Ha'ir, Saudi Arabia

Today I ventured outside of Riyadh for the first time, to the Ha'ir area south of the city. Just a quick reconnoitre of the area by the Riyadh river and then a bit further to the pivot fields south of the town.

Common kingfisher

Both white-throated kingfisher and common kingfisher were quickly found on the river banks and a small flock of common snipe was flushed. Several marsh harrier were quartering the reed beds.

Steppe grey shrike

The pivot fields held typical birds such as isabelline wheatear, desert wheatear, steppe and southern grey shrikes and tawny pipit but more surprising was a flock of 90 northern lapwing a species never found in such numbers in the neighbouring UAE. These pivot fields hold a lot of promise and I will certainly be back over the winter.

Clouded yellow on alfalfa

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

1 Little grebe

2 Little bittern

6 Cattle egret

2 Little egret

3 Grey heron

1 Purple heron

2 Teal

2 Mallard

2 Kestrel

6 Marsh harrier

6 Moorhen

9 Common snipe
90 Lapwing

150 Collared dove

100 Laughing dove

4 Namaqua dove

2 Pallid swift

2 White-breasted kingfisher

2 Common kingfisher

6 Little green bee-eater

2 Hoopoe

5 Tawny pipit

12 White wagtail

30 White-cheeked bulbul

1 Black bush robin

2 Bluethroat
1 Chiffchaff

1 European stonechat

10 Isabelline wheatear

8 Desert wheatear

1 Red-tailed wheatear

2 Graceful prinia

1 Daurian shrike

1 Turkestan shrike

1 Steppe grey shrike

1 Southern grey shrike

20 Common myna

100 House sparrow

1 Spanish sparrow

30 Indian silverbill