Whilst birding the Haradh area I found a Pied Wheatear. The bird was very tame suggesting it was a tiered newly arrived migrant and it spent most of its time busily catching insects. There were plenty of other migrants seen in the same area meaning the strong winds and very cod weather may have persuaded a few birds to start their spring migration early.
Pied Wheatear Oenanthe pleschankais a common spring migrant that is less common in autumn. Most years birds are recorded in spring between early February and Mid-May, peaking in March and in autumn from late August to mid-November commonest in second half of September.
The Birds of the Riyadh Region (Stagg 1994) stated they were a common spring migrant, less common in autumn. Passes early January to early April and again from September to early November. The spring movement peaks during late February and early March then reduces to a trickle. Occasionally recorded in December.
Pied Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
Pied Wheatear
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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