Yesterday I went down to the Dammam - Al Khobar Wader Roost South after work as the tide was right for the birds to be pushed up close to the shore. This is the first time I have been down for some time and I was rewarded with close views of a Crab Plover. This is one of the best sites in the Eastern Province for the species and birds are regularly seen here from July onwards until late October or even later. Mid June is a early record for me, but as I have only been doing the site for a year I am not sure if it is unusual or not. This site is being redeveloped for housing so it may not be possible to get to in the next couple of months but I hope that they do not destroy the seafront habitat that attracts the wading birds to this site.
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Other birds seen at the site included 300+ Greater Sand Plovers, six Lesser Sand Plovers, six Kentish Plovers, 12 Common Redshanks, eight Eurasian Curlews, one Whimbrel, four Terek Sandpipers and three Sanderlings. Nine Caspian Terns and a Western Osprey were also seen. I will, hopefully be able to go to this site more regularly over the nest couple of months and will post what I see there as wader numbers should build up over the next few weeks.
