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Saudi Arabia, Birds and Butterflies. (2 Viewers)
- Thread starter Jos Stratford
- Start date
Sight and sound of a beach on the Farasan Islands:
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New video by Lithuania And Beyond
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30 March. Lake Al-Saad & Fayfa.
Time to leave the coast, my first destination Lake Al-Saad, about 50 km inland. In many ways, this was my favourite locality on the whole trip - acacia woodland opening out to broad grassy lake margins full of birds, shallow waters thereafter. With the evocative background of White-browed Coucals and African Collared Doves in call, a distinct African flavour to this place, the visuals very much reinforcing this idea - not just the habitat, but the likes of Hammerkops in the shallows, Pink-backed Pelicans further out and the considerable concentrations of herons, egrets and spoonbills. Just my cup of tea, temperatures also played ball, hitting an impressive 41 C by midday.
Arriving on the east side at 7.00 am, already 30 C and humid, it was a sight to behold - the grassy edges full of Spur-winged Lapwings and other waders, an Openbill Stork still at roost on a dead tree to the left and a bay just beyond teeming with herons, egrets and allies - not least 120+ Squacco Herons, 60+ Grey Herons, 15 Black-crowned Night Herons, 80+ Glossy Ibises and 90+ European Spoonbills. Hundreds of Little Egrets over there too, plus two pairs of Hammerkops and umpteen Little Grebes bobbing about. After just sitting and marvelling for a while, numerous Gull-billed Terns and many hundreds of Whiskered Terns and White-winged Terns milling in front, I then walked several kilometres along the lake shore. And very nice it was, many different waders, Spur-winged Lapwings and Ruff the most common, but a total of eighteen species present, the highlights being nine Pacific Golden Plovers, one totally unexpected Great Snipe (as well as quite a number of Common Snipe) and Marsh Sandpiper. Also two Abdim’s Storks. In the skies above, one Booted Eagle, one Black-shouldered Kite, one Oriental Honey Buzzard, but more impressive, all rising from a multitude of dead trees, a wheeling mass of about 800 Black Kites - a spectacle indeed. Among them not a single Yellow-billed Kite could I find (nor did I anywhere else, should be around though).
At a bay some distance round, marked by European Coots and a pair of breeding Red-knobbed Coots, plus Garganey, I encountered further birds of note - a Citrine Wagtail, my first Arabian Waxbills and, noisy and squabbly, the first gaggles of Helmeted Guineafowl scuttling off into the acacia scrub. By now the heat was rapidly rising, 41 C firmly in charge by late morning, but I decided to explore the acacia scrub a little. It would have been better to do this earlier, not amazingly productive in the heat, but still not too bad - Black Scrub Robins, several Dusky Turtle Doves, a few Arabian Green Bee-eaters, overflying Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, several Nile Valley Sunbirds, etc. Also found a Lesser Kestrel. Better however, quite a number of butterflies - among the more common species, a few Red Tips, a Brown Playboy, several African Babul Blues, one Grass Jewel, plus plenty of Yellow Pansies, Plain Tigers et al.
Around midday, hoping to find more butterflies, I left Lake Al-Saad and travelled about 75 km to the north-east, destination Fayfa. Attraction here was a few hundred metres of altitude, this knocking a few degrees off the heat, but more importantly creating a microenvironment of fair greenery and quite abundant flowers. This I had hoped for - and with the flowers, immediately I was in butterflies. A very Afrotropical mix of butterflies it has to he said, many of which I was familiar with from my days across Africa - among the many bigger butterflies present, two Citrus Swallowtails, at least 15 Common Grass Yellows, both African Migrants and the similar Buquet’s Vagrants, eight of the superb Guineafowl Butterflies, at least ten Golden Pansies (alongside far more common Yellow Pansies) and good numbers of Plain Tigers and Yellow Splendors. At the smaller end of the size scale, numerous blues of assorted sorts, plus one Mocker Bronze.
What I certainly was not expecting at Fayfa was a large distinctive ghostly white butterfly flying quite fast through shaded understory. Hmm, I knew what I thought it looked like, but I simply hadn't been expecting to see it in Saudi Arabia. Highly mobile, it was basically almost never landing, but the more I watched it, the more sure I was that it was indeed what I thought, a Clouded Mother-of-Pearl. Got a few poorish flight shots, then finally a couple of classic photographs as it momentarily landed on the ground. Identity was confirmed, Clouded Mother-of-Pearl. Over the next hour, all at similar altitudes but scattered over some kilometres, I found a total of six Clouded Mother-of-Pearls.
This really had been an excellent afternoon, not just a lot of species of butterflies, but many in very good numbers. A few birds also, not least Shrika, Red-rumped Swallows and a cracking pair of Grey Hornbills. Time to head back to accommodation - big troops of Hamadryas Baboons roadside, impressive beasties, but the final of the day's highlights were actually sitting on roadside wires above the Hamadryas …an exquisite pair of Abyssinian Rollers, resplendent in full tail streamers.
Back at the hotel, homework to complete - a few butterfly identities to clarify, but even more so to check the status of Clouded Mother-of-Pearl. A predominantly African species as I already knew, literature pointed to its presence in Yemen, not too many kilometres south of Fayfa. However, reading as extensively as I could, no mention could I find of the species ever being recorded in Saudi Arabia. It seemed that I had found not just a new species, but a population of a new species. Post-trip, I was to discover this was not quite true - a team doing butterfly research in the south-west of Saudi Arabia found it for the first time a year earlier. Interestingly though, I then discovered several of my other observations on this Saudi trip are of species with a very tiny number of records in the Kingdom,
Indeed, a good day it had been.
Time to leave the coast, my first destination Lake Al-Saad, about 50 km inland. In many ways, this was my favourite locality on the whole trip - acacia woodland opening out to broad grassy lake margins full of birds, shallow waters thereafter. With the evocative background of White-browed Coucals and African Collared Doves in call, a distinct African flavour to this place, the visuals very much reinforcing this idea - not just the habitat, but the likes of Hammerkops in the shallows, Pink-backed Pelicans further out and the considerable concentrations of herons, egrets and spoonbills. Just my cup of tea, temperatures also played ball, hitting an impressive 41 C by midday.
Arriving on the east side at 7.00 am, already 30 C and humid, it was a sight to behold - the grassy edges full of Spur-winged Lapwings and other waders, an Openbill Stork still at roost on a dead tree to the left and a bay just beyond teeming with herons, egrets and allies - not least 120+ Squacco Herons, 60+ Grey Herons, 15 Black-crowned Night Herons, 80+ Glossy Ibises and 90+ European Spoonbills. Hundreds of Little Egrets over there too, plus two pairs of Hammerkops and umpteen Little Grebes bobbing about. After just sitting and marvelling for a while, numerous Gull-billed Terns and many hundreds of Whiskered Terns and White-winged Terns milling in front, I then walked several kilometres along the lake shore. And very nice it was, many different waders, Spur-winged Lapwings and Ruff the most common, but a total of eighteen species present, the highlights being nine Pacific Golden Plovers, one totally unexpected Great Snipe (as well as quite a number of Common Snipe) and Marsh Sandpiper. Also two Abdim’s Storks. In the skies above, one Booted Eagle, one Black-shouldered Kite, one Oriental Honey Buzzard, but more impressive, all rising from a multitude of dead trees, a wheeling mass of about 800 Black Kites - a spectacle indeed. Among them not a single Yellow-billed Kite could I find (nor did I anywhere else, should be around though).
At a bay some distance round, marked by European Coots and a pair of breeding Red-knobbed Coots, plus Garganey, I encountered further birds of note - a Citrine Wagtail, my first Arabian Waxbills and, noisy and squabbly, the first gaggles of Helmeted Guineafowl scuttling off into the acacia scrub. By now the heat was rapidly rising, 41 C firmly in charge by late morning, but I decided to explore the acacia scrub a little. It would have been better to do this earlier, not amazingly productive in the heat, but still not too bad - Black Scrub Robins, several Dusky Turtle Doves, a few Arabian Green Bee-eaters, overflying Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, several Nile Valley Sunbirds, etc. Also found a Lesser Kestrel. Better however, quite a number of butterflies - among the more common species, a few Red Tips, a Brown Playboy, several African Babul Blues, one Grass Jewel, plus plenty of Yellow Pansies, Plain Tigers et al.
Around midday, hoping to find more butterflies, I left Lake Al-Saad and travelled about 75 km to the north-east, destination Fayfa. Attraction here was a few hundred metres of altitude, this knocking a few degrees off the heat, but more importantly creating a microenvironment of fair greenery and quite abundant flowers. This I had hoped for - and with the flowers, immediately I was in butterflies. A very Afrotropical mix of butterflies it has to he said, many of which I was familiar with from my days across Africa - among the many bigger butterflies present, two Citrus Swallowtails, at least 15 Common Grass Yellows, both African Migrants and the similar Buquet’s Vagrants, eight of the superb Guineafowl Butterflies, at least ten Golden Pansies (alongside far more common Yellow Pansies) and good numbers of Plain Tigers and Yellow Splendors. At the smaller end of the size scale, numerous blues of assorted sorts, plus one Mocker Bronze.
What I certainly was not expecting at Fayfa was a large distinctive ghostly white butterfly flying quite fast through shaded understory. Hmm, I knew what I thought it looked like, but I simply hadn't been expecting to see it in Saudi Arabia. Highly mobile, it was basically almost never landing, but the more I watched it, the more sure I was that it was indeed what I thought, a Clouded Mother-of-Pearl. Got a few poorish flight shots, then finally a couple of classic photographs as it momentarily landed on the ground. Identity was confirmed, Clouded Mother-of-Pearl. Over the next hour, all at similar altitudes but scattered over some kilometres, I found a total of six Clouded Mother-of-Pearls.
This really had been an excellent afternoon, not just a lot of species of butterflies, but many in very good numbers. A few birds also, not least Shrika, Red-rumped Swallows and a cracking pair of Grey Hornbills. Time to head back to accommodation - big troops of Hamadryas Baboons roadside, impressive beasties, but the final of the day's highlights were actually sitting on roadside wires above the Hamadryas …an exquisite pair of Abyssinian Rollers, resplendent in full tail streamers.
Back at the hotel, homework to complete - a few butterfly identities to clarify, but even more so to check the status of Clouded Mother-of-Pearl. A predominantly African species as I already knew, literature pointed to its presence in Yemen, not too many kilometres south of Fayfa. However, reading as extensively as I could, no mention could I find of the species ever being recorded in Saudi Arabia. It seemed that I had found not just a new species, but a population of a new species. Post-trip, I was to discover this was not quite true - a team doing butterfly research in the south-west of Saudi Arabia found it for the first time a year earlier. Interestingly though, I then discovered several of my other observations on this Saudi trip are of species with a very tiny number of records in the Kingdom,
Indeed, a good day it had been.
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Bird and butterfly photos will follow later, but today's star butterfly, Clouded Mother-of-Pearl ...taken through a bush, they didn't like to settle 
31 March. Lake Al-Saad & Fayfa.
Having very much enjoyed the previous day, especially the butterfly extravaganza at Fayfa, I decided for a repeat dose this day. At Lake Al-Saad, I concentrated more on the acacia scrub this time - a Pied Wheatear nice, plus among all the African Collared, Namaqua and Laughing Doves, added Red-eyed Dove, I then headed over to the west side of Al-Saad to check it out over there. Far more rocky and barren was the answer, Cinnamon-breasted Rock Buntings and Desert Lark on the boulders at the lakeshore, plus both a pair of Grey Hornbills and a pair of Abyssinian Rollers in an old deserted campsite, several Arabian Waxbills with African Silverbills here too. Wasn't so birdy in reality, but some butterfly interest - flowering acacias and other bushes supporting my first Sulphur Orange Tips, Black-marked Orange Tips and Yellow Patch Whites.
I however was keen to get back to Fayfa, so soon departed and drove north. Decided to concentrate on slightly lower altitudes this time, still excellent but a different selection down here - no Clouded Mother-of-Pearls, but in a couple of hours I did find a butterfly that was totally new for me - the mega Cream-banded Charaxes, a big monster of a butterfly similar to the Two-tailed Pashas that can be found across Africa and southern Europe. Saw four of these, all taking sap at an acacia in the company of eight Common Jokers, this also a species with few records in KSA. One of the Cream-banded Charaxes had the good grace to alight on my hand to take salts from perspiration …a clear benefit of the high temperature. Also seen, a Wandering Donkey Acraea, first African Ringlet of the trip, about fifteen Black-striped Hairtails and lots of African and Desert Babul Blues.
With that, I turned and head west to Sabya, arriving a little before dark and positioning myself just before dusk at farmland pivot fields east of town. Singing Bushlarks quite apparent, so too Zitting Cisticolas, but the real star came out to play as it got dark. Harlequin Quail calling yonder, but the bird I was here to see was Nubian Nightjar. Took quite a while, but eventually one did appear, landing right on the track in front. Fairly small dumpy nightjar, a nice bird. As it flitted up and vanished into the night, I searched more. Two more sightings, quite possibly the same bird however.
Having very much enjoyed the previous day, especially the butterfly extravaganza at Fayfa, I decided for a repeat dose this day. At Lake Al-Saad, I concentrated more on the acacia scrub this time - a Pied Wheatear nice, plus among all the African Collared, Namaqua and Laughing Doves, added Red-eyed Dove, I then headed over to the west side of Al-Saad to check it out over there. Far more rocky and barren was the answer, Cinnamon-breasted Rock Buntings and Desert Lark on the boulders at the lakeshore, plus both a pair of Grey Hornbills and a pair of Abyssinian Rollers in an old deserted campsite, several Arabian Waxbills with African Silverbills here too. Wasn't so birdy in reality, but some butterfly interest - flowering acacias and other bushes supporting my first Sulphur Orange Tips, Black-marked Orange Tips and Yellow Patch Whites.
I however was keen to get back to Fayfa, so soon departed and drove north. Decided to concentrate on slightly lower altitudes this time, still excellent but a different selection down here - no Clouded Mother-of-Pearls, but in a couple of hours I did find a butterfly that was totally new for me - the mega Cream-banded Charaxes, a big monster of a butterfly similar to the Two-tailed Pashas that can be found across Africa and southern Europe. Saw four of these, all taking sap at an acacia in the company of eight Common Jokers, this also a species with few records in KSA. One of the Cream-banded Charaxes had the good grace to alight on my hand to take salts from perspiration …a clear benefit of the high temperature. Also seen, a Wandering Donkey Acraea, first African Ringlet of the trip, about fifteen Black-striped Hairtails and lots of African and Desert Babul Blues.
With that, I turned and head west to Sabya, arriving a little before dark and positioning myself just before dusk at farmland pivot fields east of town. Singing Bushlarks quite apparent, so too Zitting Cisticolas, but the real star came out to play as it got dark. Harlequin Quail calling yonder, but the bird I was here to see was Nubian Nightjar. Took quite a while, but eventually one did appear, landing right on the track in front. Fairly small dumpy nightjar, a nice bird. As it flitted up and vanished into the night, I searched more. Two more sightings, quite possibly the same bird however.
Cream-banded Charaxes
1 April. Sabya & Abha.
Quick return to the pivot fields early morning - pair of Abyssinian Rollers, several Arabian Green Bee-eaters, one Common Buzzard, umpteen Zipping Cisticolas, several Singing Bush Larks and African Silverbills - then across to the more extensive and better habitat farm areas south of Sabya. No Grey Hypocolius this time, clearly better in the evenings for them as they return to roost, but not too naff otherwise - as well as numerous Arabic Babblers, Rüppell’s Weavers and Black Bush-Robins, a smattering of Palearctic migrants too, not least three Oriental Honey Buzzards, one Masked Shrike and, new for the trip, one smart Eastern Orphean Warbler. On the butterfly front, some hundred or so of the minute Tiger Blues on the wing, plus several Plain Tigers and, first of the trip, about five Desert Orange Tips.
Already 34 C by 9.00 am, it was time to leave the lowlands and head to the Asir Mountains for the second half of the trip ...home to most of the Arabian endemics. Beforehand, a last bit of lowland birding with a stop en route at Marabah Dam …not much action in the heat, Palestine Sunbirds providing the most buzz. Did however add two more species for the trip - a bunch of Northern Shovelers on the reservoir and a Levant's Sparrowhawk cruising over.
And with that, it was up the steep road that climbed the escarpment to Abha, altitude 2300 m and decidedly cool at 17 C! Was not overly impressed with the Abha area - I had been expecting it relatively lush and rich in flowers as at Fayfa. It was not, it was far more arid and barren. And on top of that, a stubborn bank of cloud sat on the brim of the escarpment, cloaking Abha and immediate surrounds in near constant shade. Bang went my grand ideas to spend the afternoon looking for butterflies!
Plan B, back to birding. Using Google maps, I chose a wadi somewhat at random immediately south of Abha. Arriving there, a thread of woodland followed the wadi bottom and looked to show promise … and, surprising me a little, it lived up to the promise! Despite an initial slow start, I soon ran into good birds - first a mixed flock containing both Arabian Warbler and Abyssinian White-eye, then a rather exquisite Little Rock Thrush, then a stunning pair of African Paradise Flycatchers, the male a real treat with a full white streaming tail. Continuing down the valley, I added a few migrants such as Common Redstart, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, then endemics including Yemen Linnet, Yemen Serin and Yemen Thrush. Rounded off the afternoon with a few good overhead birds too, not least 12 Fan-tailed Ravens, a couple of Tristan's Starlings and two Griffon Vultures, the latter being the only ones I would see on the trip. Only managed one single butterfly - an African Ringlet.
Not at all bad for a slightly cloudy afternoon. Headed into Abha to find my accommodation for the next two nights. Not a very beautiful city.
Quick return to the pivot fields early morning - pair of Abyssinian Rollers, several Arabian Green Bee-eaters, one Common Buzzard, umpteen Zipping Cisticolas, several Singing Bush Larks and African Silverbills - then across to the more extensive and better habitat farm areas south of Sabya. No Grey Hypocolius this time, clearly better in the evenings for them as they return to roost, but not too naff otherwise - as well as numerous Arabic Babblers, Rüppell’s Weavers and Black Bush-Robins, a smattering of Palearctic migrants too, not least three Oriental Honey Buzzards, one Masked Shrike and, new for the trip, one smart Eastern Orphean Warbler. On the butterfly front, some hundred or so of the minute Tiger Blues on the wing, plus several Plain Tigers and, first of the trip, about five Desert Orange Tips.
Already 34 C by 9.00 am, it was time to leave the lowlands and head to the Asir Mountains for the second half of the trip ...home to most of the Arabian endemics. Beforehand, a last bit of lowland birding with a stop en route at Marabah Dam …not much action in the heat, Palestine Sunbirds providing the most buzz. Did however add two more species for the trip - a bunch of Northern Shovelers on the reservoir and a Levant's Sparrowhawk cruising over.
And with that, it was up the steep road that climbed the escarpment to Abha, altitude 2300 m and decidedly cool at 17 C! Was not overly impressed with the Abha area - I had been expecting it relatively lush and rich in flowers as at Fayfa. It was not, it was far more arid and barren. And on top of that, a stubborn bank of cloud sat on the brim of the escarpment, cloaking Abha and immediate surrounds in near constant shade. Bang went my grand ideas to spend the afternoon looking for butterflies!
Plan B, back to birding. Using Google maps, I chose a wadi somewhat at random immediately south of Abha. Arriving there, a thread of woodland followed the wadi bottom and looked to show promise … and, surprising me a little, it lived up to the promise! Despite an initial slow start, I soon ran into good birds - first a mixed flock containing both Arabian Warbler and Abyssinian White-eye, then a rather exquisite Little Rock Thrush, then a stunning pair of African Paradise Flycatchers, the male a real treat with a full white streaming tail. Continuing down the valley, I added a few migrants such as Common Redstart, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff, then endemics including Yemen Linnet, Yemen Serin and Yemen Thrush. Rounded off the afternoon with a few good overhead birds too, not least 12 Fan-tailed Ravens, a couple of Tristan's Starlings and two Griffon Vultures, the latter being the only ones I would see on the trip. Only managed one single butterfly - an African Ringlet.
Not at all bad for a slightly cloudy afternoon. Headed into Abha to find my accommodation for the next two nights. Not a very beautiful city.
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2 April. Habala & Wadi Bishah.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Well, Habala certainly takes the latter two! Sitting on the edge of the continental plateau, sheer cliffs dropping hundreds of metres, it could be one of Saudi's natural wonders. But the Saudis have managed to make it the site I liked least - not for the fairly ugly fencing and building complex, but for the rubbish left strewn everywhere. There is unfortunately a culture of simply using the outside as a rubbish dump in this country …and here was the worst example of it, food remains, plastic bottles and bags everywhere along the cliff top, yet more snagged on bushes in every direction, much of it down the cliffs. Still, Yemen Serins didn't seem to mind, eight seen here, along with Cinnamon-breasted Buntings, a bunch of Pale Crag Martins cruising the cliff edge and several Fan-tailed Ravens. Walked the small agricultural area just inland, still piles of rubbish, added a Pallid Harrier, one African Stonechat, several Abyssinian White-eyes and few passerine migrants such as Masked Shrike, Common Redstarts and Whinchat. However, overall, having now experienced Abha and Habala, I can't say my impressions of the highlands were doing very well! Rufous-capped Larks did the honours a couple of kilometres onto the plateau, taking all of a few seconds to find. Likewise, a patch of wooded wadi a couple of kilometres further tried to soothe my negative thoughts - a quite pleasant walk and some excellent birds, not least two Buff-breasted Wheatears, six Violet-backed Starlings and several Long-billed Pipits.
And the 'Good'? I almost skipped this site, but I decided to visit Wadi Bishah, a shallow wadi about 10 km from Habala. Hadn't expected much, but it really was a nice location - Arabian Woodpecker and Arabian Wheatears where I parked my car, then a few kilometres of easy stroll through excellent habitat, albeit in exceptionally hot sun. A steady stream of good birds the whole way - Grey Hornbills, oodles of Palestine Sunbirds, several Common Redstarts, a Wryneck, a stunning Barred Warbler, no less than six Arabian Warblers, both Turkistan and Masked Shrikes, parties of European Bee-eaters, a Dusky Turtle Dove and, one of the stars, a fine Lilith Owlet. Also here my only Alpine Swift of the trip and a Hamerkop.
Back at the car, cursing that I had forgotten my cap this day and was feeling the effect of it, two hawks appeared in the sky together - Dark Chanting Goshawks, quite a surprise and a very pleasant ending to the day. Headed back to Abha, stocked up at the local hyper market for the next few days.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Well, Habala certainly takes the latter two! Sitting on the edge of the continental plateau, sheer cliffs dropping hundreds of metres, it could be one of Saudi's natural wonders. But the Saudis have managed to make it the site I liked least - not for the fairly ugly fencing and building complex, but for the rubbish left strewn everywhere. There is unfortunately a culture of simply using the outside as a rubbish dump in this country …and here was the worst example of it, food remains, plastic bottles and bags everywhere along the cliff top, yet more snagged on bushes in every direction, much of it down the cliffs. Still, Yemen Serins didn't seem to mind, eight seen here, along with Cinnamon-breasted Buntings, a bunch of Pale Crag Martins cruising the cliff edge and several Fan-tailed Ravens. Walked the small agricultural area just inland, still piles of rubbish, added a Pallid Harrier, one African Stonechat, several Abyssinian White-eyes and few passerine migrants such as Masked Shrike, Common Redstarts and Whinchat. However, overall, having now experienced Abha and Habala, I can't say my impressions of the highlands were doing very well! Rufous-capped Larks did the honours a couple of kilometres onto the plateau, taking all of a few seconds to find. Likewise, a patch of wooded wadi a couple of kilometres further tried to soothe my negative thoughts - a quite pleasant walk and some excellent birds, not least two Buff-breasted Wheatears, six Violet-backed Starlings and several Long-billed Pipits.
And the 'Good'? I almost skipped this site, but I decided to visit Wadi Bishah, a shallow wadi about 10 km from Habala. Hadn't expected much, but it really was a nice location - Arabian Woodpecker and Arabian Wheatears where I parked my car, then a few kilometres of easy stroll through excellent habitat, albeit in exceptionally hot sun. A steady stream of good birds the whole way - Grey Hornbills, oodles of Palestine Sunbirds, several Common Redstarts, a Wryneck, a stunning Barred Warbler, no less than six Arabian Warblers, both Turkistan and Masked Shrikes, parties of European Bee-eaters, a Dusky Turtle Dove and, one of the stars, a fine Lilith Owlet. Also here my only Alpine Swift of the trip and a Hamerkop.
Back at the car, cursing that I had forgotten my cap this day and was feeling the effect of it, two hawks appeared in the sky together - Dark Chanting Goshawks, quite a surprise and a very pleasant ending to the day. Headed back to Abha, stocked up at the local hyper market for the next few days.
Company in the Bishah
3 April. Reydah.
Officially a permit is required to visit this jewel in Saudi's crown. I had originally planned to visit some days later, so I wasn't sure if I would be allowed in or not. I needn't have worried, the guy on the gate was pretty laid back and friendly, he took my passport, couldn't understand where I was from (wrote 'Ireland' in the end) and also mixed my name up, but most importantly he scribed an entrance permit and opened the barrier. Not critical to visit in terms of endemic species, but a cracking site it is - an exceptionally steep serpentine road winds down the precipitous cliff, lichen-drapped forest at 2700 m gradually giving way to a succession of forest types till hot patched acacia scrub at 1200 m and below.
Entering, immediately classic birds, Little Rock Thrush and Tristan's Starlings near the barrier, Fan-tailed Ravens soaring above, the first of many Yemen Linnets thereafter, then a pair of the quite stunning Arabian Partridges trotting down the road, the first of many. And Hamadryas Baboons, a steady stream of troops glaring from the roadside edge all the way down. Not far down, a small side track takes you to an abandoned farmstead and terraced fields…a quick wander that way, big flocks of Yemen Linnets, five African Grey Hornbills, several Brown Woodland Warblers and two Yemen Thrushes, plus one of the main targets here - African Olive Pigeons. A bit further down, a couple of Arabian Woodpeckers, three male African Paradise Flycatchers, an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, one Shining Sunbird.
Blue skies this day, ideal for butterflies. Under towering cliffs however, the upper slopes were to remain shaded for quite a long time in the early morning. Way down at the bottom though, I could see sun-drenched hillsides, that is where I needed to be! Countless meanders later, I was adjacent to an old castle tower at 1400 m. And that is where the day's birding ended!
Even though it was still not 9.00 am, the verges were full of butterflies seeking early morning sunshine - not least many dozens of Common Acraeas, ultra many African Ringlets and an abundance of Citrus Swallowtails. I very soon started to add a succession of good species - Purple-brown Hairstreaks, Forsskaal's Giant Cupids, Guineafowl Butterflies, a cracking Golden Piper, several Common Jokers and a Common Tiger Blue among the Mediterranean Tiger Blues.
For all the diversity however, the most impressive feature was the simple abundance of individual butterflies present, truly a spectacle:
Citrus Swallowtail - 250+
Common Grass Yellow - 150+
African Migrant - 30+
Large Salmon Arab - 2
Red Tip - 3
Banded Gold Tip - 1
Small Orange Tip - 15+
Yellow Splendour - 2
Zebra White - 5
Bath White - 3
Desert White - 5
Arabian Dotted Border - 1
African Common White - 60+
Purple-brown Hairstreak - 10
Brown Playboy - 5
Lang's Short-tailed Blue - 3
Mocker Bronze - 2
Mediterranean Tiger Blue - 40+
Common Tiger Blue -1
African Grass Blue - 6
African Babul Blue - 50+
Desert Babul Blue - 30+
Forsskaal's Giant Cupid - 35+
Guineafowl - 40+
Common Acraea - 150+
Common Joker - 13
Golden Piper - 1
Dark Blue Pansy - 2
Yellow Pansy - 45+
White-spotted Commodore - 2
African Ringlet - 300+
Plain Tiger - 90
African Marbled Skipper - 1
Mountain Sandman - 2
Pygmy Skipper - 2
Twin Swift - 3
Managed to spend about five hours down here, amassing more species of butterflies than I had expected and generally having a very good day. Also added several more birds, including 12 Bruce's Green Pigeon, a European Honey Buzzard, eight Little Swifts, three White-browed Coucals, ten Violet-backed Starlings, a couple of Blackstarts and numerous Palestine Sunbirds. At slightly lower altitude, I also added my only African Pipits of the trip, a pair.
Popped back up the slope one time to see how the butterflies were higher up, but really the Goldilocks zone was 1200-1400 m, some butterflies above this, very few lower down as then very hot and dry. Added Grey Wagtail and Yemen Warbler, then returned to the core butterfly slopes again till the end of the day - mostly the same butterflies, but better photographic possibilities of some as Citrus Swallowtails, Common Grass Yellows and African Ringlets in particular began to puddle at damp patches.
Late on, once again pushed the car up the slope, down to gear one in some parts, then exited the barrier. Security guard had changed, but had no issues with my presence. I asked if I could return next day, no problem he said. Thereafter, I waited on the brim of the escarpment above the barrier till dark, these forests home to Plain Nightjars and Arabian Scops Owls. Predictably fog rolled in, I neither saw nor heard any nightjars or small owls. One saving grace, an Arabian Eagle Owl lumbered across the track in the fog in front of me.
Didn't give it too long, stayed this night in a hotel near Soudah.
Officially a permit is required to visit this jewel in Saudi's crown. I had originally planned to visit some days later, so I wasn't sure if I would be allowed in or not. I needn't have worried, the guy on the gate was pretty laid back and friendly, he took my passport, couldn't understand where I was from (wrote 'Ireland' in the end) and also mixed my name up, but most importantly he scribed an entrance permit and opened the barrier. Not critical to visit in terms of endemic species, but a cracking site it is - an exceptionally steep serpentine road winds down the precipitous cliff, lichen-drapped forest at 2700 m gradually giving way to a succession of forest types till hot patched acacia scrub at 1200 m and below.
Entering, immediately classic birds, Little Rock Thrush and Tristan's Starlings near the barrier, Fan-tailed Ravens soaring above, the first of many Yemen Linnets thereafter, then a pair of the quite stunning Arabian Partridges trotting down the road, the first of many. And Hamadryas Baboons, a steady stream of troops glaring from the roadside edge all the way down. Not far down, a small side track takes you to an abandoned farmstead and terraced fields…a quick wander that way, big flocks of Yemen Linnets, five African Grey Hornbills, several Brown Woodland Warblers and two Yemen Thrushes, plus one of the main targets here - African Olive Pigeons. A bit further down, a couple of Arabian Woodpeckers, three male African Paradise Flycatchers, an Eastern Olivaceous Warbler, one Shining Sunbird.
Blue skies this day, ideal for butterflies. Under towering cliffs however, the upper slopes were to remain shaded for quite a long time in the early morning. Way down at the bottom though, I could see sun-drenched hillsides, that is where I needed to be! Countless meanders later, I was adjacent to an old castle tower at 1400 m. And that is where the day's birding ended!
Even though it was still not 9.00 am, the verges were full of butterflies seeking early morning sunshine - not least many dozens of Common Acraeas, ultra many African Ringlets and an abundance of Citrus Swallowtails. I very soon started to add a succession of good species - Purple-brown Hairstreaks, Forsskaal's Giant Cupids, Guineafowl Butterflies, a cracking Golden Piper, several Common Jokers and a Common Tiger Blue among the Mediterranean Tiger Blues.
For all the diversity however, the most impressive feature was the simple abundance of individual butterflies present, truly a spectacle:
Citrus Swallowtail - 250+
Common Grass Yellow - 150+
African Migrant - 30+
Large Salmon Arab - 2
Red Tip - 3
Banded Gold Tip - 1
Small Orange Tip - 15+
Yellow Splendour - 2
Zebra White - 5
Bath White - 3
Desert White - 5
Arabian Dotted Border - 1
African Common White - 60+
Purple-brown Hairstreak - 10
Brown Playboy - 5
Lang's Short-tailed Blue - 3
Mocker Bronze - 2
Mediterranean Tiger Blue - 40+
Common Tiger Blue -1
African Grass Blue - 6
African Babul Blue - 50+
Desert Babul Blue - 30+
Forsskaal's Giant Cupid - 35+
Guineafowl - 40+
Common Acraea - 150+
Common Joker - 13
Golden Piper - 1
Dark Blue Pansy - 2
Yellow Pansy - 45+
White-spotted Commodore - 2
African Ringlet - 300+
Plain Tiger - 90
African Marbled Skipper - 1
Mountain Sandman - 2
Pygmy Skipper - 2
Twin Swift - 3
Managed to spend about five hours down here, amassing more species of butterflies than I had expected and generally having a very good day. Also added several more birds, including 12 Bruce's Green Pigeon, a European Honey Buzzard, eight Little Swifts, three White-browed Coucals, ten Violet-backed Starlings, a couple of Blackstarts and numerous Palestine Sunbirds. At slightly lower altitude, I also added my only African Pipits of the trip, a pair.
Popped back up the slope one time to see how the butterflies were higher up, but really the Goldilocks zone was 1200-1400 m, some butterflies above this, very few lower down as then very hot and dry. Added Grey Wagtail and Yemen Warbler, then returned to the core butterfly slopes again till the end of the day - mostly the same butterflies, but better photographic possibilities of some as Citrus Swallowtails, Common Grass Yellows and African Ringlets in particular began to puddle at damp patches.
Late on, once again pushed the car up the slope, down to gear one in some parts, then exited the barrier. Security guard had changed, but had no issues with my presence. I asked if I could return next day, no problem he said. Thereafter, I waited on the brim of the escarpment above the barrier till dark, these forests home to Plain Nightjars and Arabian Scops Owls. Predictably fog rolled in, I neither saw nor heard any nightjars or small owls. One saving grace, an Arabian Eagle Owl lumbered across the track in the fog in front of me.
Didn't give it too long, stayed this night in a hotel near Soudah.
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Reydah
4 April. Reydah & Mahvar.
Quick look at Soudah early am, added a Yemen Warbler without much effort, then returned to Reydah, heading this time almost directly to the butterfly zone at the bottom. Main job this day was to photograph some of the skippers that had been skittish in the heat of the previous day. Was partially successful here, photographing several that I would later label as Pygmy Skipper, Mountain Sandman and Twin Swift. The main highlight of the morning however was a Pearl Charaxes, a big dramatic butterfly and another species with few records in Saudi Arabia. One Grass Jewel this day too, plus better numbers of Arabian Dotted Borders, five zooming around a non-native tree in a stream bed - typically none of these would settle, all highly mobile.
Around midday, it somewhat began to cloud over, mostly patchy sun, but enough to put a damper on the butterflies. Opted to leave and head for Mahvar, a clifftop viewpoint overlooking the Afrotropics far below. Or at least that is what I am led to believe - by the time I arrived, cloud and fog was sitting right up against the cliff top, the view simply a bank of cloud. Not foggy in the adjacent campsite and wooded area, but not much seen on a quick walk round, so instead I settled down to await darkness…another classic site for night birds. It started well, a Montaine Nightjar calling in the wooded fields area just to the north, very active for ten or fifteen minutes thereafter. Then it kind of fizzled out, a couple of Arabian Scops Owls were calling, but not very close and as the night developed, so too the fog rolled in. Decided to sleep in the car, I would see how the predawn hours would be.
Quick look at Soudah early am, added a Yemen Warbler without much effort, then returned to Reydah, heading this time almost directly to the butterfly zone at the bottom. Main job this day was to photograph some of the skippers that had been skittish in the heat of the previous day. Was partially successful here, photographing several that I would later label as Pygmy Skipper, Mountain Sandman and Twin Swift. The main highlight of the morning however was a Pearl Charaxes, a big dramatic butterfly and another species with few records in Saudi Arabia. One Grass Jewel this day too, plus better numbers of Arabian Dotted Borders, five zooming around a non-native tree in a stream bed - typically none of these would settle, all highly mobile.
Around midday, it somewhat began to cloud over, mostly patchy sun, but enough to put a damper on the butterflies. Opted to leave and head for Mahvar, a clifftop viewpoint overlooking the Afrotropics far below. Or at least that is what I am led to believe - by the time I arrived, cloud and fog was sitting right up against the cliff top, the view simply a bank of cloud. Not foggy in the adjacent campsite and wooded area, but not much seen on a quick walk round, so instead I settled down to await darkness…another classic site for night birds. It started well, a Montaine Nightjar calling in the wooded fields area just to the north, very active for ten or fifteen minutes thereafter. Then it kind of fizzled out, a couple of Arabian Scops Owls were calling, but not very close and as the night developed, so too the fog rolled in. Decided to sleep in the car, I would see how the predawn hours would be.
wolfbirder
Well-known member
Dark-Chanting Goshawks - a bird of my dreams!
Amongst others of course
Amongst others of course
Farnboro John
Well-known member
It's not that I don't understand WP listing, but if you want to see a Chanting-goshawk of some sort then sub-Saharan Africa is the easy route and has many other advantages....
John
They make a nice backdrop to Barred Warbler and Wryneck
Oops, forgot the most important part on the 4th
On route to Mahvar, stopped in at a nondescript valley at coordinates 18.666713, 42.231191. Nice enough selection here, including yet another African Paradise Flycatcher, a White-browed Coucal and a couple of Arabian Waxbills, but my eyes were peeled for my main bird target of the whole trip - a certain species dressed in black and white.
Gradually walking down the valley through scrubby terraced fields, there were plenty of nice birds to keep me occupied, but it was a half hour down before I heard some fairly melodious chacks up on a slope somewhere to my left. That had to be them! And indeed it was, in all their glory, a flock of four smart Asir Magpies, the only true Saudi endemic. Superficially similar to your everyday European Magpie, this endangered species is actually a pretty nifty bird - larger billed than the European, and darker in blacks, the main distinction is its voice, a definite upgrade from the birds than give their raucous calls around my house back home.
Spent an hour with these birds, metaphorically patting myself on the back, then headed onward, Mahvar calling.
On route to Mahvar, stopped in at a nondescript valley at coordinates 18.666713, 42.231191. Nice enough selection here, including yet another African Paradise Flycatcher, a White-browed Coucal and a couple of Arabian Waxbills, but my eyes were peeled for my main bird target of the whole trip - a certain species dressed in black and white.
Gradually walking down the valley through scrubby terraced fields, there were plenty of nice birds to keep me occupied, but it was a half hour down before I heard some fairly melodious chacks up on a slope somewhere to my left. That had to be them! And indeed it was, in all their glory, a flock of four smart Asir Magpies, the only true Saudi endemic. Superficially similar to your everyday European Magpie, this endangered species is actually a pretty nifty bird - larger billed than the European, and darker in blacks, the main distinction is its voice, a definite upgrade from the birds than give their raucous calls around my house back home.
Spent an hour with these birds, metaphorically patting myself on the back, then headed onward, Mahvar calling.
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5 April. Wadi Dahna & Shaibamah Dam.
Why did I sleep in the car? I woke at an unearthly early hour, thick fog blanketing everything at Mahvar and not a peep of any calling owls or nightjars. Couldn't even make a coffee!
At dawn an hour or so later, with Mahvar still in fog so dense it was difficult to see the end of the car, I gingerly began the short drive to Wadi Dahna. Fortunately, Wadi Dahna was fog free and, with some imagination, you could almost say sunny. And why was I here? Well, Wadi Dahna is not any ordinary wadi, it is the key stakeout for Philby's Partridge! I parked at the edge of the village at the top of the wadi, houses to the one side, a scrubby gully down the middle, then a boulder-strewn hillside rising to the other. That is where the birds should be, I just needed to sit and wait for them to call. For about 15 minutes nothing, no movements, no calls. But then all was okay - happily ambling up the slope just opposite, two very nice Philby's Partridges in all their glory (though in reality, the more common Arabian Partridge is a more stunning bird). Up to the top of the boulders they went, then finally the male began to call, standing on virtually the highest point of the slope admiring the world all around.
After that, I left the car and explored Wadi Dahna itself, walking down through the rough agricultural fields all the way to the dam at the far end. Supposed to be good for Asir Magpie here, but I didn't see (but given I had seen them the day before, I didn't put in too much effort). Not a bad mix otherwise however - among the many Palestinian Sunbirds, Yemen Linnets and other common birds, one more pair of Philby's Partridges, one Arabian Woodpecker, two Arabian Wheatears, one Levant Scrub Warbler, two Abyssinian White-eyes and two Little Rock Thrushes. Aside the small dam at the bottom end, two African Paradise Flycatchers and one Hammerkop. With that, I returned briefly to Mahvar, still fog bound! Tried to look for Palearctic migrants, failed miserably, but did flush a Philby's Partridge!
By this stage, with cloud and fog the order of the day, I was beginning to get bored of the highlands. I am a sun enthusiast and I like butterflies! Only one thing to do, drive and see if I could outrun the weather! Headed north without any real plan, notched up 100 km and then checked Google maps for a suitable destination - Shibanah Dam was nearby, that would do. Pulled up and it started to rain! Sat in the car as all the dirt and dust of the previous week washed off, then took a walk as something resembling the sun reappeared. Not a bad site all in all - got me four Arabian Serins, the last of the Asir endemics that I hoped to see, plus one Red-knobbed Coot, three Ortolan Buntings and six Cinnamon-breasted Rock Buntings. Also a Hammerkop, two Arabian Partridges, several Little Swifts, an Arabian Woodpecker, an African Paradise Flycatcher and three Arabian Warblers (as well as my only Lesser Whitethroat of the trip). Still, I was itching to keep moving, got back in the car and continued to drive north.
Got as far as Al Bahah, where I booked a hotel and set about to reappraise plans for the next days. A little note about Arabian Golden Sparrows at this point - as they had been missing for many months in all of their traditional sites, I hadn't bothered looking for them at all, but a few days previously a nomadic flock had been seen on the coast north of Jazan. With almost all other target birds seen, I seriously pondered travelling back to look for these, but I really didn't want to add 700 km for a trip that I doubted would be successful. So, with a heavy heart about the Golden Sparrows and not much of a plan for the coming days, I decided I would head north instead …hopefully some butterflies would await.
Why did I sleep in the car? I woke at an unearthly early hour, thick fog blanketing everything at Mahvar and not a peep of any calling owls or nightjars. Couldn't even make a coffee!
At dawn an hour or so later, with Mahvar still in fog so dense it was difficult to see the end of the car, I gingerly began the short drive to Wadi Dahna. Fortunately, Wadi Dahna was fog free and, with some imagination, you could almost say sunny. And why was I here? Well, Wadi Dahna is not any ordinary wadi, it is the key stakeout for Philby's Partridge! I parked at the edge of the village at the top of the wadi, houses to the one side, a scrubby gully down the middle, then a boulder-strewn hillside rising to the other. That is where the birds should be, I just needed to sit and wait for them to call. For about 15 minutes nothing, no movements, no calls. But then all was okay - happily ambling up the slope just opposite, two very nice Philby's Partridges in all their glory (though in reality, the more common Arabian Partridge is a more stunning bird). Up to the top of the boulders they went, then finally the male began to call, standing on virtually the highest point of the slope admiring the world all around.
After that, I left the car and explored Wadi Dahna itself, walking down through the rough agricultural fields all the way to the dam at the far end. Supposed to be good for Asir Magpie here, but I didn't see (but given I had seen them the day before, I didn't put in too much effort). Not a bad mix otherwise however - among the many Palestinian Sunbirds, Yemen Linnets and other common birds, one more pair of Philby's Partridges, one Arabian Woodpecker, two Arabian Wheatears, one Levant Scrub Warbler, two Abyssinian White-eyes and two Little Rock Thrushes. Aside the small dam at the bottom end, two African Paradise Flycatchers and one Hammerkop. With that, I returned briefly to Mahvar, still fog bound! Tried to look for Palearctic migrants, failed miserably, but did flush a Philby's Partridge!
By this stage, with cloud and fog the order of the day, I was beginning to get bored of the highlands. I am a sun enthusiast and I like butterflies! Only one thing to do, drive and see if I could outrun the weather! Headed north without any real plan, notched up 100 km and then checked Google maps for a suitable destination - Shibanah Dam was nearby, that would do. Pulled up and it started to rain! Sat in the car as all the dirt and dust of the previous week washed off, then took a walk as something resembling the sun reappeared. Not a bad site all in all - got me four Arabian Serins, the last of the Asir endemics that I hoped to see, plus one Red-knobbed Coot, three Ortolan Buntings and six Cinnamon-breasted Rock Buntings. Also a Hammerkop, two Arabian Partridges, several Little Swifts, an Arabian Woodpecker, an African Paradise Flycatcher and three Arabian Warblers (as well as my only Lesser Whitethroat of the trip). Still, I was itching to keep moving, got back in the car and continued to drive north.
Got as far as Al Bahah, where I booked a hotel and set about to reappraise plans for the next days. A little note about Arabian Golden Sparrows at this point - as they had been missing for many months in all of their traditional sites, I hadn't bothered looking for them at all, but a few days previously a nomadic flock had been seen on the coast north of Jazan. With almost all other target birds seen, I seriously pondered travelling back to look for these, but I really didn't want to add 700 km for a trip that I doubted would be successful. So, with a heavy heart about the Golden Sparrows and not much of a plan for the coming days, I decided I would head north instead …hopefully some butterflies would await.
Best bird is still to come
