Great Cormorant was quite an unusual bird at Sabkhat Al Fasl three or four years ago,
but now it is a common winter visitor with hundreds seen on each visit. Birds
can be seen in the very early morning flying into the site from their roosting
areas nearby, with some birds staying all day in the wetland areas. The species
was always a common winter visitor to the Eastern Province where thousands
roost in the trees on my local patch each winter, and where they are sometimes
abundant in coastal waters from September through March including the Jubail
area near Sabkhat Al Fasl but for some reason the reserve at Sabkhat Al Fasl
was not favoured by them.
