Birds of Saudi Arabia: Pink-backed Pelican

Showing posts with label Pink-backed Pelican. Show all posts

16 August 2022

Jizan Cornice

Whilst birding Jizan Cornice in July I found a few Sooty Gulls sitting on the seafront. As it was a public holiday there were few people about in the early morning allow very close approach to the gulls. The species is a partial migrant or nomad with most populations undergoing southern post-breeding dispersal movements in September-November. They inhabit coasts and inshore islands and is hardly ever seen inland or at freshwater. It nests on coastal or inshore coral islands preferring smaller outer islands of old coral that are sparsely vegetated, rocky and sandy, preferably protected from the ocean by live reef. They feed mainly on dead fish and fishermen's offal, as well as tern eggs and chicks turtle hatchlings prawns and small fish. Apart from the Sooty Gulls there were not that many birds about although we did find a couple of Pink-back Pelicans fishing.

Sooty Gull

Pink-backed Pelican

18 November 2020

Birding Malaki Dam Lake

We visited Malaki Dam Lake recently and saw quite a few Pied Cuckoo including adults and juveniles. This species is restricted to the southwest of the Kingdom where it is an uncommon summer visitor. Another summer visitor seen was White-throated Bee-eater, where again we saw both adults and juveniles. At the lake itself we located a few Pink-backed Pelican and plenty of Little Grebes as well as a Grey-headed Kingfisher and a calling Abyssinian Roller.

Abyssinian Roller

Grey-headed Kingfisher

Pied Cuckoo

Pink-backed Pelican

White-throated Bee-eater

14 November 2020

Birding the Farasan Islands

Birdwatching on the Farasan Islands was excellent with very close views of birds possible due their lack of fear of humans. Great views of the common Greater Hoopoe Lark and Black-crowned Sparrow Lark were obtained with the views of the Sparrow-Lark probably better than anywhere else in the Kingdom I have seen them. The shoreline had numerous wader species in very good numbers with Crab Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper, Greater Sand Plover, Ruddy Turnstone, Whimbrel and Kentish Plover seen. Other species seen included Sooty Gull, Pink-backed Pelican, Western Reef Heron and Western Osprey. Inland and in the mangroves were Purple Heron, Barn Swallow, Egyptian Vulture, Common Cuckoo, Graceful Prinia and Black Scrub Robin.

Bar-tailed Godwits

Black-crowned Sparrow Lark

Black Scrub Robin

Common Sandpiper

Crab Plover

Graceful Prinia

Greater Hoope-lark

Pink-backed Pelican

Eurasian Oystercatcher

Purple Heron

Western Osprey

01 October 2020

Farasan Islands Boat Trip

Whilst visiting the Farasan Islands we made a boat trip to see birds on the offshore islands. The bots can be hired from local fisherman at a rate of 150-200 SAR per hour, and we took a boat from the harbor next to the main port where the island ferry lands and departs. As a foreigner, you need to have your iqama or passport with you as it is checked by the coastguard office before you can leave, which is situated next to the harbor itself. The trip time starts only after the all clear from coastguards has been obtained. We spent three hours on the boat and saw birds at very close range including Pink-backed Pelican in the harbor as we were leaving as well as offshore. Brown Booby was a common breeding bird on the offshore islands with birds nesting close to the edge of islands allowing very close approach and never leaving their nests. Other breeding birds seen in good numbers included both Sooty Gull and White-eyed Gull, with the former much more common than the latter. Good number of terns were seen fishing offshore that were mainly White-cheeked Tern but several Bridled Tern were in amongst them. The terns looked bluish on the underparts due to the strong sunlight reflecting the colour of the shallow blue-green water onto the white undersides of the terns.

Brown Booby

Pink-backed Pelican

Sooty Gull

White-eyed Gull

22 September 2019

Pink-backed Pelican & Brown Booby – Jizan fish market

At the Jizan fish Market on the Red Sea coast in southwest Saudi Arabia, the fish traders occasionally come out and put all the fish offal in the road for the gulls. When the fish waste was out other birds such as Pink-backed Pelicans and Brown Booby will come in and try their luck. There was huge commotion and fighting with the bigger Booby and pelicans making off with food and the gulls fighting for the rest. The site is great for getting close to the birds feeding on the fish waste but is quite busy with people.

Pink-backed Pelican

Brown Booby

01 November 2018

Jizan Corniche - Jizan

This site is one of the main birding locations in the region and has good wader habitat holding the highest concentration of shorebirds along the Saudi Red Sea coast. The site is easily viewed from the cornice road and in the early morning the sun is behind the observer allowing good viewing conditions. We birded the coast from the cetre of Jizan a short distance to the south, but did not go too far due to the issues near the Yemen boarder. The Corniche is also good for birds other than shorebirds with Black-crowned Sparrow Lark, Sooty Gull, Spur-winged Lapwing, White-winged Tern, Namaqua Dove and Pink-backed Pelican all photographed. The only waders photographed were Bar-tailed Godwit and Black-tailed Godwit.