The Yellow Wagtail is a common passage migrant through the whole of Arabia with many thousands passing through the Eastern Province alone. A number of different subspecies occur, often together with Jubail being a particularly good area for seeing large groups. The first subspecies to occur are Black-headed Wagtailsfeldeggand these are then followed normally bybeema.
This year has been no different with the first Black-headed Wagtails occurring in February and the firstbeemain March. Numbers should now increase through April with more and more birds and subspecies occurring. Yellow Wagtails are quite confiding but trying to get really good photos is challenging as they are fast moving and you have to get the light in the correct position as well as try to get some catch-light in their eyes otherwise their dark eyes look ‘dead’.
If you can manage this, then they make great subjects as they are very beautifully plumaged birds.
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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