Spotted Redshank - Dhahran Hills

Yesterday on the 'patch' there was a Spotted Redshank feeding around the muddy edges of the percolation pond with 27 Black-winged Stilt. This is only the second Spotted Redshank I have seen on the 'patch' and a pleasing bird to see again. A Temmincks Stint flew over calling but was lost in the hundreds of Great Cormorant that were streaming into the pond to rest and roost. The final total of Great Cormorants was over a thousand birds which is easily the largest number ever seen in Dhahran.

 Great Cormorant

Other birds on the pond included two Northern Shoveller, a male and a female, 29 Eurasian Teal and a single Grey Heron. A much larger number of Gulls were present than normal with more than 50 Black-headed Gulls and one Steppe Gull. Five or six other large White-headed Gulls were seen flying over but they were too distant for certain identification.

Black-headed Gull (adult winter)

Walking around the pond there were three Chiffchaffs calling of which one was seen and two Bluethroats were in the reeds outside of the pond area which have not been torn up yet.