Phil Roberts and I went to Haradh in late April to look for migrants and other birds. We set off at 03:00 hrs and arrived at 06:00 hrs. Birding was not exactly stunning but a few good birds were seen in our day out. Birds we do not see often in the Eastern Province included three Black-crowned Night Herons.
A Spur-winged Lapwing appeared to be defending a territory aggressively from other birds suggesting it might be breeding. This species has not been recorded breeding in the Eastern Province before.
We also saw four more Spur-winged Lapwings in another area of Haradh. A small group of Common Swift were over a large pivot irrigation field and a small group of five Collared Pratincole were in another field. A single Pallid Harrier was seen but no other birds of prey.
The most common birds were Namaqua Doves and Crested Larks.
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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