Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area in early April, we found a Spotted Crake on the edge of a large wet puddle and took the below photographs. Spotted Crake is an uncommon passage migrant with a few birds overwintering in some years. It is probably an overlooked species, due to its secretive nature with birds in spring from late February to mid-May and in autumn occurring from September to December but mainly in October and November. The Birds of the Riyadh Region (Stagg 1994) says they are a spring and autumn passage migrant, passing late February to mid-May with main movement occurring in April. Return passage extends from late August to early November, peaking in October. Sightings have increased considerably with the increase in wetlands in the region with up to 30 in a day being seen in April along the Riyadh watercourse. These numbers have not been seen in recent years although birds are still seen quite commonly at the correct time of year.
