birding.
 |
| Turkestan Shrike |
 |
| Turkestan Shrike |
 |
| Turkestan Shrike |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush |
 |
| Rufous-tailed Rock Thrush |
 |
| Pied Wheatear |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
 |
| Great Grey Shrike |
 |
| Eurasian Hoopoe |
 |
| Daurian Shrike |
 |
| Daurian Shrike |
 |
| Daurian Shrike |
 |
| Asian Desert Warbler |
The Waste Water Pools at Abu Arish are good for birds due to the combination of water and shrubs. It is probably the best location in the Kingdom for getting good views of White-browed Coucal which can be seen best in the early morning when they sit on the top of trees and shrubs calling. Birds can be seen throughout the day but tend to disappear into cover as the temperature rises. Another species that is always seen at this location is Nile Valley Sunbird. Both males and females can be seen but they are not too easy to photograph as my average shot below shows. Another common species here is Namaqua Dove, which can be easily photographed at close range as they do not appear to be frightened of people. Water birds are less in number in the summer but we saw plenty of breeding plumage White-winged Terns as well as a few Glossy Ibis and Western Cattle Egret. Little Grebes are also very common on the water but not much else was seen.
 |
| White-browed Coucal |
 |
| White-browed Coucal |
 |
| White-browed Coucal |
 |
| White-browed Coucal |
 |
| White-browed Coucal |
 |
| Nile Valley Sunbird |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
 |
| Glossy Ibis |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
 |
| Namaqua Dove |
 |
| Crested Lark |
 |
| Crested Lark |
 |
| Crested Lark |