Caspian Tern is a common sighting in
Jubail where they can be seen in almost any wetland area from the coast inland
to flooded sabkhat areas like Sabkhat Al Fasl and Khafra Marsh. Although common,
numbers seen rarely exceed ten although late in the summer, around September,
numbers can exceed 150 birds mainly out on flooded sabkha. The last trip to
Jubail was good for Caspian Terns with up to one hundred sitting around and
more birds flying up and down a flooded area by the side of the road. These
birds put on quite a nice display flying past the car on a number of occasions
and doubling back past the car again. There was a small shoal of tiny fish near
the shore and the terns were occasional dropping into the water to catch them. This
allowed a few attempts at inflight photography as well as some attempts to get
birds in the water. Some of the results are shown below.
