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<\/a>To cut a long story short, the river valley does indeed change further south. The reed banks recede and the habitat changes. There is some interesting low lying wetland and the bird life is more than a little different too.<\/p>\n
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However I couldn’t resist the temptation to bird around the pivot fields for an hour before I set out on my marathon walk. A few minor points of interest were seen here. The northern lapwing flock is now as large as last winter. There must be around 100 birds in total. An avadavat flock was seen again. I seem to be able to spot them more easily in winter. There were noticeably more marsh harrier around.<\/p>\n \n After these few observations,I began the walk. For the first hour and a quarter the habitat looks the same as near the pivot fields. Then gradually the caster plant beds recede and sedge and other reeds start to dominate.<\/p>\n \n Moorhen are an ever present whatever the vegetation. Otherwise the cross section of birds seen was quite a bit different to a normal weekend in winter around the pivot fields area.<\/p>\n \n The first sign that things might be a bit unusual was a sighting of a great white egret as well as the more usual purple heron, grey heron and a single little egret.<\/p>\n \n As I ventured further south, I could see why there are called the blue lagoons. In the places where there is no vegetation next to the river, some sort of refraction effect from the orange sand makes the water look blue. This area took over two hours to reach on foot but of course I was birding on the way so the distance is probably no more than 5 kilometres.<\/p>\n \n As I walked I was continually flushing green sandpiper and common snipe until I became more careful.<\/p>\n \n Here is where it became really interesting. At one point I accidentally flushed about 8 common snipe almost simultaneously. The last one to rise and a bit behind the others was larger and had a patterned belly. I am sure it was a great snipe. I am ruling out staining as the pattern was right and the flight was also straighter and lower than the other snipe.<\/p>\n This is a rare find in Saudi Arabia though Jem in Dammam saw one in late October last year.<\/p>\n The “Birds of Middle East” doesn’t show it in KSA but does for southern Oman. My argument is that they can’t get there from the north in winter by teleportation!<\/p>\n Incidentally, Mansur al Fahad and I returned to the same place on Friday. A hunters gun disturbed groups of snipe on two occasions. On the first occasion, a group of four contained a great snipe which Mansur also sawand confirmed. We were too slow with the cameras.<\/p>\n \n To add to the feeling of difference, in among a very large number of white wagtail were a small number of citrine wagtail.<\/p>\n \n This is another bird which isn’t supposed to winter here but which I saw in January in Kharj last year at a farm and again on Thursday.<\/p>\n \n It got better still. There was a water pipit!<\/p>\n \n \n I had seen one last year at the pivot fields on December 15th but this is the first time I had a good view and a chance of a photo. I had to check that it wasn’t similar buff bellied pipit but the strong supercilium and grey head and back are conclusive. There aren’t too many water pipit in the middle of the Arabian desert!<\/p>\n \n