A few good birds – Tendaha Dam

Tendaba Dam is a large wetland area near Khamis Mushait. We visited the location in mid-March and found a number of good birds including a Western Osprey. This was a big surprise as the area is far from the coast, but the lake does hold a good number of fish. Waders were plentiful on the lake with Common Sandpiper, Little Stint, Ruff, Little Ringed Plover, Common Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, Black-winged Stilt, Temmincks Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Common Snipe seen. Birds seen around the edge of the lake included Black Scrub Robin, Cinnamon-breasted Bunting, Arabian Babbler, Arabian Waxbill and Arabian Wheatear. A couple of Yellow-billed Kites were seen flying over nearby. This is a good looking site and well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Black Scrub Robin

Spotted Redshank

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite

Yellow-billed Kite

Spotted Redshank and Common Redshank on wet ditch – Dhahran Hills

Both Spotted Redshank and Common Redshank are uncommon on the ‘patch’ with Spotted Redshank scarce. I had only seen the species a couple of times before and Phil only saw his first for Dhahran a few weeks ago. Most birds seen have been on the Percolation Pond where they are often quite distant so finding one on the wet ditch was a very pleasant surprise. This happened yesterday the day after I had seen a Common Redshank on the same wet ditch. This was the first time I had seen either species on the ditch showing wader passage is still in full swing. In the Eastern Province Common Redshank is a common passage migrant and winter visitor along the coast from August until March but is generally scarce from mid-march to mid-June. From July to October they are also common on pools away from the coast presumable concerning birds on migration. Spotted Redshank is an uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor, seen on migration from March to May and again from August to November. They are normally seen on pools away from the coast but are never common.

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Common Redshank

Common Redshank

Yellow-billed Kite & more – Malaki Dam Lake

Malaki Dam (also known as Malakiyah, Wadi Jizan Dam or Hakima Dam) is probably the largest and most variable expanse of freshwater habitats in the southwestern provinces of Saudi Arabia. This area is a large lake (17 04.72N, 42 97.88E) at the edge of the Asir foothills, 15km east of Abu Arish and is regarded by many of the birders who have bird-watched Saudi Arabia as the best single site in the entire country. It is fed by four main wadis and at high water levels the lake spreads to over ten square kilometres and has a large catchment area extending south into Yemen. The reservoir is bordered to the north by basaltic lava plains and to the south several rocky outcrops which form the edge of Wadi Juwwah, another excellent birding area. The surrounding acacia and salvadora scrubland is interspersed with Tamarix where the hills are grazed and cultivated with some areas with shallow water, the dead remains of flooded trees forming ideal roost sites for herons and egrets. The Lake is on a main migration route and its surrounding area has one of the highest diversities of breeding birds in Arabia with many species being of Afro-tropical origin accounting for the large number of species recorded. We bird-watched a small arm of the lake on 5 April that is less disturbed and has easier access than the other areas. This site is excellent for the endemic Arabian Waxbill in the winter and spring, when flocks can be seen in the reeds and other vegetation near to the water. We managed to find this species after several hours with a number of birds seen flying over calling from one reed bed area to another. Three birds seen well included two adults and a juvenile, but we never got views that allowed photographs to be taken. This was a new species for me in Saudi Arabia and is an Arabian endemic, leaving me two more Endemics to see of the eleven species occurring, Yemen Serin and Arabian Scops Owl. The lake itself held a good amount of water and therefor had good numbers of water birds. Waders included Black-tailed Godwits, Spur-winged Plovers, Common Sandpipers, Kentish Plovers, Common Greenshanks, Common Redshanks, Spotted Redshanks, Temminck’s Stints and Black-winged Stilts. Seven Eurasian Spoonbill,three Hammerkops, with several Glossy Ibis, Grey Herons, Western Cattle Egrets & Squacco Herons were present. Other water birds included Whiskered Little Terns, Common Moorhens and plenty of Little Grebes. Non water birds included African Collared Doves, Zitting Cisticolas, Graceful Prinias, Ruppells Weavers, Laughing Doves, Namaqua Doves and Arabian Babbler. A few swifts were seen including 10+ Common Swifts, 10+ African Palm Swifts, two Alpine Swifts and a Little Swift hunting insects low over the water. We also had two White-browed Coucals, Black-crowned Sparrow-lark, Nile Valley Sunbird, three White-spectacled Bulbul and three Black Scrub Robins. Migrants included eight Barred Warblers in a very small area of acacia along with a female Eurasian Blackcap and several Common Chiffchaffs and two Willow Warblers.

Hammerkop

Alpine Swift

Barred Warbler

Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank

 We also saw several birds of prey including a second calendar year Greater Spotted Eagle, Western Marsh Harrier and a Yellow-Billed Kite. The status of this species/sub-species within the genus of Black Kite Milvus migrans is still imperfectly understood. Up until the mid-1990’s the yellow-billed African breeding populations, aegyptius and parasitus (including tenebrosus) were generally maintained as a subspecies of Black Kite. However, recent work based on DNA shows that the yellow-billed race is significantly distinct from the Black Kite elevating it to full species status Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius. In the field, the Yellow-billed Kite is distinguished from the Black Kite based on several characters, the most obvious being its all-yellow bill.

Yellow-billed Kite

Eurasian Spoonbill – Sabkhat Al Fasl

A very early start to get to Sabkhat Al Fasl for first light was rewarded with a sighting of an adult Greater Spotted Eagle. It is now getting quite late for Great Spotted Eagles as the breeding birds have all left for their breeding grounds to the north-east. Last year there was still a 2nd calendar year bird present in July & August indicating summering and it will be interesting to see if birds are seen again this summer. Birding was not very pleasant at Sabkhat as the temperature was 42 degrees Celsius and there were thousands of Horse Flies about that find it easy to bite through tee-shirts and thin trousers. This meant I spent much of the time locked in the car out of the heat and away from the flies but meant I will probably have missed a few birds. The main flooded sabkha area had a few waders including 50+ Ruff, 500+ Little Stint, 500+ Curlew Sandpipers, 100+ Dunlin and a few Black-winged Stilts and ten Kentish Plovers. Six Caspian Terns were resting in the heat of the day out on the sand banks and Saunder’S Little Terns were feeding up and down the water’s edge. The best birds seen along the edge of the flooded sabkha were three Collared Pratincoles, one of which looked slightly paler and smaller than the other two, with a very poorly marked underwing (white-traileing edge to the wing was very thin and hardly noticable) but otherwise appeared to be a Collared Pratincole - see photogrpahs below. These are the first birds I have seen for a month or more when I saw a large flock at the same site.

Collared Pratincole



Collared Pratincole - underwing

 

Kentish Plover - male


Migrants were thin on the ground but a nice adult male Red-backed Shrike was seen in the bushes on the way into the site and a female Northern Wheatear was catching the flies by one of the main water inlet pumps. A few Willow Warblers were jumping around the bushes but not much else was visible. The main lake of the site still had 22 juvenile Greater Flamingoes, two adult White-winged Terns and an adult Whiskered Tern. Common Moorhen numbers were in the 500+ range with hundreds of newly fledged youngsters with their parents. There were a few waders present including a summer plumaged Spotted Redshank, three Wood Sandpipers, two Temminck’s Stints and a Little Ringed Plover. The best bird seen along this stretch of the site was an adult Eurasian Spoonbill. These birds were recorded as scarce visitors to the Eastern Province in Bundy et al Birds of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia (1989) with only fourteen records. I have now seen at least 14 birds myself so I assume the status of the species has changed from a rare to scarce visitor.


Eurasian Spoonbill - adult



Spotted Redshank in summer plumage (right) & Wood Sandpiper (left)



Marsh Terns - Sabkhat Al Fasl

Another early morning visit to Sabkhat Al Fasl produced the normal sighting of Greater Spotted Eagle as the first bird of the day. As mentioned in the post on the injured Greater Spotted Eagle, I saw nine different birds during the day, which is the highest number I have seen at the site in a day. Western Marsh Harriers were flying about in good numbers with at least ten birds seen plus three birds resting in the scrubby area at first light.

Western Marsh Harrier

The temperature was cold being only eight degrees Celsius but there was no wind so it was not too bad. It did keep the passerine numbers down though with only two Siberian Stonechat, six Graceful Prinias, 50 White Wagtails and 60+ Water Pipits.

Siberian Stonechat (female)

A lot more waders were about today today with three Wood Sandpipers, three Green Sandpipers, three Spotted Redshank, three Common Greenshank, seven Marsh Sandpiper, 70+ Common Redshank, 200+ Little Stint and 500+ Pied Avocet.

 Wood Sandpiper

Spotted Redshank

There were more duck about that I have seen at the site before with 89 Common Shelduck, 39 Northern Pintail, eight Eurasian Teal and one Eurasian Wigeon. The most amazing sight of the day though was the number of marsh terns present. At first light I went to a new area of the site I had not visited before and saw at least 22 Whiskered Terns. This was only the second time I had seen the species at the site and I was very happy to see them and also get good views. The light was too poor for photography and I left them thinking I would come back later to try to get some photographs of them before I left to travel back to Dhahran. As it turned out I did not have to go back to this location as I saw many more later on in good light and managed to take a number of reasonable photographs of them. This second flock of marsh terns included White-winged Terns as well as Whiskered Terns and they gave heart views in excellent light.

 White-winged Tern

 Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Sabkaht Al Fasl

Another weekend trip to Sabkhat Al Fasl resulted in a few good birds. Just after first light we saw a nice Citrine wagtail (see previous post) and just before that a fine male Siberian Stonechat. Four Greater Spotted Eagles were seen including three 2nd calendar year birds and an adult that was seen at reasonably close range perched on a post. As always the birds did not allow close approach for photography. The next bird we saw was a Spotted Redshank, which is not such a common bird in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, but is occasionally seen.

Spotted Redshank

A few Daurian Shirkes were using the reed stems as lookout perches to catch insects from and a single Mauryan Grey Shrike (formally Steppe Grey Shrike) was perched on top of one of the posts and this is the first sighting of this species this year for me. Numbers of both White Wagtail and Water Pipit are building up with one particular corner of the site very favourable for both species with more than 100 of each.

 Water Pipit (A. s. coutelli)

White Wagtail

Driving further around we saw a nice Daurian Shrike hunting from a small stand of reeds and bushes. About 200 Great Cormorants, two Purple Swamphen and 22 Common Moorhen. A Caspian Tern was seen flying over and at least 15 Marsh Harriers were seen both in flight and perched in the scrubby areas at first light. Nine Little Grebes were on one lake and the main flooded Sabkhat area again held Common Shelduck but not the massive numbers of last weekend, although 48 were still present. Massive numbers of Greater Flamingo, with about three thousand birds as well as Pied Avocet with at least 500 birds made a fantastic sight. Duck are always in short supply at the site due to hunting but today I saw 28 Northern Shoveller. Eight Squacco Heron were perched on one small island with eight Western Great Egret, 22 Indian Reef Heron and 40 Little Egret. Waders were very few this weekend with only two Green Sandpiper seen on the edge of the Sabkhat.

Daurian Shrike