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

Brown Booby

Brown Booby

Pink-backed Pelican

Pink-backed Pelican

Sooty Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

Gulls – Jizan fish market

Whilst birding the Jizan fish Market in Summer with Phil Roberts we saw plenty of gulls waiting around for fish scraps from the nearby fish market. Occasionally a fish trader would come out and put all the fish offal in the road and the gulls would have a feast. There were plenty of White-eyed Gulls and Sooty Gulls sitting around and a couple of Baltic Gulls were also present.  We spent quite a long time trying to get good photos and they normally come out less well than anticipated. Some of my best shots are below. 

Baltic Gull

Baltic Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed and Sooty Gulls – Jizan Corniche

The best place to see White-eyed and Sooty Gull in the Kingdom is the fish market at Jizan but the morning we went it was so bust with people that few birds were around. Luckily, as we moved south along the coast we saw a small mixed gull flock with a number of both species present. Also seen were Baltic Gull and Steppe Gull. Waders present were a small flock of Ruddy Turnstone, European Oystercatcher and several Bar-tailed Godwits. Plenty of House Crows were flying around and further up the corniche a Western Osprey was located with many Crab Plover.

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull

White-eyed Gull at Sharma – Record by Euan Fergusson

Whilst staying at Sharma, on the Red Sea coast of northwest Saudi Arabia, Euan Fergusson saw White-eyed Gull. This species is almost entirely restricted to the Red Sea with most birds seen in the Jizan area although they are also common in Jeddah. The White-eyed Gull is mostly sedentary although it disperses from its breeding sites in the Red Sea to occur throughout the Red Sea during the non-breeding season. There may also be some southward and eastward movement during this time, when it is reported to become scarce in the northern part of its range. Breeding takes place during the months of June – September where it breeds in loose colonies, on inshore islands, where it occupies bare rock and sand flats, and usually consists of fewer than 25 pairs. During the non-breeding season it is usually found in small groups, but sometimes forms flocks of hundreds or even thousands to forage and often occurs further out to sea at this time. They eat mainly fish, but also crustaceans, molluscs, annelids and offal.

White-eyed Gulls – Jizan Fish Market

Whilst in Jizan we stopped at the fish market where we knew from past experience that photography was possible. The fish market is an excellent place to see both Sooty and White-eyed Gulls with plenty of birds normally resting on the roofs and feeding on scraps on the ground. It is best to get to the market in the early morning when the fish are being landed and processed to see the largest number of birds. We only managed to get there late one evening and again in the early afternoon but saw plenty of gulls at both times. July proved to be good at the fish market with hundreds of gulls present with almost all Sooty and White-eyed. Many wait around on the ground for fish waste to be thrown out and then a huge melee breaks out as all the gulls go for the waste at the same time. White-eyed Gulls have a range in Saudi Arabia that spreads mainly up the Red Sea coast to north of Jeddah. The White-eyed Gull is mostly sedentary although it disperses from its breeding sites in the Red Sea to occur throughout the Red Sea during the non-breeding season. There may also be some southward and eastward movement during this time, when it is reported to become scarce in the northern part of its range. Breeding takes place during the months of June – September where it breeds in loose colonies, on inshore islands, where it occupies bare rock and sand flats, and usually consiss of fewer than 25 pairs. During the non-breeding season it is usually found in small groups, but sometimes forms flocks of hundreds or even thousands to forage and often occurs further out to sea at this time. They are mainly coastal and usually feed at sea, but some Egyptian populations have adopted a scavenging role at rubbish tips and harbours, which is also the case at Jizan Fish Market. They eat mainly fish, but also crustaceans, molluscs, annelids and offal.

Several different Gull species – Jizan

Whilst bird watching in Jiazan in April 2014 I came across various different species of Gull. This site is in the southwest of Saudi Arabia and is on the Red Sea coast and is a favoured location for White-eyed Gulls and Sooty Gulls. The best place to see White-eyed Gull is the fish market area and the nearby small fishing harbor where they gather in good numbers to scavenge fish waste. When we arrived about 30 White-eyed Gulls and 10 Sooty Gulls were sitting on the rooftops and we spent about an hour trying to photograph the birds in flight. Most White-eyed Gulls were adults but at least two second calendar year birds were also present. The species has a restricted world range confined almost entirely to the Red Sea and is a spectacular bird. Sooty Gulls have a slightly wider range and are more common but are still difficult to see away from the Red Sea. Other gulls included small numbers of Slender-billed Gulls as well as a few Heuglin's Gulls, one Armenian Gull and several Baltic Gulls. Most of these were scattered along the coast, in the fishing harbor or up the main inlet from the sea.

White-eyed Gull - adult summer

White-eyed Gull - second calendar year

Sooty Gull

Slender-billed Gull

Baltic Gull

Heuglin's Gull

of

Sooty & White-eyed Gulls - Jizan Fish Market

As I am very interested in gulls we stopped at the fish market in Jizan as well as the nearby fishing harbour. The harbour has been partially filled in but plenty of gulls were still using it as a resting area. The fish market is an excellent place to see both Sooty and White-eyed Gulls with plenty of birds normally resting on the roofs and feeding on scraps on the ground. You need to get to the market in the early morning when the fish are being landed and processed to see the largest number of birds. Early April proved to be good at the fish market with hundreds of gulls present with almost all Sooty and White-eyed but a few Steppe Gulls were also present. Below are a few photos of these two species whose range in Saudi Arabia spreads mainly up the Red Sea coast to north of Jeddah.

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

Sooty Gull

White-eyed Gull - adult

White-eyed Gull - adult

White-eyed Gull - immature

White-eyed Gull - immature