I saw and adult
summer Great Black-headed Gull Larus ichthyaetus fly over whilst birding Sabkhat Al Fasl
and it flew and landed in an area of dry sabkha. It landed with a group of
other gulls which turned out to include one further adult summer and seven
second calendar year Great Black-headed Gulls. There were also five Steppe
Gulls in the group. Sabkhat Al Fasl has turned out to be a good site to see the
species in the last four years with birds seen each winter although this group
is the largest I have seen so far in Saudi Arabia. The Great Black-headed Gull is an
uncommon winter visitor to the
Arabian Gulf and southern Red Sea coastal areas that is also rarely seen
inland. The first birds are normally not seen until December or January, with
March probably the best time to see the species. Apart from Sabkhat Al Fasl the
other good location for seeing the species is the causeway to Bahrain where
birds can often be seen hanging in the wind over the road.
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| Great Black-headed Gull - adult summer |
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| Great Black-headed Gull - adult summer |
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| Great Black-headed Gull - second calendar year |