Whilst birding Deffi Park I came across four Crested Honey Buzzard perched in the trees and lampposts of the park. There was an adult male, adult female and two juvenile birds, indicating breeding could have taken place nearby. Birds have been seen throughout the year in Deffi Park with regular sightings in the summer months. If these birds did breed it would be a first known case for the Kingdom. Birds have been using this park for at least five consecutive winters with records noted until April but 2022 has seen records throughout the summer months. Crested Honey Buzzard in Saudi Arabia is a scarce passage migrant and winter visitor that also occurs rarely in summer. Most records are from the Eastern province in winter and spring with additional records in the west of the country in autumn, winter and spring. Deffi Park is a landscaped park in Jubail with a large number of mature trees which the Crested Honey Buzzards like perching in. Unfortunately walkers in the park disturbed the birds before I got the chance to get close for photographs, but at least I managed to see them before they were disturbed.
