Grasshopper – Abha area

Whilst in the Abha 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. 

Eurasian (Eastern) Curlew – Jubail

Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area I saw an Eastern Curlew N. a. orientalis. The Eastern Curlew occurs throughout central Siberia eastwards through central Russia to northeast China and winters in east and south Africa, Madagascar, and from the southern Caspian Sea south to the Persian Gulf and east through south Asia to east China and south Japan, and south to Philippines and Greater Sundas. This is the subspecies we see in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia whilst the Western Curlew occurs on the Red Sea coast of the Kingdom.

Arabian Wheatear – Tanoumah & An Namas

Whilst birding the Tanoumah and An Namas area of the Asir Mountains I saw plenty of Arabian Wheatears at many different sites. The Arabian Wheatear Oenanthe lugentoidesis a rather uncommon resident of the south-west highlands, but is also found in Oman, Palestine and Yemen, mainly in rocky, bushy sites. It is widespread on the Jebal Souda plateau, Raydah Escarpment, Wadi Talea’a and Tanoumah as well as the Taif area. Birds are often associated with gardens and regularly breeds near human sites where they nest in holes in terrace walls and feed largely on insects.

The Desert Locust – Abha area

The Desert Locust Schistocerca gregariasituation was calm during early 2018 due to poor rainfall and ecological conditions throughout most of the spring breeding areas in northwest Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. 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 found a single adult near Abha, in a wide sandy bottomed wadi with large boulders along the sides where the locust was very well camouflaged.

Thunbergi Yellow Wagtails – Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area in early May I came across a small group of thunbergi Yellow Wagtails. They are also known as Grey-headed Wagtail and occur from Scandinavia eastwards to northwest Siberia and they winter mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and across South & southeast Asia. Yellow Wagtails are common in Jubail throughout the spring with various subspecies passing but thunbergi appears to be one of the late passing subspecies with most records occurring in late April and May. These birds fit the pattern of occurrence nicely. One or two birds showed a pattern of marks across the breast forming a necklace, a feature I had not noticed previously. As always with wagtails they were difficult to get good photographs of as they are always moving and in areas with lots of vegetation. My best shots are shown below.

Sacred Scarab – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili)

Whilst birding the Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili) with Phil Roberts we came across a Sacred Scarab Scarabaeus sacer. The Sacred Scarab is a dung beetle that is common in Saudi Arabia where swarms often follow herds of camels and sheep in the desert. They pounce on any fresh droppings, make them into balls and then roll them into a hole made in soft ground. The female will then lay and egg in the ball which is large enough for food throughout the young beetle’s development. Some of these beetles have become nocturnal to prevent birds of prey and shrikes eating them. The Sacred Scarab we saw was jumping on Sand Swimmer beetle’s Zophosis complanate and rolling them backwards between its legs to a hole and dropping them down the hole. No Sand Swimmer that went down the ole came back up again. Dung beetles are usually round with short wing covers (elytra) that expose the end of the abdomen. They vary in size from 5 to 30 mm and are usually dark in colour, although some have a metallic lustre. In many species, there is a long, curved horn on the top of the male’s head. Dung beetles can eat more than their own weight in 24 hours and are considered helpful to humans because they speed up the process of converting manure to substances usable by other organisms.

Spring birding - Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili

A spring trip in early May to Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili failed to produce much of interest. The best birds seen included Spur-winged Lapwing and Ruddy Turnstone. Spur-winged Lapwing may well be breeding at the site now as birds have been around all winter and most of last year. It was the first time I had seen Ruddy Turnstone at the location as it is more than 30 kilometres from the sea. There were good numbers of migrant Red-backed Shrikes and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters present, with a few Willow Warblers and a single male Whinchat but very little else of interest. The location is normally excellent so it was a bit of a disappointing visit.

Red-backed Shrike

Whinchat

Sand Swimmer – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili)

Whilst birding the Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili) with Phil Roberts we found a large number of Sand Swimmer Zophosis complanate. Sand Swimmer is a darkling beetle that is normally found in sand dunes. They prefer soil with some clay in them and the ones we found were near a wet sabkha area and reeds with the sand having at least some clay content. Their exterior is smooth allowing them to swim through sand often just below the surface. The beetles we saw were being predated by a Sacred Scarab Scarabaeus sacer which I do not know if it common or not but the Sand Swimmers did not appear concerned about the Scarab Beetle at all.

Native Honeybee – Abha area

I saw a single honeybee Apis sppwhen in Abha recently but am not sure what Honey Bee it is but Apis mellifera jemeniticahas been used in apiculture throughout the Arabian Peninsula since at least 2000 BC. Existing literature demonstrates that these populations are well adapted for the harsh extremes of the region with populations of A. m. jemenitica native to Saudi Arabia far more heat tolerant than the standard races from Europe. The indigenous race of Saudi Arabia differs from other subspecies in the region in some morphological, biological, and behavioural characteristics. Further taxonomic investigation, as well as molecular studies, is needed in order to confirm whether the Saudi indigenous bee populations represent a race distinct from A. m. jemenitica, or merely an ecotype of this subspecies.

Red-backed Shrikes – Jubail

Early May is always a good time to see Red-backed Shrike in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom and this year is no exception. A trip to the coastal areas of Jubail produced more than 30 birds in a single morning with five Turkestan Shrikes and a single adult male Daurian Shrike. Other migrants seen included plenty of Willow Warblers, Whinchat, Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and several Yellow Wagtails. Waders included Eurasian Curlew, Common Redshank, Little Stint, Ringed Plover, Little Ringed Plover, Terek Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper and Common Sandpiper. All the Western Marsh Harriers and Greater Spotted Eagles appear to have left for the summer now as none where seen. At least two Spotted Crakes were located and many Grey-headed Swamphens including young were present.