Arnold Uy was in the Dammam /
Al Khobar waterfront area in December and found two Eurasian Spoonbills feeding
on the seafront. He managed to get a couple of photographs that he sent to me
for use on my website for which I thank him. The status of the species has
changed over the years in the Eastern Province, with it being regarded as a
rare and irregular visitor usually involving immature birds until the end of
the 1980’s. Records occurred from November to December and April and June with
most on the coast at Taraut Bay, Qatif, Abu Ali and Al Khobar. The only inland
record was one at Abqaiq 30 September to 1 October 1976. Today it is an
uncommon visitor in all months to the province. In Central Saudi Arabia the
status of the species has also changed with the List of Birds of Saudi Arabia
(Jennings 1981) saying there were no inland records for the country. By the mid
1980’s the Birds of the Riyadh Region (Stagg 1994) stated that prior to 1987
the Spoonbill was a rare autumn visitor. Since then it made frequent
appearances along the Riyadh watercourse and became a spasmodic spring and
autumn passage migrant and a regular winter visitor in growing numbers.
Wintering birds arrived occasionally in November but mainly January and were
seen thereafter until May with the largest group 11 on 23 November 1990. In the
late 1990’s the species was not recorded at all by the local birders and is
still regarded as a scarce bird in the area. The main stronghold for the
species in Saudi Arabia is the Red Sea where it is a common resident breeder.
Largest numbers are seen in the southwest near Jizan but birds have been
recorded all along the coast to north on Yanbu.
