Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area I saw an Curlew N. a. orientalis. The Eastern Curlew occurs throughout central Siberia eastwards through central Russia to northeast China and winters in east and south Africa, Madagascar, and from the southern Caspian Sea south to the Persian Gulf and east through south Asia to east China and south […]
Author: 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.
Arabian Wheatear – Tanoumah & An Namas
Whilst birding the Tanoumah and An Namas area of the Asir Mountains I saw plenty of Arabian Wheatears at many different sites. The Arabian Wheatear Oenanthe lugentoides is a rather uncommon resident of the south-west highlands, but is also found in Oman, Palestine and Yemen, mainly in rocky, bushy sites. It is widespread on the […]
The Desert Locust – Abha area
The Desert Locust Schistocerca gregaria situation was calm during early 2018 due to poor rainfall and ecological conditions throughout most of the spring breeding areas in northwest Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. The desert locust can form plagues and threaten agricultural production in Africa, the Middle East, and Asia, something it has done for centuries. […]
Thunbergi Yellow Wagtails – Jubail
Whilst birding the Jubail area in early May I came across a small group of thunbergi Yellow Wagtails. They are also known as Grey-headed Wagtail and occur from Scandinavia eastwards to northwest Siberia and they winter mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and across South & southeast Asia. Yellow Wagtails are common in Jubail throughout the spring […]
Sand Swimmer – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili)
Whilst birding the Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili) with Phil Roberts we found a large number of Sand Swimmer Zophosis complanate. Sand Swimmer is a darkling beetle that is normally found in sand dunes. They prefer soil with some clay in them and the ones we found were near a wet sabkha area and […]
Spring birding – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili
A spring trip in early May to Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili failed to produce much of interest. The best birds seen included Spur-winged Lapwing and Ruddy Turnstone. Spur-winged Lapwing may well be breeding at the site now as birds have been around all winter and most of last year. It was the first […]
Red-backed Shrikes – Jubail
Early May is always a good time to see Red-backed Shrike in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom and this year is no exception. A trip to the coastal areas of Jubail produced more than 30 birds in a single morning with five Turkestan Shrikes and a single adult male Daurian Shrike. Other migrants seen […]
White-tailed Lapwing – Jubail
Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area 4 May, Phil Roberts and I came across a White-tailed Lapwing. This is a scarce bird in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a status as a scarce migrant and rare winter visitor. Further north and west in Tabuk records are more regular with birds wintering in good numbers. […]