Residents and migrants – Abha Area

Apart from the endemics the area also held resident African Stonechat, Dusky Turtle Dove, Pale Crag Martin, Fan-tailed Raven, Graceful Prinia, Hamerkop and Long-billed Pipit. Migrants had just started passing through with a few Barn Swallow and lots of Common Chiffchaff seen. Two White-winged Tern in full breeding plumage were seen on one lake visited.

African Stonechat

Barn Swallow

Common Chiffchaff

Common Chiffchaff

Dusky Turtle Dove

Fan-tailed Raven

Graceful Prinia

Graceful Prinia

Hamerkop

Long-billed Pipit

Pale Crag Martin

White-winged Tern

White-winged Tern

Pale Crag Martin – Lake Dumat Al Jandal

Whilst in the Al Jouf area last winter we visited Lake Dumat Al Jandal and on the second day visited the far side of the lake away from the tourist area. This side had steppe cliffs leading from the water’s edge and when we got there, there were plenty of Pale Crag Martins flying around. This is not an easy bird to photograph in flight with a heavy 600mm lens but I tried my best and got a few reasonable shots. It is a common breeding resident in Saudi Arabia but in winter, large groups gather in the north of the Kingdom often near cliffs but also over pivot fields. 

Pale Crag Martins – Tabuk

Whilst birding the Tabuk area recently Phil Roberts and I found more than twenty Pale Crag Martins flying over large pivot irrigation fields. Normally they are associated with cliffs, but these birds were catching insects well away from the cliff line which was some five kilometres distant. Pale Crag Martin is a common breeding resident in all areas wherever there are rock outcrops or cliffs, and have in the past formed flocks in winter of over 300 but there have been no records like this that I am aware of for many years. This was the largest gathering we have seen in the Kingdom and some of the views the birds gave were excellent flying around almost overhead at times.

Pale Crag Martins – Jebale Hamrah

Whilst birding the Judah area (two hours drive towards Riyadh from Dhahran)  known as Jebal Hamrah recently Phil Roberts and I found a few Pale Crag Martins and managed to locate a small cliff where three birds were continually flying around and landing. A fter some time we managed to get in a position to take a few photographs of them, easily the best ones I have manged to take at rest in the Kingdom. Pale Crag Martin is a common breeding resident in all areas wherever there are rock outcrops or cliffs, and have in the past formed flocks in winter of over 300 but there have been no records like this that I am aware of for many years.

Looking for Chukar Partridge – Jebal Lawz

On 7 October Phil Roberts and I went to Jebal Lawz, about 200 kilometres outside Tabuk, to look for Chukar Partridge. We git there before first light and waiting to try to hear any birds calling. The site is very remote and as a result is very quiet so hearing calling birds should have been easy. In reality it was very difficult, made more so by the closed and locked gate across the road preventing access to the top of the mountain where birds had been seen before. We did eventually hear birds calling lower down the road, but they were high up on a rocky mountain. I eventually saw two birds calling from this high cliff face but the distance from the birds was huge and the views poor. We stayed around for almost ten hours trying to hear or see the birds again but without luck. Bird life was very limited in the area and we only saw a few species including White-crowned Wheatear, Montagu’s Harrier, Common Kestrel, Rock Dove, Desert Lark, Tristram’s Starling, Lesser Grey Shrike, Pale Crag Martin, Scrub Warbler and Sinai Rosefinch.

White-crowned Wheatear

White-crowned Wheatear 

Streaked Scrub Warbler

Streaked Scrub Warbler

Pale Crag Martin

Last couple of weeks near Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv has been out birding the Tabuk area the last couple of Weekends and has sent a few photos of his trips. This area is in the northwest of the Kingdom and is very good for both migrants as well as resident species. Viv normally either goes to the desert areas where there are plenty of rock formations or to the large Tabuk wetlands. He takes photos of quite a number of species that are either absent or extremely difficult to see in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia where I live and bird so the photos are always interesting to look at. This selection include Scrub Warbler and Tristram’s Starling that do not occur in the Eastern Province and Pale Crag martin that does occur but is only seen near the escarpments in the desert in areas like Shedgum. The main passage migrants seen by Viv cross the country in broad fronts so are seen throughout the Kingdom at the right time of year and these include Barn Swallows, Eurasian Blackcaps, Eurasian Hoopoes, Northern Wheatears and Ortolan Buntings with Common Kestrel being a resident in the area. Viv has kindly allowed me to use some of his photos on my website that are shown below.

Tristram's Starling

Scrub Warbler

Barn Swallow

Common Blackcap

Eurasian Hoopoe

Northern Wheatear

Ortolan Bunting

Common Kestrel

Pale Crag Martin