Mole Cricket – Dhahran Hills

The Mole Cricket is an impressive and unusual looking insect from the family Gryllotalpidae measuring 3-5 cm long and as it is nocturnal they are seldom seen. When my wife showed me the insect in our garage I had no idea what it was, but luckily Mansur Al Fahad a local birdwatcher is excellent at identifying most living things and quickly replied with the identification, for which I am very grateful.  The scientific name derives from the Latin 'gryllus' meaning cricket and 'talpa', mole, and refers to its similarity to a mole in both looks and subterranean habits. The body is brown in colour and covered with fine velvety hairs, and the forelegs are greatly modified for digging with hands like a mole. Only the adult stages are winged, and flight is said to be clumsy and directionless although powerful and only performed on rare occasions at night. Adults and nymphs can be found throughout the year in extensive tunnel systems that may reach a depth of over one metre. There are several types of mole crickets that are omnivorous, feeding on a range of soil invertebrates and plant roots and can be pests of market garden crops and palm trees. Common predators of mole crickets include birds, rats, foxes, and lizards. They are all of similar appearance and adapted for tunneling just below the surface of the soil in damp places. They occur throughout Europe, except Norway and Finland, through the Middle East to western Asia and North Africa.

Mole Cricket

Mole Cricket

Western White Stork ringing recoveries - Rafha

A number of ringing recoveries of Western White Stork Ciconia ciconia have recently been sent to me by Mike Jennings to who I am very grateful. The birds colour rings were collected by a hunter who shot them near Rafha Saudi Arabia (29º 38´N 43º 30´E) and were sent by Abdullah al Kaabi, an A license bird ringer from Bahrain to Mike. Mike sent the details off and received the below details of the birds involved. Although Western White Stork is a scarce bird in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia it is commoner on the west coast where large flocks are sometimes seen. These birds were in the north central part of Saudi Arabia near to the Iraq border.

Western White Stork route

Western White Stork

White Stork Ciconia ciconia

Ring Number: 1613, Colour rings MG/GU/RÖ
Ringing date: 3-Jul-2013

Ringing Place: SWEDEN, SKÅNE, VEBERÖD, VOMBS ÄNGAR (Co-ords: 55º 40´N 13º 30´E)
Status: Nestling, 2 young in brood
Finding date: 25-Aug-2014
Finding Place: Near Rafha Saudi Arabia Co-ords: 29º 38´N 43º 30´E
Finding Condition: Shot by hunter
Duration: 418 days
Distance: 3737 km
Direction: 128deg (SE)
Finder: Abdulla al Kaabi

White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Ring Number: 1639, Colour rings MG/RÖ/LG
Ringing date: 18-Jun-2013

Ringing Place: SWEDEN, SKÅNE, VEBERÖD, Ö TVET ÄNGAR (Co-ords: 55º 40´N 13º 31´E)
Status: Nestling, 2 young in brood
Finding date: 25-Aug-2014
Finding Place: Near Rafha Saudi Arabia Co-ords: 29º 38´N 43º 30´E
Finding Condition: Shot by hunter
Duration: 433 days
Distance: 3736 km
Direction: 128deg (SE)
Finder: Abdulla al Kaabi

White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Ring Number: 1645, Colour rings MG/LB/RO
Ringing date: 18-Jun-2013

Ringing Place: SWEDEN, SKÅNE, VEBERÖD, Ö TVET (Co-ords: 55º 40´N 13º 31´E)
Status: Nestling, 3 young in brood
Finding date: 25-Aug-2014
Finding Place: Near Rafha Saudi Arabia Co-ords: 29º 38´N 43º 30´E
Finding Condition: Shot by hunter
Duration: 433 days
Distance: 3736 km
Direction: 128deg (SE)
Finder: Abdulla al Kaabi

White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Ring Number: 1649, Colour rings MG/LB/LG
Ringing date: 18-Jun-2013
Ringing Place: SWEDEN, SKÅNE, SÖVDE, KARUPS NYGÅRD (Co-ords: 55º 36´N 13º 39´E)
Status: Nestling, 1 young in brood
Finding date: 25-Aug-2014
Finding Place: Near Rafha Saudi Arabia Co-ords: 29º 38´N 43º 30´E
Finding Condition: Shot by hunter
Duration: 433 days
Distance: 3725 km
Direction: 128deg (SE)
Finder: Abdulla al Kaabi

White Stork Ciconia ciconia
Ring Number: 1696, Colour rings MG/LG/MG
Ringing date: 25-Jun-2013
Ringing Place: SWEDEN, SKÅNE, SÖVDE, KARUPS NYGÅRD (Co-ords: 55º 36´N 13º 39´E)
Status: Nestling, 2 young in brood
Finding date: 25-Aug-2014
Finding Place: Near Rafha Saudi Arabia Co-ords: 29º 38´N 43º 30´E
Finding Condition: Shot by hunter
Duration: 426 days
Distance: 3725 km
Direction: 128deg (SE)
Finder: Abdulla al Kaabi

Three new ringing species for the project – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing on 10 April Nicole and I trapped and ringed three new species for our Sabkhat Al Fasl ringing project. These were Tree Pipit, Eurasian Wryneck and European Bee-eater. Tree Pipits were very common at the location but they are clever birds with good eyesight and see the nets and avoid them. We caught four birds in total and all were gently walked into the nets in the very early morning. As it became lighter the birds easily avoided the nets and no further birds of this species were trapped. For most of the morning large numbers of European Bee-eaters were flying over calling all the time and I mentioned it would be great to catch one. We did not have any real expectations as catching high flying bee-eaters in mist nets is not so easy, but luckily one flew into a net and was trapped and ringed. They are very gentle birds in the hand and extremely beautiful, so was a very welcome addition to our ringed species for the site. The last new species was a Eurasian Wryneck that was caught, ringed and released and then was caught in a different net later in the day and released again. All three of these species are regular passage migrants through the region with Tree Pipit and European Bee-eater being common passage migrants and Eurasian Wryneck an uncommon passage migrant. It is a little surprising that we had not caught Tree Pipit before as they are common at the location in April and May but as mentioned they can see the nets easily and avoid them. We now go much earlier to have the nets set before it is really light and this accounted for all the birds we caught so this fact alone was probably the reason for catching them this time.

European Bee-eater

European Bee-eater

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Eurasian Wryneck

Eurasian Wryneck

Eurasian Wryneck

Eurasian Wryneck

Returning breeding Caspian Reed Warbler – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing on 10 April 2015 we re-trapped an adult Caspian Reed Warbler with a ring showing we had ringed the bird before on 2 May 2014 at the same location. Interestingly on both occasions the bird had a brood patch showing it was breeding at the location. Caspian Reed Warblers have been noted as a breeding species here previously with up to 70 breeding pairs estimated, but this shows that the bird has bred in the same place in consecutive years. The Caspian (Eurasian) Reed Warbler A. s. fuscus is a common passage migrant and uncommon breeding species seen from early February to May and late July to early November in Saudi Arabia. The species has been proposed as being resident in the Eastern Province but this is not borne out by our ringing data, where we only caught birds during migration and the summer months. Birds were first seen at the site on 31 January when six singing birds were seen and numbers increased over the next three months. All birds trapped and ringed were Caspian Reed Warbler A. s. fuscus. Small reed warblers with wing lengths as small as 61mm have been noted in Israel and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia as well as Bahrain. These birds have in the past been confused for Blyth’s Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum due to their short wing length. We have also caught Reed Warblers with short wing lengths of 61mm on 2 May 2014 and one with a wing length of 60 mm on 10 April 2015 and it would be interesting to find out where these birds originate from.

Caspian Reed Warbler

Caspian Reed Warbler

Caspian Reed Warbler

Collared Flycatcher near Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv Wilson photographed an adult male Collared Flycatcher near to Tabuk 11 April 2015 and sent the photos to a number of local birdwatchers and Rob Tovey identified the bird from the photos. Collared Flycathcer Ficedula albicollis is a rare bird in Saudi Arabia, with all records coming from the west of the country, although they are probably under recorded. The first records are the specimens collected by Meinertzhagen and consisted of two males and a female obtained at Hadda near Mecca 10 March 1948. Since then the only records I know of were singles seen by Brian Meadows 27 April 1988, 3 May1985 and 7-8 May 1986. A bird was found in the southwest of the Kingdom by King at Rhein-Ruhr camp 5 at kilometre 340 on the Taif/Abha road 22 April 1977. Females are very difficult to identify and there have been birds claimed

Male Semi-collared Flycatcher in Dhahran – Bird record by Mats Ris

Mats Ris sent me a couple of photos of a male Semi-collared Flycatcher taken near his house on the edge of Dhahran Golf course. He had seen my post on one on the golf course the week before and wondered if it was the same bird. Mats bird was different to mine and Phil Roberts also saw another in a different area of Dhahran around the same time. This shows there has been a good passage this year so far as they are scarce in the region. Semi-collared Flycatcher Ficedula semitorquata is a scarce passage migrant to all areas of Saudi Arabia with birds passing through from March to early May and again in September to early October. Mats also saw one last year near to his house so it looks like the golf course area is the best area in Dhahran for seeing the species.

Caucasian Bluethroat trapped and ringed – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing on 10 April we trapped and ringed a Caucasian Bluethroat Luscinia svecica magna, which is lumped with White-spotted Bluethroat Luscinia svecica cyanecula, which in turn is often lumped with Red-spotted Bluethroat Luscinia svecica. This is the first time I have seen this sub-species in Saudi Arabia although they are seen regularly in nearby Kuwait to the north of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia White-spotted Bluethroat is a scarce passage migrant although status of this subspecies is not well known. It is difficult to work out the true status of White-spotted Bluethroat or Caucasian Bluethroat as it is not possible to identify them outside of males in breeding plumage a plumage that it is rarely seen in the winter months. A really gppd thing about ringing is you can see if the bluethroat of magna is really completely blue or hiding some white spot feathers underneath the blue feathers. This bird had a completely blue throat. L. s. magna breed from Turkey, Caucasus area and northwest Iran and winter in Arabia and northeast Africa where small numbers occur in northeast Sudan and Ethiopia. In the region passage birds are mainly seen in the United Arab Emirates in April as well as in Bahraina and Kuwait around the same time. With these locations and dates, it is not surprising they also occur in eastern Saudi Arabia in April.

Roughtail Rock Agama near Tabuk – Record by Viv Wilson

The Roughtail Rock Agama Laudakia stellio is also known as a Hardim or Star Lizard and is a species of agamid lizard found in Greece, Central Macedonia, Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, northern Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, Jordan and Israel. Like many agamas it can change colour to express its moods. The name ‘stellion’ comes from Latin stellio, stēlio (stelliōn-, stēliōn-), which referred to any spotted lizard, from stella star. It has a flat triangular head and a flat short body with long legs. It hibernates during winter. Its diet consists of mainly insects and plants. They are a rock-dwelling species of lizards inhabiting dry areas and even though it is very cautious and hides as soon as it perceives danger, during the mating season the males defend their territory by putting themselves in prominent positions, displaying their intentions by a characteristic nodding movement of the head. It is a large (up to 30 centimetres), robust lizard with a flattened, spiny body, a wide, triangular head, long legs and a long tail. The neck is particularly spiny, and rows of spines run across the body, flanks and tail and is capable of quite rapid colour changes, typically becoming lighter when warm and darker when cold. Dominant male starred agamas are particularly brightly coloured, often showing reddish-brown, turquoise and tan markings. They are generally light or dark brown to grey or charcoal-coloured, with a series of yellowish, diamond-shaped markings along the back. The throat may be flecked with dark spots, and the tail often has conspicuous bars. However, it is quite variable in appearance across its range, with individuals from some areas having pale yellow or red heads and unspotted throats. They have sharp claws that help it to climb on rocks, walls, buildings and trees. Viv Wilson photographed this lizard on the rocks near Tabuk and has kindly allowed me to use the photographs on my website.

Red-throated and Tree Pipits – Dhahran Hills golf course

A trip to Dhahran Hills golf course in early April allowed me to scan the grassy fairways near to the walking path. Here I saw plenty of pipits of two different species. The majority were Red-throated Pipit Anthus cervinus with up to ten in small flocks in a couple of places. Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis was also seen but in much smaller numbers of twos or threes. The Tree Pipits were seen on the grass as well as in the nearby trees and hedges. Red-throated Pipit is also a common passage migrant to all areas of the Kingdom. Recorded from mid-March to May in spring, with a noticeable peak in middle of April. Lower numbers are seen in autumn between early-October and late-November when it is generally uncommon with a few wintering in Central and eastern areas as well as Tabuk. A large flock of 250 were seen at TADCO farm, 20 February 2009 in the north of the country that may have been wintering birds or early migrants. Tree Pipit is a common passage migrant to all areas of Saudi Arabia that are recorded in spring mainly from mid-March to late-April, in numbers up to 20 birds, and in much lower numbers, during autumn between September and October and also occasionally November. Early birds are sometimes seen in January and February and numbers fluctuate widely each year with sometimes very few and other years hundreds.

Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Tree Pipit

Mexican Poppy – Wadi Thee Gazal

The Mexican Poppy Argemone mexicana is a species of poppy originally from Mexico but now widely naturalized around the world including Saudi Arabia. It is an extremely hardy pioneer plant that is tolerant of drought. It grows in sandy, well-drained soil preferring dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought but not shade. They grow up to 150 cm tall with its stem branched and usually extremely prickly. It exudes a yellow juice when cut and has showy yellow flowers. The leaves are thistle-like and alternate, without leaf stalks, toothed and the margins are spiny. The grey-white veins stand out against the bluish-green upper leaf surface. The stem is oblong in cross-section. The flowers are at the tips of the branches and solitary, yellow and of 2.5-5 cm diameter. This plant was found growing along the side of a small road in Wadi Thee Gazal near Taif where a number were seen in a small area of the location.