Tuesday 28 August 2012

SW Saudi Arabia trip report- part 5 Ash Shafa, Taif

The city of Taif itself and its immediate surrounds are not great birding territory. The only obvious birds in the city are laughing dove, rock dove, white spectacled bulbul, house sparrow and common myna. It's only the last bird that added to our trip list.

Taif is at an altitude of about 1850 metres. However near-by is the mountain of Ash Shafa which reaches 700 metres higher. 

Brian had visited it before but I soon discovered that the birding became much more interesting as soon as we had risen 200 metres or more although we found the very top surprisingly barren of birds.

The area is considerably greener than the city itself. There are several wadis - both narrow and wide, steep and shallow crossing the main upward road.

This was the only place we saw more than one type of pipit. Wintering tawny pipit were very scarce on the trip because it was so early in the season. We saw just one at As Shafa. 


long billed pipit

However As Shafa was also the only place we positively identified the resident long-billed pipit. Identification was briefly hampered by the fact that the pipit was olive backed here but the guide book picture shown it grey backed. The text did however confirm the olive variant and pictures of east African birds are a perfect match.

Tree pipit

The third pipit and the most common at the time was actually migrant tree pipit.

In the same area as the tree pipit we saw an olive tree warbler, a lifer for me and further south than the marked distribution in our guide book. However the identification was clear even based on size alone. 

young gambaga flycatcher

This was a good place to compare the resident gambaga flycatcher with the passage spotted flycatcher.

spotted flycatcher

Some of the Arabian endemics and Afro-tropical species were present despite the fact we were relatively far north.

Abyssinian white-eye

Two Abyssinian white-eye gave me a good show.

female Arabian wheatear

A female Arabian wheatear lingered a long while next to a water trough. I was surprised how rufous its head looked.

Striolated warbler

At the same water trough we got prolonged views of striolated bunting and I got my best pictures of them for the trip.


whinchat

No resident African stonechat or migrant eastern stonechat were seen. However the second whinchat of the trip made a long appearance.


steppe buzzard


Finally, once again the area was a little disappointing for birds of prey. Only kestrel and one passage steppe buzzard were seen. 

It's one of the most significant thinking points I have been left with now this very interesting and absorbing trip has ended.

 ...................................................................................................


Below is a list of all 92 species seen on the four day trip in chronological order. L means it was a lifer while S means it was an addition to my Saudi list.

Taif to Baha – 18th August
Baha and south – 19th August
Laughing dove
Red-backed shrike
Striolated bunting       L, S
Scrub warbler
Pale rock sparrow
Common redstart
Rock dove
Steppe buzzard
Little green bee-eater
Arabian waxbill     L, S
House sparrow
Yemen thrush
White spectacled bulbul
Common nightingale
Namaqua dove
Violet-backed starling  L, S
Little egret
Tristram’s starling
Common sandpiper
Bruce’s green pigeon   L, S
Green sandpiper
Dusky turtle dove
Wood sandpiper
Black bush robin
Greenshank
Marsh warbler    S
Little stint
Common whitethroat
Glossy ibis    S
Baha to Taif – 20th August
Whiskered tern
Little rock thrush
Little swift    L, S
Red rumped swallow
Barn swallow
Tawny pipit
Collared pratincole
Daurian shrike
Arabian babbler
Shining sunbird     L, S
Eastern olivaceous warbler
Arabian partridge
African silverbill
House martin
Palestine sunbird
Turkestan shrike
Arabian wheatear
Whinchat
Kestrel
Chiffchaff
Fan-tailed raven
Cuckoo
Semi collared flycatcher   S
Taif area – 21st August
Southern grey shrike
Common myna
Steppe grey shrike
European crag martin
Hoopoe
Long billed pipit
Rufous bush robin
Tree pipit
Thrush nightingale    S
Olive tree warbler   L, S
Gambaga flycatcher   L,S
Squacco heron
Crested lark
Little ringed plover
Desert lark
Ruddy turnstone
African crag martin
Blue cheeked bee-eater
Pallid swift
Woodchat shrike
White crowned wheatear

Alpine swift

Swift

Blackstart

White throated robin

Arabian woodpecker

Yemen linnet

Lesser whitethroat

Short toed lark

Yemen serin   L,S

Long legged buzzard

Brown necked raven

Masked shrike

Ruepells weaver

European bee-eater

African collared dove

Grey wagtail

Abyssinian white-eye

Cinnamon-breasted bunting   S





1 comment: