Whilst at Haradh I saw a Migratory Locust
Locusta migratoria in a large pivot
irrigation field. 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. The migratory locust
is the most widespread locust species in the world, and the only species in the
genus Locusta. It occurs throughout Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
I went to Al Asfar Lake near to Hufuf recently
and saw over fifty Western Marsh Harriers. I managed to get a number of
reasonable photographs with a couple of two birds playing in the air together. The
Western Marsh Harrier is a winter visitor to Saudi Arabia and they always occur
in areas of extensive reed beds and open water. Birds turn up in September and
depart abut March or April each year with the best sites in the Eastern
Province being Sabkhat Al Fasl and Al Asfar Lake.
Whilst birdwatching Al Asfar lake in early
February we came across huge numbers of Pallid Swifts Apus pallidus totalling
at least two thousand birds. It was an absolutely amazing sight with birds
dotted across the entire sky and some flying quite low allowing photographic
opportunities. The species is a common passage migrant and breeder with a
peculiar pattern of occurrence. The species is common from late January to May,
scarce after this and only recorded again in good numbers from November.
Breeding takes place in the winter months from November to April. Pallid Swift
are always good to watch but rarely come down low and allow photography.
Paul Wells recently found a Long-legged
Buzzard in Dhahran, an unusual occurrence t]for the location. In the Eastern
Province it is a breeding resident, which is thinly distributed in small
numbers. Bird numbers appear to increase in winter so there is either an influx
from elsewhere or birds move from their breeding areas to more favourable
wintering sites. This winter has been a very good one for the species with
birds seen over a wide area of the Eastern Province and is the second good
winter in a row.
Whilst birding the NADAC Farm area of
Haradh recently I saw plenty of Harriers including at minimum of two Montagu’s
Harriers over the pivot irrigation fields. Male Montagu’s Harriers are easily
identified by their upperwing pattern amongst other details but Juvenile and
female Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers are difficult to identify with certainty
and good views are needed. Montagu’s Harrier are uncommon passage migrants in
the Eastern Province mainly from April to May and from September to October
with a few birds apparently wintering and up to eight seen in a day at Haradh
in September. Pallid Harrier is a much more common species than Montagu’s
Harrier with the species an uncommon passage migrant from late February to
early May and again from September through November. Haradh is the best
locality for seeing the species and previously during winter almost all records
refer to adult males over cultivated fields, although now females appear to
outnumber males.
This winter has been an excellent one for
Temminck’s Stints. Normally birds are not seen in mid-winter with only a small
number wintering. Favoured sites are Sabkhat Al Fasl and Lake Al Asfar. The
species is mainly a passage migrant in small numbers almost always away from
the coast. It occurs in April and May and again from September to November. This
winter small groups have been seen including ten together in Jubail. Other
birds seen apart from the Temminck’s Stints were winter visitors like Western
Great Egret, Isabelline Wheatear, Eurasian Skylark.
Phil Roberts photographed two Crested
Honey Buzzards recently that have been around Dhahran for most of the winter.
He has kindly allowed me to use his photos on my website which are shown below.
The current status, of CHB in Saudi Arabia is a scarce passage migrant and
winter visitor that also occurs rarely in summer. Most records are from the
Eastern province in winter and spring with additional records in the west of
the country in autumn, winter and spring. This winter has been an excellent one
for the species with birds seen in Dhahran, Jubail, Taif, Jeddah and KAUST.
Vinu Mathew took a number of photos
recently in and around Khafra Marsh. Birds he photographed included common
winter visitors such as Common Kingfisher, Daurian Shrike and Red-spotted
Bluethroat. Grey-headed Swamphen has recently started breeding at the site and
Vinu took the below photo showing they still occur there. I thank Vinu for
sending me the photos and allowing me to use them on my website, some of whch
are shown below.
Whilst birdwatching in Haradh I saw a small
number of new Desert Hyacinth Cistanche
tubulosa. The Desert Hyacinth is a widely distributed annual that produces
a dense pyramid spike of bright yellow flowers topped by maroon-tinted buds.
The yellow flowers do not smell very nice and flies are attracted to the smell
and carry the pollen on their legs from plant to plant helping with
pollination. They are parasitic, one of several such plants in Arabia, and live
off other plants to gain their nutritional needs, as they have no green parts
or leaves to synthesize chlorophyll directly. The many tiny seeds may remain
dormant for years until the roots of the host plant are close enough to trigger
germination. It is one of the showiest plants of Eastern Arabia with bright
yellow, dense column of flowers sometimes approaching one metre in height. It
has varying flower colour with the flowers either tightly packed in the spike
or loose. They are widespread on sandy or sandy-silty ground and can tolerate
saline environments as well as disturbed conditions, so are often seen growing
near roads or tracks in the desert or along the shores of the Arabian Gulf.
Whilst birding in Bahrain this winter
Jehad Alammadi found a Black-winged Kite. This is a rare bird for the country
with the first record being a bird found at the Chicken Farm 2 February 2012. This
is a scarce visitor to Saudi Arabia but appears to have become more common in
recent years with birds seen in every month with the exception of January,
August and December. I thank Jehad for kindly allowing me to use his photos on
my website some of which are shown below.
Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl
recently I ringed a White-eared Bulbul. This was a new ringing species for me
and was a bit of a surprise when I found it in the net. This species is common
in the Eastern Province but has only been seen recently at this location in the
last few months. Birds appear to be of the subspecies mesopotamia found in Iraq and Kuwait as they have very yellow eye
rings and a bigger white ear patch. The subspecies that occurs elsewhere in
Saudi Arabia including Riyadh, Tabuk, Wadi Dawasir, Sakaka and other areas in
central and central western Saudi Arabia appear to be the Indian subspecies
leucotis as birds are believed to have been introduced in these places. The species
is widespread through much of the country although does not occur in the
southwest around Jizan where the similar White-spectacled Bulbul is common.
They are mainly a common resident breeding species where they occur.
Whilst birding the pivot irrigation
fields of Haradh on 26 January 2018 we came across a minimum of two Sociable
Lapwings Vanellus gregarius. The
birds were associating with large numbers of Northern Lapwings and Spur-winged
Plovers. The Sociable Lapwing is globally threatened and categorised as
Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red-list of threatened species. It is a
migratory species breeding in the central steppes of Kazakhstan, with small
numbers in southern Russian. The majority of the population migrate through
south-west Russia, into Turkey, through the Middle East region including Saudi
Arabia, before spending the winter in north-east Africa (mainly Sudan) and the
Arabian Peninsula. There is an additional flyway where birds migrate south-east
through central Asia into Pakistan and north-west India. The birds that winter
in the Arabian Peninsula do so mainly in Oman with others in the United Arab
Emirates. A few winter in Saudi Arabia with birds mainly in the northwest of
the Kingdom around Tabuk. The birds we have seen in the Eastern Province in the
last three winters constitute a new wintering area for the species. They
frequent large pivot irrigation fields where they favour newly ploughed areas.
This type of habitat is becoming more frequent in the Kingdom and probably
explains the increasing numbers of birds wintering in Saudi Arabia.
Whilst birding the Buraidah area this
winter Ragu Shanbogue found and photographed a Eurasian Siskin Carduelis spinus. He has kindly allowed
me to use his photos on my website of which two are shown below. They are seen
regularly in the north of the Kingdom including Harrat al Harrah Reserve where
they are a winter visitor but have also been seen from April to June. They
appear to be more common if the weather is colder to the north of the Kingdom. In
the Riyadh & Central Arabia area the Birds of Thumamah 1988-1994 mentioned
them as a scarce winter visitor. A small influx from 16 November to 16 December
1990 with a maximum of 12 birds near the village and 11 on the dairy farm. A
second influx occurred in November 1993 with 30-40 birds on 11 November. Also
seen spring 1994 with 15 in new pivot field 9 March and six there 30 March.
Birds of the Riyadh Region (Stagg 1994) mentioned they were an occasional
winter visitor. Sporadically appears between November and March, mainly in
years when harsh conditions prevail in northern climates. Sometimes ones and
twos only, other times flocks of up to 20.
Whilst birding a set of pivot irrigation
fields near Jubail I came across quite a good number of Eurasian Skylark. They
were all using the wet pivot fields for feeding and occasionally flying out
into the dry edges before going back into the grass. Other birds seen in good
numbers in these fields included both Water Pipit and Tawny Pipit. A few
harriers were present over the fields, including both Western Marsh and
Montagu’s Harriers
Phil Roberts and I went for our normal
winter visit to Haradh. We saw a good number of winter visitors at the site
including a large flock of 150 plus Kentish Plover feeding on the edge of a
pivot irrigation field. We have seen the species here before but not in such a
large flock. We always see good numbers of Desert and Isabelline Wheatears at
this location and this visit was no different. An unusual sight was a
Short-toed Snake Eagle, particularly as they are rare winter visitors, although
more regular in the main migration season. Last year we saw a flock of over 60
Mallard in a spray field and had a similar sized flock in a similar location
this year. Other birds seen included Tawny Pipit and Namaqua Dove.
