I found a Pied Kingfisher at Dhahran Waste Water Lake on 1 January 2024 and the bird was still present on my last visit at end of January. It has a favourite spot of some dead twigs where it is regularly seen but it has now taken to perching in various other areas including the reeds on the far side of the lake. This makes it slightly more difficult to see although it does fly up and down the lake and hover over the water occasionally. This is an unusual record for Dhahran where I have only seen it twice before this bird, but it appears to be a good year for the species with others seen in Jubail (seven), Nariyah (two), Riyadh and Yanbu in 2024. This bird is attracting a number of photographers and others interested in birds to the lake which will hopefully, in turn, turn up more interesting species.
