Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake 12 October 2024, I came across five Egyptian Nightjars. The Egyptian Nightjar Caprimulgus aegyptius is an uncommon bird in Arabia, with ‘The birds of the Western Palearctic’ (Cramp 1985) mentioning they winter in north-east Africa and migrate on a broad front across Arabia from September to early November & March to mid-May. These birds fit this pattern, and the fact I have not seen any around the lake in recent years also suggests they are migrants rather than early wintering birds. As I am on foot whilst birding this area it is difficult to get close to the birds as they fly when they notice you. I did manage to see one before it saw me and got the below photos before it flew off. This species has become regular at certain locations during the summer months where they now breed, but records during migration and winter and much less common.
