On 5 December 2014 Phil Roberts and I were birding
Sabkhat Al Fasl when I saw a single Eurasian Penduline Tit on a reed stem near
to the main reed beds. I alerted Phil to the bird, as he was driving, and we
stopped the car and got out. Once I put Phil onto the bird it became apparent
more were calling and eventually we saw four together, two males an immature
and one only seen in flight. The birds were moving continually and quickly and
calling all the time and soon moved off leaving us without photos of this good-looking
species. Eurasian Penduline Tit is a vagrant in the Eastern Province
with the only records I know being two or perhaps three at Dammam marsh 12
December 1981, three Abqaiq lagoons 1 April 1983, three Abqaiq lagoons 28
December to 1 February 1885 three, an adult and two immatures at Abqaiq lagoons
1 February 1985, two at Sabkhat Al Fasl 20 November 1991 with three there the next
day and 4 at Sabkhat Al Fasl 19 February 2010. There is also a record from
Dhahran but I do not have the dates or numbers involved. They are commoner in
the northwest where they are regarded as an uncommon winter visitor to the
Tabuk area. As I mentioned I failed to photograph the birds but Phil has kindly
sent me photos of one of four birds he saw at Sabkhat Al Fasl 19 February 2010
and has allowed me to use them on my website which are shown below.
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