Mats was birding the golf course area of Dhahran when he came across a
late Greater Spotted Eagle siting on the fence next to the small pond. Greater
Spotted Eagle is seen uncommonly in the camp but is a regular winter visitor to
Sabkhat Al Fasl, 125 kilometres north of Dhahran. Most birds have moved off by
late March or early April so early May is quite a late date for the species in
the Eastern Province. The same bird was seen on 11 May sitting on top of a
street light in the same area. I have seen two summer birds in June and July
but these are extremely rare although apparently becoming more usual than
previously. In the Eastern Province it is an uncommon passage migrant and winter
visitor; rare summer visitor. Birds occur in the region on passage from late
September until November and from late February until late April with the birds
seen in late April almost always young birds that often linger on their
wintering grounds in spring, unlike adults. Winter records from December to
February are generally on the littoral with birds seen mainly around lowland
man-made lakes and sewage farms as well as central pivot irrigation fields.
Prime locations for seeing the species are Sabkhat Al Fasl, Jubail green belt
zone, Khafrah Marsh, Jubail sanitary landfill site, Qatif sanitary landfill
site and Dhahran Saudi Aramco compound where the wintering population has been
increasing in recent years with the Middle East still appearing to be a main
wintering area for the species. Winter numbers in the coastal littoral have
been documented as a minimum of 6 – 8 birds in the mid 2000’s but by 2011 this
number had increased to 15 – 20 with a ratio of adults to young birds of about
40% Adults to 60% youngsters and the maximum number of birds seen in a single
day being thirteen on 9th February 2012. In the past, the species frequented
the formerly extensive mangroves and Phragmites reed beds lining many large
coastal bays, with a maximum count of eight around Tarout Bay 12th December
1991, but due to destruction of this habitat they are now seldom seen in these
areas. The pale form fulvescens is rarely recorded.
