Euan Ferguson was in Saudi Arabia with a couple of
other birdwatchers in spring 2017, conducting an environmental survey and found
a Nubian Nightjar at Sharma in the far northwest coast of the Red Sea. This
species is resident and breeds in the lowlands from the Yemen boarder to the
Hijaz in Sadui Arabia where it has been seen northwards to KAUST north of
Jeddah. There are, however, no records from as far north in the Kingdom as
Sharma and it is interesting to now if this was a migrant of a resident in the
area. Hopefully more records will occur in the area and shed more light on the
situation. Where it is found it is locally common and favours rocky or stony
areas with some vegetation although they have also been seen in sandy areas
with vegetation. The best location for seeing the species is in the southwest
near Jizan. I thank Euan for sending me the details of this bird and allowing
me to use his excellent photo on my website.
