White-tailed Lapwing - Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Recently I located a White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus flying over the Waste Water lake. The bird did not stop and flew off towards the percolation pond but I could not relocate it. The species is unusual in Dhahran and the first time I have seen at the Waste Water Lake although I have seen on the spray fields and percolation pond previously. Migratory populations breed from Turkey and Jordan to southern Kazakhstan and winter 4,000 km south and southwest in Sudan, Pakistan, India and increasingly Arabia. It is a rare breeding resident, scarce winter visitor and uncommon passage migrant. They prefer brackish coastal pools, shallow tidal inlets, rainwater pools and wastewater lagoons where they feed on mainly insects and other invertebrates.

White-tailed Lapwing - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail 2nd October I found a White-tailed Lapwing at the edge of some reeds. The light was terrible, and the bird was distant, so we walked around to try to get better light for photographs. The bird was hidden by the reeds but as soon as it saw us it flew allowing some average flight shots. This is a scarce migrant and rare winter visitor to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia although further north and west in Tabuk records are more regular with birds wintering in good numbers. I assume this bird is a passage migrant rather than birds that will winter but time will tell.

Four White-tailed Lapwings - Jubail

Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area in November, Phil Roberts found four White-tailed Lapwings. I went at the weekend and initially after drawing a blank found a single bird close below me but hidden by the reed beds. A Western Marsh Harrier then flew over and put all the wading birds up into flight and the White-tailed Lapwing was joined by three more making four, as Phil had seen several days before. This is a scarce bird in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a status as a scarce migrant and rare winter visitor. Further north and west in Tabuk records are more regular with birds wintering in good numbers. I assume these birds are passage migrants rather than birds that will winter but time will tell.

White-tailed Lapwing - Jubail

Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area 4 May, Phil Roberts and I came across a White-tailed Lapwing. This is a scarce bird in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a status as a scarce migrant and rare winter visitor. Further north and west in Tabuk records are more regular with birds wintering in good numbers. I have seen birds this winter in Jubail but not for a couple of months so assume this bird was a passage migrant rather than the bird that winter being seen again. This bird allowed close approach, indicating it may have been tiered, something that they seldom do. It was located on an area of wet puddles formed by the recent rain we have had in the area and did not fly at all just walked away when we got too close. We left the bird in peace after taking a few photographs to avoid disturbance.

White-tailed Lapwing – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area in January I came across a White-tailed Lapwing. This is a scarce passage migrant that has sometimes wintered and the late date of this sighting suggests this bird may have spent the winter in the area. This is also likely as I saw a bird at the end of September and again in October 2017 quite close to the location of this sighting. The Jubail area and Dhahran are the two best areas for locating the species in the Eastern Province. White-tailed Lapwing records scattered throughout the Kingdom but the Tabuk area having the majority of recent records. Records from the Eastern Province are very scarce with less than annual sightings in recent years although this may partly be due to lack of observers. Birds are normally not easy to get close too and this one was no exception and was flushed by a Marsh Harrier before I could approach close to get decent photos.

White-tailed Lapwing – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area on 29 September Phil and I came across a White-tailed Lapwing. This is a scarce passage migrant that has sometimes wintered. The Jubail area and Dhahran are the two best areas for locating the species in the Eastern Province, but having said that I have only seen White-tailed Lapwing once in the Jubail area. White-tailed Lapwing records scattered throughout the Kingdom but the Tabuk area having the majority of recent records. Records from the Eastern Province are very scarce with less than annual sightings in recent years although this may partly be due to lack of observers. They are great waders with very district pattern in flight. Birds are normally not easy to get close too and this one was no exception.

Lesser Kestrel near Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv Wilson went out looking to see if he could re-find the Black-winged Kite he had seen the day before but unfortunately failed in his mission. He did, however, see and photograph a few good birds despite the very poor weather conditions and heavy rain at times. One good thing about the rain was that it probably caused the male Lesser Kestrel to stay put in its tree rather than flying off allowing Viv to get an excellent photo of it.  At the wetland he birds at Viv saw a group of Glossy Ibis and a single White-tailed Lapwing as well as a Western Marsh Harrier but otherwise not much else. I would like to thank Viv for allowing me to use his photos on my website some of which are reproduced below.

Lesser Kestrel

Glossy Ibis

White-tailed Lapwing

Western Marsh Harrier

Pharaoh Eagle Owl & more near Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv Wilson went out birding around the Tabuk area last weekend and saw a number of good birds including a couple of surprises. He found a Pharaoh Eagle Owl in a tree near his favourite wetland, which was a few kilometres away from where he had seen one a few weeks previously, so could well have been a different bird. Another surprise for Viv was the return of the White-tailed Lapwing flock that spends some winters in the area, with at least eight birds seen together. In the desert Viv found a male Desert Wheatear as well as a few Common Kestrels and also three Griffon Vultures a species not seen so frequently in the Kingdom.

Pharaoh Eagle Owl

Pharaoh Eagle Owl

Pharaoh Eagle Owl

White-tailed Lapwing

White-tailed Lapwing

White-tailed Lapwing

Common Kestrel

Common Kestrel

Desert Wheatear

A White tailed Lapwing flock in Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv Wilson saw a small flock of seven White-tailed Lapwings together in Tabuk in late November, this being the largest gathering of this scarce species recorded in the Kingdom as far as I am aware. White-tailed Lapwing is a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with records scattered throughout from the southwest to the northeast. Viv also saw a few other waders including Black-winged Stilts, Wood Sandpipers and Common Snipe as well as the much scarcer Water Rail a bird I am yet to photograph myself within the Kingdom. Other birds associated with wetlands seen included Grey Herons, Graceful Prinias and Great Reed Warbler a species passing through in large numbers at present across a wide front. Birds of Prey located included Western Marsh harriers, Common Kestrels and Black Kites, three species that are common winter visitors to the surroundings of Tabuk.

White-Tailed Lapwing

Wood Sandpiper

Common Snipe

Water Rail

Western Marsh Harrier

Great Reed Warbler

Graceful Prinia

Grey Heron

Black Kite

A few migrants in Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv has been sending a few photographs of birds seen in his local area around Tabuk in northwest Saudi Arabia. Some of them are still wintering species such as White Wagtail, Western Marsh Harrier, Black Kite, Red-spotted Bluethroat and Common Chiffchaff whilst others are migrants such as Eastern Black-eared Wheatear, Pallid Harrier, Ruff, Turkestan Shrike and Black-headed Wagtail. I am not sure of the status of White-tailed Lapwing and Common Kestrel in the area as they could be either winter visitors or passage migrants.

Black Kite

Red-spotted Bluethroat

Common Chiffchaff

Western Marsh Harrier

White Wagtail

Black-headed Wagtail

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Eastern Black-eared Wheatear

Pallid Harrier

Ruff

Turkestan Shrike

White-tailed Lapwing

Common Kestrel