Whilst birding the Jubail area last weekend we came
across two Great Black-headed Gulls sitting on a flooded area of sabkha. One
bird was an adult in full summer plumage with the other being a second calendar
year bird. Jubail has turned out to be a good site to see the species in the
last five years with birds seen each winter. The Great Black-headed Gull is an
uncommon winter visitor to the Arabian Gulf and southern Red Sea coastal areas
that is also rarely seen inland. The first birds are normally not seen until
December or January, with March probably the best time to see the species.
Apart from Sabkhat Al Fasl the other good location for seeing the species is
the causeway to Bahrain where birds can often be seen hanging in the wind over
the road and up to ten adult summer birds have been seen on recent crossings.
