SAUDI ARABIA DAY 8

At 5.45am we were stood in an open landscape of green fields at one of the many farms around Sabya, where we heard a few Harlequin Quails calling, and saw 3 flyover Black-headed Herons, a songflighting Singing Bushlark, African Palm Swifts, and a couple of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse in flight as we drove there. Moving on to Subya Pivot Fields there were numerous Black Scrub-Robins and Nile Valley Sunbirds. 

Black Scrub-Robins

Then we visited Either Mangroves and nailed Mangrove White-eye (just an Abyssinian White-eye but it’s distinctive, lives in the mangroves year-round unlike the highland Abyssinian White-eye it is lumped in) and had further views of Mangrove Reed Warbler (avicenniae subspecies of Eurasian Reed Warbler), along with a Crab Plover, 2 Broad-billed Sandpipers, Curlew Sandpiper, Western Reef Heron and some other commoner shorebirds. In the park an Eurasian Golden Oriole looked odd in this desert environment, and there were a few Red-backed Shrikes, 15 Western Yellow Wagtails of various races (thunbergi and flava mainly), a few Spotted Flycatchers, a few Isabelline Wheatears, a Marsh Warbler, several Greater Whitethroats and a Red-throated Pipit. So we left here in the 42 degrees centigrade heat and returned to the hotel to shower, stopping to view a Crested Honey Buzzard en-route, and have lunch, before packing and heading back into Jizan where we’d be spending our last night.

 

We drove south of Jizan to JWTP Mangroves and enjoyed a cracking session of shorebird watching, where most of the birds were in fine breeding dress. At the first stop I drove out along a narrow track between tidal pools and we had birds either side of us. To our right we enjoyed a gathering of terns that held one small individual, which unfortunately turned out to be just a Little Tern, an Osprey flew in but I was mesmerized by the Crab Plovers that just looked so crisply black and white and we even saw one pair mating. Ooh err Mrs! Meanwhile, to our left was a large gathering of Lesser Sandplovers complete with bright red chest bands. There were also many stunning Curlew Sandpipers and Little Stints, and even the Common Ringed Plovers looked fantastic in the sunny weather. 

 

Leaving here we drove a bit further down the road where a large gathering of Greater Flamingo’s usually hold some Lessers - well today they didn’t. A flock of 15 White-winged Terns were comprised of mostly breeding adults as well, and there was also Slender-billed Gull, Sandwich Tern, 2 Pied Avocets and all the regular shorebirds. We drove further out to the park along the beach where more shorebirds were seen, plus Greater Hoopoe Lark as well.

 

We ended the day back at Jazan Heritage Village scanning the Red Sea and enjoying 100+ White-cheeked Terns milling about, as well as several Common Noddy and Brown Booby before we headed to our posh hotel for an early finish.