Rufous-capped LarkCalandrella eremicawas recently been split from Blandford’s LarkCalandrella blanfordi. The reasons for the split include genetic differences as well as in its smaller size. Its lower rump and uppertail-coverts are or only slightly shaded rufous vs strongly rufous. It is much paler above, including the colour of the crown and shade of buff and […]
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.
Quraish Valley – Tanoumah
Whilst birding a valley on the outskirts of Tanoumah near the village of Quraish I came across a few good birds. There were plenty of common species such as Laughing Dove and White Spectacled Bulbul, some summer visitors such as Violet-backed Starlings and a few good south-west highland resident species such as Shikra and Palestinian […]
King Jird – Talea Valley
Whilst birding the Talea Valley near Abha in October 2018 I came across a King Jird Meriones rex. The animal was seen briefly running through some sparce grasses at the base of large acacia trees. It disappeared almost immediately down a burrow and out of site. Phil Roberts then saw another on out in the […]
Dusky Turtle Dove
Whilst birding the southwest of the Kingdom at various times from spring through summer I came across good numbers of Dusky Turtle Dove. Numbers have been much higher this year than any previous years I have been to the southwest. The species is a breeding resident in the Asir notably the Abha and Jebel Soudah […]
Birding Wadi Thee Ghazal – Taif
Wadi Thee Ghazal is an excellent site on the outskirts of Taif that is always a great place to see some of the Arabian Endemics. Arabian Wheatear, Yemen Thrush and Arabian Serin are normally easy to find at the site and other southwestern specialities such as Little Rock Thrush can be located quickly. The dry […]
Breeding Gambaga Flycatcher – Wadi Grosbeak
The Gambaga Flycatcher breeds from Africa (Ghana to Somalia) and into south-west Arabia. It is a breeding summer visitor to the highlands of the Asir. It frequents lightly wooded areas and open wooded hillsides particularly where acacia occurs and mostly above 1500 metres often near water. Nests are usually placed in the fork of a […]
Arabian Warbler – An Namas
Whilst birding the An Namas area north of Abha in the Asir Mountains in the summer I came across a pair of Arabian Warblers. The Arabian Warbler is a locally common breeding resident in bushy areas of the Hejaz and Asir mountains occurring in the eastern desert fringes as well as on the temperate summits. […]
Lesser Egyptian Jerboa – Judah
The worldwide distribution of extant jerboa species is extensive throughout the arid and desert regions of North Africa and Central Asia. The Lesser Egyptian Jerboa Jaculus jaculus however, is found in North Africa, throughout the Arabian Peninsula, and as far north as Southwestern Iran. Although several species of jerboas have been designated as vulnerable or […]