Birds of Saudi Arabia: Winter species in Riaydh

20 February 2023

Winter species in Riaydh – Al Hair

Whilst birding Al Hair 10 February I saw a few common wintering species. This included Greater Spotted Eagle which favours the wet areas of the Al Hair river and occurs only from September to May. The White-throated Kingfisher which is a resident breeder and can be seen perched on overhead power lines and trees. A rarer species but still not uncommon was the Desert Finch which were seen in fields and on power lines in small numbers. Eastern Stonechat was seen in a couple of places along with Eastern Black Redstart. The pivot fields were quiet but had very large flocks of Spanish Sparrow and up to ten Western Marsh Harriers including a couple of male birds. Another bird of prey frequenting the pivot fields was a Steppe Buzzard. We failed to find any Streaked Weaver, which is normally common in the area, but it was dryer than normal so possibly this was the reason. The only other thing worth mentioning was a large group of well over one hundred Common Snipe, all of which flew before any photos could be obtained.