Andre Marais saw and adult Eastern Imperial Eagle on a fence near Jubail Sanitary Waste Tip on 17 January. Eastern Imperial Eagle is an uncommon winter visitor to the Eastern Province with most birds I have seen being in the north around the Dibdibah plains. Juabil Sanitary Waste Tip was previously an excellent site for seeing the birds but lack of access in recent years has made records from the area thin on the ground. The nearby Sabkhat Al Fasl site has produced a few records each year but Greater Spotted Eagles are much commoner here. Greater Spotted Eagles have also been seen in good numbers at the Jubail Sanitary Waste Tip in the past. Looks like I may have to try to get onto the site again as birds obviously still use the area. The relatively nearby Abqaiq dump does not appear to attract any large birds of prey as I have been there many times looking for Gulls without a single record of Eastern Imperial Eagle or Greater Spotted Eagle to my name. Andre kindly allowed me to use his photos on my website, pictures he said were hastily grabbed whilst driving past and have been heavily cropped.
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