Mohammed AlRuqaya sent me details of a European
Robin Erithacus rubecula he found and
photographed near Jubail between 1-5 December 2015. Mohammed has also
kindly allowed me to use his great photos of the bird on my website. European
Robin is a scarce winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with a number of records
occurring in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom. The records I know about
include one adult male Abqaiq lagoons 11 November 1983, one adult male Dhahran
Saudi Aramco camp percolation pond, 16 December 1983, one adult male Dhahran
Saudi Aramco camp percolation pond, 22 February 1984, One at Jubail Lagoons 15
November 1991, one Duffi Park, Jubail 15 February 2014 and this bird 1-5
December 2015. There may be more records than this but it
indicates how scarce the species is in the Eastern Province and how well
Mohammed has done finding one. I am still yet to see this species in the
country but will, hopefully, one day find my own whilst out birding.
