Fifth Black Scrub Robin for the Eastern Province – Sarrar, Eastern Province

Amazingly in the same small field near Sarrar where Phil and I found two Woodlarks on 15 January, we found shortly afterwards a Black Scrub Robin Cercotrichas podobe a species that has only been recorded four times in the Eastern Province making this fifth record. The species is apparently extending its range north and east. Phil has seen the species once before in the Eastern Province but this was a new Province species for me. Although very rare in the Eastern Province, they are an uncommon breeding resident along the Red Sea north to Yanbu, the Tihamah, Asir, Hejaz, and Northern Hejaz to 160 km north of mecca. They are not found on the juniper summits of mountains in Asir or Hejaz but are regularly seen as far east as Riyadh.

Winter ringing – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 8 January I trapped and ringed a good number of birds of various different species considering it is the middle of winter. Species trapped included Jack Snipe, Spanish Sparrow, Indian Reed Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Red-spotted Bluethroat, Common Kingfisher, Graceful Prinia and Little Bittern. A couple of species that are normally seen in good numbers around the ringing site but rarely get caught, Water Pipit and White Wagtail, were only seen in ones and twos. Winter is, as would be expected, the quietest time for ringing with fewer species and less numbers of each trapped and ringed that at any other time of year (we do not ring in the summer as the temperatures are too high and it would be dangerous for the birds).

Common Kingfisher

Common Kingfisher

Bluethroat

Graceful Prinia

Indian Reed Warbler

Indian Reed Warbler

Little Bitterns

Little Bittern

Booted Eagles in Jubail and near Tabuk

Viv was in Tabuk at his compound and saw a Booted Eagle fly over on 11 January 2016. Booted Eagle is a scarce species in the Kingdom and one that was considered to be entirely a passage migrant. There have been a number of winter records in recent years and its status has changed to a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor. In the Eastern Province it is a vagrant with five records of five birds but I saw a Booted Eagle at Sabkhat Al Fasl 8 January a new species for me in the Kingdom, although I had a similar record last winter but could not 100% convince myself the bird was a Booted Eagle. This time I was certain but failed to get any photographs of the bird. Hopefully these birds will stay around the same areas until spring allowing more views and photographs to be taken. I thank Viv for allowing me to use his photos of the Booted Eagle he took in Tabuk which are shown below.

Male and female Common Chaffinch in Bahrain – Birds records by Jehad Alammadi

Jehad Alammadi found a female Chaffinch on 11 December 2015 in the Hamala area of Bahrain and was able photograph her on 16 December 2015. After another seventeen days he was also able to photograph a male in the same area of Hamala and on 9 January 2016 he photograph the male and female together. Common Chaffinch is a rare winter visitor to Bahrain and these two birds together are a very good record. I thank Jehad for sending me the details and for allowing me to use his photographs on my website which are reproduced below.

Pied Kingfishers remain until 2016 – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl I stopped to look for the Pied Kingfishers that had been present in late 2015. I went to their favourite branch in the water bit they were not there and the branch was broken. Looking around the nearby area produced one bird sitting in the reeds and another on a dead branch but no sign of any others. My time was very limited so there were probably others around that I did not find. The winter has seen a major influx of birds into Saudi Arabia with additional birds turning up in Riyadh where at least three have been seen as well as other areas such Sabkhat Al Fasl.

Second Woodlark for Saudi Arabia – Sarrar, Eastern Province

Phil Roberts and I found two Woodlark Lullula arborea at the edge of a pivot irrigation fodder field near Sarrar on 15 January. Initially the birds were feeding along the edge of the field giving good views but eventually moved into the crop where they were not possible to see unless flushed when they could be seen in flight only. Luckily for us the man tending the field, Stanley, allowed us to walk through it but it eventually became obvious we would not get better views than the initial ones so we left them in peace. This was only the second record for Saudi Arabia following the first confirmed one on the afternoon of 22 December 1994 that remained until 25 December 1994, in an area of low sandy dunes immediately south of the Holiday Inn, Jubail. There were previous claims of the species at Dhahran in December 1973 and at Jubail in March 1983 but In the absence of a description, both Saudi records were regarded as unacceptable by Bundy et al. (1989) in their review of the avifauna of the Eastern Province. The plumage of the bird we found, like the one in Jubail, was of the race pallida as it was paler and greyer than nominate with less buff and more obvious white below as well as narrower black breast. The race pallida breeds in the Mediterranean region and the northern Middle East from Turkey east to Iran. It is migratory or partially so in the northern parts of its range, but mainly resident or dispersive elsewhere. Phil has kindly allowed me to use his photo of the bird (top one shown here) as he was on the correct side of the car to get initial shots.

A second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl in January I saw and photographed a second calendar year Eastern Imperial Eagle.  The species is rarely seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl although the Greater Spotted Eagle is seen almost every visit during the winter. The Eastern Imperial Eagle is an uncommon winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with most records coming from the north of the country where they are generally seen inland rather than near the coast. The species breeds from Eastern Europe across Asia to China and winters in the Middle East, east Africa south to Tanzania, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and from Thailand to Korea. Currently Eastern Imperial Eagle is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as it has a small global population and is likely to be undergoing continuing declines, primarily as a result of habitat loss and degradation, persecution and prey depletion.

Spanish Sparrows a new ringing species for me in Saudi Arabia – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 8 January with Nicole we trapped and ringed a male and two female Spanish Sparrows. This is the first time either Nicole or I have ringed the species and made two new site species for the day after the Jack Snipe. I had seen a small group of Spanish Sparrows near one of the main net rides and mentioned to Nicole that it would be great if we could catch some and on the next net round we caught a male and a female followed later by a second female. Spanish Sparrow has recently (the last three years) started occurring at Sabkhat Al Fasl in the winter with at least two groups regularly seen now. They are not so common in the were where I live but occur much more frequently in the northern areas of the province as well as elsewhere in the north and west of the Kingdom.

A retrapped and returning Red-spotted Bluethroat – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 8 January I trapped a male Red-spotted Bluethroat that we had previously trapped in January 2014. This bird had presumably been back to its breeding grounds in the far north and then returned to spend its winter in exactly the same small area of Sabkhat Al Fasl as where we originally trapped it showing it is site faithful for its wintering area. Red-spotted Bluethroats are common winter visitors to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia where they remain until March before heading off north to their breeding grounds. This is the second bird we have retrapped the following winter and we are slowly building up a picture of their arrival and departure dates as well as site faithfulness.

New years day in the desert near Tabuk – Photographs by viv Wilson

Viv spent the New Years weekend in the desert near Tabuk and took the below amazing photographs of his time there. I am very envious of Viv’s skill at taking this type of photograph, as the results are stunning. Viv has kindly allowed me to use the photos on my website which are reproduced below.