Whilst birding the Jubail area on 22 September I came across a Western Osprey. Initially it was seen flying over the reed beds but soon disappeared from view. After a few minutes, the bird was seen again in flight but this time flew and landed on a post nearby. Unfortunately, the bird was directly into the sun and no photos could be taken.
I move the car to a different track but the bird flew but landed again on a similar post further down the track. Western Osprey is uncommon at the location but is a regular passage migrant as well as resident breeding species in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.
Birds breed on islands along all coasts of the Kingdom where they are also a migrant sometimes occurring far inland. Birds of the Riyadh Region by Stagg 1994 mentions it is a passage migrant and winter visitor, in small numbers, that passes from March to April then again in September and 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.
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