Whilst birding the Dhahran Waste Water Lake 30 November I came across a single Steppe Buzzard Buteo Buteo vulpinus. I did not see the bird as it was sitting on the ground behind some scrub, but as it took off I got a few relatively close photos of it in flight, although it was into the sun slightly so not the best photographs. This is the first time I have seen the species in November as they normally occur on migration. It has a status in Saudi Arabia of an uncommon passage migrant and winter visitor that passes in March and April and again in September and October, merging with the occasional winter visitors which may appear in any months between the autumn and spring movements. I do not see this species often on my local patch but this is the second one this year after a bird in May 2024.
