Whilst birding
at Sabkhat Al Fasl in January I saw and photographed a second calendar year
Eastern Imperial Eagle. The species is
rarely seen at Sabkhat Al Fasl although the Greater Spotted Eagle is seen
almost every visit during the winter. The Eastern Imperial Eagle is an uncommon
winter visitor to Saudi Arabia with most records coming from the north of the
country where they are generally seen inland rather than near the coast. The
species breeds from Eastern Europe across Asia to China and winters in the
Middle East, east Africa south to Tanzania, the Arabian Peninsula, India, and
from Thailand to Korea. Currently Eastern Imperial Eagle is listed as
vulnerable on the IUCN Red List as it has a small global population and is
likely to be undergoing continuing declines, primarily as a result of habitat
loss and degradation, persecution and prey depletion.
