Viv Wilson
sent me a photograph of an adult male Hen Harrier Circus cyaneus he took
near Tabuk 20 November 2015 that is shown below. The Hen Harrier is a scarce
passage migrant and winter visitor with more birds seen in the north-west than
anywhere else in the Kingdom. In the Riyadh & Central Arabia areas the Birds
of the Riyadh Region (Stagg 1994) states the species is a vagrant with only
four sightings in March, April, September and November. With only four
additional records that I know of from the area of one juvenile at Al Safi
Dairy Farm on 19 October 2000, one adult female on the same site 25 January
2001, a male in late march 1992 at Wadi Hanifah and a male in September 1993
over Dywidag compound. Elsewhere it is a rare autumn visitor to the southwest
and Jeddah areas in winter and spring. In the Eastern Province it is a scarce
migrant and winter visitor from October to April but I have only seen one adult
male in winter on year. Females may well be being overlooked due to their
similarity to other ringtail harriers whereas males are quite distinct and are
relatively easily identified.
