Ochradenus baccatus or Pearl Plant – Dhahran Hills

Whilst birdwatching the Dhahran Hills area in January I came across a large flowering shrub that turned out to be Ochradenus baccatus. This is a perennial glycophyte growing on sandy and stony habitats in Middle East and it is one of the most important food sources for many animal species in desert regions. The green stems help leaves in conducting photosynthesis, especially when leaves are weakened after severe drought environment. This species is widely distributed and is found in Ethiopia, Egypt, Libya, Middle East, Iran and extends into Pakistan. Ochradenus baccatus reaches up to two metres tall and grows as a bush. The species produces yellow flowers, followed by whitish berry containing black seeds. It flowers mainly from December to March in Saudi Arabia and is one of the largest shrubs that grows in the Eastern Province with the “spikes” of tiny, yellow, apetalous flowers, that are slightly fragrant, attracting insects such as the Painted Lady, many of which were attracted to the shrub photographed above.

Heuglin’s Gulls – Al Uqair

Whilst birding the Al Uqair area recently we went to an area of public beaches where I had previously seen some Large White-headed Gulls. My recent visits to the area had failed to turn up any but this time I saw seven birds on the ground together.  One was an adult Steppe Gulls and the remainder being Heuglin’s Gulls. Two of the Heuglin’s Gulls were much darker plumaged than the others in the group, however variation in upperpart coloration in heuglini is large and the late moult (p4-5 being renewed) support the identification, although a similar moult occurs in Baltic Gull which would be even darker, typically showing no contrast between upperparts and primary ground colour.

Arabian Wildcat 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 African Wildcat with a kitten. The subspecies of African Wildcat that occurs in Arabia is Felis lybica tristrami is distributed from Lebanon, Syria, Israel, Jordan to northern Saudi Arabia. They occur in the northwest of Saudi Arabia as far south as the Abha region. They are known to have a broad habitat tolerance from deserts, semi deserts, savannahs, scrub grassland to open forests in hilly and rocky terrain as well as in mixed forests. In some areas of its range it is restricted to mountains and dry watercourses. They have a more upright posture in the sitting position and a different walking form from domestic cat with a background colour ranging from reddish to sandy yellow and is typically marked with faint stripes and spots. Hairs have black tips giving a speckled appearance, their legs are banded with black bars and they have a reddish or rusty-brown tint to the backs of the ears. The long, thin tail ends with two or three black rings and a black tip and there is a line of darker fur down the spine from the shoulder to the base of the tail. The African species distinguishes itself from the European Wildcat by its lighter build, less distinct markings and thin tapering tail.

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.