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25 September 2014

Several species of migrants – Dhahran Hills

Bird numbers remain quite low this autumn but there are now several different species of migrants about the camp. The percolation pond still has 23 Ferruginous Ducks, the highest count ever for the ‘patch’ but they remain distant unless they fly around after being disturbed when they, with luck, fly overhead as was the case last night. The pond also had good numbers of waders with four Common Greenshank, 25 Little Stints, one Marsh Sandpiper, three Wood Sandpipers, two Green Sandpipers and a Ruff. The settling pond had a few different waders with four Common Snipe and several Ruff and Wood Sandpipers. The Wet ditch also had a few waders with single Temminck’s Stint, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper and Green Sandpiper. Other migrants around the spray fields and scrubby desert included several Ortolan Buntings, 25+ Sand Martins, seven Barn Swallows, one Isabelline Wheatear and a Southern Grey Shrike. Just as it was getting dark and I was about to leave, a commotion in the spray fields caught my attention and a female/immature Pallid Harrier flew through chasing a few birds on the way., a nice way to end the evenings birding.
Ferruginous Duck
Wood Sandpiper 
Little Stint
Temminck's Stint
Sand Martin
Arabian Grey Shrike