On 13 October I saw
a Common Pochard Aythya ferina on the
Percolation Pond. This is an unusual species for the camp where they are less
than annual. It was associating with the flock of eleven Ferruginous Ducks but
was very timid and flew on severl occasions when it heard noise. The Common
Pochard was once a common winter visitor to the Eastern Province but is now an
uncommon winter visitor occurring from mid
October to mid March normally as singles or in small groups of up to five
birds. Previously it was regular at Abqaiq until the late 1980’s but prior to
1981 it was regular at Dhahran and in February of that year a maximum of 155
were recorded. Previously it was also regular at Hofuf lakes where a maximum
count of 500 was made where they occurred from October to March but were also seen
in April to early June and in August and September. Away from the Eastern
Province it is also an uncommon winter visitor mainly
to the Riyadh area and southwest near Jizan.
