The below photograph of Plain Tiger Danaus chrysippus was taken in the bottom valley of the Raydah Escarpment in the Asir Mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia. This butterfly was first depicted in an Egyptian tomb 3,500 years ago, making it the first ever butterfly to be recorded in history. Its striking tawny-orange colouration serves as […]
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.
Blackstart – Raydah Escarpment
Whilst birding the Raydah Escarpment we found a number of Blackstart near the wadi bottom and village. The species is a common resident of rocky desert areas throughout with the exception of the east and northeast. Birds occur eastwards to Riyadh where it is a fairly common breeding resident at the base of the escarpment. […]
Two Spur-winged Lapwings – Jubail
Whilst biding the Jubail area I saw two Spur-winged Lapwings along the edge of a wet area. The species is still scarce in the Eastern Province although good numbers have been seen recently in the Haradh area including a bird this year that appeared to be defending a territory so may have been breeding. The […]
Rare and unusual birds seen in Saudi Arabia in first half of 2017
An adult and juvenile Bewick’s Swan Cygnus (columbianus) bewickii near Al Jawf 14-15 December 2016 with three more adults in the north of the Kingdom 19 December 2016 being only the third to seventh records of the species for the Kingdom. Four See-see Partridge Ammoperdix griseogularis, including a calling male, were at a remote desert […]
Western Cattle Egret – Dhahran Hills
The number of Western Cattle Egrets around the camp seems to have stabilized for the winter around the 100 bird mark. Good views can be had of the birds as they feed along the roadside grass verges finding insects in the soft ground after the grass has been watered. Many people in the camp have […]
White-eared Bulbul – Dhahran Hills
Whilst birding Dhahran I came across a White-eared Bulbul with a very large grub in its beak. It was in the trees at the edge of the golf course, but would not come out fully into the open. White-eared Bulbul is a very common species in Dhahran with the birds appearing to be of the […]
Returning Pied Kingfisher and White-throated Kingfisher – Jubail
Whilst birding the Jubail area recently I came across a female Pied Kingfisher. This species is now becoming an uncommon winter visitor to the Jubail area with birds seen every winter for the last four years. The weather was very poor with overcast conditions so the photo is not the best but they are always […]
Winter visitors – Jubail
Whilst birding Jubail recently I have come across a number of winter visitors to the region. Common Kestrel is an uncommon passage migrant but numbers build up in the winter months when they can be seen in various locations. Isabelline Wheatear numbers also increase as winter wears on and they can be seen along the […]