An update on my Saudi list

Back on February 22nd I wrote an article in my blog about the state of my Saudi list. At the time it stood at 141. It now stands at 171. Considering I am not really a "lister" progress on this still gives me some pleasure.

pale rock sparrow, lifer seen on 23 March at Rawdhat Khuriam

These numbers don't compare well with the largest list i have seen for Saudi Arabia at 336 by Per Anders Bertilsson. He left the Kingdom about 10 years ago. His birding humbles me!

one of 20 white stork flying to the NE near Riyadh on 30 March

There are an estimated 525 species possible to see apparently.


Here is a list of my recent additions taken from my ebird account.

142	Little bittern	Al Ha'ir pivot fields	23 Feb 2012
143	Common swift	Al Ha'ir pivot fields	23 Feb 2012
144	Menetries's warbler	Al Ha'ir pivot fields	23 Feb 2012
145	European starling	Al Ha'ir pivot fields	23 Feb 2012
146	Arabian partridge	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
147	Dusky turtle-dove	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
148	Common house-martin	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
149	White-breasted white-eye	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
150	Little rock-thrush	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
151	Yemen thrush	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
152	Song thrush	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
153	Cretzschmar's bunting	Al Baha	01 Mar 2012
154	Philby's partridge	Al Baha	02 Mar 2012
155	Arabian woodpecker	Al Baha	02 Mar 2012
156	Scrub warbler	Al Baha	02 Mar 2012
157	Brown woodland-warbler	Al Baha	02 Mar 2012
158	Common redstart	Al Ha'ir new quarry pools	08 Mar 2012
159	Eurasian reed-warbler	Al Ha'ir south of pivot fields	08 Mar 2012
160	Rufous bush-robin	Mansouriyah	09 Mar 2012
161	Eurasian crag-martin	Mansouriyah	15 Mar 2012
162	Common nightingale	Bird ringing centre, Al Ha'ir	16 Mar 2012
163	Pallid harrier	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
164	Lesser kestrel	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
165	European bee-eater	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
166	Greater short-toed lark	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
167	Common whitethroat	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
168	Tree pipit	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
169	Red-throated pipit	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
170	Pale rock sparrow	Rawdhat Khuraim	23 Mar 2012
171	White stork	Al Ha'ir pivot fields	28 Mar 2012

To be honest one of the best ways to expand your list in Saudi Arabia is to be willing and able to travel. The birding in south west, north, east and central Saudi Arabia can be quite different. If I stayed in Riyadh for all my birding I might add another 30 species over my period here and that would be it!

The rare Arabian endemic, Philby's partridge near Baha on 2 March

I am posting this from Jizan in south west Saudi Arabia where in the next few minutes, I am starting birding for the weekend. I'll be more than a bit unhappy if I can't add to the list.