I visited Phil’s Fields three times in July 2017 and saw a lot of good birds in the area. Some of the birds seen were summer visitors from Africa and others specialities of the southwest of the Kingdom. The area is a set of three large pivot irrigation fields and surrounding trees edging the fields and scrubby land to the side.
The pivot irrigation equipment is always good for birds to perch on when they are disturbed from the fields and this visit I saw a large flock of Indian Silverbills, twenty Western Cattle Egrets and a couple of Arabian Babblers. The fields are the best place I know of for seeing both Zitting Cisticola and Singing Bush Lark but is also good for White-throated Bee-eater and White-spectacled Bulbul.
Other birds seen included House Sparrow and a fly over Yellow-billed Kite. This site is an excellent birding location and one I visit every time I am in the area and it always turns up good birds.
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields African Silverbill1](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dzS48M2IfDM/WWoWCozd5MI/AAAAAAAAbEs/Ymxze7ZyCS85NTWBl3VFbFVezv0vg2rEACLcBGAs/s1600/African_Silverbill1.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields African Silverbill2](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-7nhoAOGH2I0/WWoWAhnFnkI/AAAAAAAAbEk/vP9WKh6RIckdh-IzHsN0DB2aPCKsEcPJQCLcBGAs/s1600/African_Silverbill2.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields African Silverbill](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-6ySrJWvF6gg/WWoWBLpRrkI/AAAAAAAAbEo/B6soVvkb2kwndLt43X5kTlPqeQHX1VWzQCLcBGAs/s1600/African_Silverbill.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields Arabian Babler2](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cIplTOvOamE/WWoWIX4HxSI/AAAAAAAAbE0/-p5N003OaR8n1l7ZEKknAe7rdKHq9sPlACLcBGAs/s1600/Arabian_Babler2.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields House Sparrow](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5_jp4rZjHxM/WWoWHj_WuMI/AAAAAAAAbEw/8eHtq7mD5GIROo2UJimTArtJowXR_PhvgCLcBGAs/s1600/House_Sparrow.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields Western Cattle Egret](https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-RjOoBIm9Lms/WWoWJtWlsRI/AAAAAAAAbE4/a6dBz8jTzLYPwA4GbyprlG_w00C5z14VACLcBGAs/s1600/Western_Cattle_Egret.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields White eyed Bulbul](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GoFGPfNhS8U/WWoWP2D27tI/AAAAAAAAbFE/nKA5-JnLJl8CvOSoGSYorEEDNAd63UwGwCLcBGAs/s1600/White-eyed_Bulbul.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields White throated Bee eater2](https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OZDhAuROYLI/WWoWM3052eI/AAAAAAAAbE8/v7VuyfZq_eYdVOuNF9Gs7GSX1e-3CUV3ACLcBGAs/s1600/White-throated_Bee-eater2.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields Yellow billed Kite](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lRe4LVF0HUE/WWoWO_ayD0I/AAAAAAAAbFA/HC3o1kEQPxYPgeW-SdUf2G3yz2h9zgXGQCLcBGAs/s1600/Yellow-billed_Kite.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields Zitting Cisticola](https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-c5um66nOPI8/WWoWRk6yQuI/AAAAAAAAbFI/VsVRFCePE7wT7nzF-kIWmRI06FARMIRaQCLcBGAs/s1600/Zitting_Cisticola.jpg)
![Some southwest specialities – Phil’s Fields Jem Babbington](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Jem_Babbington_square-e1326016039596.jpg)
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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