Whilst
birding at Sabkhat Al Fasl 27 November, Phil Roberts and I saw the largest
flock of Western Great Egrets seen in the country to date when we discovered
250 together on the flooded area behind the power station. A couple of times
the birds all took flight allowing a good estimate of numbers to be made. The
Western Great Egret is a regular visitor to the Eastern Province where it is
often seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl south to Tarout Bay and coastal areas south to
Dammam where it is mainly seen from September through March and occasionally in
late May with a maximum count of 170 birds. Away from the coastal zones
presumed migrants have been recorded in March at lakes north of Hofuf and in
October in Abqaiq. Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia it is an uncommon but regular
migrant to both coasts although also occurs inland including Riyadh.
