Male & female Hypocolius – Al Uqair

I posted photos of Hypocolius that are wintering in the Al Uqair area recently with birds perched together, in flight as well as drinking. Here are some more photos of males and females, showing the obvious differences between the sexes. This species is much sought after by birdwatchers as they mainly occur in difficult to access areas, such as Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia and they are a family on their own. Birds are relatively easy to see in Saudi Arabia in their favoured wintering sites but much more difficult to see elsewhere and on migration.

Hyaena in the Southwest Mountains – Record by Phil Roberts

Whilst in the southwest mountains of Saudi Arabia in winter this year Phil Roberts set up his camera trap and left it out for a few days in the same location. Whilst doing this he managed to get some photos of Striped Hyaena Hyaena hyaena sultana on more than one day. Phil has kindly allowed me to use his photos on my website, some of which are shown below. Striped Hyaena have a body length of 1.1 metres, a tail length of 20 cms and they weigh between 35 and 40 kgs. They are grey or pale brown in colour with 5 – 9 dark coloured, vertical stripes on their flanks. They have a mane on their neck and shoulders, a bushy tail, rounded head with pointed ears set high on their heads and have a black, pointed muzzle. On each foot they have four toes with blunt, non-retractable claws. Their front legs are longer than their hind which gives their back a sloping appearance and they have powerful jaws with strong teeth. Striped Hyenas have excellent senses of vision, hearing and smell. They are usually silent but will vocalize if excited or threatened. When they feel threatened they are able to erect their mane and the hairs on their back to make themselves appear much larger. Dwindling numbers of the Striped Hyena exist in Saudi Arabia where they have lived for thousands of years as hyaena rock art is engraved on mountain rocks in different parts of the Kingdom. They live in open land close to agricultural areas, as well as in wadis and lava fields (Harat), and live a nomadic lifestyle. The below photos were taken on different days.

Several hundred Hypocolius – Al Uqair

I went to Al Uqair in mid-January in the hope of see the Hypocolius that are wintering in the area. In November I saw over a hundred birds but in late December only seven. I was trying to see if the birds had departed or were still present and was surprised to see several hundred birds, possibly as many as 300. The birds were few and far between in the very early morning but as the sun rose they started flying in from other areas. They appeared to be mainly coming to drink from a small area of pools by the sea, where presumably there is some fresh water. Birds would gather in the trees near the waters edge and then fly down to drink briefly before flying off. As the sun was out it gave good opportunities to photograph the birds both at rest as well as drinking. The birds were continually calling their soft calls whilst in the trees but as it was windy it was difficult to tell where they were calling from. Hypocolius have been recorded at this location for the last three winters with another large flock of about 100 birds at Haradh over the same period. Birds have also been seen in good numbers near Buraydah this winter. 

 

Indian Porcupine in the Southwest Mountains – Record by Phil Roberts

Whilst in the southwest mountains of Saudi Arabia in winter this year Phil Roberts set up his camera trap and left it out for a few days in the same location. Whilst doing this he managed to get some photos of Indian porcupine Hystrix indica. The species is found throughout southeast and central Asia and in parts of the Middle East, including India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Israel, Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Indian porcupine is highly adaptable to multiple environments, although they usually favor rocky hill sides reaching up to elevations of 2400 metres. On average, the Indian porcupine's head and body measure 70-90 centimeters (cm) in length, with the tail adding an additional 8-10 cm (Prater 1965). Its hair is highly modified to form multiple layers of spines. Beneath the longer, thinner spines lies a layer of shorter and thicker ones. Each quill is brown or black in color, with alternating bands of white. Spines vary in length, with the neck and shoulder quills being the longest, measuring 15 to 30 cm (Gurung and Singh 1996). The tail is covered with with shorter spines that appear white in color. Among these, are longer, hollow, rattling quills that are used to alarm potential predators. The feet and hands are broad, with long claws that are used for burrowing.

Birding Deffi Park in winter

Deffi Park in the winter is an excellent place to see Crested Honey Buzzard that have been wintering there every winter for the past six years. The last couple of times I have been I have seen a Crested Honey Buzzard but they have not been very confiding. I also saw an active bee nest in the park, the food that the Crested Hone Buzzards prefer. The park is also one of the best places in the Eastern Province to see Masked Shrike in the winter where up to three birds spend the winter. Apart from a number of Common Chiffchaff the only other interesting species was Red-throated Pipit where up to seven birds were seen feeding on the grass along with two Water Pipits.

Crested Honey Buzzard

Honey Bee nest

Masked Shirke

Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit

Red-throated Pipit

Mediterranean Tiger Blue – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst walking around the Waste Water Lake in Dhahran in mid-January I saw a Mediterranean Tiger Blue Tancus rosaceus butterfly. These butterflies are not common in the Dhahran area but can sometimes be seen in the early part of the year until April. They are small at approximately 18-22 mm in size. It is like Little Tiger Blue Tarucus balkanicus but the underside of the hind-wing line proximal to spots is broken at the veins. The upperside of the wing of the male is blue with fewer spots, whilst the females are hard to separate. The family Tarucus is commonly known as Blue Pierrots and the caterpillars are typically feed on Zizyphus, a genus of spiny shrubs and small trees in the Buckthorn family and are attended by ants.

Pied Kingfisher – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

The day after I saw two Pied Kingfishers together in Jubail I found another bird on my local patch of the Dhahran Waste Water Lake, perched on some dead branches above the water. Pied Kingfisher a vagrant to Dhahran where they have been seen on the percolation pond and the small pond on the golf course. Records occurred from 22 October 2009 when a solitary bird was present for at least five days and a single bird on the golf course pond 13 – 18 February 2015. This is only the third time I have seen them in Dhahran and the first time at the Waste Water Lake. It has a status in Saudi Arabia as an uncommon winter visitor that feeds mainly on small fish as well as a range of other animals, including amphibians, crustaceans and insects. Its normal method of fishing is to watch from an exposed perch above the water but also regularly hovers over the water before diving in to catch its prey.

Carmine Darter – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake recently I came across a few Carmine Darter Crocothemis erythraea. The Carmine Darter is a common dragonfly throughout the Middle East, including Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Oman. The male is carmine red, while the female is a significantly drabber yellow-buff colour with two paler marks on top of the thorax. It is a medium-sized dragonfly approximately 52mm in length. The abdomen is wider than other members of the family, flattened and tapering to the end. It is widespread in the Arabian Peninsula where it prefers a habitat of rocky areas and dry watercourses as well as shallow, still, eutrophic waters such as small ponds, paddy fields, and desert pools, but it avoids oases. Adults only live for up to two months. Adults spend much of their time perched on vegetation although they have a fast, darting flight and hover frequently.

Adult Indian Roller – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

I visited the Dhahran Waste Water Lake at first light in late December and saw the Indian Roller perched on the overhead power lines. Unfortunately, it did not stay long before flying off, but I got a couple of photos shown above. This bird has been around since 22 September 2023 but I have only seen it a few times, mostly on the Dhahran Cricket Field or nearby. I assume it spends most of its time on the out of bounds golf course, but this has not been proven yet. Indian Roller has a status in Saudi Arabia as a rare winter visitor, with the only recent records I know being an adult, Mansouriyah, Riyadh, 21 December 1989; an adult, Thumamah, Riyadh, 8 October 1999 until 17 February 2000 and the wintering bird in Dhahran from 2020 returning each year. 

Desert White – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

Whilst birding Dhahran in December I came across a couple of Desert White Butterfly Pontia glauconome. I have been seeing this butterfly for the last couple of months in the same area around the Waste Water Lake. This is a striking white butterfly of arid regions occurring in deserts and on mountain slopes and foothills with sparse vegetation, up to around 2000 metres above sea level. The Desert White is a widespread species, ranging from North Africa through Arabia and the Middle East to Central Asia, Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is a small white butterfly (10-15mm) whose antennae are clubbed, ending in a white tip. The inside of the forewings are black tip with white dots. Underside of both wings has characteristic yellow veins, with light brown colour pattern and they have large round compound eyes with black dots. It is relatively common from early March to early December in a multitude of overlapping broods that differ from area to area depending on the rains. The Desert White is variable especially with regard to the amount of ‘green’ pigmentation on the underside that can be very heavy to almost absent. This variability can be large and can even occur between generations.