Whilst birding in Jubail I
saw a Eurasian Oystercatcher on a large wetland area, where they are rare. The
Eurasian Oystercatcher is an uncommon, although occasionally is a locally common passage migrant & winter visitor to the coast of Saudi Arabia
that is rare in summer. The species has been seen in every month
of the year with returning autumn migrants occurring from mid-July and numbers
commonest from September to November with the largest count recorded being 214
at Anuk on 16 November 1991. Smaller numbers are regularly seen along the coast
from September until April with a few, mainly immature birds, seen together
from May to August. The sub-species that occurs is Haematopus ostralegus
longipes which breeds from the eastern Mediterranean (Adriatic coastline)
to west & north central
Russia (mouth of R Ob') south to Black, Caspian and Aral Seas and Lake
Balkhash, and east to west Siberia; winters on coast from east Africa through
Arabia to India. Elsewhere
in Saudi Arabia it is present on all coasts mostly as a winter visitor.
Generally uncommon but common on the southern Red Sea coast. Some present all
year. Not inland.
