Whilst birdwatching the Jubail area 4 May, Phil Roberts and I came across a White-tailed Lapwing. This is a scarce bird in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, with a status as a scarce migrant and rare winter visitor. Further north and west in Tabuk records are more regular with birds wintering in good numbers.
I have seen birds this winter in Jubail but not for a couple of months so assume this bird was a passage migrant rather than the bird that winter being seen again. This bird allowed close approach, indicating it may have been tiered, something that they seldom do.
It was located on an area of wet puddles formed by the recent rain we have had in the area and did not fly at all just walked away when we got too close. We left the bird in peace after taking a few photographs to avoid disturbance.
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.
Leave a Reply