Whilst at Haradh
I saw plenty of Migratory Locust Locusta
migratoria in the pivot irrigation fields. Normally they occur in small
numbers throughout Arabia, but rarely form into swarms. There are two colour
forms, brown and green with the green colour forms mainly solitary adult
females. Under favourable breeding conditions they can form into vast groups,
with young ‘hoppers’ often all marching in the same direction. They are very
strong fliers and migratory specimens have been recorded as far away as Great
Britain. Most of the locusts were in the fields but the one I photographed was
on the sand at the edge of a pivot field.
