First calendar year gull – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl at the end of November I found a first calendar year gull sitting on the edge of a flooded lake. It is unusual in Saudi Arabia to get close to large white-headed gulls so this was a pleasant surprise. It is possible the bird was injured in some way as it was under some overhead power lines but there was no obvious signs of any injury. Anyway after taking a number of photos I left it in the same place as I found it hoping it was all right. Another problem was identifying the bird as although it looked superficially like a Steppe Gull barabensis it also had feature of Caspian Gull cachinans although I thought the bill size and shape was wrong for that species (but see below). As I was uncertain of the identity I sent it to Jan Jorgensen and expert gull enthusiast and birder who is always willing to share this thoughts on identification with me. Jan gave me the following thoughts on the bird “As the photograph was taken in November it´s quite worn with many 2nd generation scapulars, which are a bit worn already, with a few juvenile rear ones. Seemingly there are no 2nd generation coverts and tertials. So could it be a Caspian Gull? Scapular pattern, tertial and to a certain degree, covert pattern, do fit a 1cy Caspian. The bill dimensions and shape of it would fit a male type bird. The alternative species would be Heuglin’s Gull heuglini or Steppe Gull barabensis. The bird looks better and favours Steppe Gull on wear, however, some heuglini are more advanced it seems, with many 2nd generation scapulars at this time of year, but probably less worn otherwise. Many barabensis also have many 2nd generation coverts in November. Separating many barabensis from heuglini is quite a challenge, as you would know. Coverts have much white admixed, not solidly darkish as usual in the mentioned three. So, I dare not to be so confident in identifying your gull, although there’s something of a heuglini/barabensis structure over it. Pity that there aren´t any more pictures”. As always I am very grateful to Jan for his help and advice on this tricky gull.

Wintering Masked Shrike still present – Deffi Park

I found a wintering Masked Shrike a few weeks ago in Deffi Park, Jubail that has been seen every weekend since by various birders and photographers. The bird has kept faithful to a very small area of the park, and is also very vocal, making it easier to see. The Masked Shrike is an uncommon but regular passage migrant and increasingly regular winter visitor to Saudi Arabia. Winter records have come from all areas of the Kingdom but are more common in the southwest and the Eastern Province although they remain scarce at this time of year in both areas. Birds pass mainly in April to May and September although there are records from all months of the year and during this period they are much commoner than they are in winter.

Beema Yellow Wagtail - Jubail

The Yellow Wagtail is a common passage migrant through the whole of Arabia with many thousands passing through the Eastern Province alone. A number of different subspecies occur, often together with Jubail being a particularly good area for seeing large groups. The first subspecies to occur are Black-headed Wagtails feldegg and these are then followed normally by beema. This year has been no different with the first Black-headed Wagtails occurring in January and the first beema in early March. Numbers should now increase as March progresses with more and more birds and subspecies occurring. Yellow Wagtails are quite confiding but trying to get really good photos is challenging as  they are fast moving and you have to get the light in the correct position as well as try to get some catch-light in their eyes otherwise their dark eyes look ‘dead’. If you can manage this then they make great subjects as they are very beautifully plumaged birds.

Sociable Lapwings in Saudi Arabia

Phil Roberts has written an excellent personal account of the finding of 18 Sociable Lapwings in Haradh in February 2016. The account is on the Birdlife website The Amazing Journey under this link http://www.birdlife.org/sociable-lapwing/2016/03/three-on-the-move-and-news-from-saudi-arabia/ This excellent website also shows where some of the Sociable Lapwings cross Saudi Arabia on route to and from their breeding grounds with one bird currently present in the Jizan area.

White-throated Kingfisher – Dhahran Hills

Whilst birding my local patch on 11 March I found an adult White-throated Kingfisher in the trees around Dhahran Hills swimming pool. The bird was very vocal and called regularly from its main perch of a very tall palm tree. This is the second White- throated Kingfisher I have seen on my patch after a wintering bird last year in the palm trees by the pond on the golf course. White-throated Kingfisher is a scarce bird in the Eastern Province with most records coming from more northerly areas such as Sabkhat Al Fasl but they have been seen as far south as Dhahran in previous years. Up until the end of the 1980’s there had only been two records from the Eastern Province, both from the Dhahran area but there have been more sighting since mainly from the Jubail to Al Khobar region although a northern record from Jebal Nayriyyah and a southerly record from Udhailiyyah have also occurred in the last two years. This winter there are birds at Sabkhat Al Fasl and Deffi Park, Jubail as well as Dhahran making it another good winter for the species. The species is certainly becoming more common in the region and hopefully it will not be long before they become resident and start breeding as happens in Riyadh.

Dead Sea Sparrows still present – Jubail

The flock of eleven Dead Sea Sparrows found in the Jubail area on 26 February were still in the same general area on 4 March. This is only the second time this species has been seen in the Kingdom with the previous record also in the same area when a flock of 60 – 70 birds were seen at Jubail Golf Course on 13 November 1991. The species is a vagrant to most areas of Arabia with other records coming from Bahrain (one record) and the United Arab Emirates (two records) with no records from Qatar, Yemen or Oman. Kuwait has had more records since the first sighting in 1996 but they are rare even here. The closest place for this subspecies to come from is Jordon so it is a very good record. The birds are quite vocal and stay together by calling to each other. Whilst watching the group they split up into smaller groups but always return to make a single group after a short period. The makeup of the group of birds is five males and six females.

Red-wattled Lapwing at Shaybah – Bird records by Arnold Uy

Arnold Uy sent me a message to say he had found a Red-wattled Lapwing near Shaybah 8 March. The bird was just off route 95 in a wetland area and is a good bird for the Eastern Province. This is the second time the species has been found in the Empty Quarter and may indicate breeding. The species is rare in Saudi Arabia with the following records all the birds I know about. In Riyadh & Central Arabia, birds were seen in January 1977, within the Riyadh city boundary; one was seen 1 November 1985 near Mansouriyah; one on 2 December 1988 and another January 1989 on farmland adjacent to the lower reaches of the Riyadh watercourse and another on 4 November 1989 at the Riyadh watercourse. One was on Thumamah dairy farm 16-22 January 1994. One individual wintered at Thumamah between 5 November 1999 and 17 February 2000 & from 27 January onwards it was present at the old dairy farm. A second individual was seen at Al Safi Dairy Farm on 25 January 2001. In the Empty quarter Up to five birds were seen on three days at Sabkha 40 in 2010 where there was suitable breeding habitat present. An adult was at Sabkhat Al Fasl 15 February 2014, an adult was at Dhahran Saudi Aramco camp 1 June 2014 and one juvenile Sabkhat Al Fasl 8 June 2014. This species is resident at wetlands in eastern Arabia (United Arab Emirates), and is gradually colonizing westwards. Although the minimum of two pairs did not appear to be breeding (which would have been indicated by extreme agitation and mobbing of intruders, the timing of this record suggests that it might breed later in 2010 or in a future year. (The species tends to be present in breeding areas for two or more years before attempting breeding). So far it has not yet been recorded to breed in Saudi Arabia. In the Eastern province it is regarded as a rare passage migrant and winter visitor and there have been sixteen records prior to this one of single birds from October to December (especially November), but also January, April, June and July. Birds have been seen at Nayriyyah in the north, three times at Haradh in the south with the last records being sixteen 24 November 1983, four times at Abqaiq and five times in Dhahran with the last record 13 December 1985. I would like to thank Arnold for sending me the details as well as allowing me to use his photos on my website.

Eastern (Siberian) Stonechat – Jubail

Whilst birding at Jubail I came across a Stonechat with extensive white wing patches and a white rump but did not show any white down the side of the tail that many show, indicating it was not a variagata/armenicus type. These birds are uncommon winter visitors to the Eastern Province from late August until March with many birds thought to be maurus/stejnegeri but more from the Caspian Stonechat Taxons. The maurus/stejnegeri birds have a white rump, more extensive white on neck and larger white wing patches than European Stonechat, with the red more restricted to the centre of the breast. stejnegeri has rather less white on rump with these birds also having jet black underwing coverts. Wing length can also be helpful but the bird I saw was in wing moult. To ensure correct recial identification you need good views of the spread tail, rump and underwing as well as the upperparts and without this they can be difficult to assign with certainty.

Desert Hyacinth - Jubail

Whilst birdwatching in Jubail I saw a number of new Desert Hyacinth Cistanche tubulosa just starting to appear. The Desert Hyacinth is a widely distributed annual that produces a dense pyramid spike of bright yellow flowers topped by maroon-tinted buds. The yellow flowers do not smell very nice and flies are attracted to the smell and carry the pollen on their legs from plant to plant helping with pollination. They are parasitic, one of several such plants in Arabia, and live off other plants to gain their nutritional needs, as they have no green parts or leaves to synthesize chlorophyll directly. The many tiny seeds may remain dormant for years until the roots of the host plant are close enough to trigger germination. It is one of the showiest plants of Eastern Arabia with bright yellow, dense column of flowers sometimes approaching one metre in height. It has varying flower colour with the flowers either tightly packed in the spike or loose. They are widespread on sandy or sandy-silty ground and can tolerate saline environments as well as disturbed conditions, so are often seen growing near roads or tracks in the desert or along the shores of the Arabian Gulf.

Blandford’s Agama - Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm

Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, near Jubail Phil saw a Blandford’s Agama Trapelus ruderatus resting in the top of a small bush. We have seen the species here on a previous visit but they are not often seen. They range from northeast Jordan and southern Syria, through northern and eastern Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Kuwait and southern and central Iran as far south as Shiraz. The species occurs from close to sea level to around 1,000 metres above sea level. It can be moderately common in suitable habitat. This ground-dwelling species is associated with low shrubs (Nitraria) on the fringe of sandy dunes in arid areas and in sandy desert areas. It can sometimes be found perching on bushes but is not found in modified areas. It is very similar to Yellow-spotted Agama Trapelus flavimaculatus but Blanford's Agama has lines on its back that are missing on Yellow-spotted Agama.