May in the Asir is great for birding as most if not all the African breeding species have returned and additional passage migrants can be seen as well as the resident highland birds.
We saw a few passage birds including an Olive-tree Warbler, Common Whitethroat, Red-backed Shrike, Turkestan Shrike, Common Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Whinchat. African breeders included African Paradise Flycatcher, Violet-backed Starling, Gambaga Flycatcher and African Pipit.
Resident species photographed were Arabian Wheatear & Crested Lark. The weather at this time of year is very variable and goes from clear blue skies to thunderstorms in a short period of time.
Luckily we made it back to the car just before the rain set in a few hours at lunchtime and where not able to get back out to early evening.
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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