Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 8 January I trapped and
ringed a Jack Snipe, a species that we had not ringed previously at the
location. The Jack Snipe is an uncommon winter visitor to the Eastern Province
of Saudi Arabia where it is normally found in marshy areas away from the coast
from early September to early April. In the rest of Saudi Arabia it has been
recorded most frequently in the Riyadh and Tabuk area and rarely in the Tihamah
in the southwest and is a difficult species to see away from the three main
areas. These birds are very gentle birds to handle and are very beautiful as
well making them one of my favourites.
