Whilst birding the Abha area recently I came across five Rock Hyrax Procavia capensis jayacari sunning themselves on rock boulders, but they appeared very shy and soon disappeared. This animal is diurnal and they live in groups where they occupy a wide range of habitats, from arid deserts to rainforest, occurring from sea level to […]
Tag: saudi arabia
Yemen Rock Agama – Tanoumah
Whilst birdwatching the Tanoumah area of the Asir Mountains, 120 kms north of Abha, I came across a Yemen Rock AgamaAcanthocercus yemensis. The Yemen Rock Agama occurs in northern Yemen and adjacent Saudi Arabia, but the limits of its distribution in Saudi Arabia are currently not well known, although I have seen it as far […]
Shining (Arabian) Sunbird – Raydah Escarpment
Whilst birding the Raydah Escarpment in June I saw a few Arabian Sunbird Cinnyris hellmayri. The birds were at the bottom of the escarpment near the village and dry wadi. It is normally treated as conspecific with Shining Sunbird Cinnyris habessinicus, but differs in males by having much-reduced and slightly duller red breast-band and more […]
Arabian Red-capped Lark – Talea Valley
Arabian Red-capped Lark Calandrella eremicais a scarce medium-sized lark that occurs in a very limited number of sites in southwest Saudi Arabia. It had not been seen for many years until recently when some birds were found at Azeeza near Abha. In 2015 Phil Roberts and I found a number of birds, probably more than […]
Anderson’s Rock Agama – Tanoumah
Whilst birding the Tanoumah area recently I came across an Anderson’s Rock Agama Acanthocercus adramitanus. This species is endemic to the Arabian Peninsula, where it is found in west and south Arabia, from Taif (Saudi Arabia) in the north to Dhofar (Oman) in the east. Its range includes Oman, Yemen, and southwestern Saudi Arabia and […]
Arabian Skittering Frog – Saleh Al Dahna
Whilst birdwatching Salal Al Dahna valley, at 1900 metres in the Asir mountains of southwest Saudi Arabia I found a large pool of water with several adult Arabian Skittering Frogs. The Arabian Skittering Frog or Arabian Five-fingered Frog Euphlyctis ehrenbergiiis a species of frog in the Dicroglossidae family found in Saudi Arabia and Yemen. It […]
White-browed Coucal – Raydah Escarpment
Whilst birding the bottom of the Raydah Escarpment in June 2018, I heard and saw a White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus. I eventually found the bird and after waiting some time, it came out into the open allowing some reasonable photographic opportunities. The subspecies of White-browed Coucal we get in southwest Saudi Arabia is Centropus superciliosus […]
Little Owl – An Namas
Whilst birding the An Namas area of the Asir mountians 150 km north of Abha I came across a Little Owl Athene noctua sitting in a tree. Th e owl flew from the tree on observing me and flew down to a dry stone wall where it sat for some time before entering a hole. […]