The common swift, common snipe and rook are among species slipping towards extinction in Europe, according to the continent’s latest “red list” report, which finds that one in five bird species is now at risk. From the Azores in the west to the Ural mountains in the east, birds that have been the cornerstones of […]
Tag: European Bee-eater
How will climate change affect bird migration? Our scientists explain
Over the last decade, many papers have been published showing how bird species’ distributions are projected to shift because of climate change. These find that for many species, the areas with suitable climate are expected to move towards the poles. Some species that breed in northern temperate zones and winter further south will therefore need […]
Summertime birding – Jubail
Birding the Jubail area in June gave a few surprising migrants including Whinchat, European Bee-eater, Red-backed Shrike, Barn Swallow and Sand Martin. A Western Cattle Egret was also a surprise as they are a winter species that has normally departed by this time of year. A few summer plumage Squacco Herons were also present showing […]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters – Jubail
This autumn there have been large numbers of Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters passing over Jubail as well as many other areas of the Eastern Province. The species is a common passage migrant through the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia with good numbers of birds passing in the spring as well as the autumn. Numbers are commoner in […]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eater – Jubail
Whilst ringing in Jubail in November we trapped and ringed a Blue-cheeked Bee-eater, a new ringing species for me. This was my 60 species ringed in Saudi Arabia. Birds are common in the area of our nets at the right time of year but as they are generally high-flying birds we seldom if ever catch […]
Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters and more – Jubail
There have been numerous small flocks of Bee-eaters passing over Jubail in recent weeks most of them European Bee-eaters. Recently a few Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters have been seen including some birds that have spent time perched on the ground or any other perches they could find. I found two birds sitting on a potentially not so […]
The Levante winds of Spring – Spain 2017
I lead a tour group from the the US Audubon Naturalist Society in April to southern Spain. We had a great time apart from the awful windy weather. The famous Levante wind just would not stop for almost the whole eight days. We did however have a great time, saw lots of birds and other […]
European Bee-eater
Merops apiaste South-east of France – Mid-may 2017 About 150 birds on this protected site: Guepier Europeen Sud-est de la France Mi-mai 2017 Environ 150 guêpiers sur ce site heureusement très protégé: