Toadstool – Khafra Marsh

Whilst birding Khafra Marsh recently I came across a toadstool that I had not seen previously. I have no idea what type it is but it looked quite smart growing out of the sand.

Ehrenberg's Redstart - Jubail

A really smart Common Redstart of the sub-species samamisicus which is often known as 'Ehrenberg's Redstart' was seen in Jubail recently. This sub-species breeds in the southern Balkans and Greece east to Turkmenistan, south Uzbekistan and Iran and winter in north-east Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. They are slightly greyer and darker above, with a large white wing patch, which can be variable in size. The light was poor so I did not get a good photograph but you can see how really smart and different this sub-species looks to the normal Common Redstart.

Whimbrel - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area in early May I can across a Whimbrel. This is not a common species in Saudi Arabia and it occurred to me there could be a very slim chance it could be a Steppe Whimbrel alboaxillaris as one has been claimed in Bahrain in recent years.The timing was not good for Steppe Whimbrel occurring in the Middle East as the prime times should be March to early April and again in July. The fact it was alone was in its favour however. The bird appeared to be very tiered and would walk away, at some distance, when approached. When it flew it did so over a very short distance so we were loathed to disturb it too much. On two occasions when it flew I was able to get a couple of photos of its underwing, and this combined to overall plumage features suggest the bird was a nominate phaeopus. We did not attempt to get closer for better photos due to the apparently tiered nature of the bird. 

Eastern Nightingale - Jubail

An interesting record of an Eastern (Common) Nightingale Luscinia (megarhynchos) golzii was recorded nar Jubail in early May 2019. Eastern Nightingale is sometimes regarded as a separate species from Common Nightingale and breeds in Eastern Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Kazakhstan & Afghanistan and they winter mainly in southern Africa.

Identification differences from Common Nightingale include:-

Pale fringes to the terials

Pale fringes to the greater coverts

Pale supercillium (often hard to see in the field)

Upperparts less rusty in tone (often greyish)

Paler underparts

Longer wing and tail lengths

Dunlin in breeding plumage - Jubail

Whilst birding the Jubail area recently I saw a few summer plumaged Dunlin, these birds are supposedly of the subspecies Calidris alpina centralis. I rarely see Dunlin in summer plumage, so took the opportunity to take a few photos and although the light was very poor but I did manage to obtain a few average photos, shown below. C. a. centralis breeds in north-east Siberia from Taymyr Peninsula to Kolyma Delta and winters from the eastern Mediterranean and Red Sea eastwards to southern Asia.

Migrants - Jubail

A steady trickle of migrants have been passing through the Eastern Province in the last couple of weeks with several Red-backed Shrike appearing. Lesser Whitethroat, Spotted Flycatcher, Common Redstart, Pied Wheatear, Tree Pipit and Western Siberian Stonechat were also seen in small numbers. Very few Yellow Wagtails have been around recently compared to recent years but small flocks of European and Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters have been passing over mainly in the early morning.

Red-backed Shrike 

Red-backed Shrike

Common Redsatart

Pied Wheatear

Rufous-tailed Scrub Robin

Tree Pipit

Western Siberian Stonechat

Great Snipe - Jubail

Initially found by Phil Roberts on 6 May it was feeding in a shallow area of flooded sabka. Phil took a number of excellent photos of the bird including with the wings raised showing clearly all the features of Great Snipe. As I had only seen one bird previously in Saudi Arabia at the edge of the percolation pond in Dhahran Saudi Aramco Camp, Dhahran 22 October 2011 I was keen to see if the bird was still around at the weekend. Luckily for me it was still present in exactly the same area and after feeding in the open for some time walked onto the land and rested under a tree where we left it. Great Snipe is the largest of the three species in Western Europe and is 5% to 10% longer and broader-winged and about 10% longer legged, but 10% shorter-billed and marginally shorter-tailed. Great shows more white in the upperwing (all of the wing coverts, including the primary coverts, are fringed white) showing a white-boardered, dark mid-wing panel broader white sides to the tail and darker, more densely barred underwings. It appears bulkier, primarily because of its stouter bill, larger head, greater girth and broader wings giving it more of a ball shape on the ground. The head pattern of the Great Snipe is subtly different from that of the Snipe, with less pronounced striping and the belly shows less white being almost completely barred ith the exception of the central belly. There is extensive white on the outer tail-feathers but this was not visible in the field as the bird did not fly and we did not want to disturb it. It is a rare bird in Saudi Arabia with a single record from KAUST in 2018. Birds of the Riyadh Region (Stagg 1994) stating it is a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor. Passes February to April in ones and twos and again from September to November, sometimes several mingling with G. gallinago. Winter visitors occur December and January. In the Eastern Province, it is a Vagrant with six records of eight birds. One Abqaiq 9-10 May 1976, Three Abqaiq 3-16 September 1977, One Abqaiq 12-13 October 1977, One Abqaiq 30 April 1982, One Dhahran 22 October 2011 and one Jubail 6-10 May 2019.

Passage & Breeding Waders - Jubail

Wader numbers have started to increase again as passage of some species speeds up. Passage waders included good numbers of Wood Sandpiper and Ruff with smaller numbers of summer plumaged Curlew Sandpiper, Dunlin and Little Stint. Terek Sandpiper, Common Ringed Plover and a single Broad-billed Sandpiper were also seen. Regular breeders were seen in good numbers with plenty of Black-winged Stilt around including many well grown juveniles. Kentish Plover were also seen with a few juveniles, another species that breeds locally.

Little Stint

Wood Sandpiper

Black-winged Stilt - juvenile

Curlew Sandpiper

Slightly odd Barn Swallow - Juabil

Whilst birding the Jubail area recently I came across a slightly odd looking Barn Swallow. It had a large amount of white in the wing, which when originally seen from distance perched on a reed made it look very interesting. Instead, it turned out to be a Swallow made to look even more strange by its very long and thin tail streamers. The plumage appears to rule out all other swallows apart from Barn Swallow.

Purple Darter – Khafra Marsh

Whilst walking around Khafra Marsh recently I saw quite a number of Purple Darter dragonflies flying about and landing regularly. They were a dark purplish-black colour and quite small and regularly perched in the open on small shrubs. A number were breeding and I managed to photograph the ones below. This darter has an iridescent dark-purplish sheen which gives rise to its name the Purple Darter. It is also known as the black percher, due to the male being almost entirely black, and to the species’ habit of regularly perching on grasses and other vegetation. In contrast to the male, the female is a vibrant yellowish-green, with small black stripes across the thorax. The wings of the purple darter are very clear, although they turn slightly amber towards the base of the hind-wing. This amber patch is bigger and darker in females. Both the male and female have a greyish-brown cell, known as the pterostigma, near the tip of the wing and it has a widespread distribution, primarily occurring in Africa, outside of forested areas but can also be found on several islands in the Mediterranean Sea, as well as across the southern half of the Iberian Peninsula, and through Arabia to the Indian subcontinent.

Desert Campion – Khafra Marsh

The Desert Campion Silene villosa is an annual herb with green stem and leaves and white flowers. They occur in sandy areas and flower from February to March and occasionally into April. It measures 10-20 centimetres and is very common occurring in Bahrain, Kuwait, eastern Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Can be numerous after rains.

Lesser Kestrels – Jebal Hamrah

Whilst driving to Judah and Jebal Hamrah we came across two Lesser Kestrels perched on fence wires in the very early morning. This was the first time I have seen the species in Jebal Hamrah. Lesser Kestrel is an uncommon passage migrant to the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia that migrates in small flocks. They are normally seen in areas where insects are common such as pivot irrigation fields where good numbers can sometimes be seen in spring. Small flocks are sometimes seen flying over at some height and not landing suggesting many move through the area unseen. Numbers are significantly lower in the autumn than the spring. Most birds occur in Saudi Arabia from the middle of February to mid-April in spring, and between the end-September and mid-November in autumn. 

Elevated or Variable Stalker? - Jebal Hamrah

Whilst birding the Jebal Hamrah area recently I came across a stalker beetle of some description. It appears to be either an Elevated or otherwise Variable Stalker. These beetles live in stony deserts such as the area where I photographed it but are not easy for the uninitiated to identify.

Camouflaged Desert Larks – Jebal Hamrah

Whilst walking around the Judah area we located tens of Desert Larks often in pairs and almost all were of the pale subspecies azizi which is the palest form of all the subspecies and matches almost perfectly with the limestone rocks and scree of the escarpment. As can be seen from one of the photos below they blend in to the background perfectly with their plumage matching that of the limestone cliffs and rocks. They prefer arid hills, stony or rocky slopes with sparse vegetation and can often be located by their constant calling. Birds were seen along the entire length of the escarpment and although never common should be located if looked for carefully enough.

Arabian Darkling Beetle – Jebal Hamrah

Recently whilst walking around the flat stony desert area near Jebal Hamrah I came across Arabian Darkling Beetles on the edge of an escarpment. This is one of the most common species of Arabia and is found in many locations. There are many darkling beetles but this one appears to be the most common.