Birding Sunbah Farms - Jizan

Whilst in the southwest of the Kingdom recently we visited Sunbah Farms, a large set of pivot irrigation fields that hold a lot of very good birds. We did nkt enter any of the fields as crops were growing but still saw a lot of good birds in the pivor irrigation tracks and surroundings. A pair of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were seen near a small amount of water where one seemed to be wettings its breast feathers. Small numbers were also seen flying over at different places. Western Cattle Egret were very common with one very large flock of several hundred birds following behind a tractor cutting the crops where they could easily catch the disturbed insects. A few White-winged Tern were catching insects next to the pivot spray bars and Singing Bush Lark were common around the field edges and in song flight. A pair of Arabian Green Bee-eater were sitting nicely to photograph next to one field and two Black-winged Kite, were seen one of which was a juvenile. Several Barn Swallow were seen catching insects over the fields suggesting they are breeding in the area and Ruppell’s Weaver were common with a few nests found.

Arabian Bee-eater

Barn Swallow

Black-winged Kite - juvenile

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse

Ruppell's Weaver

Singing Bush Lark

Singing Bush Lark

Western Cattle Egret

Western Cattle Egret

White-winged Tern

White-winged Tern

Singing Bush Larks – Phil’s Fields near Sabya

Whilst birding Phil’s Fields near Sabya in southwest Saudi Arabia we saw a few Singling Bush Larks. This set of fields is an almost guaranteed place to see the species in the Kingdom where they are otherwise difficult to find. The subspecies we get in southwest Saudi Arabia is M. c. simplex that occurs in southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and western Oman and has upperparts somewhat warmer and browner than the nominate subspecies. The bird is a small, compact lark with short, stubby bill. Singing Bush Lark is an uncommon resident of the extreme southwest of Saudi Arabia and does not occur anywhere else in the country. They are often common in the very local areas where they occur and where they frequent fairly short grassland and cultivated land, provided that crops are short and dense enough to provide cover. I have seen and photographed this species before but the below photos are the best I have obtained due to the natural perch and the fact the bird flew and landed right beside the car.

Singing Bush Larks near Sabya – Phil’s Fields

Whilst birding Phil’s Fields near Sabya in southwest Saudi Arabia I found a good number of Singling Bush Larks. This set of fields is an almost guaranteed place to see the species in the Kingdom where they are otherwise difficult to find. The subspecies we get in southwest Saudi Arabia is M. c. simplexthat occurs in southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and western Oman and has upperparts somewhat warmer and browner than the nominate subspecies. The bird is a small, compact lark with shortish, stubby bill. Singing Bush Lark is an uncommon resident of the extreme southwest of Saudi Arabia and does not occur anywhere else in the country. They are often common in the very local areas where they occur and where they frequent fairly short grassland and cultivated land, provided that crops are short and dense enough to provide cover.

Abyssinian Roller and Singing Bush Lark – Phil’s Fields

Whilst birding the southwest of the Kingdom this winter I went to Phil’s Fields which is a large pivot irrigation set up with three large fields. It is an excellent place to see good birds and I always see Singing Bush Lark and Zitting Cisticola there, and this visit was no exception. More unusual birds seen this trip included African Stonechat and Abyssinian Roller, both of which I have not recorded at the location and probably only occur in winter as this was my first winter visit to the site. Western Cattle Egret, Isabelline Wheatear, Green Bee-eater and Indian Silverbill were a few other more common species seen there. 

Abyssinian Roller

African Silverbill

African Silverbill

African Stonechat

Green Bee-eater

Singing Bush Lark

Singing Bush Lark

Isabelline Wheatear

Singing Bush Larks near Sabya – Phil’s Fields

Whilst birding the Sabya area I found a good number of Singling Bush Larks in a large set of pivot irrigation fields know as Phil’s Fields. This set of fields is an almost guaranteed place to see the species in the Kingdom. The subspecies we get in southwest Saudi Arabia is M. c. simplex that occurs in southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and western Oman and has upperparts somewhat warmer and browner than the nominate subspecies. The bird is a small, compact lark with shortish, stubby bill. Singing Bush Lark is an uncommon resident of the extreme southwest of Saudi Arabia and does not occur anywhere else in the country. They are often common in the very local areas where they occur and apart from the area around Sabya birds have also been seen near Shuqayri, near Jizan and at Malaki Dam Lake where they frequent fairly short grassland and cultivated land, provided that crops are short and dense enough to provide cover.

Zitting Cisticola at Phil’s Fields – Sabya

A visit to Phil’s Fields around midday was an extremely hot and tiring few hours birding but as always a few good birds were seen. The fields are one of the best places in the Kingdom for locating Zitting Cisticola and Singing Bush Lark. Both of these species occur here in high densities and can be seen flying around calling and singing as well as perched on the grass stems in the case of the Cisticola or on the ground in the water irrigation tracks in the case of the lark. The trees and scrub at the edge of these fields is a good place to see Ruppell’s Weavers, Black Scrub Robins and Arabian Babblers with good numbers of both in residence and both birds coming down to drink from a leaking water pipe in one place.

Zitting Cisticola

Singing Bush Lark

Singing Bush Lark

African Palm Swift

Arabian Babbler

Ruppell's Weaver

Phil’s Fields near Sabya Southwest Saudi Arabia – Bird records by Phil Roberts

Phil Roberts went on a birding trip for a few days to the southwest of the Kingdom in December 2014 and saw a number of good birds. Phil also managed to photograph a few and has sent them to me and allowed me to reproduce them on my website. On the 10 December he went to Phil’s Fields a site that has produced good birds over the last few years including seven Sociable Lapwings and Small Buttonquail to name but two. This site is also a great place to see Singing Bush Lark and Zitting Cisticola both of which Phil saw. He took photogrpahs of the following species there: Singing Bush Lark, White Spectacled Bulbul, African Silverbill, Red-throated Pipit, Long-legged Buzzard, Yellow-billed Kite and Western Cattle Egret

Singing Bush Lark

African Silverbill

Long-legged Buzzard

Red-throated Pipit 

Western Cattle Egret

White-spectacled Bulbul

Yellow-billed Kite

Zitting Cisticola & Four Crested Honey Buzzards – Phil’s Fields

We spent midday of 4 April birding two very large grassy fields inland from Sabya along the main Ad Dabi to Sabya road (17 07.58N, 42 41.62E) known as Phil’s Fileds. The fields were on the right hand side of the road going towards Sabya and had large pivot irrigation equipment stored by them. The fields were very green with tall plants growing in them and some quite wide tracks where the pivot irrigation wheels had driven. The area is good for Zitting Cisticola & Singing Bushlarks but the first birds seen on getting out of the car were four Crested Honey Buzzards. All four birds were using the midday thermals to migrate and remained quite high but low enough for the main identification features to be seen.

As soon as we entered the field we heard Zitting Cisticola with a number of birds song flighting over the field and occasionally landing on the vegetation where they could be viewed. A walk across the fields soon produced 10+ Singing Bushlarks flushed from the grass and the small size and bright underwing coverts could clearly be seen. Several birds gave song flights but most were silent and flew and went to cover in the long grass.

Zitting Cisticola

Singing Bush Lark

Singing Bush Lark

Other good birds seen included two Little Green Bee-eaters, six Black Bush Robins and 20+ African Silverbills. 37 Western Cattle Egrets, several Crested Larks and four African Palm Swifts were flying about. Five Common Myna, 20+ Ruppell’s Weavers and a large flock of House Sparrows were also seen and shortly after leaving the fields we found a pale Long-legged Buzzard flying over.

Black Bush Robin

African Silverbill

African Palm Swift

Long-legged Buzzard