A thin scattering of migrants – Dhahran Hills

Birding the ‘patch’ recently has been a bit slow but there are normally one or two good birds about to keep you on your toes. Today I saw my first returning Upcher’s Warblers of the autumn with two different birds seen in the trees surrounding the percolation pond. A walk through the area in the hope of locating Egyptian Nightjar did not locate any Nightjars bur turned up the Upcher’s Warblers and three Caspian Reed Warblers as well as three Clamorous Reed Warblers. European Turtle Doves were also present with a couple of adults and a juvenile bird seen indicating the species has again bred in the area, which is very good news for this globally declining species.

European Turtle Dove

Black-winged Stilt (juvenile)

Blue-cheeked Bee-eater

A few waders are slowly starting to appear with almost 100 Black-winged Stilts, five Kentish Plover, one Common Sandpiper and one Little Ringed Plover. The resident Grey Heron was still in place on one of the floating islands and the adult male Little Bittern was seen in flight across the pond. Other migrants included two Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, 10+ Barn Swallows, 10+ Sand Martins and an early Common Swift.

For more information about my birding exploits in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia and ringing trips to Bahrain, please visit my website “Birds of Saudi Arabia“.

Jem Babbington

Jem Babbington is a keen birder and amateur photographer located in Dhahran, Eastern Saudi Arabia where he goes birding every day. Jem was born in England and is a serious local patch and local area birder who has been birding for almost forty years and has birded in more than fifty countries. Jem is learning to ring birds in Bahrain as a perfect way to learn more about the birds of the area. Saudi Arabia is a very much under-watched and under-recorded country.

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