Western Great Egret - Dhahran Hills

Things have been quite this week on the ‘patch’ but, hopefully, the migration season will start in true form in the next week or two? A few migrants are about with one European Bee-eater and two Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters still around with good numbers of Barn Swallows and Sand Martins. Apart from this there is little else to see apart from a few good summer visitors like European Turtle Doves with a few juvenile birds about and Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin of which there are currently two pairs carry food for their young in the scrubby areas at different sides of the percolation pond. Namaqua Doves are quite common at the moment with adult birds and juveniles at various places but mainly by the side of the spray fields. Four Little Terns are still on the percolation pond with two Gull-billed Terns, but the bird of the week was seen on 24^th July and was an adult Western Great Egret. The only other birds of note being a male Little Bittern and a juvenile white phase Indian Reef Heron. Both Clamorous Reed Warblers and Caspian Reed Warblers are still showing quite well in the reeds and surrounding scrub with the occasional one using the wire fence surround to the percolation pond as a song post.


European Turtle Dove - adult

European Turtle Dove - juvenile

Namaqua Dove - female

Clamorus Reed Warbler