Libyan Jird colony - Jubail

I set off from home at 03:00 in mid-June to get to Jubail for first light. By 04:30 just as it was getting light, I noticed the first Jirds on the side of the road in an area where Umer Farooq had told me he had seen animals.  I saw a large number of Libyan Jird Meriones libycus but to be certain of their identity I sent a photo to Mansur Al Fahd who is extremely knowledgeable about most of the Kingdom’s wildlife, and he replied “There is no doubt is Libyan Jird (Meriones libycus) as it was seen in large numbers. Daytime activity (it is active in summer at the beginning and end of the day when the temperature is somewhat low). You can notice its black nails and it usually raises its tail when escaping”. Deserts, such as those of Saudi Arabia, are harsh environments where daily and seasonal temperatures are extreme, and rainfall is scant or non-existent. Solar radiation is intense and there is little primary productivity in the form of vegetation (Degen 1997). The climate of Saudi Arabia is characteristically harsh with rainfall being sporadic and unpredictable and temperatures climbing often well above 40 °C. Under such conditions food resources and water are scarce, yet many small mammals are able to survive and reproduce, one of the most successful being the Libyan Jird Meriones libycus. The Libyan Jird is one of the most widely distributed species among rodents, ranging across nearly the entire Palearctic Desert Belt from Morocco in Northwest Africa to China. It occupies desert and semi‐desert habitats, generally in areas with stabilized dunes. It becomes most abundant in unflooded river plains, and it is often found close to wadies and occasionally in arable land. Fifteen subspecies were described but their validity and the phylogenetic relationships among them are uncertain. A recent study defined subspecies limits within Meriones libycus into three allopatric lineages within M. libycus: Western lineage in North Africa, Central lineage in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria, and Eastern lineage in Iran, Afghanistan, and China. The results support the existence of at least three subspecies within the libyan jird: African Meriones libycus libycus, Levant-Arabian M. l. syrius, and Eastern Meriones libycus erythrourus.

Black-winged Kite - Khafra Marsh

Whilst birding Khafra Marsh in mid-June I located an adult Black-winged Kite at some distance and in a different are to where I have been seening them this year. This and another bird has been around for a couple of years now and a juvenile was also seen at the location in February this year indicating breeding had occurred. The first record for the Eastern Province was only found on 17 April 2012, but since then has become more common with birds seen in every month and every year since the first record and its status has changed from a vagrant to a scarce visitor. Up to two adult birds have been recorded at Khafra Marsh throughout 2022 so hopefully they will breed again. All birds sub-specifically identified in the east of the Kingdom are the eastern subspecies Elanus caeruleus vociferous a subspecies that occurs from Pakistan east to southern & eastern China, Indochina and the Malay Peninsula. The species has been proposed to be split on genetic grounds into Eastern Black-winged Kite Elanus vociferous and Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus. Black-winged Kite has also been seen in Saudi Arabia in the southwest of the Kingdom.

Last few Red-backed Shrikes

As the summer starts in earnest, the number of migrants is decreasing sharply. Temperature outside at the weekend reached 48 degrees Centigrade and makes birding unpleasant. The only real migrants seen were two Red-backed Shrikes (one male and one female) and several Sand Martins. Very few birds of any type were seen but I did flush an Egyptian Nightjar at one point from the long grass. The Pied Avocets and Little Terns continue feeding their young after breeding here again this year and other breeding waders seen with young included Little Ringed Plover, Kentish Plover and Black-winged Stilt. White-cheeked Terns are certainly breeding nearby and feeding quite small young but not certain if they bred at the exact location I was birding.

Red-backed Shrike

White-cheeked Tern

White-cheeked Tern

Ferruginous Ducks breeding – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area in mid-June 2022 I came across a pair of Ferruginous ducks with eight juveniles. Although the juvenile birds were old enough to fly it suggests they bred in this area this year. This is the first time I have recorded juveniles in the summer at this location although adults have been noted in the last three years. The Ferruginous Duck is an uncommon passage migrant, winter visitor and a rare breeder with most birds occurring from September to April. The species is currently listed as Near Threatened by the IUCN and prefers shallower and more vegetated areas than other Aythya species and seldom sits out on open water. Due to their behaviour it is difficult to get good photographs of them and these birds were at some distance and I did not try to get closer in case I disturbed them.

Adult Egyptian Nightjars – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area 3 July we found an Egyptian Nightjar sitting under a tamarisk tree on a track. Egyptian Nightjars are now an easily seen species during the summer months in the Jubail area with a maximum of sixteen birds seen in 2021 and numbers increasing almost every year since they were first found in 2006. Birds have been seen twice in May, but early June is an early record for the species. They often sit on the car tracks, and you can get very close to them in the car without disturbing them as they are convinced their camouflage will protect them. The bird shown here is an adult and we hope that juveniles will be seen over the next month showing they are continuing to breed in the area as in 2020 & 2021 birds were recorded breeding in the area or very nearby.

Oasis Skimmer - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area recently I found an Oasis Skimmer Orthetrum Sabina. This dragonfly is of medium-size with a wingspan of 60-85mm with adults being grayish to greenish yellow with black and pale markings and large green compound eyes. Its abdomen is long slender and ends with an enlarged area which is greenish yellow, marked with white and black. Males and females look identical. They are found mostly around stagnant water holes with some vegetation around and are often seen patrolling the water for potential prey but are also occasionally seen partly suspended under leaves or grass stalks. They prey upon other dragonflies and damselflies and other flying insects such as desert whites and are active all year round. 

Migration slowing – Jubail

Whilst birding in Jubail at the end of May it became obvious the number of migrants had significantly decreased. The most numerous species for the third week running were Red-backed Shrikes with 33 birds seen, equally split between males and females. The only other common migrants were Spotted Flycatcher, Barn Swallow and Bank Martin. The best birds of the visit were six Indian Silverbills, a species I had not seen in this area of Jubail before but one I have seen regularly at nearby Khafra Marshes. This species appears to be spreading in the Eastern Province where it was mainly seen in Dammam/Al Khobar/Dhahran but is now seen further afield in Qatif and Jubail.

Breeding Striated Heron in Bahrain update – Bird record by Jehad Alammadi

Whilst birding in Bahrain on 13 May 2022 Jehad Alammadi was able to photograph a Striated Heron nesting on a boat with a nest containing four eggs. Surprisingly the bird had laid its eggs on a parked boat in a water channel (see previous post). Jehad continued to monitor the bird over the next days and on 28th May one of the four eggs hatched. Hopefully the bird will not be disturbed and can successfully raise its young in its unusual nesting location. I thank Jehad for sending me his photos and allowing me to use on my website.

Desert Locust – Fayd

Whilst birding Fayd I came across a Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria. The Desert Locust 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 have not seen many Desert Locusts so far in 2022, so maybe this will be a quieter year than some of the previous ones.

Breeding Birds – Jubail

While birding the Jubail area in May there were more and more signs of breeding of a few species. Pied Avocet and Little Terns were sitting on what appears to be nests in one area of partially dried up sabkha with islands and Black-winged Stilts were nesting with small chicks seen in the same area as the terms and Pied Avocets. Little Ringed Plovers were seen in many areas, as were a few Kentish Plovers, often calling loudly, suggesting breeding may be occurring or they have small young. Signs of Black-crowned Night Heron breeding with adults seen for the third week running. Most of the herons have moved off to breed elsewhere with only a few Little Egrets and Squacco Herons remaining from the hundreds present over winter and I to the spring. The nearby breeding are from last year is not occupied yet, so either it is still to early in the year or they have moved somewhere else.

Black-winged Stilt - chick

Black-winged Stilt - chick

Black-winged Stilt - chick

Squacco Heron