Al Monsor Dairy Farm, Saudi Arabia

Today I visited another site outside Riyadh with Rob Tovey. Our Saudi friend Abdullah had kindly got permission for us to visit Al Mansoor Dairy Farm. It is a private farm occupying approximately 400 ha. 100 kms. SE of Riyadh. As is common practice in the middle east the cows are kept in pens all year round and fed with fodder grown on site in irrigated fields.

From the air

The cattle sheds

The pivot fields

We stayed the night at the farmhouse and were up and ready to go at dawn after a breakfast that included some of the farms own milk.

The first birds of interest were the noisy spur-winged plover that were found among the cows in their pens together with several little ringed plover. Then as we stood planning our method of attack a sparrowhawk flashed past chasing a flock of house sparrow into a large barn. It fled 'empty handed'.

The farm has its own long established water collection ponds scattered around the property and these proved to attract a variety of waders including ringed plover, wood sandpiper, little stint and a lone redshank. Rob found a large flock of chestnut-bellied sandgrouse which flew in to feed on one of the ploughed fields. A damp fringe to one of the pivot fields held plenty of white wagtail, a couple of citrine wagtail and my first saudi yellow wagtail. But of more interest was a small flock of desert finch, my 6th lifer in KSA in under a month but a bird I'm bound to see a lot more of. Also among the spoil heaps at the side of the field were several desert wheatear, a common bird at the farm.

Desert wheatear

Next I explored some of the drier areas. A flock of lesser short-toed lark flew over with their characteristic call. The chestnut-bellied sandgrouse flock was now mobile and three cream-coloured courser scurried across the gravel escarpment near the farms boundary fence. Abdullah then found and showed me a wryneck, this is the second I've seen this month so they may be wintering in the KSA in healthy numbers.

At the very moment I commented to Abdullah that raptor numbers seemed low we saw an eagle we hadn't noticed before take off from a ploughed area, soon followed by three more eagles. We dashed across in the car kicking up dust all the way to find two eastern imperial eagle together with two steppe eagle.

Steppe eagle

We left after a great day in the field but the raptor action wasn't over. Just outside the farm we came across another steppe eagle resting on a pylon, then two battling eastern imperial eagle and finally another two steppe eagles.

Steppe eagle

The whole Kharj area is proving to be extremely productive and now we have a base we'll be returning very soon.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

100 Cattle egret

1 Sparrowhawk

6 Steppe eagle

3 Imperial eagle

3 Kestrel

1 Moorhen

25 Spur-winged plover

1 Kentish plover

10 Ringed plover

2 Little ringed plover

2 Black-winged stilt

1 Common sandpiper

8 Green sandpiper

12 Wood sandpiper

1 Redshank

10 Little stint

2 Temminck's stint

25 Snipe

3 Cream-coloured courser

63 Chestnut-bellied sandgrouse

20 Rock dove

300 Collared dove

100 Laughing dove

70 Namaqua dove

2 Green bee-eater

2 Hoopoe

1 Wryneck

2 Daurian shrike

1 Southern grey shrike

1 Steppe grey shrike

6 Lesser short-toed lark

70 Crested lark

3 Skylark

6 White-cheeked bulbul

2 Graceful prinia

5 Desert warbler

1 Black bush-chat

5 Bluethroat

1 Stonechat

2 Mourning wheatear

40 Desert wheatear

30 Isabelline wheatear

4 Yellow wagtail

3 Citrine wagtail

200 White wagtail

20 tawny pipit

8 Desert finch

250 House sparrow

180 Spanish sparrow

2 Indian silverbill

eBird

Commencing in the new year I shall be entering all my bird sightings on the eBird website. At the moment the whole of Saudi Arabia is one big open canvas waiting to be populated with sightings. Records from other GCC countries have already been added and it is proving to be an invaluable tool for research.

Please open an account and add your own sightings.

Any problems let me know and I may be able to help but remember I'm a newbie to the programme as well.

Photos

More photos recently added to my photography web site.

Mourning wheatear

Turkestan shrike

Long-legged buzzard

Bar-tailed desert lark

Bar-tailed desert lark

Bar-tailed desert lark

Bar-tailed desert lark

Hoopoe lark

Hoopoe lark

Wadi Thulaimah, Saudi Arabia

Our second stop of the day was at Wadi Thulaimah south of our friend Abdullah's home city of Al Kharj in an area he has known well since childhood.

As we drove across the sand towards the area of ponds our first bird was a fine long-legged buzzard soaring over our car.

Long-legged buzzard

The ponds themselves held a very diverse number of waders for such a land locked province. We had expected black-winged stilt, little stint and wood sandpiper but two marsh sandpiper were an excellent find as were kentish plover (coming into breeding plumage), ringed plover and Temminck's stint.

We then headed for Al Kharj city refuse tip... our heads were filled with visions of a raptor paradise. How wrong we were. The isolated dump held nothing but four desert wheatear. But the drive back along the desert road was livened up when we spotted four splendid hoopoe lark and shortly afterwards a similar number of bar-tailed desert lark. The latter was another lifer for me and a species that had proved to be my nemesis back in Dubai. They were still a difficult bird to nail down for a photo. How can a bird with one inch long legs walk quicker than me?

Bar-tailed desert lark

Hoopoe lark

We returned back to the extreme end of Wadi Thulmayah just as sun was setting on a rather large and permanent lake which held good numbers of shoveler together with several pochard and tufted duck.

No day with two lifers can be anything less than a good day.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

8 Grey heron

2 Purple heron

10 Moorhen

4 Black-winged stilt

2 Ringed plover

1 Kentish plover

1 Dunlin

1 Temminck's stint

70 Little stint

12 Wood sandpiper

4 Green sandpiper

2 Marsh sandpiper

2 Ruff

2 Tufted duck

4 Pochard

18 Shoveler

1 Long-legged buzzard

1 Barn swallow

1 Stonechat
1 Black bush robin

6 Desert wheatear

4 Hoopoe lark

4 Bar-tailed desert lark

Al Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Today I was out and about with Rob Tovey and we started again at Al Ha'ir pivot fields. We were soon joined by Abdullah a charming Saudi with a keen interest in birds and particularly photography.

We soon saw the first of many new KSA birds for me when four cormorant flew into the river area followed by a great egret and a more distant osprey. But the sighting of the day was without doubt three black stork soaring over the adjacent fields. A long overdue lifer for me but hopefully we'll come across them again this winter.

Turkestan shrike

We then set off to explore the further reaches of the Riyadh river just west of the pivot as it wound its way into the desert along the rocky escarpment. We soon found two magnificent male mourning wheatear and a red-tailed wheatear.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ HIGHLIGHTS _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

4 Cormorant

1 Little egret

1 Great white egret

10 Grey heron

4 Purple heron

3 Black stork

1 Osprey

3 Greater spotted eagle

2 Marsh harrier

2 Kestrel

5 Snipe

1 Wood sandpiper

2 Little stint

20 Pallid swift

4 White-throated kingfisher

1 Daurian shrike

1 Turkestan shrike
1 Black redstart

2 Mourning wheatear

1 Red-tailed wheatear

2 Desert wheatear

2 Streaked weaver

Wadi Thulaimah, Saudi Arabia

Wadi Thulaimah lies about 30 kms south of Al Kharj and carries the waste water run off from the city.

The site was first visited in December 2001 and was found to have an impressive array of waders.

Al Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Another trip out to the pivot fields with Rob Tovey but almost as interesting was that on the way we found the Riyadh landfill site south-east of the city and tried unsuccessfully to get inside and bird. Although we were turned away we were told it would be possible if we got written permission which we now intend to do particularly as while talking to the site manager our eyes were drifting towards what appeared to be several large vultures (lappet-faced?) perched on the edge of the tip area.

Long-billed pipit

At Ha'ir pivot fields a count of 13 squacco heron was a welcome addition to the records as was a fine citrine wagtail picking around the edge of the pools at the edge of the pivot fields. Both new records for my KSA list as were common sandpiper, wood sandpiper and barn swallow.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

13 Squacco heron

1 Cattle egret

4 Purple heron

12 Grey heron

12 Mallard

8 Greater spotted eagle

12 Marsh harrier

10 Kestrel

25 Moorhen

2 Coot

30 Northern lapwing

15 Common snipe

4 Wood sandpiper

3 Green sandpiper

1 Common sandpiper

100 Collared dove

50 Laughing dove

30 Namaqua dove

50 Pallid swift

3 White-breasted kingfisher

2 Common kingfisher

30 Little green bee-eater

2 Hoopoe

80 Crested lark

1 Barn swallow

20 Pale crag martin

60 Tawny pipit

2 Long-billed pipit

80 White wagtail

1 Citrine wagtail

120 White-cheeked bulbul

3 White-spectacled bulbul

2 Black bush robin

5 Bluethroat

1 European stonechat

2 Isabelline wheatear

6 Desert wheatear

1 Chiffchaff

1 Desert lesser whitethroat

1 Steppe grey shrike

2 Southern grey shrike

2 Daurian shrike

2 Turkestan shrike

45 Brown-necked raven

30 Common mynah

100 House sparrow

5 Spanish sparrow

5 Avadavat

Photos

More photos recently added to my photography web site.

Blackstart, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Blackstart, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Eastern imperial eagle, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Blackstart, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Desert lesser whitethroat, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Desert lesser whitethroat, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Mourning wheatear, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Mourning wheatear, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Arabian endemics

Now this is where birding in Saudi Arabia starts to get really interesting. In the south of the kingdom lie the Asir Mountains. As their name suggests (Asir means 'difficult' in arabic) they rise to almost 10,000 feet and straddle the border of Saudi Arabia and Yemen. With the altitude and wet climate come the arabian endemics. Of the eleven species found only in Arabia ten can be found in this area of Saudi Arabia although none are endemic to Saudi Arabia alone.

An eleventh species (Yemen accentor) supposedly has not crossed the border from Yemen but never say never!.

The ten endemic species are...

• Arabian partridge

A red-legged partridge species similar to a chukar with characteristic white throat and black crown.

• Philby's partridge

Another red-legged partridge species this time with a black throat.

• Arabian woodpecker

A small woodpecker found in acacia woodland down to sea level.

• Yemen thrush

A skulking species similar to a female blackbird.

• Arabian serin

A small serin that spends most of its time in the trees moving with characteristic tail flicking.

• Yemen serin

A small serin often seen in pairs. Similar to arabian serin but paler.

• South arabian wheatear

Female is grey-brown. Male similar to mourning wheatear.

• Yemen warbler

A large sylvia warbler similar to orphean warbler that is usually found in pairs.

• Arabian waxbill

A small finch-like bird with crimson stripe through the eye.

• Yemen linnet

Similar to linnet but separated geographically.

Photos

New photos added to my photography web site.

Spanish sparrow, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Spanish sparrow, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

 

White-crowned black wheatear, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Desert lark, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Desert lark, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

White-crowned black wheatear, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

White-crowned black wheatear, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Greater spotted eagle, Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

Photos

New photos added to my photography web site.

Long-billed pipit, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Greater spotted eagle, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Desert wheatear, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Steppe grey shrike, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Desert wheatear, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Spanish sparrow, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Spanish sparrow, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Spanish sparrow, Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Wadi Dirab, Saudi Arabia

This morning I ventured further afield from Riyadh with Rob Tovey. We originally intended to travel south of the city to the dairy farms at Dirab. However our driver told us there was a security road block en route that might be difficult for us to pass without a errr.... 'fine'. So we chose to go a different route and drive via Ha'ir and then along a wadi running due west to the road just below Dirab and approach the town from the south thereby avoiding the road block. However to cut to the chase we ended up happily birding the wadi all morning and didn't make it as far as Dirab Farms. I'm not sure of the name of the wadi but for now let's refer to it as Wadi Dirab.

We drove west along the decent tarmac road that runs along the wadi from the village of Old Ha'ir. The road hugged the steep escarpment but the floor of the wadi soon opened up to the south, the area being used for farming and date plantations. After a few miles we passed what was signposted as a fish farm. Although we couldn't see any water a row of old trees behind the high walls held six black kite.

Next we found a small rubbish tip by the side of the round... always a magnet to birds and birders. The tip contained several fly blown camel and goat corpses... things were looking up! The first bird I saw was a juvenile white-crowned black wheatear, its glossy black plumage interrupted by the smallest of white flecks on the top of its head.

White-crowned black wheatear

The young wheatear was still calling for food and it wasn't long before it was joined, and duly fed by one of its parents.

That was one lifer for me... and it appeared a second was to quickly follow (not before a greater spotted eagle had drifted overhead). Bar-tailed desert lark had been my nemesis back in Dubai but I thought I had found one sat all of about six feet from me, so close I was having trouble focusing with my 400 mm lens. Unfortunately it was a desert lark, new for me in KSA but common back in the UAE.

Desert lark

A second lifer soon followed, an equally obliging blackstart also sat up to be photographed in between hawking for insects around the debris.

Blackstart

When we reached the Dirab road we turned around and re-traced our steps as there would be nowhere to do a u-turn before the check point on the road to Dirab. When we reached the fish farm one of the black kite we had seen earlier was now circling overhead with a large eagle. It was a juvenile eastern imperial eagle with it's splendid striped belly and underwing coverts.

Eastern imperial eagle

On the way back to Ha'ir we stopped at another roadside rubbish tip. This one held another blackstart and a fabulous mourning wheatear which was another bird that was quite happy to be photographed. A smart southern grey shrike, several desert lesser whitethroats and a blue rock thrush made up the numbers.

Mourning wheatear

Finally, as our driver visited the mosque in Old Ha'ir, we walked along the river beside the village. We were suprised to find a wintering wryneck and I thought I had a brief view of a fan-tailed cisticola in flight although I'm not sure they occur this far north. One for future discussion.

All in all an excellent day and the birding in central Saudi arabia is getting better and better. Who knows what surprises are in store for the rest of the winter.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ FULL LIST _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

1 Grey heron

12 Greater spotted eagle

1 Eastern imperial eagle

6 Black kite

3 Common kestrel

1 Common snipe

300 Collared dove

50 Laughing dove

20 Rock dove

80 Pallid swift

40 Little green bee-eater

3 Hoopoe

1 Wryneck

3 Desert lark

60 Crested lark

6 Pale crag martin

1 White wagtail

1 White-spectacled bulbul

80 White-cheeked bulbul

1 Black bush robin

1 Bluethroat

3 Blackstart

1 Desert wheatear

1 Red-tailed wheatear

2 Mourning wheatear

3 White-crowned black wheatear

3 Blue rock thrush

4 Desert lesser whitethroat

1 Daurian shrike

1 Southern grey shrike

35 Brown-necked raven

40 Common mynah

25 House sparrow