Pale Rock Sparrow – Hanidh

Whilst birding Hanidh in the early spring we came across a leaking tap that had caused a small puddle to form in a desert landscape with a few jebals nearby. In the desert these waterholes are very attractive to birds so although the first couple of times we visited we did not see anything we always held hope birds would come and drink. Very early one morning in mid-March, I saw a large group of 50 plus birds that appeared to be larks flying over and they saw the pool, turned around, and came down nearby. On inspection, it became clear they were Pale Rock Sparrows / Pale Rockfinch and eventually after we retreated to the car, they came to the pool to drink. Pale Rock Sparrow is an uncommon and erratic breeding migrant, that breed particularly after good rainfall like this year, They are an uncommon passage migrant (March to April and September to October), and uncommon winter visitor (November to February). Birds often occur in flocks and wander from place to place so their occurrence is unpredictable and they can appear common if you come across a flock or two. They mainly frequent rocky hills, escarpments and wadis with sandy substrate and low vegetation.  

Pale Rockfinch & Little Crakes – Dhahran Hills

The weather in Dhahran has recently been overcast and rainy with a strong (50 km/h) south-easterly wind, which is not so common for the area. Although it was raining it was just enough to wet the ground rather than the heavy rain people are used to in most places in the world. Around lunchtime the weather brightened up a little and as a result I thought the conditions may have been helpful at bringing down a few birds and the ‘patch’ may have a few interesting birds about. I had to visit Manifa the day after the rain with work and there were quite a few Isabelline Wheatears present scattered around the roadside in the desert and three Lesser Kestrels in various places north of Jubail but before the turn to Naiyriyyah. In this same area a single Black Kite was circling around an area where sheep were being kept. These are the first Lesser Kestrel and Black Kite sightings I have had this year in Saudi Arabia. I was only able to go out very briefly in the evening the day of the rain but yesterday I spent a couple of hours looking around the ‘patch’ to see what may have arrived. Even though they were spraying the spray fields I went to have a look to see if anything was about in the trees along the raised embankment. There were quite a few Common Chiffchaffs and a single Lesser Whitethroat was hopping around feeding with them. This is the first returning Common Whitethroat I have seen this year. Four Song Thrushes were in the trees and three Siberian Stonechats were in the long grass of the spray fields. Also in the same area were two Corn Buntings, three Eurasian Skylarks and 22 Water Pipits. The edges of the spray fields held six Tawny Pipits, a female Desert Wheatear, one Isabelline Wheatear and most surprisingly a single Pale Rockfinch. The last Pale Rockfinches I saw were March 22^nd and April 1^st 2011 when large flocks of up to 80 birds were seen in the camp, but they were on and around the jebals.

 Pale Rockfinch

 Pale Rockfinch

Pale Rockfinch

 

The Pale Rockfinch I photographed (above) had a very different appearance to the normal appearance of the species. This bird had a nice rounded head shape and appeared to have a smaller and paler pink bill than normal. Below is a typical Pale Rockfinch I photographed in Dhahran 1^st April 2011 to compare with the photographs above. After discussion with AbdulRahmen Al-Sirhan from Kuwait, even though neither of us have seen a bird with this head shape and bill shape and colur it is probably within the range of the species. If anyone has any other ideas please let me know.

Pale Rockfinch

I then went to look at the Percolation pond, but it was very quiet with only the same Western Great Egret of the last few days sitting on a bank being noteworthy. The trees around the pond were jumping with Common Chiffchaffs and over 70 birds were seen. Water level in the pond is again overflowing which means there are plenty of wet puddles and pools outside the perimeter fence of the pond. These pools held one Green Sandpiper and one pool with Tamarisk scrub and Phragmites reeds growing in it had two Little Crakes feeding around the edge. There was possibly a third bird as I briefly saw a small crake fly across an opening in the reeds whilst watching the other two Little Crakes, but I cannot be certain as to its identity. The last Little Crakes I saw on the pond were on 29^th March and 29^th April 2011. A single singing Caspian Reed Warbler was in the Phragmites reeds. In the evening a large group of Red-rumped Swallows totaling at least 70 birds gathered over the pond along with six Common House Martins, 25 Common Swifts and 33 Pallid Swifts. Although the number of birds is still not high there are some quality individuals passing through at the moment.

A review of my 2011 birding year in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (Part 1)

Another year has passed and another country has joined our list of places to live and my places to bird and as a result 2011 was a busy year for me. I was not really able to get out birding properly until early March as we were trying to get our feet on the ground in a new country and new job. Saudi Arabia has turned out to be a better than expected country for birding, as well as for living, from my point of view with many good birds seen and the chance of finding rare or unusual species. I have bird-watched at my local ‘patch’ of Dhahran almost every day and made frequent visits to Sabkaht Al Fasl at weekends as well as visiting a few other local sites. This combined with my ringing training in Bahrain on Fridays has taken up a fair amount of time and I have to express my thanks to my wife Lidia and children Julianna and Kerensa for allowing me so much time in the field.

Here are a few highlights of my birding year in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia:-

An immature Black Stork Ciconia nigra was at the Dhahran on 4^th May. An immature & adult female Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus were over Dhahran on 13^th March with an adult male in trees & in flight at Dhahran on 5^th & 6^th May and another adult female on 7^th May. An immature Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus was over Dhahran on 31^st March. Adult male Little Crake Porzana parva was at Dhahran on 29^th March and 29^th April.

Little Crake (adult male)

An adult Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus was at Dhahran on 12^th & 13^th May. An adult summer Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus was well inland at Dhahran on 16^th February. An Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius was hunting at night on 17^th January & 12^th February at Dhahran. A male Spanish Sparrow Passer hispaniolensis was at Dhahran on 12^th May. Flocks of Pale Rockfinch Carpospiza brachydactyla were at Dhahran, on 22^nd March (17), 31^st March (80+) and 1^st April (8).

Pale Rockfinch

A female / immature Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus was at Dhahran on 14^th May.