Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard- Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm

Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili, in late August Phil spotted an Arabian Spiny-tailed Lizard sunning itself by its hole. This individual was not too large but was a bright yellow colour as it had obviously spent some time warming up in the hot sunshine. 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'.

Little Swift Nesting – Wadi Grosbeak

Whilst birdwatching near Wadi Grosbeak in the Bani Saad area south of Taif, Phil Roberts and I found a number of Little Swift Nests on a building. The Little Swift is probably a breeding visitor from Africa as it is very scarce in November and December. in the southern Red Sea, Asir, Hejaz and the Tihamah areas. They are regularly seen near Jeddah and rarely Riyadh but are a vagrant in the Eastern Province where I live. The breeding range is from Jeddah southwards to Yemen. The photo of the nest below was taken by Phil who has kindly allowed me to use it on my website.

Blister Beetle – Wadi Grosbeak

The Blister Beetles (Coleoptera: Meloidae) are global distributed insects except for New Zealand and the Antarctic region and are also called Oil Beetles. The species seen near Bani Saad was Mylabris calida that has a distribution in central Asia (east to China and Korea), Caucasus and Transcaucasia, southern Balkan Peninsula, Near East, Levant and Arabian Peninsula and northern Africa. The insect was common in the area where we saw them always on flowering plants. Adult beetles can be recognized by morphological characteristics such as soft body, bright coloration, rather elongate, head deflexed with narrow neck, pronotum not carinate at sides, heteromerous tarsi, smooth integument. The bodily fluids of blister beetles contain the skin irritant cantharadin, giving the family its common name. It is possible that cantharadin acts as a protection against accidental beetle consumption by large herbivores, as some animals will avoid grazing on vegetation supporting large numbers of orange, red, or otherwise brightly colored blister beetles.

First Autumn European Turtle Dove – Jubail area

The European Turtle Dove is a long-distance migrant breeder across much of central and southern Europe, Central Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, wintering mainly in the Sahel zone of Africa. The species is in serious decline because of loss of suitable habitat in both the breeding and non-breeding range, unsustainable levels of hunting on migration and disease. In Saudi Arabia the species breeds in very small numbers but is mainly a passage migrant. Numbers seen in recent years on migration in the Kingdom seen to also be declining with the bird seen near Jubail the first record for me this autumn. 

Yemen Rock Agama – Wadi Grosbeak

The Yemen Rock Agama occurs in northern Yemen and adjacent Saudi Arabia, but the limits of its distribution in Saudi Arabia are currently not well known, although I have seen it as far north as Bani Saad, where these individuals shown below were taken. It occurs from around 2,000 to 3,000 metres above sea level mainly in rocky habitats. They occur both on the ground and climbing rocky surfaces, including stone-walls and human habitations where they are sometimes common. Females are bull brown whereas males can become very bright blue when trying to attract a mate.

Migrants passing – Jubail area

The last few weeks a few more migrants have been passing through with plenty of warbler seen. Most have been Eurasian Blackcap, Lesser Whitethroat and Barred Warbler but also a few Eastern Olivaceous Warbler have been seen and one or two Asian Desert Warblers. Wheatears have also arrived with Black-eared and Pied being the most numerous with the Asian Desert Warblers almost always associated with the Wheatears feeding in close proximity to each other. Eurasian Bee-eaters and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters have also been plentiful with small groups seen regularly over the last few weeks. Shrikes have been seen in small numbers but many less than previous years. Woodchat Shrike has been the commonest with a few Mauryan Grey Shrikes also seen with the odd Red-backed Shrike also present. 

Asian Desert Warbler 

Barred Warbler

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

Eastern Olivaceous Warbler

Mauryan Grey Shrike

Pied Wheatear

Pied Wheatear

Woodchat Shrike

Band-winged Grasshopper – Wadi Grosbeak

Whilst in Wadi Grosbeak near to Bani Saad in the Taif area recently I saw a number of small well camouflaged grasshoppers that could have been a type of Band-winged Grasshopper Sphingonotus savignyi classified under the family Acrididae. They are sometimes elevated to full family status as Oedipodidaeand inhabit primarily weedy fields containing little water. These species are colourful, usually with hindwings that are yellow or red and edged with black. Others have black hindwings with pale edges. This particular grasshopper was quite small and coloured to match the rock/soil type it was present amongst. I have seen these grasshoppers from just north of Abha through the area where I photographed the grasshopper below to Wadi Thee Ghazal north of Taif.

Arbabian Spotted Eagle Owl young - Tanoumah

Whilst in Tanoumah in June I managed to see and photograph an Arabian Spotted Eagle-owl. I went back to the same area in July and at another location about two kilometres away I saw another bird perched on a wall of a partly built building. On getting out of the car the bird could be herd calling and when seen properly turned out to be two young Spotted Eagle Owls. I managed to take a few photos of the bird and after some time they left the tree they were in a flew onto a nearby rock face. We left after a short while as we did not want to disturb the birds. The birds seen are the endemic sub-species to southwestern Arabia milesi,which are significantly isolated in southwest Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Oman. It is more tawny in colour and smaller than nominate and tanae both from Africa, and its vocalizations differ (though fuller details required) and is possibly specifically distinct. 

Desert Locust – Tanoumah

The Desert Locust Schistocerca gregariasituation can form plagues and threaten agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, something it has done for centuries. The desert locust is potentially the most dangerous of the locust pests because of the ability of it to form swarms and to fly rapidly across great distances. I found a single adult near Tanoumah where the locust was very well camouflaged. There have been no records of swarms in Saudi Arabia this year as far as I am aware.

Egyptian Nightjar - Khafrah Marsh

Whilst birding Khafrah Marsh south of Jubail, Phil Roberts and I found ten Egyptian Nightjars in various areas of the site. Birds were initially seen sitting under small bushes with others flushed as we walked through the vegetation. Birds here were much less confiding then those seen in other areas of Jubail, but I got a few photographs before we left as we did not want to disturb the birds too much. Egyptian Nightjars are now an easily seen species during the summer months in the Jubail area with sixteen birds seen in 2018 and one site and now ten at another site within 25 kilometres. 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.