Caspian Tern is a common sighting in Jubail where they can be seen in almost any wetland area from the coast inland to flooded sabkhat areas like Sabkhat Al Fasl and Khafra Marsh. Although common numbers seen rarely exceed ten although late in the summer, around September, numbers can exceed 150 birds mainly out on flooded sabkha.
The last trip to Jubail was good for Caspian Terns with up to twenty sitting out with a small flok of Large White-headed Gulls and more birds flying up and down a flooded area by the side of the road. These birds put on quite a nice display flying past the car on a number of occasions and doubling back past the car again.
This allowed a few attempts at in flight photography with a few decent results achieved. They are a huge tern when compared to the Little Terns, Marsh Terns and Gull-billed Terns nearby and are a very impressive species in my opinion.
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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