The major influx of Pied Kingfishers into eastern Arabia this winter has resulted in at last four Pied Kingfishers wintering at Sabkhat Al Fasl. These birds have taken up residence in a couple of different locations with birds being seen at the two sites each visit in 2016.
The birds are extremely beautiful and are always exciting to see, with some of them giving very good views perched on sunken dead trees and nearby reeds. Although this winter has been exceptional for them in the region, they remain a rare/scarce winter visitor.
It will be interesting to see if this status changes after such a large influx, as some of these birds may return next winter to the same site?
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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