Wader numbers increasing – Dhahran Expro Wader roost

The weather was overcast and cold last weekend with a sprinkling of rain and as a result conditions were not great for photography or birding. I had a couple of spare hours in the afternoon and went to Dhahran Expro Wader roost. The tide was far out but a lot of birds were feeding around the bunded areas. There was a significant increase in waders although the species make up was almost identical to the weekend before. Many more Lesser Sand Plovers were seen but they all kept their distance. A few more Whimbrel often in the grassy areas and Bar-tailed Godwit numbers had doubled. The very large numbers of Black-headed Gulls had decreased significantly but plenty of Slender-billed Gulls, some with a nice pink wash, were still present. Thousands (5,000+) Socotra Cormorants were flying past in a southerly direction to the east of the roost. Plenty of Ruff were still present with a couple if fine males in breeding plumage and a few more Ruddy Turnstones, Grey Plovers and Marsh Sandpipers were also seen.

Marsh Sandpiper

Whimbrel

Bar-tailed Godwit

Slender-billed Gull

Grey Plover

Eurasian Bittern again at Tabuk – Bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv was out and about birding his local area of Tabuk again last weekend and saw and photographed a number of good birds. Probably the best of them was a Eurasian Bittern a species that is a scarce winter visitor and passage migrant to Saudi Arabia but is almost certainly under recorded due to its secretive nature. Viv has already seen and photographed the species in Saudi Arabia, having seen one at Tabuk Wetlands 25 October 2013. Most records have been from the northern parts of the country as well as the southwest, with a few from the Eastern Province. Rob Tovey a Saudi Arabian birder, who travels extensively in search of his birds and who has been to the majority of the countries good birding spots, has also seen the species on two occasions in the last few years suggesting they occur in small number each winter. I have failed to find any in my areas of the Eastern Province and I bird the best wetland in the region, so presumably they are not common in the Eastern Province at least where Bundy et al Birds of the Eastern Province 1989 records them as a vagrant.

Eurasian Bittern

Eurasian Bittern

Eurasian Hoopoe

Western Marsh Harrier

Common Kestrel

Red-Spotted Bluethroat

Viv also saw some more common birds of the North-west of the country with Black Kite, Common Kestrel, Western Marsh Harrier, Water Rail, Eurasian Hoopoe and Red-spotted bluethroat of the svecica subspecies from northern Eurasia.

Laura the satellite tagged Baltic Gull update – Bird record by Per Hansson

Laura the satellite tagged Baltic Gull is still in a similar area to where she has been all winter (see green arrow on map below), and more detailed location from 14 February 2014. She has stayed for the last six months in a relatively small area south of Jizan towards the Yemen boarder and is in a relatively inaccessible area with few roads, just dirt tracks across the scrubby desert / sabkha and has thus so far not been photographed. She is closer to the yemen boarder than she has been all winter although still close to her original wintering area. If, however, anyone goes down this way and is in the area then Per, who is co-ordinating this study would love a photograph of her or at least the flock of birds she is associating with. It will be interesting to find out when Laura starts to move back towards her breeding area in Sweden and how long she takes to complete the journey.

Common Woodpigeon & African Olive Pigeon – Bird records by Mohammed Al Monatresh

Mansur Al Fahad sent me an e-mail a few days ago saying he had been talking with his friend Mohammed Al Monatresh about birds in Saudi Arabia when Mohammed told him he had seen two rare pigeons in the Kingdom. The first was a group of four Common Woodpigeon at Al Jouf on 29 November 2012. Common Woodpigeon is a rare winter visitor to the northern areas of Saudi Arabia with very few records. I am currently trying to find all the records of this species but am finding it difficult and I have only managed to find a single record from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The other good pigeon Mohammed saw was an African Olive Pigeon in Abha in June 2010. This species was only recorded for the first time in the country by Mike Jennings in the mid-1980’s and is almost always seen on mount Soudah near Abha with the Raydah Escarpment the best place to observe them although they are shy and difficult to observe. I would really like to thank Mansur and Mohammed for these excellent records that are very valuable, and are helping to fill in the distribution and occurrence of birds in Saudi Arabia. It is also very encouraging that local Saudi Arabian birders are finding birds in their own country now as this holds hope that bird recording will continue for many years to come. Mohammed’s excellent photographs are shown below as Mansur very kindly obtained approval from Mohammed for me to put them on my website. Well done guys, keep up the excellent work.

Common Woodpigeon

Common Woodpigeon

African Olive Pigeon

Some bird records from Dhahran and Abqaiq from the 1980’s – Bird records by Cliff Peterson

Cliff Peterson a birder who birded extensively in Saudi Arabia in the 1980’s has sent me a number of photographs, taken on film but converted to digital images.  I have selected a number of unusual species most of which I have not seen, or not taken photos of in Saudi Arabia. I appreciate the time Cliff has taken to convert the photos to digital and send them to me

Eastern Greylag Goose - This pair was present in Dhahran's Lanhardt Lake (now replaced by the percolation pond) 9 November 1985 to 26 January 1986.  Initially four birds arrived 9 November 1985 but then two of the four birds disappeared.

Ruddy Shelduck - This species frequented the Abqaiq lagoons (now fenced off I understand) and was recorded in a all months between 29 October to 20 May during 1982-1985.  Thirty-seven were counted 12 January 1984.

Western White Stork - Nine birds were found at Dhahran's Lanhardt Lake 27 August 1984 and lingered for a few days.

Eurasian Bittern - This species appeared sporadically at Abqaiq Lagoons with a maximum of 4 present 20 October 1983.  All other records were in March.

European Scops Owl - This was a wild bird that someone pulled out of a shrub in Dhahran May 1983.  It was later released.  We never saw another.

Rose-ringed Parakeet - Commonly found in Dhahran Main Camp. I also saw this bird in Qatif and Abqaiq. I had flocks up to eight and they were conspicuous due to their color and call.  My thinking is that the population size was likely limited by nesting cavities.  I have one picture of a pair using a large conduit alongside a power pole as their cavity. This image is of the male.

Eurasian Golden Oriole - This male sang every morning from the acacia trees over our house in Dhahran. It was present 16 April until we departed on leave 16 June 1984. Until the time we departed, no female appeared. I've several other records from April-May and September to October every year we were in KSA.  This was the best shot I was able to get he was quite shy.

Moustached Warbler – Sabkhat Al Fasl

While ringing last Friday we trapped and ringed a Moustached Warbler. This is a local breeder in the Central region and Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia that is only a scarce migrant and winter visitor in the north of the country. The Moustached Warbler is now quite widespread in the Eastern Province, with the first record at Sabkhat al Fasl seen in 1990 but there are no breeding records from the site as yet.  There are breeding records from nearby where Brian Meadows found them at a small wetland in Jubail as well as at nearby Khafra Marsh about 30 kilometers south. Pairs have been seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl in April and May indicating a strong likelihood of breeding.  They tend to be resident on their breeding grounds but there is evidence for an influx of birds in winter to the area. It was a surprise find as we have not ringed the species before in Bahrain and it is mentioned as a vagrant there with less than 12 records. As Nicole had ringed them before in Turkey I ringed the bird and added it to my birds ringed list. Not bad for the first ringing expedition in Saudi Arabia for us. The first breeding site in Saudi Arabia was located at Hufuf in the Eastern Province. Breeding numbers are small and it will be interesting to see if we catch more of this species as the year progresses.

Eurasian Hoopoe at Al Khobar – Bird record by Adam Richardson

Adam Richardson contacted me recently and mentioned he had, had a very nice and unexpected visitors to his compound (near the Rainbow roundabout in Al Khobar). A pair of Eurasian Hoopoe had stopped by for a visit. I have noticed myself in nearby Dhahran a few Eurasian Hoopoes appear to be on the move and may well be signs of starting migration. The species is resident in this area in small numbers so could also indicate local movement? Adam took the photographs through the window and some of the shots were unable to be captured in focus due to the close proximity (less than 3 metres). Adam has kindly allowed me to use his photos on my website three of which are reproduced below.

Plenty of Pallid Swifts, House Martins and Barn Swallows – Dhahran Hills

As mentioned a week or so ago the first signs of spring migration are appearing with the most obvious being the large numbers of Pallid Swifts seen over the pond and spray fields in the evening. The maximum count I have had was over 300 birds plus 25 House Martins and eight Barn Swallows. The numbers are higher this winter/spring than in previous years suggesting the species may have had a good breeding season last year? Other indications of possible movements are the small number of Eurasian Teal seen on the percolation pond in recent weeks with a maximum of eight seen during the last week. Mats, another birder, told me he had seen the Western Osprey by the pond and a Eurasian Sparrowhawk continues to hunt around the area. I saw a Daurian Shrike along the edge of the spray field and otherwise a few small flocks of House Sparrows and Common Mynas make up the majority of the other birds seen.

Pallid Swift

Pallid Swift

White-eared Bulbul

House Sparrow - female

House Sparrow - female

Daurian Shrike

Red-vented Bulbul at Udhailiyah Heights – Bird record by Nishan Xavier

Nishan Xavier sent me this beautiful photo of a Red-vented Bulbul he took on 31 January 2014 in Udhailiyah Heights and has kindly allowed me to use it on my website. This is not a common species in the Easter Province and in Dhahran I have only had a few records with most sightings being in my garden. Having said that I have only seen them on a few occasions. Birds have bred in a few Gulf towns and are originally from introduced or escaped birds. They are self-sustaining now in a few scattered areas but not easy to see and this is easily the best photo I have seen of the species in Saudi Arabia.

Red-vented Bulbul

Nishan also sent me great photographs of a Eurasian Hoopoe and White-eared Bulbul, two commoner species, from the same site taken on 7 February that he has also allowed me to use - see below.

Eurasian Hoopoe

White-eared Bulbul

Ringing in Saudi Arabia - Sabkhat Al Fasl

After many years trying, I have finally managed to obtain permission to ring in Saudi Arabia from the Saudi Wildlife Authority. This will allow me to stay in the country that I am really interested in birding, rather than having to go to Bahrain to ring as previously. The main issue with Bahrain, apart from it not being my country of residence, and thus less interesting to me bird wise, is the trouble trying to get across the causeway. The customs and passport control can take anything from a few minutes to several hours and you are never really sure which one it will be. With my skill of always choosing the slowest moving queue, it was never a pleasant experience. I am very grateful to the Saudi Wildlife Authority, especially Ammar from Jubail for granting me permission as well as Mohammad Shobrak for putting me in contact with the correct people. I now have the Saudi Arabian bird rings in my possession and a signed letter from the Saudi Wildlife Authority for me to ring at Sabkhat Al Fasl as well as Dhahran and I am a very happy man. All the data gathered on the birds we ring will be passed on the Saudi Wildlife Authority for processing and safekeeping. Hopefully this will be a long a fruitful experience for both me as well as the Authority.

Common Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Clamorous Reed Warbler

Bluethroat

Bluethroat

Red-spotted Bluethroat

Red-spotted Bluethroat

Nicole and I went to Sabkhat Al Fasl on Friday 7 February for our first outing using Saudi Arabian rings and as such we were not sure where to set the nets. As I know this area very well I choose a place I thought would be good and quiet. We only set three nets as we started catching birds as soon as the first net was up. Unfortunately the wind got up and stopped ringing a bit early but we managed to catch a few good birds. Some of the birds caught we could not ring as we did not have the correct rings from Saudi Arabia, such as two female Common Kingfishers and a Graceful Prinia. We did ring nine Clamorous Reed Warblers, two Red-spotted Bluethroats and a new ringing species for me that I will post about later.