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14 January 2016

A retrapped and returning Red-spotted Bluethroat – Sabkhat Al Fasl

Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 8 January I trapped a male Red-spotted Bluethroat that we had previously trapped in January 2014. This bird had presumably been back to its breeding grounds in the far north and then returned to spend its winter in exactly the same small area of Sabkhat Al Fasl as where we originally trapped it showing it is site faithful for its wintering area. Red-spotted Bluethroats are common winter visitors to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia where they remain until March before heading off north to their breeding grounds. This is the second bird we have retrapped the following winter and we are slowly building up a picture of their arrival and departure dates as well as site faithfulness.
Red-spotted Bluethroat

Red-spotted Bluethroat