Three Egyptian Nightjars - Judah

Whilst driving off-road along the edge of a large wire fence towards our main birding location at Judah we flushed a bird off the sand track just as it was getting light. We did not see the bird well and flew off and over the fence and could not be seen again. We were hoping it may have been an owl but the brief views gave the impression of long wings so Eurasian Kestrel was mooted as a possible ID but left unknown due to poor views. Luckily a little further down the track we flushed another bird from the edge of the track and this time got views enough to tell it was a Nightjar. We saw the bird land behind the car and got out to make sure it was an Egyptian Nightjar and not the less regularly seen Eurasian Nightjar. We located the bird and got one poor photo before it flew again and off over the fence. A third bird was watched at close range hunting moths along the fence-line as the light became better. This is the first time we have seen the species in this location and a great start top the days birding. The species is an uncommon winter and also an uncommon summer (possible breeder) visitor. Egyptian Nightjars are now an easily seen species during the summer months in the Jubail area. Birds generally turn up in early June and depart in late September and are almost always associated with areas of water and reeds with associated small Tamerisk bushes. In winter birds are seen hunting in various locations often at the edge of large desert areas.

Eurasian Wryneck – Bird record by Liam Brickwood

Liam Brickwood sent me an email recently saying he took the below photographs of a Eurasian Wryneck recently in Saudi Arabia. Liam said he took the photos from his villa on Salwa Garden Village Compound (Riyadh) on 8th February 2019. The bird is probably an early migrant as migration starts very early in KSA. Having said that it is also possible it could have wintered as there are a number of records of probable wintering individuals. Liam kindly allowed me to use his photos on my website which are reproduced below.

Winter birding - Haradh

Phil Roberts and I went for our normal winter birding trip to Haradh recently and saw a lot of good birds. Best was 14 Sociable Lapwings which I have already posted about but we also saw a number of other good winter visitors and early spring migrants. The first pivot field we stopped at had a hugh flock of over 500 Spanish Sparrows and a nice looking are of long grass next a freshly cut area. In the freshly cut area were a number of Yellow Wagtails with several White Wagtails alongside. Whilst looking at the Wagtails were heard several Common Quail calling from the nearby grass area and saw one bird in the short grass and four more were flushed from the long grass. Both Common Quail and Yellow Wagtail are early spring migrants. Whilst walking through the long grass we saw up to twenty Red-spotted Bluethroats, the largest number I have seen at a single site at the same time and several Siberian Stonechats along with European Stonechat. Several Namaqua Dove were in the same area and a few Common Kestrel were overhead and perched. Large numbers of Tawny Pipits were also in the fields and long their edges showing that migration was in progress. 

Common Kestrel 

Namaqua Dove

Tawny Pipit

Desert Hyacinth - Al Asfar Lake

Whilst birdwatching at Al Asfar Lake, near Hofuf, I saw a small number of new Desert Hyacinth Cistanche tubulosa. The Desert Hyacinth is a widely distributed annual that produces a dense pyramid spike of bright yellow flowers topped by maroon-tinted buds. The yellow flowers do not smell very nice and flies are attracted to the smell and carry the pollen on their legs from plant to plant helping with pollination. They are parasitic, one of several such plants in Arabia, and live off other plants to gain their nutritional needs, as they have no green parts or leaves to synthesize chlorophyll directly. The many tiny seeds may remain dormant for years until the roots of the host plant are close enough to trigger germination. It is one of the showiest plants of Eastern Arabia with bright yellow, dense column of flowers sometimes approaching one metre in height. It has varying flower colour with the flowers either tightly packed in the spike or loose. They are widespread on sandy or sandy-silty ground and can tolerate saline environments as well as disturbed conditions, so are often seen growing near roads or tracks in the desert or along the shores of the Arabian Gulf.

Greater Flamingo flocks – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area recently I recorded plenty of Greater Flamingos in several large groups. Numbers possibly amounted to over three thousand birds, a good count to the location. I also saw Grey-headed Swamphen a species that breed in the area as well as the less common Purple Heron and Spanish Sparrow. Wintering Daurian Shrikes were around in good numbers as well but otherwise it was relatively quiet.

Greater Flamingo

Greater Flamingo

Grey-headed-Swamphen 

Grey-headed-Swamphen

Purple Heron

Purple Heron 

Spanish Sparrows

Daurian Shrike

African Silverbills – Talea Valley

Whilst birding the Talea Valley last autumn I was sitting under some bushes waiting for Arabian Red-capped Lark to come down and drink at a water hole, a few African Silverbill landed in the tree to my side allowing me to take a few closeup photos. We get Indian Silverbill in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia where I live but African Silverbill takes its place in the west and south-west regions. Birds are almost always seen in small groups often calling to each other to keep in contact. I forgot to post the photos at the time so am doing so now.

Red-throated Pipits in large numbers - Tabuk

A trip to Tabuk in late January was very productive for Red-throated Pipits Anthus cervinus with up to three thousand birds seen in several large flocks in a couple of places. They were always associated with large pivot irrigation fields and appeared to prefer the freshly cut fields with hay-stacks. Red-throated Pipit is a common passage migrant to all areas of the Kingdom. Mainly recorded from mid-March to May in spring, with a noticeable peak in middle of April, so these birds were very early migrants or wintering birds. 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 so it would be worth checking if the species is present in the northern areas of the Kingdom in November and December to confirm their presence in winter.

Arabian Red Fox – Judah

Whilst at Judah in the early morning just as it was getting light, I spotted an Arabian Red Fox on the large sandstone cliffs. It was quite a distance from me and was aware of my presence and miainly kept partially hidden before moving off. I regularly see Arabian Red Fox bit they are almost always in Dhahran where I live and I had not seen them at Judah on previous visits. They are a common species in Saudi Arabia and occur throughput the Kingdom. The Arabian Red fox has very large ears for its size and is very thin and sandy coloured compared to the European Red Fox.

Plenty of Larks – Judah

On a winter trip to Judah, also known as Jebal Hamrah, Phil and I came across a good number of larks. They were mainly on a rough stony area between large pivot fields and consisted of a new species for Saudi Arabia for me Temminck’s Lark. There were five birds present but they never allowed close approach so only record shots were taken of them. Also alongside them were Bar-tailed Larks a species seen almost every time we go to this site and one not easy to see elsewhere. Unfortunately no Arabian (Dunn’s) Larks could be located alongside them as has happened many years previously. Other larks noted were Eurasian Skylarks and Lesser-short-toed Larks making the trip and very enjoyable one.

Bar-tailed Lark

Bar-tailed Lark

Eurasian Skylark

Lesser Short-toed Lark

Temminck's Lark

Temminck's Lark

Wheatears everywhere – Haradh

Whilst birding the pivot irrigation fields of Haradh in late January we came across large numbers of both Desert Wheatear and Isabelline Wheatear. The bird spent most of their time around the stony edge of the large pivot fields or in the field themselves where they tended to use sand banks to sit on. We saw thirty plus of both species, the largest number of Desert Wheatear I have seen in one place in the Kingdom. Desert Wheatear is common a resident species of the desert areas of the Kingdom and Isabelline Wheatear a common passage migrant, with possibly a few birds wintering. Migration starts very early in Saudi Arabia and these birds were probably on migration as other migrants such as Yellow Wagtails and Greater Short-toed Larks were in nearby fields.

Desert Wheatear

Isabelline Wheatear