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23 September 2014

Temminck’s Stint on wet ditch – Dhahran Hills

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