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12 December 2015

European Robin near Jubail – Bird records by Mohammed AlRuqaya

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.