I have been seeing Black-crowned Night Heron around the Waste Water Pond in Dhahran over the last few months, but numbers have been increasing in August and September. The last visit I saw approximately thirty birds with about half adults and half juveniles. Black-crowned Night Heron is an uncommon migrant to most areas of Saudi Arabia but in the Riyadh area is a common spring and autumn passage migrant passing early February to early June and again from late July to early November and rarely as late as December with birds now regularly breeding in the area. In the Eastern Province it is an uncommon migrant noted more often in autumn than spring. Juveniles occur from September through November and sometimes into February. Spring occurrences are irregular from April to May. I believe birds now breed near Dhahran as adults and juveniles have been seen throughout the year, and they are becoming a commoner sight. This is easily the largest number I have seen in Dhahran in as single visit.
