Phil and I were taken to Wadi Waj, a site near the center of Taif, by a
local birder Ali. He very kindly showed us the site and drove us around it in
his four-wheel drive car, as our hire car could not make it. This site is a
wastewater runoff stream that permanently flows and has good growth of reeds
and sedges nearby. It is a place where Ali regularly sees Arabian Waxbill and
Arabian Serin, two species that Phil and I were still trying to get decent photographs
of. We saw the Waxbills almost as soon as we arrived but they were high in the
tall trees and only average photos were obtained. We later saw them again when
returned in the evening but again high in the trees. We did, however, get good
views of Arabian Serin on several occasions. There were plenty of other birds
about including Nile Valley Sunbirds, Graceful Prinias, Black Scrub Robins and
plenty of Green Bee-eaters. An unusual bird seen almost immediately on arrival
was a Scaly-breasted Munia, a species that Ali had not seen here before, but
this may have been an escape from somewhere? A few wetland birds were seen as
well including three Squacco Herons and a Green Sandpiper. On our return visit
and as it was getting sark we located a Bruce’s Green Pigeon in a tall tree
rounding off a good selection of birds at a good local site.
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| Arabian Serin |
 |
| Arabian Serin |
 |
| Arabian Waxbill |
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| Bruce's Green Pigeon |
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| Graceful Prinia |
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| Nile Valley Sunbird |
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| Scaly-breasted Munia |
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| Squacco Heron |
