Phil Roberts was birding at
Sabkhat Al Fasl at the weekend and sent me a few photographs of what he saw
there. He mentioned it was a little quiet but that was all changed by his
finding of a Red-knobbed Coot, a first for Saudi Arabia and about which I have
posted earlier. Phil mentioned there were plenty of White-cheeked Terns around
now, which is not too surprising as they are just starting to breed on the
nearby islands. Some migrants are still passing through and Red-backed Shrikes
were seen. This is a late migrant through Saudi Arabia with birds often seen
into June. Other birds seen included Little Ringed Plover a migrant breeder to
the area and resident breeders such as Little Bittern, Pallid Swift and
Black-winged Stilt. The last species is present all year but it is uncertain
they are truly resident.
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| White-Cheeked Tern |
 |
| Red-backed Shrike - male |
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| Little Ringed Plover |
 |
| Little Bittern - male |
 |
| Pallid Swift |
 |
| Black-winged Stilt |
