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11 September 2017

Nubian Nightjar at Sharma – Bird record by Euan Ferguson

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.
Nubian Nightjar