Whilst birding the Jubail area in late August I found at least twenty Egyptian Nightjars in two different areas, this being a record count for the area. Egyptian Nightjars are now an easily seen species during the summer months in the Jubail area with a maximum of sixteen birds seen in 2020 and numbers increasing almost every year since they were first found in 2006. In 2020 & 2021 birds have been recorded breeding in the area or very nearby with juveniles seen in May. They often sit on the car tracks and fly when the car gets very close allowing flight shots if you are quick. You can get very close to them in the car without disturbing them as they are convinced their camouflage can hide them from anything so excellent photos on the ground are often possible. We do not try to photograph them in flight unless they are disturbed by the car as we do not want to disturb the birds unduly. The birds shown here are adults and are in heavy wing moult. There are probably a lot more birds than the ones counted as I do not get out of the car and walk the area of bushes as this disturbs the birds too much.
