Whilst birding the Jubail area in mid-May I came across a European Roller sitting in a small tree. I was able to manoeuvre the car into a position where the light was good and the bird not to distant and was able to photograph and is shown below. The bird remained in the tree and I I left it sitting in the same place I first saw it. Saudi Arabia has three species of roller on the country list. These are Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis a vagrant, Abyssinian Roller Coracias abyssinicus a breeding resident of the southwest region of the Kingdom and European Roller Coracias garrulus a common passage migrant from March to May and again from mid-July to late September when juveniles are also seen along with adults. Birds are regularly seen in the Eastern Province in all areas but are not particularly common in the Jubail area. They are seen almost every year in both spring and autumn in very small numbers at this location but they are always good to see and photograph.
