Birds of Saudi Arabia: Same species – Dhahran Waste Water Lake

The pair of Tufted Duck and Great Crested Grebe that have been present for more than a month on the Dhahran Waste Water Lake were not seen on my last visit. The common species using the pond are Great Cormorants, and various herons including Grey Heron and Western Great Egret, where birds spend the entire day around the edge of the water. Steppe Gulls are still visiting the pond to drink and bath but seldom stay longer than a few minutes, whereas Common Black-headed Gulls tend to remain for most of the day. The newly planted native trees that Saudi Aramco have planted around the edge of the pond are growing nicely and have quite a few birds in them. The only species I managed to photograph was an Eastern Stonechat where both a male and female were present.