Whilst birding the Ushaiqer area with Phil Roberts we decided to go and check a few pivot irrigation fields. Whilst trying to find access into a field I saw a group of four small birds fly towards us that looked a bit different. They landed on a large earth berm and on closer inspection turned out to be Trumpeter Finches Bucanetes githagineus. This species is a locally common, widespread resident found in manly arid rocky areas where it is thinly distributed. Birds are seen throughout the year but may become common after good rains. In the Riyadh area, where we were birding, they are a common breeding resident around the Tuwaiq Escarpment but breed less commonly elsewhere. Flocks disperse after breeding and may then be encountered randomly throughout the region. I seldom see this species in the Eastern Province so was very happy with the encounter, particularly as I managed to get the best photos I have so far in Saudi Arabia of two of the birds.
