Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 10 October 2015 we caught a first year Citrine Wagtail. This was the first time we have caught and ringed this species in Saudi Arabia and was a bit of a surprise as we seldom catch any wagtails as they are so good at seeing and avoiding the […]
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.
A good ringing session – Sabkhat Al Fasl
Whilst ringing at Sabkhat Al Fasl on 9 October 2015 we caught 44 birds which is the highest number we have caught in a single day. We set nine 18 metre nets in our normal locations in the reed bed site and apart from the Citrine Wagtail and Savi’s Warblers posted about earlier we also […]
Socotra Cormorant – Dhahran Expro Wader Roost
Whilst birding the seafront next to the Dhahran Expro Wader Roost I found a Socotra Cormorant Phalacrocorax nigrogularis sitting in a small tree next to the water edge at very close range but unfortunately it flew after I had only taken a single photo. This is probably the best place in Dhahran to see the […]
Well Marked Tree Pipit – Sabkhat Al Fasl
Phil and I found a well-marked Tree Pipit at Sabkhat Al Fasl on Friday 2 October 2015. The bird was seen initially from some distance and caused some thoughts of Olive-backed Pipit. The bird appeared to have relatively plain upperparts, lacking streaking of Tree Pipit and sometimes looking olive toned but other times more brownish. […]
Juvenile Montagu’s Harrier – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm
Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm on 11 September 2015 I saw a juvenile harrier over one of the fields. Luckily the bird flew closer and eventually flew right overhead allowing some good photographs to be taken. Juvenile Montagu’s and Pallid Harriers are difficult to identify with certainty at times and good views are […]
Plenty of waders – Dhahran Expro Wader Roost
A trip to the Dhahran Expro Wader Roost produced plenty of waders of a good variety of species. The tide was not ideal but plenty of birds were along the edges including both Lesser and Greater Sand Plovers in small numbers. Curlew Sandpipers, Eurasian Curlew, Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwits and Dunlins had the largest number of […]
Short-toed Snake Eagle – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm
Whilst birding Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, near Jubail on 11 September 2015 I saw a juvenile Short-toed Snake Eagle over one of the spray fields. The bird dropped down behind the horizon and looked like it may have landed in the field. We drove around and saw the bird take off and fly away […]
Purple Swamphens in Saudi Arabia
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio has been split into five species by IOC 5.3 largely in accordance with Sangster 1998 and Garcia & Trewick 2015 into 5 species. These splits will be followed by OSME and means that Grey-headed Swamphen P. poliocephalus is by far the main species in the Region, comprising the nominate, caspius and […]