Viv Wilson photographed a flock of 46 Sociable Lapwing near Tabuk 20
November, this being the largest flock seen in the Kingdom for many years. Some
photographs of the flock are shown below as Viv has kindly allowed me to use it
on my website. Sociable Lapwing is listed as Critically Endangered because its
population has undergone a very rapid reduction, for reasons that are poorly
understood. This decline is projected to continue and increase in the future.
Fieldwork in Kazakhstan (and counts in Turkey and the Middle East) has shown
the population to be substantially larger than previously feared, but recent
demographic studies have found low adult survival, possibly largely driven by
hunting pressure along the migration routes and wintering grounds. Important
wintering areas have been identified in Saudi Arabia in the northwest and
southwest of the Kingdom from satellite tracked birds. Birdwatchers have also
added data with some relatively large flocks of 30 birds seen in recent years
in both the wintering areas.
