West of Hakbit

Hakbit is a village just over the mountains north of Salalah. It is the first village on the dry, inland side and 20 kilometres before you reach Thumrait on the main road towards Muscat.

I birded the road west out of Hakbit on Saturday morning. It cuts across three wadis which each have scattered trees and bushes. The road finishes after about 12 kilometres at an even smaller village.

I had very little idea what to expect though I had hoped for Arabian babbler which sadly didn't happen.

In the second wadi I went for a walk partly because it was too difficult to drive.

I came across a very small paddock with rickety wooden surrounds made of odd pieces of scrap. Inside were a cluster of four acacia trees. This small area provided the majority of my birding.

sand partridge

As I approached the paddock I was surprised to see a male sand partridge sitting on the fence.

sand partridge sitting on a fence

It didn't see though it finally jumped off. I am pretty sure it didn't see me because when I went round the corner to look, two sand partridge were in the shade under a bush. A scared sand partridge would have left the area quickly.

two sand partridge in the shade

This time I did get too close. Not only did these two run away but six more than I hadn't seen followed quickly behind them.

After this I returned my view to the trees in the paddock. I could see there was plenty of bird activity and I could hear sylvia warblers.

blackstart

Initially all I could see well were a couple of blackstart and a lone white spectacled bulbul.

white spectacled bulbul

Eventually I got a grip on the warblers. There were no less than four desert whitethroat darting between these trees and near-by trees outside the paddock.

desert whitethroat 1

Its always difficult separating desert whitethroat from lesser whitethoat. This is made even more difficult with the recent realisation that the desert whitethroat found in Arabia are mostly probably halimodendri not minula. Nevertheless my birds were just about sufficiently washed-out looking for me to support that it was one of these two sub species and so ''desert'' whitethroat. 

desert whitethroat 2

Desert whitethroat would be wintering birds but lesser whitethroat in this type of habitat could only be on passage. Having said that one of the birds had a darker ear-covert than the others so there could have been a mixed group.

desert whitethroat 3

While all this was going on I spotted an eagle flying past in the distance. It did't seem intent on stopping and kept flying in a north east direction after a couple of circles.

steppe eagle

The very long yellow gape is one obvious feature of a steppe eagle though everything else fits too. There aren't many left down here now.

two desert lark

Birding further along the road was nowhere near as good though i found two desert lark at the edge of the final village. A close look at all the collared doves in the village failed once again to reveal any African collared dove.

another desert lark

On the way back from Hatbit towards Salalah is Qairoon Hariti. It is at the very top of the mountain. I regularly stop there.

fan-tailed raven at Qairoon Hariti

The stop was brief but long enough to get a good photo of a fan-tailed raven.

Arabian partridge

An Arabian partridge was on display, sitting on a wall and allowing close approach. It was the second type of partridge in one day to give me good views. I can't recall this happening before.

Late December in the Diplomatic Quarter

I managed to snatch half an hour or so's birding at the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) last week while looking for a reported pied kingfisher. I didnt find it and I vowed to visit there again for longer.

I did so last Saturday morning.  

I headed out towards the DQ's stream on foot from Fazari square. However before I even got there the birding was interesting.

desert whitethroat

Most sylvia warblers make a sort of rattling sound and I heard it. After looking around, a desert whitethroat was obligingly perched out in the open. 

other profile of a desert whitethroat

Indeed many birds were tamer than is generally the rule in Saudi Arabia. Laughing dove made no attempt to fly away from me.

two laughing dove

A white eared bulbul let me walk straight past it from about a metre away.

white-eared bulbul

The hypocolius were not quite as accommodating but they made up for this with shear numbers. As I have said before, the DQ must be one of the best places anywhere to guarantee to see them in winter.

hypocolius

When I finally arrived at the stream I was met by a mobile flock of bank myna. They are only found in this small area in the whole country. The most I had seen before was 6 at the DQ the week before. Here I saw 54 mynas most or all of which were bank myna though I can't rule out a few were common myna. 

Fifty four myna

I still haven't managed to see them in clear sight. They seem to keep to the shadows. 

bank myna in the shadows

Another bird which was only seen perched in the shade was a white throated kingfisher. This was the only type of kingfisher seen at the stream. There was no pied kingfisher which was my main reason to visit.

white-throated kingfisher in the shadows

There were plenty of birds with an affinity for water about. Four grey heron spent much time perched on a house being built over-looking the stream. 

grey heron

As on my last visit a couple of weeks before a lone little egret was observed which could have been the same one.

little egret

The moorhen here are a little tamer than most in Saudi Arabia.

moorhen

Every time I have ever visited the DQ in winter I have come across green sandpiper.

green sandpiper

I heard bluethroat the last time I came but this time I got good views of two. One is shown below. It is a first winter female with very little colour on its breast and throat of any kind. It had a strangely clean look.

immature female bluethroat

Grey wagtail are uncommon in winter in central Saudi Arabia but I have seen quite a few this year close to water including at the stream in the DQ.

grey wagtail

There was a good cross section of non-water birds too.

black bush robin

Black bush robin and little green bee-eater were found in the bushes and trees near-by.

little green bee-eater

There is a large group of palm trees near the stream. Except for the palms on the stream's bank it normally isn't very productive for birds other than white-eared bulbul and laughing dove (a.k.a palm dove).

rose ringed parakeet

This time however there was a noisy group of rose ringed parakeet roaming the area and returning to the palms from time to time.

white spectacled bulbul

The DQ is one of the few places in the city along with the Intercontinental Hotel and one of the Holiday Inns where all three types of bulbul in Saudi Arabia can be readily found. 

Nevertheless, this was the first time I had seen all three so close together at the stream. I had only seen red-vented bulbul in an ornamental garden elsewhere on the DQ before.

red vented bulbul

Away from the palms the dominant dove was collared dove.

collared dove

Although I failed to see pied kingfisher, the diversity of birds in a compact area made the birding worthwhile.

Tomorrow I am going on a long trip to Khobar on the eastern coast for a completely different type of birding. The next blog will report on that.

I would like to wish every one a Happy New Year and thank all those who visited the blog in 2013.

The list of top ten countries who have supported me over the years has changed once again. I am particularly grateful for the surge of interest among American and UAE readers.

1.  United States   (+3)
2.  Saudi Arabia    (NC)
3.  United Kingdom  (-2)
4.  Libya       (-1)
5.  Russia    (NC)
6.  Germany   (+1)
7.  Bulgaria   (-1)
8.  United Arab Emirates  (+4)
9.  France   (+1)
10. Canada   (-1)

List of birds seen at the DQ

Grey heron

Squacco heron

Little egret

Mallard

Kestrel

Common moorhen

Green sandpiper

Laughing dove

Collared dove

Feral pigeon

Rose ringed parakeet

White throated kingfisher 

Little green bee-eater

Grey wagtail

White spectacled bulbul

White eared bulbul

Red vented bulbul

Hypocolius

Graceful prinia

Chiffchaff

Desert whitethroat

Bluethroat 

Black bush robin

Bank myna

Common myna

House sparrow

Round the Diplomatic Quarter

I should probably bird the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) in Riyadh more often than I do. It is near where I live and makes a nice walk once you are inside. 

I went yesterday morning for the first time in several months and I was happy with the results.

I walked the perimeter route on the north side more extensively than I have before. I took in more scrub land as well as my normal walk beside the stream.

red vented bulbul

The DQ is teaming with bulbuls. There are both the very common, more city-based, white-eared bulbul and also white-spectacled bulbul which is found more rurally to the west.

Concerning bulbuls, I am guilty of some very lazy birding which got a good result. I had decided to photograph the next white spectacled bulbul I came to. So I snapped at the first bulbul with an all dark head only to find I had come across the the rarest bulbul in the city by mistake.

red vented bulbul from behind

It was a red vented bulbul which, although IUCN puts it in the top 100 invasive species in the world, has failed to gain much of a foothold in Riyadh since it arrived tens of years ago. Only a few of the largest compounds and hotel gardens contain it. It was even the first time I have seen it in the DQ.

white eared bulbul

Both bulbuls, collared dove and laughing dove are extremely common in the DQ too. They are also remarkably tame compared with those outside. 

laughing dove

There aren't that many scrub-loving birds around probably because the place is too tidy. The main exception is black bush robin which has adapted well to man and is increasingly a garden bird.

black bush robin

Along the walk I also picked up more uncommon birds. Three late European bee-eater were sharing airspace with the resident little green bee-eater.

European bee-eater

This was at one of the highest points of the DQ and pale crag martin were flying up the cliff side up to where I was. This was giving me an unusual view of them at eye-level.  

little green bee-eater

With all the acacia and other natural bushes and trees on the walk, I had hoped to come across migrant warblers and flycatchers. I only struck lucky once. One tree held three desert whitethroat which were continually calling to each other. This is a wintering bird in the Riyadh area and the first I have seen this season.

desert whitethroat

The walk along the stream also produced a wintering bird. 

lake at the end of DQ's main stream

Common kingfisher winter in central Arabia and I have seen them every winter at the DQ.

common kingfisher

A white throated kingfisher put in a brief appearance as well but it can be seen all year round.

moorhen

Moorhen are resident in all water bodies of any decent size here provided there is some cover. The DQ is no exception. 

green sandpiper 

The stream ends in a large lake but its actually the other side of the DQ fence and obscured from view. I saw a green sandpiper fly up form there before seeing another two minutes later on my side of the fence.

purple heron

Similarly a purple heron fly overhead having come from the lake area outside the DQ. Giving the sensitivity of the location, I don't think it would be possible to bird the other side. Having binoculars and camera looking out is one thing. Having them and looking in is another.

red-eared slider

Red vented bulbul wasn't the only member of the IUCN's 100 most invasive species present yesterday. I noticed a red-eared slider sunbathing along the stream.

unknown frogs

They weren't the only amphibians around the edge of the DQ either. In another water body I heard and then saw several unknown frogs. This is not what you expect in such a dry part of the country. These were seen towards the end of my walk and were an interesting diversion.

Today I am flying to Ethiopia for a long weekend where I should get at least some birding in.

List of birds seen (22 species) at the DQ yesterday
Purple heron
Moorhen
Black winged stilt
Green sandpiper
Rock pigeon
Laughing dove
Collared dove
Hoopoe
White-throated kingfisher
Common kingfisher
European bee-eater
Little green bee-eater
Pale crag martin
Barn swallow
Graceful prinia
Desert whitethroat
Black bush robin
Red vented bulbul
White spectacled bulbul
White eared bulbul
House sparrow
Indian silverbill

Rhawdat Khuraim in winter

Rhawdat Khuraim is an oasis 80 kilometres north east of Riyadh. It proved to be an excellent place for passage birds when visited last spring.

desert whitethroat

So we visited it again, this time obviously in winter to see what it might hold.

landscape at Rhawdat Khuriam

In many ways it was a bit disappointing.

problematic desert whitethroat 

Only two warblers were seen. These were desert whitethroat and Asian desert warbler. 

problematic desert whitethroat takes off

Desert whitethoart was  very common though we spent far too long trying to identify one particular bird before realising that its abberant colour around the throat was probably caused by it getting too far into some dust.

dirty faced desert whitethroat

The most common bird by far was house sparrow followed by white eared bulbul and collared dove. Laughing dove and rock pigeon were also present.

house sparrow

One really positive about Rhamdat Khuraim is that it is the easiest and most guaranteed place in central Arabia to see Arabian babbler. There are often seen close to picnickers too.

Arabian babbler

The only lark seen was crested lark which was flocking in quite large groups. It only does this in mid winter in these parts.

Other birds near-by were desert wheatear often accompanied by Asian desert warbler and a single Isabelline wheatear which rarely winters north of Riyadh.

adult or near adult Eastern Imperial eagle

Lou and I were discussing with each other why we hadn't seen any birds of prey over the oasis with its supply of passerines, pigeons and many gerbils. We were hypothesising that the cold morning temperatures might be cramping their style, when just as we were leaving the park we came across an adult or near adult Eastern Imperial eagle.

second view of Eastern Imperial eagle

The two white stripes on its shoulders are useful characteristics to help identification. Strangely the pictures in the Helms guide show these stripes on the perched bird but they have been missed off the pictures of adult and sub adult birds in flight. 

third view of Eastern Imperial eagle

Almost all the Eastern Imperial eagle I have seen in KSA have been juveniles. This was a welcome exception that made the visit to Rhawdat Khuriam a much better experience than it would have been without.