Whilst birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl 5 March I saw a
good number of shrikes with 20 Daurian Shrikes, one Turkestan Shrike and four
Woodchat Shrikes seen. Numbers of passage birds have now joined the wintering
Daurian Shrikes in the area. The status of Daurian and Turkestan Shrikes in the
Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia is not well documented but since I have been
here there seems to be a distinction between the arrival dates and occurrence
of the two species. Daurian Shrike is a passage migrant and winter visitor. In
autumn the first birds are seen in September and remain until March. In late
February and early March a good number of passage birds joint the smaller
number of wintering birds making sightings common in parks, and wetland areas
with reed beds. Turkestan Shrike is less common than Daurian Shrike and is a
passage migrant from September to October and from Early March until May. As a
result there are only a couple of months when both species can be seen together
in the area with these being March, September and October. Woodchat
Shrike is an uncommon passage migrant passing in mid-February until mid-May,
peaking in April, and again from mid-August to mid-October peaking in September.
Variable numbers occur each year with some year’s birds being plentiful and in
others uncommon.
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| Daurian Shrike |
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| Daurian Shrike |
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| Daurian Shrike |
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| Turkestan Shrike |
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| Woodchat Shrike |