Whilst birding the large Pivot Irrigation fields of Haradh on 14 October Phil Roberts and I came across large numbers of Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus. This was a surprise as the species is seldom recorded in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
The largest recorded flocks in Kingdom have been 61 at Todhia farm, 27 February 2009 and 15 birds at NADEC Dairy Farm in Haradh 7 Februry 2013. We counted many flocks of over 10 in various areas and had 106 together so we estimated a minimum of 150 birds and probably many more.
The species is an uncommon resident in the southwest of the Kingdom but until now has been a vagrant to the Eastern Province but the large numbers seen in recent years makes it an uncommon passage migrant and scarce winter visitor to the region.
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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