Dyer’s Croton - Hanidh

Whilst birding the Hanidh area in summer I came across some Dyer’s Croton Chrozophora tinctorial. This plant is native to the Mediterranean, the Middle East, India, Pakistan, and Central Asia. It is an annual, typically found in nutrient-poor ground where it develops a large taproot. The plant is erect and covered with wool-like hairs and is pollination is by ants. Dyer’s Croton can produce a blue-purple colorant "turnsole" (also known as katasol or folium) used in medieval illuminated manuscripts and as a food colorant in Dutch cheese and certain liquors. The colour comes from the plant's fruit, specifically its dry outer coat.

Juvenile Striated Heron - Jubail

Phil Roberts and I found a juvenile Striated Heron near Jubail 10 July 2020. Phil had seen two adults in the same general area for a week or so before we located the juvenile. This is the first evidence of breeding in the Eastern Province where the species is a rare but increasing species. They are common breeding residents on the coasts of the Red Sea but is rare in the northern part of the Arabian Gulf including the Eastern Province. The increase in records in recent years shows that birds are spreading northwards and look likely to become a regular feature of the Eastern Province avifauna.

Blubber Jellyfish - Half Moon Bay

Recently at Half Moon Bay on the Arabian Gulf coast, near Al Khobar, I saw a small number of Blubber Jellyfish (also known as Blue Blubber Jellyfish) Catostylus cf mosaicus. Half Moon Bay is a shallow and warm coastal area with the jellyfish having a translucent sub-hemispherical bell up to 35 centimetres across and eight conical arms without clubs or filamanets. They are quite common in the shallow coastal waters of Half Moon Bay, Dhahran and along the coast southwards to Abu Dhabi (United Arab Emirates) at certain times of the year, mainly the spring and summer. During the day the Blubber Jellyfish swims close to the water surface to obtain sunlight which it converts to energy. They come in various colours from translucent greyish white, like the ones at Half Moon Bay, to blue-green or even bright blue and reddish.

Black-crowned Night Heron - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area I found a second summer Black-crowned Night Heron. The light was poor by the time I located the bird so the photographs are not the best. Black-crowned Night Heron is an uncommon migrant to most areas of Saudi Arabia and the date of early July for this record is very early for a migrant. In the Eastern Province it is an uncommon migrant noted more often in autumn than spring. Juveniles occur from September through November and sometimes into February. Spring occurrences are irregular from April to May. In the Riyadh area they are a common spring and autumn passage migrant passing early February to early June and again from late July to early November and rarely as late as December with birds now regularly breeding in the area. 

Blanford's short-nosed desert lizard - Wannan

Whilst birding the Wannan Area of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia I saw a small lizard in the heat of the day (46 degrees Celsius) in a gravel area with wind-blown sand and small plants. It turned out to be a Blanford's short-nosed desert lizard Mesalina brevirostris a species of sand-dwelling lizard in the family Lacertidae and a species I had not seen previously. It occurs from two localities in Turkey, through much of Syria, eastern Lebanon, and most of Jordan to the northern Arabian Peninsula (northern Saudi Arabia, Kuwait United Arab Emirates), east to Iraq, Iran, Pakistan and Punjab, northern India. It occurs from sea level up to at least 900 metres. There is an isolated population in the southern part of the Sinai Peninsula (Egypt), and on the Tiran Islands. It is found in a wide variety of arid areas with hard substrates such as gravelly plains with sparse vegetation, and in coastal areas. It is also known from gravel plains and blown sand areas in wadis. The female lays five clutches of between one and six eggs per year. I thank Mansur Al Fahad, a brilliant local naturalist for his help with the identification of the lizard.

Breeding Egyptian Nightjars – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area in the summer we saw a number of juvenile Egyptian Nightjars. The plumage was very fresh with neat white fringed coverts forming neat lines across the wing. Birds appeared pale compared to the darker adults (see bottom four photos below). We found two adults and a juvenile together that remained in the same area for at least a week suggesting breeding. In total eleven birds were seen in early July, the highest number for the month so far. Breeding has long been suspected at this location and the fact that this year birds were proved to have bred in Qatif in KSA and the young and adult remained together suggests these birds are local rather than from elsewhere in the nearby region.

Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard - Wannan

Whilst searching the desert areas in the middle of summer we found an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard. I saw the lizard running very quickly across the stoney desert before if sat down to hide as it was too far from its burrow to make it back safely. I took a couple of photos before it ran off again, made it to its burrow and disappeared. This individual was bright yellow in colour as it had obviously spent time warming up in the hot sunshine as the temperature was 46 degreed Celsius. These lizards are relatively common and widespread across Saudi Arabia preferring hard stony ground to excavate their holes. They are ground dwelling and live in some of the most arid regions of the planet. The Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia microlepisoccurs in the Eastern Province and is generally regarded as a subspecies of the Egyptian Spiny-tailed Lizard Uromastyx aegyptia. It is locally known to the Arabs as 'Dhub'.

Greater Hoopoe-Lark - Hanidh

Whilst birding a desert area near Hanidh in the Eastern Province I came across a Greater Hoopoe-Lark. I had heard birds calling in this area in early spring but could not locate them so was happy to see a bird. The birds are almost always on the move so getting good photos of them is not so easy. The Greater Hoopoe-Lark is a common breeding resident in all sandy desert areas of the Kingdom including the Empty Quarter, the desert regions of the Southern Red Sea and the Tihamah. They are uncommon in the North-west.

Blandford's Agama - Wannan

Whilst searching the desert areas in the middle of summer we found very few birds of interest but a couple of lizards. One was a Blandford's Agama Trapelus ruderatus that was out hunting in the sparse vegetation and 46 degrees Celsius temperatures. This lizard has a range from north-eastern Jordan and southern Syria, through northern and eastern Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and southern and central Iran as far south as Shiraz. The species occurs from close to sea level to around 1,000 metres above sea level. It can be moderately common in suitable habitat. This ground-dwelling species is associated with low shrubs (Nitraria) on the fringe of sandy dunes in arid areas and in sandy desert areas. It can sometimes be found perching on bushes but is not found in modified areas. 

Sand Partridge – Abha area

Whilst birding an area of Abha without access to the general public, I came across a few Sand Partridge. I had not managed to get any decent photographs of this species since I arrived in Saudi Arabia so was pleased to see the birds and get the below photos. Sand Partridge has a large range, and is mainly found down the western side of the Kingdom where it is a common breeding resident of the Northern Hejaz. It is also common in Central Arabia and the desert fringes of Asir and Hejaz. They are locally common on the Tuwaiq Escarpment where groups of up to 70 have been seen together at waterholes, and it occurs as far east as Riyadh. They have not been seen yet in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia where I live.