Male Common Kingfisher Al Khobar – Bird records by Tyrone Diesca

Tyrone Diesca sent me some photos of a Common Kingfisher he saw with his birding friend Sisar Solesta and has given me permission to use them on my website. The photos were taken on the morning of 7 November 2014 at south corniche lagoon, Al Khobar with a 200mm lens. The Common Kingfisher is a common winter visitor to Saudi Arabia where it is always seen near water and mostly near to the coast. Interestingly most birds seen are females and at Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail, Eastern Province we catch and ring quite a few birds with almost all being females. The photo that Tyrone has sent shows a male as it has a completely black bill and these are seen much less frequently than females although they are also regular.

Amazing number of Common Pochards and other ducks – Dhahran Hills

As I have mentioned a few times this autumn has been a bit disappointing for birds but to help rectify the situation duck numbers have been very good with record counts of Ferruginous Ducks on the ‘patch’. On 5 November I  also had a record count of Common Pochard with 39 birds seen. A single bird was seen several weeks ago that was quickly joined by a second bird. Then about a week later numbers had increased to ten birds and now to 39. Also good numbers of other ducks were present with 45 Northern Shoveler, two Gadwall, one female Pintail and 11 Ferruginous Ducks. Gadwall and Pintail are scarce birds on the pond so it was a good evenings count of ducks. Unfortunately there was nothing else of note at all possible due to the high winds we have been experiencing recently.

Northern Shoveler

A few migrants near Tabuk – bird records by Viv Wilson

Viv Wilson has been sending me a few photos of his recent birding trips and has kindly allowed me to use them on my website. He has been seeing quite a few migrants in the last couple of weeks many of which I am struggling to see in any numbers in the Eastern Province this autumn. Migrants seen include Squacco Herons, Spotted Flycatchers, Common Redstarts, Barn Swallows, Common Kestrels, Pallid Harriers & Yellow Wagtails.

Squacco Heron

Barn Swallow 

Pallid Harrier

Pallid Harrier

Yellow Wagtail

Spotted Flycatcher

Common Redstart

Common Kestrel

Eurasian Wryneck at Udhailiyyah – Bird records by Nishan Xavier

The Eurasian Wryneck is an uncommon passage migrant throughout the whole of Saudi Arabia, mainly seen in late March to late April and late August to early October. There have been a few winter records but these are scarce. Most records are from under tress or shrubs where they are seen on the ground eating ants. The below photographs have been taken by Nishan in Udhailiyyah in the Eastern Province and he has kindly given me permission to publish them on my website.

Greater Spotted Eagles – Sabkhat Al Fasl

The Greater Spotted Eagle is a species that is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red list 2013 as it has a population that appears to be declining due to extensive habitat loss and persistent persecution. It is an uncommon winter visitor in Saudi Arabia with a wide distributed, mainly in the north, northwest & Eastern Province, although birds are also seen in the Western Highlands and west coasts areas. Sabkhat Al Fasl is an excellent place to see the species where often a number of birds can be seen flying overhead. Whilst ringing at the site on 31 October I saw five Greater Spotted Eagles in flight along with a single Eastern Imperial Eagle. Most birds were juveniles as is normally the case at the location. Birds turn up in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia in September and normally stay until April but birds have been seen here every month of the year. Summer records are rare but birds have been seen each summer since 2009. The pale form fulvescens is rarely seen and the rough estimate for Arabia is 2-3% of birds fit this type, although they appear scarcer than this in Saudi Arabia. High counts at Sabkhat Al Fasl in recent winters have been thirteen on 2 February 2012 and fifteen including thirteen juveniles16 November 2013 with ten staying until March 2014.

Late October bird records from Ad Duwaihy – Bird records by Dan Sonnenberg

Dan Sonnenberg is working at Ad Duwaihy east of Taif and has sent an update of the birds he has been seeing including an Ortolan Bunting today, and unknown nightjar flying over camp at dusk. A Single White Stork 29 October, a good bird for the region of Saudi Arabia. He also saw a couple of Spotted Flycatchers in camp with a lot of White Wagtails around, showing they are returning for the winter n earnest now. Dan also saw quite a few Great Reed Warblers 27 October matching nicely the numbers seen in Dhahran and caught at Sabkhat Al Fasl showing they are passing on a broad front at the moment. A number of Siberian Stonechats, one male adult and several females/juveniles and a Willow Warbler 30 October. Dan also located a beautiful Greater Hoopoe Lark and a flock of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters flying south. I thank Dan for sending me the data from this under recorded part of Saudi Arabia.

Western White Stork

Greater Hoopoe Lark

Savi's Warbler trapped and ringed - Sabkhat Al Fasl

Last Friday Nicole and I trapped and ringed our second Savi’s Warbler of the autumn at Sabkhat Al Fasl. This is quite a late date for the species in Saudi Arabia where most autumn records occur in September. Up until recently the status of Savi’s Warbler was thought to be a rare passage migrant at Sabkhat Al Fasl (Symens & Suhaibani 1996), but records from the site over 2014 have indicated that it is an uncommon passage migrant from late February until May and scarce from August to October. Some birds stay in the same area for a few weeks in spring but there are no indications of birds breeding. During ringing at the site this year we have trapped and ringed a single bird in the spring on 18 April between a small reed patch and the main reedbeds and another two in the autumn on 26 September and 24 October in the main reed beds. The subspecies of Savi’s Warbler that occurs in the region is Locustella luscinoides fusca which is more olive brown with paler under-parts and more obvious white tips to the under-tail coverts than the nominate European form L l luscinodes making it look slightly different and more like a River Warbler. L l fusca breeds in Turkey & Jordon eastwards to central Asia including north and south Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, north-east Iran and probably north-west Afghanistan. They winter in north-east Africa principally in Sudan & Ethiopia.

Thrush Nightingale at Udhailiyyah – Bird records by Nishan Xavier

Nishan has sent me a few photographs of Thrush Nightingale that he saw recently at Udhailyyah, in the Eastern Province, and that he has given me permission to use on my website. The Thrush Nightingale is an uncommon passage migrant in the Eastern Province mainly seen from late April to May and from late August to September. I have only seen a few birds on my local ‘patch’ in Dhahran with all records being in April. I also have not managed to photograph the species yet so Nishan has done well to capture the species on camera. The species status elsewhere is in Saudi Arabia is similar to that in the Eastern Province with small numbers of records from the entire country.

A reasonable ringing catch – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Last weekend we caught twenty birds in our regular morning ringing session that was a slight improvement on previous weeks. Most birds were warblers but we also caught five Little Bitterns, the highest number of this species we have caught in a single session. We caught a male, female and three juveniles in two different distant nets. We also caught a surprise in the form of a Barn Swallow. Although a few birds were flying around they very rarely come low enough to be caught in the net without playing calls and I do not have permission to do this so this was the first time we have caught the species in Saudi Arabia. We also caught another Common Kingfisher, a species that we are now starting to catch quite regularly. Other birds trapped included a Graceful Prinia, a single Bluethroat and a couple of House Sparrows. We ring all the House Sparrows we catch as they are not that common at the site and we would like to know where they go and how long they stay at the location before moving off.

Little Bittern 

Barn Swallow - juvenile

Barn Swallow - juvenile

Bluethroat

Common Kingfisher

Graceful Prinia 

Graceful Prinia

House Sparrow - female

House Sparrow - male

Birds of the Buraidah area – Bird records by Ragu Shanbhogue

Ragu Shanbhogue is a birdwatcher from Buraidah in northern Saudi Arabia has sent me a few photos of birds seen in his area over the last two weeks. There are a few migrants moving through this area with Blackcap being a species I have not seen in the Eastern Province this autumn. Ragu has kindly allowed me to use his photographs on my website.

Red-backed Shrike

Eurasian Blackcap

Spotted Flycatcher

White-eared Bulbul