First year Citrine Wagtail a new Saudi Arabia ringing species – Sabkhat Al Fasl

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 nets.

Citrine Wagtail is a scarce winter visitor to the Eastern Province with most birds seen at either Dhahran or Sabkhat Al Fasl probably because these are the better-watched sites in the region.

Elsewhere in Saudi Arabia it is also a scarce winter visitor with records of summer plumage adults seen in late March but the majority of birds being first winters seen in August to October.

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.