(Originally Published in the American Birding Association's Big Day Reports)
Big Day Number One - September 11, 2000
This is the tale of our run at the record: could we beat 104 species and set a new big-day mark for Saudi Arabia? This year, the Webbs (Patrick and Anastasia) signed on as my partners on the big day. They are new to Saudi Arabia, but no strangers to bird counts, having done many back in the Pacific Northwest.
We did a walk around our compound at around 2130 on September 6, and found some House Sparrows and a Caprimulgus, probably a European Nightjar. We saw no sign of the Barn Owl, which is never a sure bet here. September 7, 2000 dawned like just about any other day here. It was 27 degrees F at 0515 when we drove out of the Arabian Homes compound in Yanbu and headed over to the Wastewater Oasis, or "WWO," as I call it. Using the minivan as a blind at dawn, we spotted some shorebirds, which resolved into Wood Sandpipers and Little Stints as the light improved. An immature Barred Warbler - a pretty good find - hopped around in a tree next to the car. By 0545 we were out of the van and birding. Unfortunately, it just was not the big migrant show that sometimes plays there in September. Last year, 55 species of birds showed up at the WWO on September 9. Just six days before this year's attempt, I saw 47 there in a brief, mid-day visit. This time, we scratched out 43 species, but missed some expected birds that we would be hard pressed to find elsewhere. On the brighter side, we did have a quick look at a Common Cuckoo, and a close but brief encounter with a raptor that was almost certainly a juvenile Greater Spotted Eagle.
Reaching the industrial city of Madinat Yanbu al-Sinaiyah (MYAS) by 0915, we picked up the House Crow, the Common Mynah, and also lucked out with a Golden Oriole in a small park. Just as last year, the fickle Ring-necked Parakeet was nowhere to be found. At the beaches in MYAS we found an Osprey; it proved to be a good day for raptors. We also saw a White-cheeked Tern feeding a juvenile. However, we missed several other terns; there were no Lesser Crested, Swift, or White-winged Black Terns to be found, in MYAS or anywhere else that day, nor did we luck out with Common Tern, which is not that common here anyway.
We drove the beach from MYAS back to Yanbu al-Bahr, finding most of the common shorebirds and gulls. Anastasia spotted a Striated Heron out in the glare of the shallow water. In Conservation Area Three, we pished an African Reed Warbler out of the mangroves, too. The reed patch at the Hotel al-Hayat was devoid of birds, as it has been lately, so we did not repeat the Acrocephalus bonanza of last year.
After the al-Hayat area, we visited a place I call the "Abandoned Park." This erstwhile sewage wonderland had nothing but a handful of common land birds, so we moved on to the place I call the "Dumpy Wetland." The Dumpy Wetland transfixed the Webbs. They had never seen anything like it, and could not get over its juxtaposition of world-class ugliness and dense waterbird population. However, although there were about 1000 Ruffs and scores of Black-tailed Godwits there, there were no ducks, coots, moorhens, or terns, so we left there around 1345 with 85 species tallied.
Our next spot was a puddle near Arabian Homes. Short-toed Larks were drinking there, as they often do. The granary nearby had a Black-crowned Finch Lark. Then we visited the "Other Oasis," which is also nearby and is similar to the WWO. There we saw the Rufous Bush Robin we had missed at the WWO. I had a quick look at two Porzana crakes, probably Spotted Crakes, but neither Patrick nor Anastasia saw them, so we did not count them. Two annoying Saudi boys with a big air rifle shortened our visit; as it later turned out, that was lucky.
We started up the road to Yanbu an-Nakhl and the Radwa Mountains at 1445, with 88 species counted (last year I had headed up there around 1600, with 98 species). Right at pavement's end, Patrick spotted a large, pale raptor. We got only a glimpse, but it was a new one for the day, very likely a Long-legged Buzzard. Along the rough road, we spotted several White-crowned Black Wheatears and Desert Larks, as expected. Then, at a well that usually has some of the wadi-type birds, we found as nice a well-gathering as one could want, with more Desert Larks and White-crowned Black Wheatears, two Little Green Bee-eaters, some Blackstarts, a Rock Martin, a House Bunting, and an Arabian Warbler. That site brought us to 96.
Then it was time to drive. The kidney-crushing, buttocks-battering washboard road was worse than ever. Despite (rational) reminders from Patrick and Anastasia to concern myself with the well being of the car, I drove at top speed, in a desperate attempt to reach the Mt. Fiqrah pullout with enough light to pick up nine more species. After about 26 miles of this nasty road, we finally reached the paved section of the Fiqrah road at around 1630. About 25 meters from the pullout, the motor started making funny noises. As I pulled into this cliffside parking area, I noticed the automatic gearshift lever flopping around like a wounded eel. Oh well, at least we were there.
As soon as I got out, I set up the scope. Boom! The vaunted optics malfunctioned. The bayonet mount freed itself from the scope body, in hopes of becoming one with the eyepiece. We managed to catch the eyepiece/bayonet unit before it became one with the rocky substrate. Anastasia and I wasted precious, babbler-seeking minutes putting humpty-scopy together again. "Dear Swarovski..."
That did not deter us. Across the gorge flew a "chicken." Sand Partridge! Even more amazingly, it flew back across and walked up the cliff until it met up with another bird. Arabian Partridge! Patrick clambered down into the gorge and directed us to a Phylloscopus warbler. It was a probable Chiffchaff, and since we had not seen a Phylloscopus all day, it counted. The usual Tristram's Grackles and Shining Sunbirds were there, too, so we were at 101. Then I decided to check on the car. In goes the key, and-- kaputt. Seventy miles from Arabian Homes, no car, and hardly anyone around. Almost time for magrb prayer call, too.
That added up to,"Let's bird some more." What's that flash of yellow down there? Bruce's Green Pigeon! That bird was supposed to be hundreds of kilometers south, and migrating farther south to Africa this time of year. Perhaps they live in the fruit groves all summer - I hardly ever bird up on Fiqrah in summer. Anyway, that was 102.
Time to flag down a Saudi while there were still people on the road. By dusk, we were in a very beat-up truck, heading to the little village of Sudayrah at the base of Fiqrah. Patrick got some coins at the store and managed to reach my wife by telephone. Then we found a Saudi willing to drive us back for 200 riyals. He turned out to be an interesting fellow, a pharmacist from Medinah who has a little house in Sudayrah.
What was that? A little bump on the side of the road turned out to be a Little Owl! And that was it -103 species, so close - but a miss is as good as a mile.
Naturally, the next day, riding back up to Fiqrah in a flatbed to pick up the van, I saw two more species. The ravens we had missed were sitting by the side of the road, and some little brown birds in a tree had to be Arabian Serins. On the following day on the way to school, of course, the Ring-necked Parakeet flew right alongside the bus; on the way home, there were Black-eared Wheatears to greet us. The good news, though, was the car repair bill - only 100 riyals! A little tiny cable had snapped.
Well, that is that, except I must praise Patrick and Anastasia. Not many people would relish a day spent in the heat and humidity, not to mention the dreadful pounding drive, but the Webbs proved true stalwarts. A pleasant time was had by all.
Species List
1. Striated Heron
2. Squacco Heron
3. Cattle Egret
4. Western Reef Heron
5. Little Egret
6. Grey Heron
7. Glossy Ibis
8. Eurasian Spoonbill
9. Greater Flamingo
10. Garganey
11. Black Kite
12. Marsh Harrier
13. Montagu's Harrier
14. Buteo sp.
15. Aquila sp.
16. Osprey
17. Arabian Partridge
18. Sand Partridge
19. European Oystercatcher
20. Black-winged Stilt
21. Crab Plover
22. Little Ringed Plover
23. Ringed Plover
24. Kentish Plover
25. Lesser Sand Plover
26. Greater Sand Plover
27. Grey Plover
28. Spur-winged Plover
29. White-tailed Plover
30. Little Stint
31. Temminck's Stint
32. Curlew Sandpiper
33. Dunlin
34. Ruff
35. Black-tailed Godwit
36. Whimbrel
37. Eurasian Curlew
38. Redshank
39. Greenshank
40. Wood Sandpiper
41. Terek Sandpiper
42. Common Sandpiper
43. Turnstone
44. Sooty Gull
45. White-eyed Gull
46. Slender-billed Gull
47. Herring/Lesser Black-backed/other large Gull
48. Gull-billed Tern
49. Caspian Tern
50. White-cheeked Tern
51. Rock Dove
52. Eurasian Collared Dove
53. Palm Dove
54. Namaqua Dove
55. Bruce's Green Pigeon
56. Common Cuckoo
57. Little Owl
58. Caprimulgus sp.
59. Common Swift
60. Common Kingfisher
61. Little Green Bee-eater
62. European Bee-eater
63. European Roller
64. Hoopoe
65. Black-crowned Finch Lark
66. Desert Lark
67. Hoopoe Lark
68. Short-toed Lark
69. Crested Lark
70. Sand Martin
71. African Rock Martin
72. Barn Swallow
73. Tree Pipit
74. Yellow Wagtail
75. Yellow-vented Bulbul
76. Rufous Bush Robin
77. Black Bush Robin
78. Common Redstart
79. Blackstart
80. Isabelline Wheatear
81. White-crowned Black Wheatear
82. Reed/Marsh Warbler sp.
83. African Reed Warbler
84. Olivaceous Warbler
85. Upcher's Warbler
86. Arabian Warbler
87. Barred Warbler
88. Lesser Whitethroat
89. Common Whitethroat
90. Phylloscopus sp.
91. Spotted Flycatcher
92. Shining Sunbird
93. Golden Oriole
94. Red-backed Shrike
95. Lesser Grey Shrike
96. Great Grey Shrike
97. Woodchat Shrike
98. House Crow
99. Tristram's Grackle
100. Common Mynah
101. House Sparrow
102. Indian Silverbill
103. House Bunting
Total: 103 species, not including Porzana crake species seen only by GB. Date: September 6-7, 2000. Start time on the sixth: 2130 (owling). Stop time on the sixth: 2200 (stopped owling, went to sleep). Start time on the seventh: 0515. Stop time: 1945. Total time 15:00. Area covered: towns and environs of Yanbu al-Bahr, Yanbu al-Sinaiyah, and Yanbu a'Nakhl, Saudi Arabia, plus roads from Yanbu a'Nakhl to Mt. Fiqrah. Observers: Gary Bletsch, Patrick Webb, Anastasia Webb, Yanbu International School, P.O. Box 30039, Yanbu al-Sinaiyah, Saudi Arabia.
Note: When we began, we thought that a big day could be on any 24-hour period. We were also unaware of the "team/shared" concept. Since finishing the count, we've learned that ABA big day rules stipulate a single calendar day, and that both team and shared totals are reported. We counted the nightjar species on the evening of the sixth; since that would violate the calendar-day clause, our total should really be reduced to 102. On the other hand, the Porzana pops us back to the same figure, 103, at least for the team total. And I thought taxes were hard to figure out...
Big Day Number Two - Another Big Day of Birding in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia
This year of 2001, I decided to do my Big Day on September 13. Thursday, September 6 was going to be a mellow start to the weekend, with a bit of birding in the morning, and a Quiz Night at the Arabian Homes compound at 1930. In between, maybe I would correct papers, or lounge at the pool, or go shopping.
Just as in 1999, a simple morning's bird walk turned into an all-day quest. This year, I drove out to the Yanbu Dump, leaving Arabian Homes at the leisurely hour of 0800 and arriving at 0825. Lately, the dump has supplanted the Wastewater Oasis as my favored patch. A complicated set of circumstances explains this change; political events hundreds of miles to the north have reached their insidious tentacles all the way down to sleepy Yanbu. Because the unrest in Israel and Palestine has increased the likelihood - or perceived likelihood - of attacks on Westerners in Yanbu, the police here began routine patrols around the compound about a year ago. This police presence has disrupted the truck drivers' routines. It seems that the partially treated wastewater they deposit at the Wastewater Oasis is not really supposed to be dumped there. Formerly, the police had winked at the whole matter, but now there is such a police presence here that the truck drivers have moved on to other dumping grounds.
Very few truckloads make it to the Wastewater Oasis now. Trees are dying and falling. Grassy patches are drying up and blowing away, and the puddles and marsh-like habitats are looking sere. Now only one permanent puddle remains, and the WWO is not the bird magnet it once was. Approaching the Yanbu Dump, one can hardly ignore the truck traffic. This time, I slowed down and drove behind a wastewater truck, rather than take the routine risk of my life and pass it. As I trundled along behind the behemoth, I noticed a large bird gliding in toward the dump. The silhouette and impression seemed familiar, but I could not place it. Once I pulled in to the dump, however, I realized that a flock of White Storks was present. Although this species is said to be a regular migrant through the area in late August and early September, this was the first flock I had seen here since arriving in August of 1998. About fifty of the storks were feeding and drinking in some grassy pools, with a few sentinels posted atop some of the sandy knolls and ridges that have been bulldozed into place in this astonishingly ugly yet wonderfully birdy place.
Rather than disturb the storks in their transcontinental pit stop, I walked away from them. Immediately I could sense that there were a lot of birds around. Montagu's Harriers were coming down for drinks and scaring up hundreds of House Sparrows and other birds. Every little acacia tree had its Olivaceous Warbler going "chick-chick," and there were Acrocephalus warblers flushing out of every patch of grass. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse were winging this way and that, giving their gentle contact calls.
Within a few minutes, I had seen twenty species. With the temperature somewhere around 41° C, birds were hanging around the many puddles, getting drinks and clinging to whatever shade they could find. Two Corncrakes flushed out of the grass. There were at least ten species of warbler and nine of shorebird present. A Thrush Nightingale perched next to a Nightingale, making a nice comparison, and a couple of Glossy Ibises worked the trash-strewn, oily-black lagoons.
By 11.15, I had found 57 species at the dump. I drove home, had a quick lunch, and decided I would "just drive over to Lake Yanbu and try to bump it up to 90."
At Lake Yanbu, I was shocked to find that ninety percent of the shrubbery had been removed. The shores of the pond had received new borders of rounded cobbles, and part of the reedbed had been hacked away. Even so, Lake Yanbu is the only permanent body of fresh water for such huge distances that it remains an irresistible attraction to tired migrants.
Furthermore, the heat seemed to have put a damper on the "hunting" that usually goes on this time of year, and this time there were no dead egrets floating in the water. A small flock of White-winged Black Terns skimmed along. A Squacco Heron joined some Little Egrets and a Grey Heron at water's edge, and two or three Western Reef Herons tried their luck away from their accustomed seaside haunts. A Wryneck worked the trees. All the while, I birded the area sans challenge; the policeman parked next to the lake was sound asleep in his patrol vehicle.
I left Lake Yanbu with a species count of 68, and headed over to Harbor Island. All of the expected gulls, terns, and shorebirds were there, and after a half an hour, the count had reached 81. At this point, I began having doubts about my limited objective. This was obviously going to be one of the best birding days of the year, but my Quiz Night team would be expecting me at 1930 at Arabian Homes. That was six hours away. What would be a good strategy - how could I have a century day and still make good on my social obligation?
I decided to hit tiny al-Zohoor Park. There are always a few migrants there, and it is probably the best place to look for the two key "junk bird species" of urban Yanbu al-Sinaiyah. As soon as I got out of the car, a Common Mynah flew up. Within minutes, I heard the grating screech of a Ring-necked Parakeet.
In my two previous Yanbu big days, I had missed the parakeet, so things were looking up - it was turning into a de facto big day. It had been a while since I had driven to Conservation Area One, and I had trouble finding my way. New houses had been built, new roads scraped into the coastal scrub. When I finally found my turnoff, I found a brand-new park. "Al-Gamrah Park," the sign said, in both Arabic and English.That means "Turtle Dove Park." A couple of workmen pulled up and entered the park, which was full of birds. They stood around inside the fence, leaning on their shovels in the shade. As I approached the chain-link, up hopped a couple of Tree Pipits. It was too early for Turtle Doves, but I made a mental note about this park, which has lots of grass, and lies within a few hundred yards of Conservation Area One and its mangroves.
In the Conservation Area, I was dismayed to find yet another building under construction, right in the middle of the mangrove and only yards from the water. Luckily, no work was being done today, and the shoreline was teeming with birds. An Osprey perched on a signpost. Several Common Kingfishers plied the placid waters, and a flock of White-cheeked Terns roosted on the fringing reef. None of this prepared me for the surprise that lay just ahead, however. Scanning the mangrove, I spied a Grey Heron. Then, out on the flats offshore, I saw another heron. This one was bigger, though. As it walked around on the coral, I fancied I could hear a godzilla-like thudding sound. Goliath Heron! This bird is said to occur regularly in these mangroves, but this was the first time I had seen one in the Middle East.
Now I had found about 90 species (in the heat it was getting a little hard to keep an accurate count). Onwards! In the eight or ten miles of coast between Yanbu al-Sinaiyah and Yanbu al-Bahr, most of the usual wading birds and gulls turned up, some in ones and twos, others in goodly flocks. I was disappointed to miss the oystercatcher and spoonbill, but the Broad-billed Sandpiper and Black-headed Gull made up for the disappointment. By the time I had finished the seaside birding, I had found a hundred or so species, give or take one or two. It was 1600.
The next two spots proved to be almost birdless. "Abandoned Park" has very little water any more, and a huge shopping center being built next door has probably doomed this little habitat patch. One lonely Garganey kept company there with a single stilt. Down the road, "The Dumpy Wetland," once a watering hole for hundreds of waders and ducks, had even less water, and a not single bird showed itself.
By now I was scratching my head. Go home? Continue? Rather than try to decide, I let the car drive itself to a spot behind a granary where Short-toed Larks hang out. Within a couple of minutes, the larks turned up behind a rusted-out car, and I figured my decision had been made for me. This was too good a day not to go for it.
At 1645 I was driving eighty-miles-an-hour up the Yanbu a'Nakhl Road, passing wastewater trucks and the Yanbu Dump again. Playing a Mozart tape loud enough to cover the roar of the overworked six-cylinder, I tried to decide on a location in the hinterlands where I could find some of the desert and mountain species I needed to reach 107, the Saudi Arabian Big-Day record.
Or was it 108? That was another puzzle my brain could not quite decipher by that juncture. Back in 1999, I had headed inland at about 1600, and wasted an hour birding the dusty villages around Yanbu a'Nakhl. In 2000 we had given ourselves much more time, but it had not been such a good day for migrants; in any case, we had reached Mt. Fiqrah, only to have the car break down. This time I had to get it right - and be back in time for Quiz Night.
I decided to head up the Fiqrah road, but only a few miles, and then bird the villages, wells, and wadis along that first stretch. Then I would not need to bash the car to smithereens on the washboards, and could start birding before the quietude of dusk intruded. Passing the giant statue of the hands holding the Koran at 1710, I raced up the road, passing Bedouins' Toyota Hi-Luxes laden with hay, and keeping an eye out for the Hoopoe Lark that had eluded me all day.
By 1725 I had reached the village, which has very few houses, but straggles along for at least a mile of rocky road and parched-looking acacia "parkland." The Desert Lark showed itself immediately, as it almost always does. A mile or so up the road, I walked around the acacias, but saw very few birds. Then a White-crowned Black Wheatear zipped by. I wasted precious minutes tracking down some conversational chatter, only to find a party of the ubiquitous Yellow-vented Bulbuls mocking me from the safety of the thorns.
I drove on, looking for a little box canyon where scattered shreds of sheep offal usually attract flies and the birds that eat them. Arriving there, I found little sign of bird life. What to do? It was 1740. Did I have time to drive to "Yanbu Charlie Well," where we had seen so many birds last year? I doubted I could make it there and still leave time to bird. Plus, maybe that little cable (retail cost, 100 riyals) might snap as it had last year, leaving me and the car stranded in the boonies again (towing and transport charges, 700 riyals). Should I go into the heart of the village, where my binoculars would arouse who knows what response?
Luckily, my aversion to making decisions paid off again. I just drove onwards, until I came to "That Oasis Where They Always Give Me a Dirty Look." Oh yeah, that place. Nobody seemed to be around, so I parked and got out. The wells were brim full, and Yellow-vented Bulbuls and Desert Larks were constantly flitting down for drinks. A warbler wiggling its tail in an acacia turned out to be an Upcher's; that made 105, as far as I could figure; but where were the Blackstarts? Every time I thought I saw one, it was another Spotted Flycatcher. There were at least a dozen of them there. Finally, though, an old desert trick proved its worth once again. I relieved myself, and all the little birds came over to see where the water was coming from. A Blackstart fanned its tail reprovingly. An Arabian Babbler scolded me from the fence around the oasis. An African Rock Martin zoomed in out of nowhere. That made at least 108 species.
Then, friendly voices from inside the fence beckoned. No dirty looks this time! I walked around to go in the gate so I could talk to the men. There by the gate was a Common Redstart! That made at least 109. Inside, Abdullah showed me his date palms and mint garden. I chatted politely, with an eye to the skies once in a while. As we squatted under the trees, a bird flitted onto the fence - Little Green Bee-eater! When I finally bid Abdullah and his gardener good evening, I knew I had seen at least 110 species.
What a day! Not only did I make it back to Arabian Homes in time for Quiz Night without mechanical difficulty, I had enough time before Round One to do a quick recount of the species tally. I found I had forgotten to tick a couple, and so the final count was 112 - not bad, considering I had started two hours after dawn, had not planned to do a big day, and had even taken a lunch break at home.
Species List
1. Striated Heron
2. Squacco Heron
3. Cattle Egret
4. Western Reef Heron
5. Little Egret
6. Grey Heron
7. Goliath Heron
8. White Stork
9. Glossy Ibis
10. Greater Flamingo
11. Garganey
12. Black Kite
13. unidentified large raptor species (eagle sp. or buzzard sp.)
14. Montagu's Harrier
15. Osprey
16. Eurasian Kestrel
17. Common Quail
18. Corncrake
19. Black-winged Stilt
20. Crab Plover
21. Little Ringed Plover
22. Common Ringed Plover
23. Kentish Plover
24. Lesser Sand-plover
25. Greater Sand-plover
26. Grey Plover
27. Spur-winged Plover
28. Little Stint
29. Temminck's Stint
30. Curlew Sandpiper
31. Dunlin
32. Broad-billed Sandpiper
33. Ruff
34. Common Snipe
35. Black-tailed Godwit
36. Whimbrel
37. Eurasian Curlew
38. Common Redshank
39. Marsh Sandpiper
40. Common Greenshank
41. Wood Sandpiper
42. Terek Sandpiper
43. Common Sandpiper
44. Ruddy Turnstone
45. Sooty Gull
46. White-eyed Gull
47. Common Black-headed Gull
48. Slender-billed Gull
49. Lesser Black-backed Gull
50. Gull-billed Tern
51. Caspian Tern
52. Lesser Crested Tern
53. White-cheeked Tern
54. White-winged Tern
55. Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse
56. Rock Dove
57. Eurasian Collared Dove
58. Laughing Dove
59. Ring-necked Parakeet (heard only)
60. Common Kingfisher
61. Little Green Bee-eater
62. European Bee-eater
63. European Roller
64. Hoopoe
65. Wryneck
66. Black-crowned Finch-lark
67. Desert Lark
68. Short-toed Lark
69. Crested Lark
70. Sand Martin
71. African Rock Martin
72. Barn Swallow
73. Tree Pipit
74. Yellow Wagtail
75. Yellow-vented Bulbul
76. Rufous Scrub-robin
77. Black Scrub-robin
78. Thrush Nightingale
79. Common Nightingale
80. Bluethroat
81. Common Redstart
82. Blackstart
83. Whichat
84. Isabelline Wheatear
85. Northern Wheatear
86. White-crowned Black Wheatear
87. Sedge Warbler
88. European Reed Warbler
89. Great Reed Warbler
90. Olivaceous Warbler
91. Upcher's Warbler
92. Barred Warbler
93. Lesser Whitethroat
94. Common Whitethroat
95. Garden Warbler
96. Blackcap
97. Chiffchaff
98. Willow Warbler
99. Spotted Flycatcher
100. Arabian Babbler
101. Red-backed Shrike
102. Lesser Grey Shrike
103. Great Grey Shrike
104. Woodchat Shrike
105. Masked Shrike
106. House Crow
107. Brown-necked Raven
108. Common Mynah
109. House Sparrow
110. Pale Rock Sparrow
111. Indian Silverbill
112. Cretzschmar's Bunting
Region: Yanbu area (Northern Hejaz Region, Saudi Arabia)
Date: September 6, 2001
Start Time: 0800; break time 1140-1200; start time 1200; quitting time 1900.
Miles by car: 163. Miles by foot: 2.
Species identified by "all team members": 112 (only one member was on team)
Important areas visited: Yanbu Dump; Lake Yanbu; Harbor Island; Zohoor Park; al-Gamrah Park; Conservation Area One; Shoreline between Yanbu al-Sinaiyah and Yanbu al-Bahr; Yanbu Granary; first village on unpaved road between Yanbu and Fiqrah; first oasis after village.
These are reports originally e-mailed to ME Birdnet, the electronic bulletin board of the Ornithological Society of the Middle East.
Week ending April 18, 2002
Migration is well underway in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. On April 17, the first Rollers, Willow Warblers, and Common Whitethroat of the year were at the Wastewater Oasis near Arabian Homes and Holiday Inn. A Wryneck was chasing House Sparrows around, and there were lots of Common Redstarts and a few Black-eared Wheatears. Four or five unidentified Buntings at dusk looked like the first Ortolans of spring, but the light was not good enough, and they were shy. The second Rock Thrush I have seen in this area was at the same spot as one last year, hawking insects from some dried-out snags. The big surprise was a Nubian Nightjar. This bird appeared in the exact same spot as one did in April of 1999. It was very tame, and persisted in flying toward me and landing near me, giving views at less than twelve meters. It called a few times as well, giving a two-noted, "distant poodle" call. This was only the second time I'd found one here (or anywhere else, for all that matters).
Four or five European Rollers shared an acacia with a bewildered-looking House Sparrow fledgling at dusk. I wondered whether the Rollers were trying to decide who would get to eat the poor little sparrow...
Today I saw the first Turtle Doves of the year at the Wastewater Oasis. Hot on their heels were the first "Qumri" shooters of the year. Several wounded doves (including Palm Doves) were seen flopping around, and one Turtle Dove was found dead in some underbrush, obviously having flown off to die beyond the reach of the nimrods.
This week I managed to identify the large flock of swifts that is present every winter between Yanbu al-Bahr and Yanbu al-Sinaiyah. As passenger in a car going slowly over the bridge that crosses the flood-control channel near the air-defense base, I was finally able to look at the birds, instead of worrying about the cars. The swifts were all Pallids. Sometimes this flock numbers in the hundreds, and there are presumably other species mixed in, at least sometimes. Today at the Wastewater Oasis were four or five swifts- -three Alpine, and one or two unidentified (Common or Pallid).
A final note, on Barn Owls. One was seen at the Arabian Homes compound last week - we watched it while at a barbecue. Yesterday I found a clump of Barn Owl feathers near the compound gate, and wondered whether a Barn Owl had been hit by a car or perhaps a bullet. This species has been present at this compound sporadically over the last four years, with sightings January, April, August, October, and December in various years.
Week ending April 5, 2002
Today was a good day to look at birds in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. Migration is underway, and there are many migrant (and resident) birds moving around here.
At the Yanbu Dump were 2 Green Sandpipers, about 20 Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, 2 Olivaceous Warblers (first of the season), 2 Cretzschmar's Buntings, a Short-toed Lark, and just one White Wagtail remaining, along with 10 Yellow Wagtails.
At the al-Hayatt Hotel and nearby shoreline areas were 26 Common Pratincoles (first of the season), 35 Greater Flamingos, 3 Spoonbills, 4 Gull-billed Terns (one in breeding plumage), and 8 Crab Plover. Many other water birds were out of sight, the tide being far out.
At the Wastewater Oasis near Holiday Inn were at least two Grey Hypocolius; these birds were unusually quiet at mid-day, and there were probably many more birds resting in the shade. New spring arrivals there included a Whinchat, 5 Tree Pipits, and a female Blackcap; as is usually the case here, the first Blackcap of the season was a female. Two Spur-winged Plovers rested in the shade of an old wire spool, and a Cretzschmar's Bunting fed on the numerous weed seeds.
Week ending Sept. 27, 2001
Today, Paul Morgan and I observed another installment of the raptor movement at the Yanbu Dump. Nine raptor species were found between 0945 and 1230. Here is a raptor summary:
Egyptian Vulture: 1 juvenile
Steppe Eagle: 1 juvenile
Greater Spotted Eagle: 1 juvenile
European Honey Buzzard: 10+
Steppe Buzzard: 8+
Black Kite: 4
Unidentified Harrier, probably Montagu's: 3
European Marsh Harrier: 5
Common Kestrel: 1
Besides the birds of prey, large numbers of waterbirds and passerines were found, a total of 55 species in all. Highlights included the first 2 Menetries's Warblers of the season; a Nightingale (this has been a good month for Luscinia here); a perilously confused Common Kingfisher attempting to hunt over the vast ponds of oily scum; and three species of Emberiza buntings. Among the buntings were Ortolan and Cretzschmar's, along with an odd-looking juvenile that had a yellowish underside, blurry grey breast streaks, a plain light-brown head, and a whitish eye-ring. A large number of Ciconiiformes included 3 Grey Herons, 20 Cattle Egrets, 3 Little Egrets, a Glossy Ibis, and a Squacco Heron. One of the Cattle Egrets was seen to capture and begin to devour a smaller bird, probably a Little Stint. The egret was last seen flying about with some feet and feathers protruding from its mouth.
Perhaps it was inevitable, but today was the first time we have encountered nimrods at this location. They attempted to shoot the Greater Spotted Eagle, but the bird was out of range of these "sportsmen's" 12-gauge shotguns. Finally, the oil on some of the ponds here continues to make this rest stop a dangerous one. One pratincole - unidentifiably blackened - several Anas ducks (probably Teal), and several Ruffs all showed the effects of oil on feathers.
Week ending 31 August 2001
This weekend there were some interesting birds in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. On August 29, a young male Arabian Golden Sparrow turned up at the "Wastewater Oasis" near the Holiday Inn. This species is normally found much farther north. Today, at the dump/wastewater site about ten miles inland from Yanbu al-Bahr ("the Yanbu Dump") there were at least 6 Thrush Nightingales, a Wryneck, a Common Cuckoo, and many warblers. Among the latter were several Great Reed Warblers, some Reed Warblers, some Marsh Warblers, some that could have been either, and one very cooperative Blyth's Reed Warbler that perched within minimum binocular range for long stretches at a time. Also at this site were about 25 Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse, which have been seen here in varying numbers on almost every visit over the past seven months.