Whilst birding the Jubail area, I found three Collared Pratincoles Glareola pratincola along the edge of a
flooded area of Sabkha. This is the first time I have seen the species this
spring but unfortunately the birds were always in a position with the sun
behind them making photographing them well difficult. The Collared Pratincole is
an uncommon passage migrant to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a
similar status in the Riyadh area where they occur from late March to May and
in August and September. During the remaining summer months and in October it
tends to be scarce and irregular. Often seen well inland with flocks hawking
insects at Haradh in spring and autumn an area similar to the farm where we saw
our birds. Records are more common in the autumn than spring in Riyadh with
autumn movement from late July to late October, peaking late August to early
September, when flocks of 40 plus (mainly juveniles) are regularly encountered.
In the southwest, west and northwest of the country records are more common
mainly at freshwater inland areas where flocks of over 100 have been recorded
at Tabuk.
