During the last few summer trips to Jubail I have found a few Squacco Herons in full breeding plumage as well as some is less pristine plumage. The species is very common here on spring and autumn migration as well as in the winter but is scarce in summer.
Birds do occur here year round and are suspected to breed but I have found no positive evidence yet that they do. These summer records add more circumstantial evidence of breeding with birds seen each summer in breeding plumage since 2014.
This species has only been recorded breeding occasionally in the Eastern province previously although they breed commonly in the west of the Kingdom.
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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