Whilst birding at Wadi Ad Dewasir this winter we fund four active Common Chiffchaff feeding in some roadside scrub. Three birds appeared to be normal abietinus type and the one a rather duller paler looking bird. The bird showed a brown and buff livery without any yellow away from the bend of the wing. It also had a buff supercillium and upper half of the eye-ring with the underparts suffused with buff. The Siberian Chiffchaff is a vagrant to Saudi Arabia with this bird being the third record for the Kingdom after two birds trapped and ringed in Jubail 23 January 2015 and 17 March 2017. Birds are possibly more common than known presently and may be overlooked, as care is needed with identification.
