Whilst birding the Jubail area in early May I came across a small group of thunbergi Yellow Wagtails. They are also known as Grey-headed Wagtail and occur from Scandinavia eastwards to northwest Siberia and they winter mainly in sub-Saharan Africa and across South & southeast Asia. Yellow Wagtails are common in Jubail throughout the spring […]
White-throated Dipper (Cinclus cinclus) in Germany
I’ve always been fond of dippers ever since I went on my first Cub Scout camp with my older brother to the River Tweed at Drumelzier, Biggar, Scotland. We had seen dippers before but these seemed really tame but we later found out they were nesting under the bridge right beside our camp as was […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Month May 2018
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest photo competition. Susan McClure wins First Prize for her brilliant image “Six in the Burrow”. Alan De Witt wins Second Prize for his outstanding image “Just a Cat Lick”. Third Prize is shared by Myer Bornstein and Sherry Shepardson for their inspiring photos “Hello” and “Red Fox”. […]
Money on the Great Grey Owls
I was guiding again in Hedmark yesterday and was basically hoping to give Rob and Gail from Australia a repeat of Saturday. The Great Grey Owls were as expected still there and young had definitely hatched in one nest and most likely also in the other. It was fantastic to see one of the birds […]
Sand Swimmer – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili)
Whilst birding the Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm (Fadhili) with Phil Roberts we found a large number of Sand Swimmer Zophosis complanate. Sand Swimmer is a darkling beetle that is normally found in sand dunes. They prefer soil with some clay in them and the ones we found were near a wet sabkha area and […]
Spring birding – Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili
A spring trip in early May to Ash Shargiyah Development Company Farm, Fadhili failed to produce much of interest. The best birds seen included Spur-winged Lapwing and Ruddy Turnstone. Spur-winged Lapwing may well be breeding at the site now as birds have been around all winter and most of last year. It was the first […]
South-east China – 27th April (Day 6)
Today was our only scheduled attempt for Chinese Crested Tern on Shanyutan Island to the north or Changle. Chinese Crested Tern is thought to have a total population of fewer than 100 birds. For many years it was only known from a few specimens collected prior to 1937, and a small number of, mainly unconfirmed, […]
Red-backed Shrikes – Jubail
Early May is always a good time to see Red-backed Shrike in the Eastern Province of the Kingdom and this year is no exception. A trip to the coastal areas of Jubail produced more than 30 birds in a single morning with five Turkestan Shrikes and a single adult male Daurian Shrike. Other migrants seen […]