Whilst birding Wadi Jizan Lake I saw at least two Yellow-billed Egrets. This has just been split from Intermediate Egret a species that has only just started to be seen in Saudi Arabia, almost always in the southwest. Birds have been seen previously at Wadi Jizan Lake, Jizan Heritage Village and along the coast to the Jizan Sewage Treatment Plant. This is the first time I have seen the species in Saudi Arabia, but I could have overlooked them in the past? I could not get close to the birds and the below photos are poor but you can see the yellow bill with black tip and the yellow below the eye stopping under the eye rather than behind like Great Egret. The head and neck shape and overall size was also different to Great Egret.
