Breeding Little Bitterns - Dhahran Hills

The last few days I have been seeing a juvenile Little Bittern on the percolation pond. Prior to this I had seen adult males and females over the entire summer period and suspected that breeding may be taking place. On 27 August I saw the male, female and juvenile all together on the pond indicating breeding has taken place again this year in Dhahran. I recorded breeding at the same site in 2011 but not since so it was a very nice surprise to see all the birds together. The lack of cover on the pond at the moment makes seeing the birds easier than normal but fortunately a large enough patch of reeds was available for breeding. The species has a status as an uncommon passage migrant to all areas of Saudi Arabia and is a locally common breeding resident in some Gulf wetlands such as Sabkhat Al Fasl and the Riyadh wetland areas. Migrant birds normally occur from March to early June and again from August to October and can be found in most habitats with at least some water.

Juvenile

Juvenile

Male

Female

Female

Female