Birds of Saudi Arabia: A few interesting birds on the Wastewater Pond

Birding the Wastewater Pond in Dhahran at the end of November produced a few interesting birds. As always, the main birds were Great Cormorant and Little Grebe but also amongst the Little Grebe was a single Great Crested Grebe. This is a species that is uncommon with most records coming from the Half Moon Bay area where they remain quite distant. The pond allows relatively close approach and therefore some reasonable photos. Around the edge of the pond were two Western Great Egrets, plenty of Squacco Heron and five Little Egrets with a similar number of Grey Heron. Two Eurasian Coot and a Single Common Moorhen were seen. A single Whiskered Tern, two Gull-billed Tern, ten Common Black-headed Gull and a single Pallid Swift were seen in flight over the pond with a female Western Marsh Harrier also located. Walking around the pond and looking in the vegetation produced a few Delicate Prinia, several Clamorous Reed Warbler including two young birds and three Bluethroats. A male and female Siberian Stonechat were present near the water edge along with lots of White-eared Bulbuls.