{"id":2125571,"date":"2020-09-25T10:03:25","date_gmt":"2020-09-25T09:03:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/?p=2125571"},"modified":"2021-11-28T19:14:09","modified_gmt":"2021-11-28T18:14:09","slug":"jizan-to-al-namas-a-saudi-birding-epic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/jizan-to-al-namas-a-saudi-birding-epic\/","title":{"rendered":"Jizan to Al Namas: A Saudi Birding Epic"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"3h7g6-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"3h7g6-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"3h7g6-0-0\"><span class=\"_4yxo\"><strong>Total Avian Species:<\/strong> <\/span>151<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"9f8kb-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa\">\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa\"><strong><span class=\"_4yxo\">Total Endemics and Near-Endemics: <\/span><\/strong>17<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa\"><strong><span class=\"_4yxo\">Highlights:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<ul class=\"_5a_q _5yj1\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Helmeted Guineafowl <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Numida meleagris mitratus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Harlequin Quail <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Coturnix delegorguei arabica<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Philby&#8217;s Partridge <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Alectoris philbyi<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Partridge <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Alectoris melanocephala<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Lesser Flamingo <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Phoeniconaias minor<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Dusky Turtle-Dove <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Streptopelia lugens<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Collared-Dove <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Streptopelia roseogrisea<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Red-eyed Dove <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Streptopelia semitorquata<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Bruce&#8217;s Green-Pigeon <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Treron waalia<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Lichtenstein&#8217;s Sandgrouse <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Pterocles lichtensteinii<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">White-browed Coucal <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Centropus superciliosus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Pied Cuckoo <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Clamator jacobinus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Dideric Cuckoo <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Chrysococcyx caprius<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Nubian Nightjar <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Caprimulgus nubicus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Plain Nightjar <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Caprimulgus inornatus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Little Swift <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Apus affinis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Palm-Swift <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Cypsiurus parvus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Broad-billed Sandpiper <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Calidris falcinellus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Terek Sandpiper <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Xenus cinereus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Small Buttonquail <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Turnix sylvaticus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Crab-Plover <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Dromas ardeola<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">White-eyed Gull <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Ichthyaetus leucophthalmus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Abdim&#8217;s Stork <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Ciconia abdimii<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Pink-backed Pelican <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Pelecanus rufescens<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Hamerkop <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Scopus umbretta<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Verreaux&#8217;s Eagle <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Aquila verreauxii<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Gabar Goshawk <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Micronisus gabar<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Shikra <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Accipiter badius<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yellow-billed Kite <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Milvus migrans aegyptius<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Scops-Owl <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Otus pamelae<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Spotted Eagle-Owl <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Bubo africanus milesi<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Little Owl <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Athene noctua<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Gray Hornbill <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Lophoceros nasutus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Gray-headed Kingfisher <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Halcyon leucocephala<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">White-throated Bee-eater <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Merops albicollis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Green Bee-eater <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Merops orientalis cyanophrys<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Abyssinian Roller <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Coracias abyssinicus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Woodpecker <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Dendrocoptes dorae<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Black-crowned Tchagra <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Tchagra senegalus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Paradise-Flycatcher <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Terpsiphone viridis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Asir Magpie <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Pica asirensis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Fan-tailed Raven <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Corvus rhipidurus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Singing Bushlark <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Mirafra cantillans<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Rufous-capped Lark <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Calandrella eremica<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Mangrove Reed Warbler <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Acrocephalus scirpaceus avicenniae<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Zitting Cisticola <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Cisticola juncidis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Brown Woodland-Warbler <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Phylloscopus umbrovirens<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yemen Warbler <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Sylvia buryi<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Warbler <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Sylvia leucomelaena<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Abyssinian White-eye <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Zosterops abyssinicus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Babbler <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Turdoides squamiceps<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Violet-backed Starling <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Cinnyricinclus leucogaster<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Tristram&#8217;s Starling <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Onychognathus tristramii<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yemen Thrush <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Turdus menachensis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Gambaga Flycatcher <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Muscicapa gambagae<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Black Scrub-Robin <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Cercotrichas podobe<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Stonechat <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Saxicola torquatus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Buff-breasted Wheatear <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Oenanthe bottae<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Blackstart <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Oenanthe melanura<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Wheatear <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Oenanthe lugentoides<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Nile Valley Sunbird <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Hedydipna metallica<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Palestine Sunbird <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Cinnyris osea<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Shining Sunbird <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Cinnyris habessinicus kinneari\/hellmayri<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">R\u00fcppell&#8217;s Weaver <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Ploceus galbula<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Waxbill <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Estrilda rufibarba<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Silverbill <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Euodice cantans<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Golden Sparrow <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Passer euchlorus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yemen African Pipit <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Anthus cinnamomeus eximius<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Long-billed Pipit <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Anthus similis arabicus<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Olive-rumped Serin <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Crithagra rothschildi<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yemen Serin <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Crithagra menachensis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yemen Linnet <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Linaria yemenensis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Cinnamon-breasted Bunting <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Emberiza tahapisi<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx _2vxa\"><strong><span class=\"_4yxo\">Non-Avian Vertebrate Highlights:<\/span><\/strong><\/div>\n<ul class=\"_5a_q _5yj1\" dir=\"ltr\">\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Hamadryas Babboon <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Papio hamadryas<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Wildcat<\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\"> Felis lybica <\/span>(possible)<\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Cape Hare <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Lepus capensis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Indian Porcupine <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Hystrix indica<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">African Straw-colored Fruitbat <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Eidolon helvum sabaeum<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Yemen Carpet Viper <\/span><span class=\"_4yxp\">Echis borkini<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Tree Frog<\/span> <span class=\"_4yxp\">Hyla felixarabica<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Dhofar Toad<\/span> <span class=\"_4yxp\">Duttaphrynus dhufarensis<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Arabian Toad<\/span> <span class=\"_4yxp\">Sclerophrys arabica<\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"_2cuy _509q _2vxa\"><span class=\"_4yxo\">Anderson&#8217;s Rock Agama<\/span> <span class=\"_4yxp\">Acanthocercus adramitanus<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"9f8kb-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-0-0\">My wife, Michelle, Adam Harris, and I arrived to Jizan from Dammam in the early evening on July 23, 2020. After sorting out the booking with <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-1-0\">Al Wefaq <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-1-0\">Rent<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-1-0\"> a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-1-0\">Car<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-2-0\">, we stepped out of the airport terminal into the hot and humid air of the Tihamah (\u0627\u0644\u062a\u0647\u0627\u0645\u0629), the coastal plain running nearly the entire west side of the Arabian Peninsula. Adam called our attention to several large fruitbats rousing from their roosts in some palm trees just outside. Before being transported over to the rental lot, I made a quick recording of these megabat\u2019s vocalizations to help us pin down the ID\u2014both <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-2-1\">Egyptian Fruitbat <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-2-2\">and <\/span><strong>African Straw-colored Fruitbat<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-2-4\"> occur in the southwest\u2014and later confirmed they were in fact the latter. Then it was off to our hotel, <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-3-0\">Al Borg Al Watheer<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"6vb5t-4-0\">, right across from the Red Sea on the south side of the city, to sleep up for our first full day of birding.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"9f8kb-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125588\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"wp-image-2125588 size-full\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9555.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">White-throated Bee-eater, a common summer breeder in the lowlands and foothills of southwest Saudi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2>Day 1: Sabya, Either, and the coast of Jizan<\/h2>\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-0-0\">As we were expecting nigh intolerable weather the next day\u2014a \u201creal feel\u201d of 42\u00b0 C (108\u00b0 F)\u2014we decided to bird Sabya early for the best chance at our first target, Harlequin Quail in the agricultural fields around the area. We arrived just before sunrise to<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-1-0\">the spot<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-2-1\">where Jem Babbington, Brian James, and others had seen them in the past. To the east we could see the dark shape of <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-3-0\">Jebel Ekuwah (\u062c\u0628\u0644 \u0639\u0643\u0648\u0629)<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-0\">, an ancient volcanic crater, one of many scattered around Jazan Province. Around us the morning came alive with the sound of birdsong and we were enveloped in a veritable din of <\/span><strong>Singing Bushlark<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-2\">, <\/span><strong>Zitting Cisticola<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-4\">, and <\/span><strong>African Silverbill<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-6\">. Soon <\/span><strong>White-throated Bee-eater<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-8\">, <\/span><strong>Arabian Babbler<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-10\">,<\/span><strong> White-spectacled Bulbul<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-12\">, <\/span><strong>Ruppell\u2019s Weaver<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-14\">, and <\/span><strong>Common Myna<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-16\"> joined the chorus. We started walking down the dirt access road, taking stock of the surge of birdlife around us, all the while <\/span><strong>African Palm-Swift <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-18\">careened overhead. Soon we added <\/span><strong>Black Scrub-Robin<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-20\">, <\/span><strong>Pied Cuckoo<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-22\">, a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-23\">feldegg <\/span><strong>Western Yellow Wagtail<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-25\">,<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-27\">and <\/span><strong>Abdim\u2019s Stork<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-29\"> to the morning\u2019s count, a small group of the latter having flown in just after sunrise to forage in a newly mown field to the right of the road. Through the din, just across an overgrown field we were skirting I heard the rhythmic, cow-like lowing of a female <\/span><strong>Small Buttonquail<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-31\"> and then it was on! Buttonquail are notoriously difficult birds to see, but having heard one fired us up for the hour\u2019s worth of productive tromping that followed. We moved off the road and into the field, following a rut made by one of the wheels of the pivot irrigation arm used to water the field. After just a few minutes, Adam kicked up our first <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-32\">Small Buttonquail <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-33\">of the morning, told from the similarly small, fast, and fleeting Harlequin Quail by its stiff-winged flight and pale, contrasting upper wing coverts. After failing to relocate it, we continued on through the field and then I began to hear something different\u2014not one but three <\/span><strong>Harlequin Quail<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fftf6-4-35\"> calling not far from our position. We stalked closer until I was able to capture some decent audio in case we weren\u2019t able to actually see them, these recordings representing the first of this species in Saudi Arabia.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/harlequin-quail\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/harlequin-quail<\/a><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-0\"><em>The Arabian Harlequin Quail, a subspecies of the widespread African species, occurring in extreme southwest Saudi. Listen here past the noisy Zitting Cisticolas for the &#8220;wit-wit wit&#8221; of a Harlequin Quail in Sabya.<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-0\">As we neared closer still, the quail suddenly went quiet and we began zigzagging around the area in the hopes of flushing one. Eventually what appeared to be a younger, duller male put up, flying away from us but thankfully quartering back towards us before dropping out of sight, allowing us to note the harlequin head pattern and rich coloring on the breast and flanks. We were psyched to have successfully tracked down the two biggest skulkers on the target list and in such short order. Then while reveling in our quail encounter, I heard another female <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-1\">Small Buttonquail<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-2\"> calling from beside a plantation of fig trees, so we headed in that direction. We couldn\u2019t find the buttonquail but here we did add <\/span><strong>Nile Valley Sunbird<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-4\"> and <\/span><strong>Arabian Green Bee-eater<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-6\">. Rounding the pivot field back towards the car, we kicked up another five <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-7\">Harlequin Quail<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-8\">, each time one or two birds bursting out from nearly under foot, and at virtually every point on our trek through the field we were surrounded by incessantly <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-9\">zitting <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-10\">Zitting Cisticola<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-11\"> and huge twittering flocks of <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-12\">African Silverbill<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-13\">, the largest by far I\u2019ve ever seen.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"264q6-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-0\">On our way back to the car, our attention was drawn to the mown field across the road by six <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-1\">Pied Cuckoo<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-2\"> feeding on the ground. It was then we realized just how active the field actually was. Before long Adam got on what he thought was a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-3\">Small Buttonquail<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-4\"> and walked off to relocate it. A short time later he called out to me and I caught sight of a buttonquail flying past from his direction and then settling in the field a short distance away. I set up the spotting scope and started scanning the area where it landed. Before long, I found a richly colored female, brighter than the males, crouching low and making her way towards the center of the field. She would pop into view every few seconds or so as she clambered over the ridges of piled mowing. While I was watching her, Adam called out another possible quail not too far beyond the buttonquail, so we made our way in that direction. The quail, in fact, was yet another buttonquail, and as we moved further into the field, by and by, we either flushed or had a flyby of another six buttonquails, making the final count for the morning an astonishing 11 birds, the most ever seen at one location in Saudi as far as I know.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"cipl6-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-0-0\">From here we set off to the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-1-0\">Sabya Outfall<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-2-0\">, an area that has received treated wastewater over the years and played host to such rarities as breeding Greater Painted-Snipe and Black-headed Heron. When we arrived we found the place to be in stark contrast to where we had just been birding\u2014aside from a few new additions to the trip list, including <\/span><strong>Spur-winged Plover <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-2-2\">and <\/span><strong>Little Ringed Plover<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-2-4\">, as well as a good number of <\/span><strong>Black-crowned Sparrow-larks<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-2-6\">, the area was quite unproductive. A few of the pools were devoid of water, the largest of them were quite low and bright with algae, and the weather had turned unbearably hot and muggy. We didn\u2019t waste much time calling it and headed back to the comfort of the car\u2019s AC. It was getting on into the morning and I had promised my wife to be back at the hotel for lunch, so we set a course for the mangrove forest near Either and the possibility of picking up the \u201cMangrove\u201d Abyssinian White-eye. On the way, we had our second of two encounters with honey-buzzard; this one, however, allowed for a couple photographs, helping us pin the ID down as <\/span><strong>Oriental Honey-buzzard<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-2-8\">, my first for Saudi.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"c4bdm-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125589\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 656px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125589\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/Screen-Shot-2020-09-23-at-1.48.45-PM.png?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"646\" height=\"433\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">&#8220;Mangrove&#8221; Reed Warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus avicenniae) at the Either mangroves<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-0-0\">\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-0-0\">When we arrived to the<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-1-0\">Either mangroves<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-0\">, we had just an hour to spare and were disappointed to discover that the spot at which I had hoped to access the main stretch of mangroves was being monitored by the Saudi Coast Guard. They emerged from their office as we drove past and called us back, telling us that that area was off-limits but that we could explore the mangroves at the nearby park. They also warned us about going off road as we could get stuck in the mud flat around the perimeter of the mangroves. The possibility of getting stuck dampened my enthusiasm for trying to access a spot further north where the white-eyes had been seen in the past and we resigned ourselves to checking a few of the openings along the stretch of mangroves near the park just south of the coast guard building. Here we encountered the \u201cmangrove\u201d subspecies of the <\/span><strong>Eurasian Reed Warbler<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-2\">, <\/span><strong>Clamorous Reed Warbler<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-4\">, as well as our first <\/span><strong>Crab-plover<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-6\">, <\/span><strong>Pink-backed Pelican<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-8\">, <\/span><strong>Sooty Gull<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-10\">, and <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-11\"><strong>Osprey<\/strong> <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fvaa5-2-12\">of the trip.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125590\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125590\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9576.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">White-eyed Gulls, a Red Sea specialty, on the corniche in Jizan city<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"doeog-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"doeog-0-0\">\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-0-0\">On the way back to the hotel and then until sunset after we had lunched and freshened up, we explored the coastline from the north corniche all the way south to the Jazan Wastewater Treatment Plant. The highlights along the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-1-0\">north corniche<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-2-0\"> were the good mix of shorebird species, including a large count of <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-2-1\">Crab-plover<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-2-2\">, more <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-2-3\">Pink-backed Pelican<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-2-4\">, and another top target of the trip, <\/span><strong>White-eyed Gull<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-2-6\">. This near-endemic, only found along the coasts and islands of the Red Sea, apparently has a penchant for Saudi\u2019s version of KFC. In the parking lot of the local Al Baik restaurant, adjacent to the corniche park, we had approximately 20 birds, young and adult, allowing for close consideration of the distinguishing field marks of this intriguing regional specialty. After lunch at the hotel, my wife joined Adam and I as we explored the coast south of the city. Jem Babbington had seen <strong>Lesser Flamingo<\/strong> down towards the heritage village, so I was hoping we too might find them. This was a life bird I had missed in the Upper Rift Valley of Ethiopia and catching up with it in Saudi would also put me closer to my goal of surpassing 300 birds before the end of my third year here. We didn\u2019t see any flamingoes near the heritage village; however, besides the mangroves opposite the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-3-0\">Jazan Wastewater Treatment Plant<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-0\"> we came upon a flock, nearly 400 to 500 strong, along with a mix of several other shore- and waterbird species. I set up the spotting scope and began scanning the flock and instantly I realized that perhaps more than half were <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-1\">Lesser Flamingoes<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-2\">. Additionally, several were sitting on nest mounds. Jem Babbington had observed this nesting behavior last year, but apparently breeding has yet to be confirmed as no eggs or hatchlings have been observed. From there we explored the park just to the south and saw more flamingoes, mostly <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-3\">Greater<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-4\">, as well as a few <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-5\"><strong>Saunder\u2019s Terns<\/strong><\/span><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-6\">, and added to our shorebird count of the day, with a <\/span><strong>Broad-billed Sandpiper<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"doeog-4-8\"> representing a Saudi tick for me. <\/span>We then went back to the hotel for dinner and an early bedtime as we would be off well before dawn to head for Al Sadd Lake, considered one of the best birding spots in all the Kingdom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"6pk0g-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"6pk0g-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Birds of Saudi Arabia: Lesser Flamingo\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/OY1pHTNJtzY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"37oqb-0-0\"><em>Greater and Lesser Flamingoes near the Jazan Wastewater Treatment Plant, south of Jizan city<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"37oqb-0-0\"><\/div>\n<h2 class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"37oqb-0-0\">Day 2: Al Sadd Lake and Abu Arish<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-0-0\">We set off from Jizan city early enough to ensure that we reached <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-1-0\">Al Sadd Lak<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-1-0\">e<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-2-0\"> by sunup. First stop was a spot south of the small lake where Khalifa Al Dhaheri, a birding friend from the UAE, had seen Helmeted Guineafowl. A short dirt road ran through the acacia scrub, an area used, unfortunately, as a local rubbish dump, to the shore of the lake. Leaving Michelle to snooze in the back of the car, Adam and I quietly made our way down the road. Our first <\/span><strong>White-browed Coucal<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-2-2\"> could be heard bubbling away out of sight in the scrub as could <\/span><strong>Dideric Cuckoo<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-2-4\">, another species we heard more often than saw. This spot turned out to be fairly quiet; however, on the way back to the car we took a slight detour along some agricultural fields, divvied up with meter-high berms, and spooked a lone <\/span><strong>Helmeted Guineafowl<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-2-6\">, which the Birds of the Middle East inaccurately describes as \u201cthe size of a domestic chicken\u201d. They\u2019re in fact quite large and striking, particularly in flight. Adam suggested viewing the area from atop the berms and sure enough five more guineafowl, previously obscured by the opposite berm, burst into view.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125591\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125591\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0026.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Abdim&#8217;s Stork, a local summer breeder and winter visitor to southwest Saudi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-0\">The heat rose quickly that morning and we spent the rest of it driving around the area looking for places to scan the lake for waterfowl and other waterbirds as well as some of the less retiring targets of the trip. On the east side of the small lake, we came upon a flock of twenty <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-1\">Abdim\u2019s Storks <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-2\">and shortly after spotted six <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-3\"><strong>Red-eyed Doves<\/strong> <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-4\">perched on a wire along with a single <\/span><strong>African Collared-Dove <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-6\">and a couple <\/span><strong>Laughing Doves<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-8\">. I thought this latter target might be a little trickier to find, but they were actually fairly common in Jazan province away from the coast. Trying to negotiate our way to the east side of the big lake, we picked up a <\/span><strong>Gabar Goshawk<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-10\"> just off the side of the road, less than three meters from the car, and further on an <\/span><strong>Abyssinian Roller<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-12\"> feeding out over a cornfield. <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-13\">African Palm-swift <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-14\">were quite abundant around the lake, where we observed several substantial stands of their favored palms.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"2lcuc-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125592\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125592\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0037.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">A Gabar Goshawk, an African accipiter species that only occurs in extreme southwest Saudi, perched in an acacia on the side of the road near Al Sadd Lake<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"f4f1n-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-0-0\">Before heading into Abu Arish for lunch and freshening up at the hotel apartment, we decided to drive around agricultural areas near where Arabian Golden Sparrow had been observed before. We missed them around Sabya the prior day despite the abundance of acacia trees near the many fields in the area. We had no luck until we reached the city of Abu Arish itself. We\u2019d been following the directions to a pin indicated by Mansur Al Fahad, a Saudi birder from Al Zulfi, when he messaged saying the pin was just for the general area, not the specific location where he\u2019d seen the sparrows. He mentioned though that they were common in the city, upon which we began looking about for stands of acacia trees. A few minutes later we were peering over the wall of a local cemetery at a flock of about 30 <\/span><strong>Arabian Golden Sparrows<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-0-2\"> in the shade of an acacia. This near-endemic can pretty much only be seen on the Tihamah of extreme southwest Saudi and western Yemen as well as Djibouti, making Saudi perhaps the easiest place to see them. As there were no audio recordings for this species in Xeno-Canto or Cornell\u2019s Macaulay Library, I was determined to come back in the morning when they\u2019d likely be more vocal; however, when we did make it back to this spot, we found only a single male, which did vocalize but only quietly and briefly before flying off. I uploaded the recording of the species\u2019 signature disyllabic chirps; however, the quality is not as good as I had been hoping. Listen to it <\/span><a class=\"_42a-\" href=\"https:\/\/www.xeno-canto.org\/580045?fbclid=IwAR35dxiGE3Vih1dbncHjrhjVDpqgm59nvSOf_bBUYTgel4TwWrpqSrq9vsM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow external\" data-tooltip-content=\"https:\/\/www.xeno-canto.org\/580045\" data-hover=\"tooltip\" data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-1-0\" data-tooltip-alignh=\"center\" data-lynx-mode=\"hover\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><span data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-1-0\">HERE<\/span><\/a><span data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-2-0\">.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"dhq8e-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Birds of Saudi Arabia: Arabian Golden Sparrow\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/DleOyccCNO8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"enoci-0-0\"><em>A flock of Arabian Golden Sparrows retreating from the heat of the Tihamah in the shade of an acacia.<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"enoci-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"enoci-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"enoci-0-0\">We took a long siesta at perhaps the least worst option for accommodation in Abu Arish\u2014<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"enoci-1-0\">Qasr al Mosaidya Furnished Apartments<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"enoci-2-0\">. This was the crummiest place we stayed during the whole trip, but, as a place to escape the midday heat and sleep up for another day of birding, it was perfectly serviceable. Then just past 4:00 PM Adam and I headed back out for some late afternoon and nocturnal birding back out near the lake. We made a quick stop at the Abu Arish Wastewater Ponds, where Jem Babbington encountered both Nubian and Plain Nightjars. I wanted to get a sense of the area by day before coming back in the dark. The wastewater ponds looked very promising, particularly as they were ringed by thick vegetation, but we saw nothing new for the trip. The highlight of this stop though was a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"enoci-2-1\">Helmeted Guineafowl<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"enoci-2-2\"> walking along the dirt access road and giving us our only opportunity to photograph this Jazan Province specialty.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"enoci-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125593\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125593\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0054.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Helmeted Guineafowl, a denizen of the scrublands and wadis in the foothills of extreme southwest Saudi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"enoci-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-0-0\">With time to kill before sundown and our first attempt at locating the regional nightjar species, we headed north along the west side of Al Sadd Lake to a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-1-0\">volcanic crater<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-2-0\"> we saw in <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-3-0\">Google Maps<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-0\">. After a short, rugged hike up a narrow wadi, we found ourselves in the center of the crater, one of the coolest moments of the trip. The terrain revealed a few of the more desert-friendly species in Saudi, including our first <\/span><strong>Blackstarts<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-2\">, <\/span><strong>Desert Larks<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-4\">, and <\/span><strong>Arabian Great Gray Shrike<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-6\"> of the trip. Before dark we made a quick stop at the Al Sadd Lake Park, which was noisy with <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-7\">African Palm-swifts <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-8\">and <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-9\">Zitting Cisticolas<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-4-10\">.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"ck0hr-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125594\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125594\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0058.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Nubian Nightjar, a common species along the Tihamah from near Jeddah south to Jazan Province<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"5c39f-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"5c39f-0-0\">\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"5c39f-0-0\">With the sun setting, it was time to kick into nocturnal mode. We went to a spot that Khalifa Al Dhaheri recommended for nightjars. Within a couple minutes of switching on the flashlight and stepping off the road just south of the small lake, we had two <\/span><strong>Nubian Nightjars<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"5c39f-0-2\"> fly into view. One stayed put long enough for us to take a few pictures and leave him to his business. Khalifa had seen Plain Nightjar here as well, so we continued exploring the area by flashlight. At one point we were crouching through some patches of scrub on our way back towards the car when I looked down to see a viper just a meter before me. I took some pictures and video to help us ID later and it turned out to be a <\/span><strong>Yemen Carpet Viper<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"5c39f-0-4\">, a highly venomous endemic snake. As you might imagine, we were much more mindful of where we were stepping after that.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"5c39f-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Reptiles of Saudi Arabia: Yemen Carpet Viper (Echis Borkini)\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pKr50nD9Zgo?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>Yemen Carpet Viper (Echis borkini), an extremely poisonous endemic snake in southwest Saudi. Watch your step!<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"1q8sv-0-0\">\n<h2 class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"1q8sv-0-0\">Day 3: Abu Arish and Jebel Fayfa<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-0\">Adam and I headed back the access road for the Abu Arish Wastewater Ponds before dawn to try for nightjars. At one spot near a quarry, we heard a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-1\">Nubian Nightjar<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-2\">, but <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-1-0\">a rough dirt track<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-2-0\"> to the north of the access road a kilometer or so before the wastewater ponds proved to be the most productive. Here we saw several nightjars flying about before dawn, identified one as a <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-2-1\">Nubian<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-2-2\">, and heard two <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-2-3\">Plain Nightjar<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-2-4\">. Unfortunately, it quickly became too light out and the nightjars retreated to their daytime roosts. Before leaving though, we twice flushed what was likely a female of <\/span><strong>Lichtenstein\u2019s Sandgrouse<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"atkse-2-6\">, which gave its telltale call each time it took to wing.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125595\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125595\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0189.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">A female Plain Nightjar found dead along a road in Jazan Province<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"atkse-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-0\">After trying to catch up again with the golden sparrows, we grabbed breakfast at a local Yemeni restaurant and then hit the road for Jebel Fayfa. <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-1\">White-throated Bee-eater<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-2\"> and <\/span><strong>Grey-headed Kingfisher<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-4\"> were conspicuously abundant on the drive up through the foothills, and we saw our first <\/span><strong>African Gray Hornbill<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-6\"> as well. A wrong turn at the base of Jebel Fayfa sent us along a well-paved road along the eastern side of the mountain. On our way back in the correct direction we retrieved the remains of three <\/span><strong>Plain Nightjar<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-8\">, the feathers of which will be featured in an atlas of feathers for the birds of the Western Palearctic. While investigating the remains of an Arabian Spotted Eagle Owl, also struck along that stretch of road, the call of a nearby <\/span><strong>Black-crowned Tchagra<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-10\"> drew my attention to a small covey of <\/span><strong>Arabian Partridge<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-12\"> making their way up the slope opposite us.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"futj8-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"b350g-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"b350g-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-0-0\">Before ascending to the top of Jebel Fayfa, where we were staying that evening, we hiked up a nice wooded wadi called <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-1-0\">Wadi Muhaleb<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-0\">. Here were picked up several new additions to the trip list: <\/span><strong>Bruce\u2019s Green-pigeon<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-2\">, <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-3\">Black-crowned Tchagra<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-4\">, <\/span><strong>African Paradise-Flycatcher<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-6\">, <\/span><strong>Eastern Olivaceous Warbler<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-8\">, <\/span><strong>Abyssinian White-eye<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-10\">, as well as <\/span><strong>Palestine <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-12\">and <\/span><strong>Shining Sunbirds<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"b350g-2-14\">.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"b350g-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"fel9j-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"fel9j-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-0-0\">We stayed at the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-1-0\">Crown of Fayfa Furnished Apartments <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-2-0\">near the the summit of <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-3-0\">Jebel Fayfa<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-0\">, less than 10 kilometers from the Yemen border. <\/span><strong>Little Swift<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-2\">, <\/span><strong>Red-rumped Swallow<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-4\">,<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-6\">and <\/span><strong>Tristram\u2019s Starling <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-8\">were fairly abundant around the mountain. Also present were <\/span><strong>Red-eyed Doves <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-10\">and <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-11\">Grey-headed Kingfishers<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-12\"> as well as our first encounters with <\/span><strong>Brown Woodland-warbler <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-14\">and <\/span><strong>Olive-rumped Serin<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fel9j-4-16\">.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"fel9j-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125596\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125596\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0085.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Red-eyed Dove, another widespread African species whose range extends into extreme southwest Saudi<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"cruio-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"cruio-0-0\">\n<h2>Day 4: Jebel Al Aswad<\/h2>\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-0-0\">The drive from Jebel Fayfa to Jebel Al Aswad was quite productive with some stellar encounters and stunning scenery. After grabbing breakfast, we pulled over just above <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-1-0\">Wadi Al Hasher<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-0\"> to eat, where down in the wadi I could hear <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-1\">African Gray Hornbill <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-2\">calling. We finished breakfast and then made our way down to the wadi for a short hike. As we descended a narrow, rocky crevice into the wadi bottom, I spooked what I believe was an <\/span><strong>African Wildcat<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-4\">, which bolted from a shaded overhang and then disappeared around the corner. The coloring and markings looked good for wildcat and the remote terrain was suitable for a wildcat versus a feral domestic cat. Making our way up the wadi proper, large geckoes and a striking <strong>Yemen Rock<\/strong><\/span><strong>\u00a0Agama <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-6\">were hanging out on larger boulders. Eventually we reached a stand of mature trees near to where I had heard the hornbills. Here there were two <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-7\">Red-eyed Doves <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"cruio-2-8\">giving their surprisingly danceable call.<\/span><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125597\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125597\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0077.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">A wooden bee hive up in the top of one of the trees in the bottom of Wadi Al Hasher<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-0\">\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-0\">In the branches of the trees were two structures comprised of sections of thick branches and strung up to encourage honey bees to build hives in them, similar to what has been used traditionally in Ethiopian apiculture. I\u2019m not sure if this is a tradition shared in Yemen or not, or perhaps they were put up by Ethiopian migrants from the nearby villages. Soon the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-1\">African Gray Hornbills<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-2\"> flew in, a pair, and from the tops of the trees were calling\u2014tossing their heads back and pumping their wings in time\u2014and hawking some flying insects that were blooming in the area. Several pairs of <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-3\"><strong>Violet-backed Starling<\/strong> <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"b5n4u-0-4\">were in the area as well as all three south Arabian sunbird species, a first for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"3fjpd-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"3fjpd-0-0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/red-eyed-dove\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/red-eyed-dove<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"doc4v-0-0\"><em>It was such a thrill to capture this species calling in Wadi Al Hasher<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"doc4v-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"doc4v-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Birds of Saudi Arabia: African Grey Hornbill\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Vk8fReFs5W0?start=2&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>African Gray Hornbill is a resident Afrotropical species in the foothills and wadis of Asir and Jazan Provinces in the southwest<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"doc4v-0-0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/z0000146\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/z0000146<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Both the male and female were calling in Wadi Al Hasher, each throwing their heads back and pumping their wings in time with the call<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"doc4v-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"d2541-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"d2541-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"d2541-0-0\">We continued on toward Jebel Al Aswad and at the junction in <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"d2541-1-0\">Wadi Amoud<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"d2541-2-0\"> I spied two large raptors circling low. As soon as I set my bins on them, their ID was obvious\u2014a pair of <\/span><strong>Verreaux\u2019s Eagles<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"d2541-2-2\">! These are stunning birds of prey that have adapted a specialized hunting strategy for capturing their preferred prey\u2014the Rock Hyrax. Adam and I surely made for an odd sight standing as we were in the center of the junction, perhaps the only Westerners to have passed through there in ages, pointing our bins and cameras to the sky. We couldn\u2019t be bothered though. The moment was just too perfect! Then, just as we were settling down from the excitement of seeing the eagles, Michelle declared that there was another just out the window. We looked out to find a <\/span><strong>Yellow-billed Kite<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"d2541-2-4\"> sailing by quite close. Once again, we\u2019re back out of the car, bins and cameras in hand, for our first kite of the trip. We followed the kite as it flew parallel to the road for about a kilometer before turning back to resume our journey to Jebel Al Aswad.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"d2541-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125598\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125598\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0087.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Verreaux&#8217;s Eagle, an uncommon and local resident in western Saudi, where they hunt in tandem with their mates for their preferred prey, Rock Hyrax<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"72d7b-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"72d7b-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"72d7b-0-0\">After Wadi Amoud, the road up to Jebel Al Aswad passes through what looked to be excellent habitat for Desert Owl, including the so-called \u201cGrand Canyon\u201d of Saudi Arabia,<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"72d7b-1-0\">Wadi Lajab<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"72d7b-2-0\">. We stopped at the wadi and began driving in to get a sense of where would be best to try for the owl, but gradually running water appeared on the wadi bottom, growing deeper and faster, and some young Saudis hiking their way out of the wadi told us that the local police were telling people to leave as they were expecting a flood from nearby rains the previous evening. We heeded the warning and headed back to the road, deciding to come back before dawn, when they had said it would be safer.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"72d7b-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"fimj4-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"fimj4-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-0-0\">The views from <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-1-0\">Jebel Al Aswad<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-2-0\">, a ridge running north and south, were incredible, that is, when there wasn\u2019t an intense bank of cloud strafing up over the ridgeline and enveloping the area in fog. Here Adam saw his first <\/span><strong>Little Rock Thrush<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-2-2\"> and <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-2-3\">Dideric Cuckoo <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-2-4\">as well as a second <\/span><strong>Arabian Wheatear <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fimj4-2-6\">for the day.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"fimj4-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125599\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125599\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i1.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0102.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">A Dhofar Toad in the wadi near the Khatwat Al Ain Dam<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"fimj4-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-0-0\">Once a heavy rainstorm passed and the skies began to clear again, we made our way back down into the wadi east of Jebel Al Aswad for some late afternoon exploring. We stopped at the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-1-0\">Khatwat Al Ain Dam<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-0\"> to see what might be hanging out around the pool of water that had collected behind the dam. In the light we found a <\/span><strong>Hamerkop<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-2\">, <\/span><strong>Green Sandpiper<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-4\">, and <\/span><strong>Common Sandpiper<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-6\"> feeding along the water\u2019s edge. We also had our first encounter with <\/span><strong>Arabian Waxbill <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-8\">here. As it was getting close to sundown, we decided to wait for dark in the hopes of seeing Lichtenstein\u2019s Sandgrouse coming in to drink. Past sundown we thought we heard sandgrouse further up the wadi but they never appeared. Perhaps they were deterred by flashlight beams as we spotlighted a nightjar that fluttered over the surface of the water and dropped down with a light splash for a sip. We followed the glowing eyes of the nightjar off to the side of the dam and then eventually found a nice gray morph <\/span><strong>Plain Nightjar <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-10\">resting briefly on the ground. Another nightjar was heard calling from the opposite side of the wadi. Before making our way back to Jebel Al Aswad, we found a <\/span><strong>Dhofar Toad<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"f8u7l-2-12\">, making us realize the tiny amphibians we saw earlier were actually toads and not frogs as we\u2019d originally thought.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"en6kr-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"en6kr-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"en6kr-0-0\">We stopped several times at promising spots along the road and played a recording for Desert Owl, but unfortunately we didn\u2019t get any replies, despite how promising the area seemed to be for them. Indeed, Mike Jennings\u2019 team, which had surveyed the area for magpies back in 2010, heard from some locals that the owls were actually common in the area. Apparently they\u2019re quieter this time of year, so maybe a late winter visit would be more successful. We didn\u2019t go empty-handed in the owl department however. Back atop Jebel Al Aswad, as we were nearing our accommodation, the <\/span><a class=\"_42a-\" href=\"https:\/\/l.facebook.com\/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fgoo.gl%2Fmaps%2FxgrWhtSwYj1oNwxJ7%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR0mlzV2T2HH_SKhk46YV1TAI2m3TWpSBXODNvexhBBDw14Uf7DFcWi53fM&amp;h=AT1Wzjrq_7GYibjkn3RHD-yeMzgCTazZ4zIT9nWCS_GQRdvEoMd86x2iZUUqaUL2hjuFGqDc8fxu9saxQUDHX44UWM58zTLrPPI7vXfmhmeP4bINDhXseTUPMmGebx0Kqudxtqqr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow external\" data-tooltip-content=\"https:\/\/goo.gl\/maps\/xgrWhtSwYj1oNwxJ7\" data-hover=\"tooltip\" data-offset-key=\"en6kr-1-0\" data-tooltip-alignh=\"center\" data-lynx-mode=\"hover\" data-wpel-link=\"external\"><span data-offset-key=\"en6kr-1-0\">Jebel Al Aswad Hotel<\/span><\/a><span data-offset-key=\"en6kr-2-0\">, I spotted a large owl fly low over the road through the light of one of the street lamps. Michelle then picked it up through the surrounding gloom perched on a utility pole\u2014it was our first <\/span><strong>Arabian Spotted Eagle-Owl<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"en6kr-2-2\"> of the trip.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"4i8lg-0-0\">\n<h2 class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"4i8lg-0-0\">Day 5: Al Habala and Al Soudah Waterfall<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-0-0\">A massive thunderstorm in the middle of the night caused major rock slides and washouts all along the route from Jebel Al Aswad out of Jazan Province, preventing us from visiting Wadi Lajab, the rough track entering the canyon now strewn with heaps of rocks and small boulders washed down from the surrounding slopes. The next two hours were rough going as not only did we get a puncture from a rock shard that we had to deal with, but some of the wadi bottoms were nearly washed out with rocks and other debris and some we crossed still were rushing with the remains of the previous night\u2019s storm. Besides the eventful driving out of Jazan, there weren\u2019t any bird observations of note. Thankfully once we entered the Asir Region the driving improved, as the roads are more developed and better maintained and we seemed to have moved out of the area worst hit by the storm. Soon we were snaking up a beautifully constructed mountain road, tunnels shooting through some of the steeper mountain flanks rather than around, to the highland plateau near Al Habala, our first birding stop of the day. On the way I determined to stop wherever there were sufficient stands of acacias to hopefully find Arabian Woodpecker. Before long I was swinging off to the side of the road and leading Adam down into a shallow wadi with mature acacias favored by the woodpecker. This turned out to be a branch of <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-1-0\">Wadi Bishah<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-2-0\">, which I didn\u2019t realize at the time was just over a low hill to the north. Never the mind, we made our way through the trees, playing a recording of the woodpecker here and there, and eventually heard one respond. We zeroed in on what turned out to be a female <strong>Arabian Woodpecker<\/strong> feeding at the center of an acacia crown, quietly at work in the smaller branches. She flew off when we tried to get closer and we eventually lost her after she spooked from the next tree. Also in this wadi were our first <\/span><strong>Arabian Warbler<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-2-2\">, <\/span><strong>Gambaga Flycatcher<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-2-4\">, <\/span><strong>African Pipit<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-2-6\">, and <\/span><strong>Yemen Linnet<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-2-8\">.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"fn4vq-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125600\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125600\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0111.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Not as common as Olive-rumped Serin in Saudi, Yemen Serin appears to be locally common around Al Habala. I&#8217;m curious to see if birds can be found here during the winter months, when many regional species descend to lower elevations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"pq0l-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"pq0l-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-0-0\">After a brief detour through<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-1-0\">Al Muraba\u2019a National Park<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-2-0\">, hoping to relocate the Arabian Scops Owl I had discovered two weeks prior, where we picked up our first <\/span><strong>Cinnamon-breasted Bunting<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-2-2\"> and another encounter with <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-2-3\">Arabian Waxbill<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-2-4\">, we made our way towards where I had seen <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-2-5\">Rufous-capped Lark <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-2-6\">on my last visit to Asir. Despite stopping 100 meters shy of where I had seen them, Adam looked out at <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-3-0\">the spot on the stony plateau<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-4-0\"> where we parked and spotted a couple of larks a short distance away. We wandered about no more than a 100 meters from the car and counted about twenty <\/span><strong>Rufous-capped Larks<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-4-2\"> and a single <\/span><strong>Crested Lark<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-4-4\"> before heading back to the car. Given how big an area that terrain covers there\u2019s quite possibly a significantly larger population in the area. Once Adam was satisfied with his views of the larks, we continued on to <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-5-0\">Al Habala<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-6-0\">, or the cliff\u2019s edge more precisely, to look for <\/span><strong>Yemen Serin<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-6-2\">. Within just a few minutes of parking and walking to the edge of the overlook, we were on a small flock of adults and juveniles, the birds presumably having nested just over the edge along the cliff\u2019s face. Given that I was able to relocate them here and not in Tanomah where I had also seen them on my last visit suggests that this might become the best known location for the species in Saudi. Before leaving we checked out an area where I had also seen <\/span><strong>Buff-breasted Wheatear<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-6-4\"> and sure enough found three. Since we\u2019d already seen Rufous-capped Lark, African Pipit, and basically everything else that could be expected at a spot like <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-7-0\">Wadi Reema\/Talea<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"pq0l-8-0\">, we decided to make a quick stop at Al Soudah Waterfall for African Stonechat and then continue straight to Tanomah, which would be a lot of driving for the day but allow us to get out early the next morning for Philby\u2019s Partridge at my go-to spot.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"pq0l-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Birds of Saudi Arabia: Yemen Serin\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/v1IlEfFPSGg?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"fin8m-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"fin8m-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\" data-offset-key=\"fin8m-0-0\"><em>Not as common as Olive-rumped Serin in Saudi, Yemen Serin appears to be locally common around Al Habala. I&#8217;m curious to see if birds can be found here during the winter months, when many regional species descend to lower elevations.<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"fin8m-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"fin8m-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"fin8m-0-0\">There was a brief hailstorm when we first arrived at <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fin8m-1-0\">Al Soudah Waterfall<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"fin8m-2-0\">, keeping us in the car from where we observed the first <\/span><strong>Yemen Warbler<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fin8m-2-2\"> of the trip; however, after the storm passed the weather was glorious and the lush highland meadow running away from the opening of the narrow wadi left my wife enchanted. As usual, the place was bursting with bird song. <\/span><strong>Yemen Thrush <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"fin8m-2-4\">were countering each other with elaborate calls and songs that I had never heard before, a further performance of the wonder of this sturdy endemic thrush. <\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/two-yemen-thrush-having-a-conversation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/two-yemen-thrush-having-a-conversation<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Two Yemen Thrush calling back and forth. It sounded almost as if there were conversing about something.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-0\">On the slopes above, <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-1\">Arabian Partridge <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-2\">made their presence known. Further on we picked up our first <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-3\"><strong>Arabian Long-billed Pipit<\/strong> <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-4\">of the trip and discussed the key field marks to help distinguish between it and the not-so-similar African Pipit. Besides the beauty and bounty of this lush wadi in the village of Al Azizah, the reason for the stop was, as I described it to Adam, the surest spot for <\/span><strong>African Stonechat <\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-6\">I\u2019ve discovered yet. Sure enough we counted four stonechat\u2014two males, one female, and one juvenile. During the summer months, these resident breeders are not to be confused with any migrant stonechat, such as the European or Siberian Stonechats, but care should be taken during the winter months, particularly with female and immature birds. This spot also produced yet another encounter with <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-7\">Arabian Waxbill<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-8\">, which seems to be especially ubiquitous in the highlands this summer.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"7rg2s-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Birds of Saudi Arabia: Abyssinian White-eye\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xo4ajtypAkI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><em>An adult Abyssinian White-eye on nest at Al Soudah Waterfall<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"ei70t-0-0\">\n<h2 class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"ei70t-0-0\">Day 6: Tanomah and Al Namas<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-0-0\">Sunup in Tanomah and we found ourselves on my \u201cpartridge-viewing platform\u201d above <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-1-0\">Wadi Dahna<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-2-0\">, eyes and ears out for this stunning and local endemic. Before long we heard a <\/span><strong>Philby\u2019s Partridge<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-2-2\"> calling, a second foraging close by, from the ridge just opposite. The concrete platform is just large and level enough to set up the spotting scope to accommodate anyone\u2019s views and at just enough distance to ensure the birds won\u2019t spook. This species is quite skittish and will often flush at the sound of someone approaching. When stalking the wadi bottom, we could hear them taking off on the other side of the tree line, a good 50 meters away, perhaps an expected response from being one of the local hunters\u2019 prime quarries.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"d2tgu-0-0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/philbys-partridge\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/philbys-partridge<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-0\">\n<div data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-0\"><em>One of the best recordings I&#8217;ve gotten of this wonderful endemic yet!<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-0\">Of course, Philby\u2019s Partridge isn\u2019t the only endemic attraction from this spot. Shortly after arriving, as we made our way along the backside of the village to view the partridges, Adam spotted two <\/span><strong>Asir Magpies<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-2\"> perched on one of the villas and we could hear one calling a short time later. Down in the wadi proper, we could hear <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-3\">Yemen Thrush <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-4\">and <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-5\">Yemen Warbler<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-6\"> calling from the thicker tangles, and we encountered a couple more <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-7\">Arabian Waxbill<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-8\">. Particularly abundant here were <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-9\">Olive-rumped Serin<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-10\">, which were singing from the treetops ringing the open areas. We checked out the local <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-11\">Hamerkop <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-12\">nest but unfortunately the pair didn\u2019t make their presence known; however, an early <\/span><strong>White-throated Robin<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-14\"> showed up in their stead. Another interesting addition to the trip list at this site was an early flock of <\/span><strong>European Bee-eaters<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-16\"> feeding over the wadi when we arrived.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"1dvqe-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-0\">After a short run down the road through the village of Al Quraish, where we saw four more magpies, two <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-1\">Yemen Linnet<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-2\">, as well as a stunning male <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-3\">Violet-backed Starling<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-0-4\">, we headed to <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-1-0\">Wadi Al Ghathal<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-0\">, just below the ridge where we just were. The village and fields in the wadi were very productive that morning. We got good views of <\/span><strong>Dusky Turtle-Dove<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-2\">, <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-3\">Bruce\u2019s Green-pigeon<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-4\">, and singing <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-5\">African Pipit<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-6\">, the latter of which I uploaded the first audio recordings for the Arabian Peninsula on Xeno-Canto. Down amongst the tall junipers of Wadi Al Ghathal, we encountered two more <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-7\">Asir Magpies<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-8\">, played hide-and-seek with an <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-9\">Arabian Woodpecker<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-10\">, and found a pair of <\/span><strong>Shikra<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-2-12\">, my first for Saudi. On the way back to the car, I made the first recording of a singing <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-3-0\">Gambaga Flycatcher<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"e37o9-4-1\">in Saudi to be uploaded on Xeno-Canto as well.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"a480e-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"a480e-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"a480e-0-0\">\u00a0<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"erp5f-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"erp5f-0-0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/african-pipit-in-saudi-arabia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/african-pipit-in-saudi-arabia<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"erp5f-0-0\"><em>This represents the first audio recording of the Yemen subspecies of African Pipit uploaded to Xeno-Canto and Cornell&#8217;s Macaulay Library<\/em><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"erp5f-0-0\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125601\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125601\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0151.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Al Namas might just be the best place in Saudi to find Little Owl, which are locally common in the boulder fields and stone walls around the area.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>From there we grabbed some breakfast takeaway and headed to Al Namas. Making our way along the escarpment towards to the Prince Sultan bin Salman Park to eat our breakfast, we added Common Swift to our trip list. After breakfast, we headed to a spot where the Smithsonian Team that had been in Saudi to study the Asir Magpie had seen a pair of magpies and a Little Owl. The area looked great for the owls, less so for the magpies. Much of Al Namas appeared quite underwhelming in terms of viable magpie habitat and sure enough we encountered none. Among the stacks of natural rock formations and the manmade stone walls throughout the area, the Little Owls turned out to be rather common. We played a recording in a few places and at one point received responses from three different locations. Despite knowing that they were present, it took still more time to spot them. The first two were a pair seen from a hillside above. As there was no trail to take us to their level, we decided to go back to the car and then drive over to that spot. On the way Michelle spotted a third bird quite close to the side of the track, which flew a short distance away and perched obligingly atop a boulder until we carried on our way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"3smdr-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"3smdr-0-0\">\n<p><iframe title=\"Birds of Saudi Arabia: Little Owl\" width=\"648\" height=\"365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/cXhZkGZShU0?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"3smdr-0-0\"><em>Al Namas might just be the best place in Saudi to find Little Owl, which are locally common in the boulder fields and stone walls around the area.<\/em><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div data-offset-key=\"3smdr-0-0\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"3smdr-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-0-0\">We headed back to Tanomah for some siesta time at the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-1-0\">Nahdi Furnished Apartments<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-2-0\"> before going to the <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-3-0\">Al Mehfar Tourist Park<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-4-0\"> for some late afternoon birding. In the light the park wasn\u2019t nearly as birdy as during my last visit and even after sundown the place was decidedly nightjar-less, despite the fact that both Plain and Montane Nightjar had been seen here in the past. However, while playing a recording for Montane along the entrance road, Michelle caught site of something big flying out of view behind some trees. Just up the road we found it perched, still visible in the twilight\u2014an <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-4-1\">Arabian Spotted Eagle-Owl<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"3smdr-4-2\">. This second encounter with the species during the trip was the best I\u2019ve had of them yet. Not only were we able to get some decent shots of the bird but as the area became enveloped in a thick cloud bank, I was able to record two spotted eagle-owls giving a quiet, raspy call back and forth through the fog. This type of call has been described as a begging call by some recordists in Xeno-Canto, so perhaps these, in fact, were young birds.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"uefq-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"uefq-0-0\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/spotted-eagle-owl\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow external noreferrer\" data-wpel-link=\"external\">https:\/\/soundcloud.com\/gregory-askew-202239534\/spotted-eagle-owl<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Likely a begging call from two young but fully fledged Arabian Spotted Eagle-Owls at Al Mehfar Tourist Park in Tanomah<\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The park failed to produce <strong>Arabian Scops-Owl<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"59urv-0-2\">, so we headed over to the Dahna Waterfall and climbed down into the wadi to try for them. The racket made by the baboons on the cliff face overhead coupled with barking dogs made the whole scene a little unnerving. Thankfully the air cannon in the area appeared to have been disabled, so we\u2019d hear the warning <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"59urv-0-3\">click <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"59urv-0-4\">but not the deafening <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"59urv-0-5\">boom <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"59urv-0-6\">that should\u2019ve followed. We did get two scops-owl responding to the audio recording but we were feeling too spooked to venture deeper into the wadi with baboons to the right of us and dogs to the left. It was time to wrap it up for the day.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"59urv-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125602\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125602\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_0167.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">Arabian Spotted Eagle-Owl at Al Mehfar Tourist Park in Tanomah<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"euumu-0-0\">\n<h2 class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"euumu-0-0\">Day 7: A Magpie Run before Flying Home<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"_2cuy _3dgx\" data-block=\"true\" data-editor=\"bnnsu\" data-offset-key=\"bi570-0-0\">\n<div class=\"_1mf _1mj\" data-offset-key=\"bi570-0-0\"><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-0-0\">On the way back to Abha for our flight home we checked out a couple spots where I had seen magpies in the villages to the northwest of Billahmer. In a wadi near <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-1-0\">the northernmost village<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-2-0\">, we found four birds\u2014a family group presumably\u2014with a newish nest in the wadi fairly close to the road. We made our way along the escarpment towards<\/span> <span data-offset-key=\"bi570-3-0\">the other village<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-4-0\"> where I had seen them. Along the way we spotted a <\/span><strong>Cape Hare<\/strong><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-4-2\">, large and long-eared and the last thing I expected to see above 2700 meters. Down in the village, however, the largish family group of magpies I saw in January were nowhere to be seen. It was a properly brisk morning, the coldest of the entire trip, and Adam wanted to savor it a little longer before returning to the 45\u00b0C (113\u00b0F) plus weather in the Eastern Province. <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-4-3\">Yemen Linnet<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-4-4\"> and <\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-4-5\">Dusky Turtle-Dove<\/span><span data-offset-key=\"bi570-4-6\"> were conspicuously abundant in the area, but the magpies, alas, were alarmingly absent. I hope they were simply foraging quietly elsewhere. The loss of the Billahmer birds would be a substantial loss to the overall population of this critically endangered endemic. The Tanomah birds seem to represent the most significant population and even there they\u2019re not being seen in the places they had been in the past, such as Al Wahdah Woods and Al Mehfar Tourist Park. Increasing development is sure to lead to further losses if the government and local authorities don\u2019t do more to protect the juniper woods they depend on.<\/span><\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"bi570-0-0\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_2125603\" class=\"thumbnail wp-caption aligncenter\" style=\"width: 760px\"><a href=\"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==\" fifu-lazy=\"1\" fifu-data-sizes=\"auto\" fifu-data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=75&amp;resize=75&amp;ssl=1 75w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=100&amp;resize=100&amp;ssl=1 100w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=150&amp;resize=150&amp;ssl=1 150w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=240&amp;resize=240&amp;ssl=1 240w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=320&amp;resize=320&amp;ssl=1 320w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=500&amp;resize=500&amp;ssl=1 500w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=640&amp;resize=640&amp;ssl=1 640w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=800&amp;resize=800&amp;ssl=1 800w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1024&amp;resize=1024&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1280&amp;resize=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1&amp;w=1600&amp;resize=1600&amp;ssl=1 1600w\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2125603\" fifu-data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSCN9017.jpg?ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"563\" title=\"\"><\/a><figcaption class=\"caption wp-caption-text\">This species, Saudi&#8217;s sole endemic, is critically endangered and in need of immediate protection.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<div data-offset-key=\"bi570-0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<span class='mb-center maxbutton-6-center'><span class='maxbutton-6-container mb-container'><a class=\"maxbutton-6 maxbutton maxbutton-subscribe-to-our-free-newsletter\" href=\"http:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/subscribe\/\" data-wpel-link=\"internal\"><span class='mb-text'>Subscribe to our FREE Newsletter<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/span>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Total Avian Species: 151 Total Endemics and Near-Endemics: 17 Highlights: Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris mitratus Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei arabica Philby&#8217;s Partridge Alectoris philbyi Arabian Partridge Alectoris melanocephala Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor Dusky Turtle-Dove Streptopelia lugens African Collared-Dove Streptopelia roseogrisea Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata Bruce&#8217;s Green-Pigeon Treron waalia Lichtenstein&#8217;s Sandgrouse Pterocles lichtensteinii White-browed Coucal Centropus [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2759,"featured_media":2150692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6984,5],"tags":[10568,4650,10569,10459,10570,10571],"class_list":["post-2125571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs","category-wildlife","tag-asir-region","tag-birds-of-saudi-arabia","tag-jazan-province","tag-saudi-birding","tag-save-the-asir-magpie","tag-10571"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2759"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2125571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2125571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2150692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2125571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2125571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/focusingonwildlife.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2125571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}