Some good migrants - Jubail

Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area in early April, we found a number of good migrants for the area. Several wintering birds were seen including juvenile Eastern Imperial Eagle and Greater Spotted Eagle, which normally depart the end of March and early April. Great Cormorant is a species that is a wintering bird but numbers now say throughout the year. This species was rare in Jubail but is now commonly seen. An adult Black-crowned Night Heron was a good bird although they are now being seen each year with the chance they breed in the wetlands now a distinct possibility. Waders were about in good numbers with Common Sandpiper, Little Ringed Plover, Little Stint, Kentish Plover, Wood Sandpiper and Greenshank seen in good numbers. Smaller numbers of Terek Sandpiper, Dunlin, Grey Plover, Common Snipe and Ruff were also seen. The first European Bee-eaters of the spring were seen and several Whiskered Terns joined the regular Caspian and Gull-billed Terns. Both Turkistan and Daurian Shrikes were seen with Turkestan the commoner of the two. A single singing Savi’s Warbler was also heard along with many Clamorous and European Reed Warblers. One adult and a juvenile Great-black Headed Gull remained on their normal flooded area with several Steppe Gulls with them. 

Common Snipe

European Bee-eater

Common Cormorant

Little Ringed Plover

Terek Sandpiper

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Whiskered Tern

Waders returning - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area recently we saw plenty of waders of various different species. A few Terek Sandpipers were seen along with Ruddy Turnstones, both Greater and Lesser Sandplovers, three Pied Avocets and several Common Greenshanks. Good numbers of Common Ringed Plovers, one Little Ringed Plover, Common Sandpiper, Common Snipe, several Little Stints and Curlew Sandpipers and plenty of Black-winged Stilts.

Common Greenshank 

Common Ringed Plover

Ruddy Turnstone

Terek Sandpiper

A new ringing species - Jubail

Whilst ringing in September at Jubail, we trapped and ringed a new species for me in Terek Sandpiper Tringa cinerea. We very rarely catch wading birds so this was a big surprise when it ended up in a mist net set along the side of a wet pool. Terek Sandpiper is a widespread and sometimes common migrant to all areas of the Kingdom although is uncommon inland. It is a passage migranat and winter visitor to both coasts with a few in summer. It is more common on the Red Sea coast than the Gulf coast but still remains common along the Eastern Province coastline. Spring passage is from March to early June, mainly from late April, when birds occasionally occur inland as well as on the coast. Some non-breeding immatures stay the summer through June and July and then in August it becomes abundant along the coast.

Last of the Egyptian Nightjars – Jubail

The last few Egyptian Nightjars are still present in Jubail although I suspect this will be last time I see them this year. I saw five birds in different locations during the day, but they normally leave in early September. Wader numbers continue to build with large numbers of Common Ringed Plovers seen and smaller numbers of Terek Sandpipers and Grey Plovers. Numbers of Squacco herons are increasing steadily with well over fifty birds seen and a couple of the less common Little Bittern also present.

Egyptian Nightjar

Egyptian Nightjar

Egyptian Nightjar 

Common Ringed Plover

Grey Plover

Terek Sandpiper

Squacco Heron

More waders along AlKhobar Corniche – Bird records by Arnold Uy

Arnold Uy went again to AlKhobar Corniche the day after he saw good numbers of waders there. This time Arnold managed to find a few different waders including a very confiding Terek Sandpiper. Arnold also saw a few juvenile White-cheeked Terns, birds that will be departing the Saudi Arabian coast in the next week or so as well as a few Indian Reef Herons, resident birds that are commonly seen along the coastline. Arnold kindly allowed me permission to use his photos on my website some of which are shown below.

Terek Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

White-cheeked Tern

Indian Reef Heron

Plenty of waders – Dhahran Expro Wader Roost

A trip to the Dhahran Expro Wader Roost produced plenty of waders of a good variety of species. The tide was not ideal but plenty of birds were along the edges including both Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers in small numbers. Curlew Sandpipers, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwits and Dunlins had the largest number of birds with lesser numbers of Ruddy Turnstones, Common Redshanks and Common Greenshanks. There were much smaller numbers of Green Sandpipers, Terek Sandpipers and Grey Plovers. Other birds seen included very large numbers of Slender-billed Gulls with many first calendar year birds along with adults indicating a good breeding season. Several Indian Reef Herons of both black and white morphs were present as well as lots of Gull-billed Terns and two Caspian Terns. The only passerines of note seen were several Isabelline Wheatears hiding from the sun under the small bushes long the edge of the wet areas.

Whimbrel

Bar-tailed Godwit

Common Greenshank

Common Redshank

Curlew Sandpiper

Eurasian Curlew

Lesser Sand Plover

Green Sandpiper

Ruddy Turnstone

Terek Sandpiper

Plenty of different species of waders – Sabkhat Al Fasl

A trip to Sabkhat Al Fasl in late August was very good for waders. The numbers on the flooded Sabkha were high but surprisingly there were plenty of waders of various species over the remainder of the location, which is not so usual. The first surprise was a flock of over twenty Pied Avocets flying over the area near the concrete bund. This species is seen in reasonable numbers at the location but normally it is confined to the Sabkha area and occurs much later in the winter. Other waders seen in larger than normal numbers were Common Ringed Plover with well over 100 birds seen and Ruddy Turnstone with 15+ in various locations. A large lock of Whimbrel were also seen away from the flooded Sabkha with eleven birds together. Terek Sandpiper numbers have alos increased with 30+ birds in one area. My first two Saudi Arabian Caspian Plovers, both juveniles, were located on the edge of the flooded sabkha and a scattering of Ruff were in the same area and two juvenile Collared Pratincoles were also seen along the main track but at some distance. These were the first two birds of this species I have seen this autumn. A single Dunlin moulting out of summer plumage was located in amongst the large numbers of Little Stints and Kentish Plovers. Other waders seen but not photographed were Common Redshank, Common Greenshank, Green Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, Curlew Sandpiper, Eurasian Curlew and Lesser Sand Plover.

Pied Avocets

Ruddy Turnstone

Common Ringed Plover

Kentish Plover

Terek Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Ruff

Little Stint

Dunlin

Collared Pratincole

Caspian Plover

At last some migrants – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Last weekends birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl at last produced some migrants. Normally by the end of August good numbers of birds are already passing through the Eastern Province but this years migration appears to have been delayed for some unknown reason.  Up until last weekend we had only seen a handful of Yellow Wagtails and not much else but this weekend although numbers were low a few migrant species were seen. These included a couple of Spotted Flycatchers, 20+ Yellow Wagtails, two Common Whitethroats, Great Reed Warbler, ten Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and plenty of Barn Swallows and Sand Martins. No shrikes were seen though which was a surprise. The majority of bids seen as normal were herons, waders and terns with plenty of all. An increasing number of Grey Herons were seen with over 30 birds and a single Purple Heron was the first of the autumn for me. Three Lesser Short-toed Larks were an unusual sight for the location seen in the same area where the Egyptian Nightjars have been all summer. There were still a minimum of six birds present on Friday, meaning birds have been seen from June to September this year at this location. Other interesting birds seen included a Common Kestrel, a juvenile Ruddy Turnstone, several Common Mynas, one Western Cattle Egret the first of the autumn and a good showing of purple Swamphens.

Spotted Flycatcher

Yellow Wagtail

Terek Sandpipe 

Ruddy Turnstone - juvenile

Purple Swamphen

Common Kestrel

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Egyptian Nightjar

Egyptian Nightjar