The wet ditch has
been producing a number of good birds over the last few weeks after months of
having nothing on it. On 17 September there was a nice Temminck’s Stint there.
The species is a passage migrant and winter visitor that
is a regular migrant in small numbers almost always away from the coast. It
occurs in April and May and again from September to November. Some birds do winter
in very small numbers at some suitable inland sites such as Sabkhat Al Fasl
near Jubail. They are seen quite regularly on the ‘patch’ but normally are seen
at some distance on the settling pond or percolation pond although I have seen them
before on the wet ditch in previous years. Other birds seen on the ditch at the
same time were Wood Sandpiper, Green Sandpiper and Little Stint. A group of
European Bee-eaters flew over whilst I was there and a Tawny Pipit was feeding
nearby.
Temminck's Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Temminck's Stint |
Wood Sandpiper |
Green Sandpiper |
Little Stint |